History Wessex Main Line

1 history

1.1 southampton salisbury
1.2 north of salisbury
1.3 across salisbury
1.4 20th century

history
southampton salisbury

the south western main line of london , southampton railway, changed name london , south western railway in 1839, had reached southampton in 1840. branch salisbury (midford) junction on main line @ eastleigh (then called bishopstoke) opened in 1847. branch passes through romsey , dean valley; today part of route forms eastleigh-romsey line.

a more direct route between southampton , romsey adopted in 1865 on completion of sprat , winkle line (at first andover , redbridge railway, taken on lswr before completion). forms current route of wessex main line: departing westbound southampton central via millbrook , redbridge before branching north romsey.

north of salisbury

the line through wiltshire , somerset completed in stages, after wilts, somerset , weymouth railway (ws&wr) authorised parliament in 1845. first section opened, in 1848, ran thingley junction west of chippenham on great western railway, via melksham , trowbridge westbury. ws&wr company unable fund further construction, , in 1849 directors decided sell line gwr.

the gwr s branch salisbury westbury completed through wylye valley in 1856, first section, far warminster, having been opened in 1851.

the route junction near staverton, north of trowbridge, bradford-on-avon had been constructed in 1848 rails not laid. branch, via bradford along avon valley join gwr main line @ bathampton, completed in 1857.

across salisbury

further work required @ salisbury complete bristol-southampton route, gwr station in west of city @ fisherton, 1 mile (1.6 km) away earlier lswr station @ milford on southeast side. in 1857 lswr s west of england line (london-exeter via basingstoke , andover) arrived in northeast salisbury, @ first using midford station. in 1859 lswr opened new station @ fisherton, south of gwr station, serve 2 lines: andover line, had been extended across city, , new salisbury , yeovil railway towards exeter. milford station closed passengers.

a transit shed opened between 2 fisherton stations in 1860, allow goods transferred between gwr s broad gauge wagons , lswr s standard gauge. following conversion of gwr standard gauge in 1874, connecting siding built in 1878 allow shunting of wagons. direct route passengers came use inauguration of cardiff portsmouth service in 1896.

20th century

at salisbury, lswr station (which had been expanded in 1878) further expanded , remodelled, large extension station building completed in 1902. gwr station continued used branch services until closed passengers in 1932; used goods depot until 1991 , part of salisbury traincare depot. milford continued major goods depot until 1967.

westbury station rebuilt in 1899 cater stert , westbury railway, opened 1900, forms part of reading-taunton line.

on chippenham branch, halts @ beanacre , broughton gifford closed in 1955. smaller stations on salisbury branch – heytesbury, codford, wylye , wilton north – closed passengers in same year, although in cases goods service continued 1960s. in hampshire, nursling station closed in 1957.

bathampton , limpley stoke stations closed in 1966. same year saw closure of remaining local stations on chippenham branch: lacock halt, holt (along entire devizes branch) , staverton halt.