Dear Member,  It’s been a while since we were last in touch, so your committee hopes that you have safely negotiated all the challenges of the past year or so. We hope to resume committee and member meetings later in the year, most likely in time for our AGM in November.
 
Meanwhile, you’ll be pleased to hear that work on reopening the line has carried on unabated and everything is going well.
 
As you may know, the DCO (Development Consent Order) was submitted in December 2019 and it completed the examination stage in April 2021. PRG recently met with James Willcock and the MetroWest team for a progress update and here’s the latest news:

• The Planning Inspectorate are now preparing their report and this will go to the Secretary of State on July 19th.
• The Secretary of State will take three months to make his decision, which should be announced towards the end of October.
• The full business case for the Portishead line then has to be approved by North Somerset Council. This cannot occur until after the Secretary of State's decision has been announced.
• Meanwhile, the MetroWest team will continue work on various outstanding matters and on procuring the contractor to carry out the line’s construction.
• Once the full business case is approved in November/December, the Department for Transport will then take six months to sign off the project, including obtaining HM Treasury approval, in around July 2022.
• Only then can North Somerset Council award the construction contract, so construction is unlikely to get started before early 2023.
• Construction will take 12-18 months, so train services are likely to commence in the second half of 2024.

It’s understandable that these timescales feel frustrating slow, but it’s important to understand and explain to people that this is the system that all publicly funded transport infrastructure projects have to go through, regardless of who is actually in government. There is nothing that North Somerset Council, MetroWest or the project team, who continue to be working hard to deliver our line, can do to speed up the process.
 
Regards,
Peter Maliphant, Membership Secretary, Portishead Railway Group

There is an excellent item on the branch courtesy of Wikipedia please click below.    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portishead_Railway

 43 192 leads the 0927 Exeter St Davids - Penzance past Coswinsawsin, on the approach to Gwinear Road. Note that this set only has three coaches for some reason.
Best Regards, Chris Harvey (Bodmin)

​Two recent views of Wilton Junction looking towards Warminster / Tisbury. From left to right the lines are Down Exeter,  Up Exeter,  Up Westbury,  Down Westbury and (R) Quidhampton Siding.  The Western Region Sectional Appendix likes to be different and refers to the Westbury route lines as Up and Down Salisbury! 

History

Wilton Junction (132m33ch GWR / 85m37ch L&SWR ) was created in 1973 when the former GWR route into Salisbury was truncated at Quidhampton chalk pit and to the west of the station.  The GWR lines were slewed to join the L&SWR main line thus creating the junction.  A spur of the former GWR line remained to serve the pit, this was from a ground frame at 132m 25ch to 132m 54ch with east-facing sidings at the far end.  The intermediate or middle section of the GWR route was sold off and redeveloped in the late 1980s to become 'Pullman Drive', a modern housing estate that can be seen from trains on the remaining main line.  In 1992-3 the remaining stub at the Salisbury end was reinstated as a headshunt for the new DMU depot that now occupies the site of the GWR station and yard.  This line terminates close by a public footpath crossing at the end of Gramshaw Road at 84m22ch.

My understanding is that Quidhampton chalk pit, aka 'Broadlands Quarry' and unused since 2009, is to become a disposal site for spoil from the HS2 construction works. This will be brought in by rail hence the need to refurbish and modernise the points and controls at Wilton Junction.   Working Timetable paths have been in place for several years for these workings so it may be that they will soon be fulfilled.

A scheme to build a four-platform 'Wilton Parkway' station north and west of the junction serving both routes has been 'cooking' for several years but no physical work has yet been undertaken.  This was recently mentioned in the Salisbury Journal (March 10th 2021).

Qudhampton - a sort of  Railtour

I well remember my only ever 'excursion' onto the Quidhampton branch which happened on the blustery morning of  Saturday January 2nd 1988.  High winds overnight brought down a tree between Wilton and Wishford and this was run into by 33017 heading the first northbound working of the day, 2V56 0550 Portsmouth Harbour-Cardiff Central.   Passing the site of the incident en-route I arrived at Salisbury at 0926 on the (undelayed) 1O32 0630 Cardiff-Portsmouth  and found 33017 with its train had already been brought back to the Station, less than 2 hours after the incident had occurred.  The following northbound 2V58 0658 Portsmouth-Cardiff (with loco 33022) was still being held so I boarded and it duly departed at 0934, 65 minutes late.  At Wilton Junction the train stopped and, with a handsignalman in place to operate the ground frame and give appropriate orders, 33022 then reversed 2V58 onto the Quidhampton branch,venturing approximately 500 yards before stopping.  When authorised by the handsignaller the train then set off  'wrong line'  up the 'down Westbury' line as far as Wylye ground frame where under the watchful eye of a further handsignalman the 'up Westbury' line was rejoined. During this part of the journey the site of the fallen tree was noted where clearance work was coming to an end.  I recorded an arrival time in Bristol Temple Meads of 11.00am, some  80 minutes late but with the service having run.    Would such arrangements be put into place today I ask?    I'll leave readers to answer that one!! 

​A few changes in our area:

NR Western and Wales Route Weekly Operating Notice - Week 6

EGGESFORD STATION FROM 0500 HOURS MONDAY 19 APRIL 2021
Eggesford platforms have been extended as follows:
Up platform – by 22 metres (24 yards) at the Barnstaple end.
Down platform – by 36 metres (40 yards) at the Exeter St.David’s end.

BETWEEN EXETER ST.THOMAS AND EXMINSTER FROM 0600 HOURS SUNDAY 09 MAY 2021
Please note that from the above time and date, the whistle boards associated with Alphington footpath crossing at 196m 17ch, have been recovered and the crossing has been legally closed.

NR Wessex Route Weekly Operating Notice - Week 6

WILTON JUNCTION
In connection with the Stage 1 S&C renewals the following works and alterations have taken place; 141A points (Down Main) and 142 points (Up Main) at 85m 37ch (BAE2)/132m 33ch (SAL) have been renewed and converted from HW2000 to IBCL Mk2 type Points Operating Equipment (POE). 141B/C (Switch diamonds within junction) have been renewed and converted from HW2000 to RCPL type POE. The existing 40mph Permissible Speed Indicator (PSI) with right (hand) direction arrow on the Down Main line at 85m 37ch has been renewed and moved 9 metres (10 yards) towards London (Salisbury). Ground Frame telephone has been signed out of operational use.

WILTON JUNCTION FROM 0400 HOURS MONDAY 10 MAY 2021
In connection with the Stage 2 S&C renewals the following works and alterations will take place; Wilton Junction mechanical Ground Frame will be signed out of operational use. Ground Frame points 4 (A/B ends) (to/from Goods line to Down Warminster) will be renewed and converted from mechanical to power operated type Points Operating Equipment (POE). `A` end will be IBCL Mk2 type POE and `B` end will be RCPL type POE. New 4A/B points will be signed out of operational use and will be clipped and plugged (C&P) in the `Normal` position and secured by padlocks, until commissioned at future stage works. Ground Frame points 5 (A end) on the Down Warminster line at 132m 25ch will be removed and `Plain lined`. Ground Frame points 5 (B end) on the Up Warminster line at 132m 21ch will be signed out of operational use and will be clipped and plugged (C&P) in the `Normal` position and secured by padlocks. Ground Frame Position Light Signals No.6 (Exit Goods line) and No.7 (Up Warminster line down direction) will be temporarily removed. The existing 5mph Permissible Speed Indicator (PSI) on the Goods line entrance at 132m 29ch will be renewed and moved 20 metres (22 yards) towards country (Warminster) to the approach side of the facing connection on the Down Warminster line.

Hope the latter two entries are not to technical for our readers......

Kind Regards,
Chris Bellett
Retired S&T Engineer