Swindon to Reading
N.B. Swindon is 77.25 miles from Paddington
N.B. Swindon is 77.25 miles from Paddington
Swindon Works
790331j The Whitewash Coach Track testing vehicle outside of Swindon Works. Copyright Roger Winnen
840512f High on the wall of the office block these Gooch Singles take pride of place. Copyright Roger Winnen
840512j Derby Built Welsh Allocated DMU under repair. Copyright Roger Winnen
840512p The two engines in D8a8 since scrapped and D1015 stand infront of a building which still stands today. Copyright Roger Winnen
840512s D8710 receiving a new coat of paint. Copyright Roger Winnen
840512x A Thumper Unit from the Southern Region. Copyright Roger Winnen
840512za A Class 31 and a Peak awaiting the cutters torch. Copyright Roger Winnen
840512zi A line up of Class 27s. Copyright Roger Winnen
010630t The Pattern Store Bar. Swindon Copyright Roger Winnen
Swindon Station
Map - Wootton Bassett, - Swindon - Challow. Copyright Keith Jenkin
840512zl The old platform at Swindon prior to its rebuilding. Copyright Roger Winnen
840512zm The Avon Explorer arrives at Swindon. Copyright Roger Winnen
840512zn The Avon Explorer awaits departure from Swindon. Copyright Roger Winnen
080722b The new platform at Swindon. Copyright Roger Winnen
080722c The new platform arrangement at Swindon. Copyright Roger Winnen
Swindon East Loop. 77.25 miles from Paddington.
Freightline 66514 passes an EWS '66' at Swindon East Loop Copyright Ken Mumford
Amey 73912 parked at Swindon East Loop. Copyright Ken Mumford
Swindon East loop Fast Line Freight 66304 is seen passing through. Copyright Ken Mumford
DR77905 at Swindon East loop - October 2008. Copyright Ken Mumford.
4965 heads 5049 at Swindon East loop
Copyright Ken Mumford
The above special accelerates away.
Copyright Ken Mumford
57605 Totnes Castle heads 47397 off Swindon East loop. Copyright Ken Mumford
Highworth Junction 76.5 miles from Paddington.
160703h The Highworth Branch leaving the main line east of Swindon Station. Copyright Roger Winnen
66137 about to enter what remains of the Highworth branch, This is now the EMR scrapyeard at Swindon. Copyright Ken Mumford
A little more on the Highworth Branch
Many more details on the line and its stations can be obtained from this website click here. https://www.google.com/search?sxsrf=ALeKk022fT7CjABh9H2w9D1EyH129baVPA%3A1594801103148&ei=z7sOX4_TCNWU8gKz1KP4CQ&q=Highworth+branch+line&oq=Highworth+branch+line&gs_lcp=CgZwc3ktYWIQAzIECCMQJzIECCMQJzoECAAQRzoGCAAQFhAeUNbTAVj14AFg3-4BaABwAXgAgAFdiAG-BJIBATiYAQCgAQGqAQdnd3Mtd2l6&sclient=psy-ab&ved=0ahUKEwjP9vWJ6c7qAhVVilwKHTPqCJ8Q4dUDCAw&uact=5
On the 8th May 2017 our member Roger Salter carried out a walking exploration of the remains of the line - a small selection of his photographs appear below. His major prize was to capture the remains of Hannington Station in photos 3,4,5, & 6. On his walk after passing Hannington and proceeding towards Highworth he crossed a by-road at Cricklade Crossing see large picture below. Also noted were 'bridge rail' fencing posts and another major find was of a mile post sadly disappearing in the undergrowth.
Another point Roger Salter told us of his family connections with Hannington.
I visited the branch because of great family connections ,the Hannington one, as an great uncle farmed there & was director of the railway & a friend of Daniel Gooch, the Malmesbury one ,my other g/father lived at Lea & drove cattle across those fields to market etc before moving to Swindon as the railway's boomed in the 1880s. We have a celebrity in our midst!
Another point Roger Salter told us of his family connections with Hannington.
I visited the branch because of great family connections ,the Hannington one, as an great uncle farmed there & was director of the railway & a friend of Daniel Gooch, the Malmesbury one ,my other g/father lived at Lea & drove cattle across those fields to market etc before moving to Swindon as the railway's boomed in the 1880s. We have a celebrity in our midst!
Many thanks to Roger Salter for his selection.
________________________________________________________
A view through the metals of the footbridge - the stub of the Highworth branch can be seen heading off to the left of this picture just in front of the up HST. October 2008. Copyright Ken Mumford.
Highworth Junction footbridge - another shot through the metals as 66014 approaches with a train of EWS wagons.. October 2008. Copyright Ken Mumford.
The weedkiller approaches heading in the Didcot direction. The metals of the Highworth spur look well polished. Oct 2008. Copyright Ken Mumford/
66014 heads on towards Didcot. Copyright Ken Mumford
Highworth Junction. A down HST approaches. October 2008. Copyright Ken Mumford.
Swindon Highworth Jct. with 67017 approaching with a railtour 11 Oct 2008 Ken Mumsford
Stratton Park Halt 75 miles from Paddington. Closed 7th December 1964.
Stratton Park Halt served the community off Stratton St Margaret, now part of the Borough of Swindon. The station was on the main GWR line from London to Bristol and opened around 1840. The Beeching cuts brought its closure in 1964, by which time it was only served by five trains per day. Courtesy Wilipedia.
Marston Bridge
47815 Lost Boys complete with the additional branding of 'Thank You NHS' in commemoration of valiant work put in by NHS staff during the Coronavirus outbreaj.
Detail of the special branding. Marston Bridge 25th Nat 2020, Copyright Ken Marston.
South Marston Pedestrian Crossing. Closed 29th March 2018 on the opening of the new footbridge.
The site of South Marston crossing. Copyright Ken Mumford
The former footpath leading to the crossing. Copyright Ken Mumford.
South Marston Footbridge
See - https://theswindonian.co.uk/news/network-rail-deliver-new-footbridge-near-south-marston/
also - https://smpc.files.wordpress.com/2018/01/final-draft-january-2018.pdf
See - https://theswindonian.co.uk/news/network-rail-deliver-new-footbridge-near-south-marston/
also - https://smpc.files.wordpress.com/2018/01/final-draft-january-2018.pdf
I did see if I could take photos at Swindon station but the two members of staff were extremely good even though Train-spotting as they said was not an exercise (unless I walked up an down the platform!). They suggested that I went at the Town side of platform 4 but the fence was too high! So, I tried Marston Footbridge and I was surprised when nobody was on the footbridge, so i made my way to the top of the footbridge and i had it ALL TO MYSELF until I left about two hours later!
Kind regards,
Ken
Kind regards,
Ken
South Marston Footbridge Weedkiller (66155 + MPV + DR98906 + Dr98956 + 66017) 20th May 2020
South Marston Footbridge Weedkiller 66155 and 66017 20th May 2020
South Marston Footbridge 66087 Westbound freight 20th May 2020
Shrivenham 71.5 miles from Paddington. Closed 7th December 1964
66009 in charge of a freight near Shrivenham. Copyright Ken Mumford.
Ashbury Crossing 1 mile east of Shrivenham
An HST passes Ashbury Crossing. October 2008. Copyright Ken Mumford.
66578 near Ashbury Crossing. October 2008.
The weedkiller near Ashbury Crossing. 2008. Copyright Ken Mumford.
Compton Beauchamp - 3.5 miles SE of Shrivenham.
43098 flashes past the footbridge at Compton Beauchamp. Copyright Ken Mumford.
THE MYSTERY of the MISSING PASSENGER Michael L. Roach
It sounds like the title of an Agatha Christie novel but its actually a true story based on a newspaper report from the same era that many of Christie's detective novels were set in; i.e. the 1930s. The actual title of the newspaper report was “Mystery of Missing Passenger on the G.W.R.” and it appeared in the Western Mail of Friday 23 December 1938. I came across the report by accident while looking for something else in December 2018 some 80 years after it first appeared. It was doubly interesting because the missing man was also a railwayman. The report was very brief because the newspaper was hitting the streets just 12 hours after the man disappeared, and went as follows:
The 7.45pm train from Paddington to Cardiff on Thursday night was stopped at Didcot when a signalman saw a carriage door open. Upon examination of the carriage a bag belonging to Mr. WTG was found. A search of the train was made but Mr. G could not be found, so the line was being searched as well. Later reports said that the train was the 7.55pm from Paddington to South Wales and that it was stopped at Highworth Junction, Swindon and not as reported earlier.
Walter Thomas Griffiths was born on 25 December 1883 at Griffithstown, Pontypool between the suburbs of Pontymoile to the north and Sebastopol to the south. The area was named after Henry Griffiths the first station master of Pontypool and New Inn station. Beginning work at the age of 13 as a baker's boy, Walter would later work at the steelworks at Panteg before joining the Great Western Railway at Pontypool Shed on 30 April 1901 as a cleaner earning 2 shillings and 4 pence a day [11.7p in decimal]. He progressed through 3rd class, 2nd class to 1st class fireman via postings at Dock Street (Newport), Ebbw Junction, Dowlais, Reading, Dock Street again and Ebbw Junction again. On 19 October 1928 WTG was granted 12 months leave without pay while he served as Mayor of Newport, and he was allowed to purchase first class privilege tickets during this period. A year later he was allowed to work in the Dock Street link so that he could continue his work as a Councillor for the County Borough of Newport.
WTG must have had a great sense of public duty as he was also rising through the ranks in the National Union of Railwaymen, and on 24 December 1936 he was granted 12 months leave of absence without pay for 1937 in order to carry out his duties as President of the NUR. Two years later he was granted an extension of 12 months covering 1939, that was on 1 December 1938. The final entry in the GWR records reads “22/12/38 Deceased – Accident off duty” So how did Walter Thomas Griffiths come to fall from the Paddington to Cardiff express two days before Christmas 1938.
Walter Griffiths body was found beside the track between Knighton Crossing and Uffington in Wiltshire at 8.40am the day after he had fallen from the train, and Uffington was where the inquest opened on Saturday 24 December 1938. The inquest was adjourned for the Coroner and the jury to inspect the coach, the door and its door fastenings, and for inquiries to be made of who had actually stopped the train. A friend confirmed that there was no reason for Mr Griffiths to take his own life. At the resumed inquest the following Friday a travelling companion called Maurice Brunnock gave evidence that Mr Griffiths was sober, in good spirits and looking forward to his birthday two days later on Christmas Day when he would be 55years old. Both Mr Griffiths and Mr Brunnock went to sleep full length on the bench seats of the compartment. When Mr Brunnock awoke it was because he was cold. The outer door was open and his travelling companion was gone; the guard was fetched and it was he who stopped the train.
The Coroner reported that he had travelled in a similar coach the day before in the dark and he found that the outer door reflected the door of the compartment. It was possible for a man just waking from sleep to open the wrong door, and they knew from their own experience that passengers did attempt to do so. The Jury suggested that the railway company should consider abolishing inside door fastenings. We know from subsequent events that passengers continued to fall from railway carriage doors until the introduction of central locking more than 50 years later. The Jury returned a verdict of “Accidental Death.” This was a sad end for a man who had risen from humble beginnings to be a major player in the public life of Newport and of the trade union movement.
I used to enjoy travelling in the same type of railway carriage that was involved in this tragedy, because they had a door to every compartment on both sides of the train. If you were travelling alone, or with other enthusiasts, you could have the windows down on both sides of the train and look out almost continuously as the train rounded the curves, by dodging from side to side, and even sit down occasionally when there was nothing to see. This style of coach was very common up to about 1960 but then disappeared rapidly as they were replaced by BR Mark 1 coaches.
MLR/ 12 November 2019
This article was first published in the Welsh Railways Research Circle's Newsletter No. 161 for Winter 2019 – website wrrc.org.uk
________________________________________________________________________________________________________
It sounds like the title of an Agatha Christie novel but its actually a true story based on a newspaper report from the same era that many of Christie's detective novels were set in; i.e. the 1930s. The actual title of the newspaper report was “Mystery of Missing Passenger on the G.W.R.” and it appeared in the Western Mail of Friday 23 December 1938. I came across the report by accident while looking for something else in December 2018 some 80 years after it first appeared. It was doubly interesting because the missing man was also a railwayman. The report was very brief because the newspaper was hitting the streets just 12 hours after the man disappeared, and went as follows:
The 7.45pm train from Paddington to Cardiff on Thursday night was stopped at Didcot when a signalman saw a carriage door open. Upon examination of the carriage a bag belonging to Mr. WTG was found. A search of the train was made but Mr. G could not be found, so the line was being searched as well. Later reports said that the train was the 7.55pm from Paddington to South Wales and that it was stopped at Highworth Junction, Swindon and not as reported earlier.
Walter Thomas Griffiths was born on 25 December 1883 at Griffithstown, Pontypool between the suburbs of Pontymoile to the north and Sebastopol to the south. The area was named after Henry Griffiths the first station master of Pontypool and New Inn station. Beginning work at the age of 13 as a baker's boy, Walter would later work at the steelworks at Panteg before joining the Great Western Railway at Pontypool Shed on 30 April 1901 as a cleaner earning 2 shillings and 4 pence a day [11.7p in decimal]. He progressed through 3rd class, 2nd class to 1st class fireman via postings at Dock Street (Newport), Ebbw Junction, Dowlais, Reading, Dock Street again and Ebbw Junction again. On 19 October 1928 WTG was granted 12 months leave without pay while he served as Mayor of Newport, and he was allowed to purchase first class privilege tickets during this period. A year later he was allowed to work in the Dock Street link so that he could continue his work as a Councillor for the County Borough of Newport.
WTG must have had a great sense of public duty as he was also rising through the ranks in the National Union of Railwaymen, and on 24 December 1936 he was granted 12 months leave of absence without pay for 1937 in order to carry out his duties as President of the NUR. Two years later he was granted an extension of 12 months covering 1939, that was on 1 December 1938. The final entry in the GWR records reads “22/12/38 Deceased – Accident off duty” So how did Walter Thomas Griffiths come to fall from the Paddington to Cardiff express two days before Christmas 1938.
Walter Griffiths body was found beside the track between Knighton Crossing and Uffington in Wiltshire at 8.40am the day after he had fallen from the train, and Uffington was where the inquest opened on Saturday 24 December 1938. The inquest was adjourned for the Coroner and the jury to inspect the coach, the door and its door fastenings, and for inquiries to be made of who had actually stopped the train. A friend confirmed that there was no reason for Mr Griffiths to take his own life. At the resumed inquest the following Friday a travelling companion called Maurice Brunnock gave evidence that Mr Griffiths was sober, in good spirits and looking forward to his birthday two days later on Christmas Day when he would be 55years old. Both Mr Griffiths and Mr Brunnock went to sleep full length on the bench seats of the compartment. When Mr Brunnock awoke it was because he was cold. The outer door was open and his travelling companion was gone; the guard was fetched and it was he who stopped the train.
The Coroner reported that he had travelled in a similar coach the day before in the dark and he found that the outer door reflected the door of the compartment. It was possible for a man just waking from sleep to open the wrong door, and they knew from their own experience that passengers did attempt to do so. The Jury suggested that the railway company should consider abolishing inside door fastenings. We know from subsequent events that passengers continued to fall from railway carriage doors until the introduction of central locking more than 50 years later. The Jury returned a verdict of “Accidental Death.” This was a sad end for a man who had risen from humble beginnings to be a major player in the public life of Newport and of the trade union movement.
I used to enjoy travelling in the same type of railway carriage that was involved in this tragedy, because they had a door to every compartment on both sides of the train. If you were travelling alone, or with other enthusiasts, you could have the windows down on both sides of the train and look out almost continuously as the train rounded the curves, by dodging from side to side, and even sit down occasionally when there was nothing to see. This style of coach was very common up to about 1960 but then disappeared rapidly as they were replaced by BR Mark 1 coaches.
MLR/ 12 November 2019
This article was first published in the Welsh Railways Research Circle's Newsletter No. 161 for Winter 2019 – website wrrc.org.uk
________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Uffington 66.5 miles from Paddington. Closed 7th December 1964.
Uffington railway station is a former station on the Great Western Main line. The station was located north-east of the village of Uffington. In 1864 Uffington became a junction as the Faringdon branch. In 1886 the GWR took over the Faringdon Railway. Quote Wikipedia . Faringdon branch see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Faringdon_railway_station
Challow 63.75 miles from Paddington.
Challow railway station is a former railway station about 2 miles (3 km) south of Stanhope in the Vale on the A417 betweenWantage and Faringdo. It is named after the villages of West and East Challow, which are 1.5 miles and 2.5 miles southeast of the former station. Courtesy of Wikipedia.
For further details and pictures please click here https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Challow_railway_station
For further details and pictures please click here https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Challow_railway_station
Map Wantage, Didcot and Pangbourne.
Wantage Road 60.5 miles from Paddington Closed 7th December 1964
Wantage railway station is a closed stone and brick built station located on Mill Street, Wantage in Oxfordshire. Associated with the Wantage Tramway. The station closed fully in 1945 when Wantage Tramway ceased operations. For further details please click here https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wantage_railway_station
There is a proposal for a new 'Grove' station which could open as soon as 2028.
Wantage Tramway
Was as created in 1875 to carry passengers and goods between the Wantage and Wantage Road Station on the Great Western Railway (nearby to The Volunteer Public House ).
Except for a short break during the Second World War it was in operation for seventy years, and was the most successful of the few rural lines that operated in England.
At first the Tramway’s two passenger cars were drawn by horses, but the Company soon purchased a Grantham Steam Car and made history as the first regular passenger service using mechanical traction.
Thereafter the Tramway’s timetable was arranged so that a car was available to meet every passenger train which stopped at Wantage Road Station. Courtesy Wilkipedia.
For many more details please click here www.wantage.com ›
Was as created in 1875 to carry passengers and goods between the Wantage and Wantage Road Station on the Great Western Railway (nearby to The Volunteer Public House ).
Except for a short break during the Second World War it was in operation for seventy years, and was the most successful of the few rural lines that operated in England.
At first the Tramway’s two passenger cars were drawn by horses, but the Company soon purchased a Grantham Steam Car and made history as the first regular passenger service using mechanical traction.
Thereafter the Tramway’s timetable was arranged so that a car was available to meet every passenger train which stopped at Wantage Road Station. Courtesy Wilkipedia.
For many more details please click here www.wantage.com ›
Steventon 56.5 miles from Paddington. Closed 3rd November 1958
Steventon railway station was built when the GWR extended their main line from Reading to the village of Steventon, opening the line on 1 June 1840. Two months later, on 20 July, it was extended to Faringdon Road and in December to Swindon.
There is a full history and pictures at https://www.google.com/search?sxsrf=ALeKk00rY1FAIHISDRW3zxT-57VRcI4NVA:1590519972609&source=univ&tbm=isch&q=steventon+railway+station&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjJtObPnNLpAhViWhUIHXY2Ay8QsAR6BAgIEAE&biw=787&bih=650
There is a full history and pictures at https://www.google.com/search?sxsrf=ALeKk00rY1FAIHISDRW3zxT-57VRcI4NVA:1590519972609&source=univ&tbm=isch&q=steventon+railway+station&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjJtObPnNLpAhViWhUIHXY2Ay8QsAR6BAgIEAE&biw=787&bih=650
Didcot 53.25 miles from Paddington.
750808a British Railways experimental Gas Turbine APT seen passing through Didcot on 8th August 1975. On 10th August 1975 she claimed a speed record between Swindon & Reading of 152.3 m.p.h. This Gas Turbine can now be found at The Shildon Museum, County Durham. Copyright Roger Winnen
Didcot Prototype HST at Didcot. Copyright Roger Winnen.
020525a Class 58 and Class 66 are seen stabled at Didcot Parkway Station. Copyright Roger Winnen
141009b Departing from Didcot to Reading we see the Didcot avoiding line going off to the right. Copyright Roger Winnen
141009b Departing from Didcot to Reading we see the Didcot avoiding line going off to the right. Copyright Roger Winnen
030716a The GWS Depot viewed frome the Main Line station. Copyright Roger Winnen
020525h Didcot Depot from the Didcot Avoiding Line. Copyright Roger Winnen
A reminder that having got to this location we will later include a section on the GWS depot at Didcot and the line onwards to Oxford.
King George V at Didcot Great Western 150 - seen in 1985. Copyright David Ward.
Cholsey and Moulsford 48.5 miles from Paddington.
Cholsey railway station (previously Cholsey & Moulsford) serves the village of Cholsey in south Oxfordshie. It is 48 miles 37 chains down the line from London Paddington and is situated between Goring and Streatley to the east and Didcot Parkway to the west. to the west.
Cholsey is also the junction for the heritage railway services on the Cholsey and Wallingford Railway. The station has five platforms, but two of them are out of use so fast trains can pass through, so you need permission to enter these platforms. Platform 5 is only used in summer for steam services. Information courtesy of Wikipedia.
Cholsey is also the junction for the heritage railway services on the Cholsey and Wallingford Railway. The station has five platforms, but two of them are out of use so fast trains can pass through, so you need permission to enter these platforms. Platform 5 is only used in summer for steam services. Information courtesy of Wikipedia.
750808d The Cholsey & Wallingford Branch view from the train window. Copyright Roger Winnen
More pictures are to be found on https://www.google.com/search?q=Cholsey+and+moulsford+station&tbm=isch&ved
The Cholsey and Wallingford Railway is a 2 1⁄2 miles long and is a standard gauge heritage railway in Oxfordshire. It operates along most of the length of the former Wallingford branch of the GWR, from Cholsey station to a station on the outskirts of the nearby town of Wallingford.
For more information please click here https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cholsey_and_Wallingford_Railway
For more information please click here https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cholsey_and_Wallingford_Railway
We also have pictures of the last B.R train to Wallingford courtesy of David Ward - taken with black and white film
Closed: passenger 1959; freight 1965/1981
Closed: passenger 1959; freight 1965/1981
B.R. Staff ready to operate the points for the special to leave the main line. Copyright David Ward.
The last train approaches Cholsey and Moulsford on the up line. Copyright David Ward.
The special last train ready to depart. Copyright David Ward.
Setting off down the branch. Copyright David Ward.
At Wallingford punters dash to get that final photographs. Copyright David Ward.
The buffer beam provides a good 'perching point'. Copyright David Ward.
Back at Cholsey, everyone seems to have gone home!. Copyright David Ward.
Map Goring and Streatey, Readig, and Hungerford Copyright Keith Jenkin.
Goring and Streatley 44.75 miles from Paddington.
790803a Goring & Streatley viewed from the back on a train. Copyright Roger Winnen
Pangbourne 41.5 miles from Paddington.
Pangbourne railway station serves the village of Pangbourne in Berkshire, and across the River Thames the village of Whitchurch on Thames, in Oxfordshire. It is 41 miles 43 chains (66.8 km) down the line from London Paddington. Courtesy Wikipedia.
For further details and pictures please click here https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pangbourne_railway_station
For further details and pictures please click here https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pangbourne_railway_station
Tilehurst 38.75 miles from Paddington.
Tilehurst railway station is in the suburb and former village of Tilehurst , west of Reading. It is 38 miles 52 chains down the line from London Paddington. For further details courtesy of Wikipedia please click here https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tilehurst_railway_station
166105 pausing at Tilehurst. Copyright Ken Mumford
166221 pulls in at Tilehurst . Copyright Ken Mumford
Reading 36 miles from Paddington
761127zi Rounding the curve at Reading West Junction. Copyright RogerWinnen
761127zj Approaching Reading West on route to Mortimer and Basingstoke. Copyright Roger Winnen
161010e The Oxford curve which leads off from Reading West Station to join up with the main Reading Swindon Bristol and South Wales main line avoiding a reversal at Reading Station. Copyright Roger Winnen
141009c Approaching Reading we see the new flyover on the right. Copyright Roger Winnen
141009d Passing the construction work on the new flyover. Copyright Roger Winnen
141009e Running alongside of the new flyover we see a pair of lines crossing under this flyover. Copyright Roger Winnen
141009f Entering Reading Station. Copyright Roger Winnen
141009g A HST departs Reading for the west. Copyright Roger Winnen
141009h The new flyover and truncated lines. Around to the left is the Berks and Hants line. Copyright Roger Winnen
161010a The new Reading Station. Copyright Roger Winnen
161010b The approaches to Reading Station from the west. Copyright Roger Winnen
161010c The Turbo stabling point at Reading. Copyright Roger Winnen
161010d Curving around on the Berks and Hants line with the flyover on the right. Copyright Roger Winnen