Midland and South Western Junction Railway
Encyclopedia
The Midland and South Western Junction Railway (M&SWJR) was, until the 1923 Grouping
, an independent railway built to form a north-south link between the Midland
and London and South Western Railways
(LSWR) allowing the Midland and other companies' trains to reach the port of Southampton
.
was incorporated in 1873 and opened in three stages:
, but financial difficulties halted further construction.
was realised in 1891, albeit by obtaining running powers over the final 7.5 miles (12 km) from a junction at Andoversford
over GWR metals to reach the Midland Railway
station at Cheltenham (Lansdown)
.
In 1892 the M&SWJR secured running powers over the LSWR Sprat and Winkle Line
between Andover and Southampton; from then onwards through workings were operated for trains from the Midlands and beyond: Bradford
, Manchester
and Liverpool
were all connected via the line with Southampton at various times over the following years.
The final section of the line to be built was the missing link between Marlborough and Grafton. The Marlborough and Grafton Railway
was incorporated in 1893 and the line was opened in 1898; the M&SWJR took formal ownership of the Marlborough and Grafton Railway in 1899.
For a fuller description of the intricacies of the M&SWJR in the Marlborough and Savernake areas see Marlborough railway stations.
The success of the line was partly hampered by the GWR's demand of high fees for connections with its metals at Marlborough and Swindon. The original plan to run shuttles between the M&SWJR's Swindon Town railway station
and the GWR's Swindon Junction station
lasted only a couple of years before being abandoned as too expensive. This meant M&SWJR passengers had to disembark at Swindon Old Town station and travel by road to the GWR station approximately one-and-a-half miles away. At Marlborough, until the M&SWJR built its own line south of the town, the GWR insisted that any passengers wanting to change to its trains at Savernake Low Level station had to travel south from Marlborough on the GWR's branch line.
Most locomotives were bought from Dübs and Company
(and its successor the North British Locomotive Company
) and from Beyer Peacock.
in 1923 the railway became a part of the GWR.
At this time the M&SWJR owned 29 locomotives, 134 coaching vehicles, and 379 goods and service vehicles.
and Southern
Regions of British Railways. The line closed on 10 September 1961.
Railways Act 1921
The Railways Act 1921, also known as the Grouping Act, was an enactment by the British government of David Lloyd George intended to stem the losses being made by many of the country's 120 railway companies, move the railways away from internal competition, and to retain some of the benefits which...
, an independent railway built to form a north-south link between the Midland
Midland Railway
The Midland Railway was a railway company in the United Kingdom from 1844 to 1922, when it became part of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway....
and London and South Western Railways
London and South Western Railway
The London and South Western Railway was a railway company in England from 1838 to 1922. Its network extended from London to Plymouth via Salisbury and Exeter, with branches to Ilfracombe and Padstow and via Southampton to Bournemouth and Weymouth. It also had many routes connecting towns in...
(LSWR) allowing the Midland and other companies' trains to reach the port of Southampton
Southampton
Southampton is the largest city in the county of Hampshire on the south coast of England, and is situated south-west of London and north-west of Portsmouth. Southampton is a major port and the closest city to the New Forest...
.
Formation
The M&SWJR was formed in 1884 from the amalgamation of the Swindon, Marlborough and Andover Railway and the Swindon and Cheltenham Extension Railway.The Swindon, Marlborough and Andover Railway
The Swindon, Marlborough and Andover RailwaySwindon, Marlborough and Andover Railway
The Swindon, Marlborough and Andover Railway was one of the constituents of the Midland and South Western Junction Railway. It received Parliamentary approval on 21 July 1873 and construction began in 1875 ....
was incorporated in 1873 and opened in three stages:
- SwindonSwindon Town railway stationSwindon Town railway station was on the Midland and South Western Junction Railway at Swindon in Wiltshire. The station was sited in the Old Town area about one-and-a-half miles from the Great Western Railway's Swindon Junction.- History :...
to Marlborough, 27 July 1881 - GraftonGrafton and Burbage railway stationGrafton and Burbage railway station served the villages of Burbage and East and West Grafton in Wiltshire, England. The station was on the Midland and South Western Junction Railway...
to , 1 May 1882 - the complete line from Swindon to Andover was opened on 5 February 1883, by running trains over the Great Western RailwayGreat Western RailwayThe Great Western Railway was a British railway company that linked London with the south-west and west of England and most of Wales. It was founded in 1833, received its enabling Act of Parliament in 1835 and ran its first trains in 1838...
's Marlborough branch and a section of the Berks and Hants Extension Railway, as the SM&AR was unable to complete its own line between Marlborough and Grafton.
The Swindon & Cheltenham Extension Railway (S&CER)
The S&CER was incorporated in 1881 and its line was opened that year from Swindon to CirencesterCirencester
Cirencester is a market town in east Gloucestershire, England, 93 miles west northwest of London. Cirencester lies on the River Churn, a tributary of the River Thames, and is the largest town in the Cotswold District. It is the home of the Royal Agricultural College, the oldest agricultural...
, but financial difficulties halted further construction.
Completion of the line
After the two railways amalgamated, the original intention of the S&CER to reach CheltenhamCheltenham
Cheltenham , also known as Cheltenham Spa, is a large spa town and borough in Gloucestershire, on the edge of the Cotswolds in the South-West region of England. It is the home of the flagship race of British steeplechase horse racing, the Gold Cup, the main event of the Cheltenham Festival held...
was realised in 1891, albeit by obtaining running powers over the final 7.5 miles (12 km) from a junction at Andoversford
Andoversford
Andoversford is a village and civil parish in the Cotswold district of Gloucestershire, England, about six miles east of Cheltenham. The parish had a population of 668 according to the 2001 census....
over GWR metals to reach the Midland Railway
Midland Railway
The Midland Railway was a railway company in the United Kingdom from 1844 to 1922, when it became part of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway....
station at Cheltenham (Lansdown)
Cheltenham Spa railway station
Cheltenham Spa railway station is in Gloucestershire, England, on the Bristol-Birmingham main line. It is managed by First Great Western and is about one mile from the town centre.-History:...
.
In 1892 the M&SWJR secured running powers over the LSWR Sprat and Winkle Line
Sprat and Winkle Line
The Sprat and Winkle Line was the familiar name of a railway line which ran between Andover and Redbridge in Hampshire, UK. It was also known as the Andover to Redbridge Line....
between Andover and Southampton; from then onwards through workings were operated for trains from the Midlands and beyond: Bradford
Bradford
Bradford lies at the heart of the City of Bradford, a metropolitan borough of West Yorkshire, in Northern England. It is situated in the foothills of the Pennines, west of Leeds, and northwest of Wakefield. Bradford became a municipal borough in 1847, and received its charter as a city in 1897...
, Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
and Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
were all connected via the line with Southampton at various times over the following years.
The final section of the line to be built was the missing link between Marlborough and Grafton. The Marlborough and Grafton Railway
Marlborough and Grafton Railway
The Marlborough and Grafton Railway was an English railway company incorporated in 1893 and the line was opened in 1898. It completed the missing link, between Marlborough and Grafton, in the Cheltenham to Andover line...
was incorporated in 1893 and the line was opened in 1898; the M&SWJR took formal ownership of the Marlborough and Grafton Railway in 1899.
For a fuller description of the intricacies of the M&SWJR in the Marlborough and Savernake areas see Marlborough railway stations.
The success of the line was partly hampered by the GWR's demand of high fees for connections with its metals at Marlborough and Swindon. The original plan to run shuttles between the M&SWJR's Swindon Town railway station
Swindon Town railway station
Swindon Town railway station was on the Midland and South Western Junction Railway at Swindon in Wiltshire. The station was sited in the Old Town area about one-and-a-half miles from the Great Western Railway's Swindon Junction.- History :...
and the GWR's Swindon Junction station
Swindon railway station
Swindon railway station is in the town of Swindon, Wiltshire, England. The station entrance is on Station Road, to the south of the line.It is approximately from the central bus station and the town centre...
lasted only a couple of years before being abandoned as too expensive. This meant M&SWJR passengers had to disembark at Swindon Old Town station and travel by road to the GWR station approximately one-and-a-half miles away. At Marlborough, until the M&SWJR built its own line south of the town, the GWR insisted that any passengers wanting to change to its trains at Savernake Low Level station had to travel south from Marlborough on the GWR's branch line.
Locomotives
- Main articles: Swindon, Marlborough and Andover RailwaySwindon, Marlborough and Andover RailwayThe Swindon, Marlborough and Andover Railway was one of the constituents of the Midland and South Western Junction Railway. It received Parliamentary approval on 21 July 1873 and construction began in 1875 ....
and Locomotives of the Great Western RailwayLocomotives of the Great Western RailwayThe first Locomotives of the Great Western Railway were specified by Isambard Kingdom Brunel but Daniel Gooch was soon appointed as the railway's Locomotive Superintendent. He designed several different broad gauge types for the growing railway, such as the Firefly and later Iron Duke Class 2-2-2s...
Dûbs and Company
Dübs & Co. was a locomotive works in Glasgow, Scotland, founded by Henry Dübs in 1863 and based at the Queens Park Works in Polmadie. In 1903 it became part of the North British Locomotive Company.-Preserved locomotives:...
(and its successor the North British Locomotive Company
North British Locomotive Company
The North British Locomotive Company was created in 1903 through the merger of three Glasgow locomotive manufacturing companies; Sharp Stewart and Company , Neilson, Reid and Company and Dübs and Company , creating the largest locomotive manufacturing company in Europe.Its main factories were...
) and from Beyer Peacock.
Grouping
At the GroupingRailways Act 1921
The Railways Act 1921, also known as the Grouping Act, was an enactment by the British government of David Lloyd George intended to stem the losses being made by many of the country's 120 railway companies, move the railways away from internal competition, and to retain some of the benefits which...
in 1923 the railway became a part of the GWR.
At this time the M&SWJR owned 29 locomotives, 134 coaching vehicles, and 379 goods and service vehicles.
Nationalisation
On nationalisation in 1948 the M&SWJR was split between the WesternWestern Region of British Railways
The Western Region was a region of British Railways from 1948. The region ceased to be an operating unit in its own right in the 1980s and was wound up at the end of 1992...
and Southern
Southern Region of British Railways
The Southern Region was a region of British Railways from 1948. The region ceased to be an operating unit in its own right in the 1980s and was wound up at the end of 1992. The region covered south London, southern England and the south coast, including the busy commuter belt areas of Kent, Sussex...
Regions of British Railways. The line closed on 10 September 1961.
Swindon
- A short length has been re-opened as the Swindon and Cricklade RailwaySwindon and Cricklade RailwayThe Swindon & Cricklade Railway is a heritage railway in Wiltshire, England, that operates on a short section of the old Midland and South Western Junction Railway line between Swindon and Cricklade.-History:...
. - The M4 motorwayM4 motorwayThe M4 motorway links London with South Wales. It is part of the unsigned European route E30. Other major places directly accessible from M4 junctions are Reading, Swindon, Bristol, Newport, Cardiff and Swansea...
has been built over a short section of the route between Chiseldon and Swindon. - Station Industrial Estate now occupies the site of the Old Town station.
Elsewhere
- National Cycle NetworkNational Cycle NetworkThe National Cycle Network is a network of cycle routes in the United Kingdom.The National Cycle Network was created by the charity Sustrans , and aided by a £42.5 million National Lottery grant. In 2005 it was used for over 230 million trips.Many routes hope to minimise contact with motor...
route 45 uses a large proportion of the trackbed between Cricklade and Marlborough . - A short length, Andover-Red Post JunctionRed Post JunctionRed Post Junction was a railway junction at Abbotts Ann in Hampshire, England between the former Basingstoke and Salisbury Railway and Midland and South Western Junction Railway. The junction was removed after the final closure of the M&SWJR in 1961....
-Ludgershall, remains open to serve the military depot at Tidworth. - There have been talks in recent years of a reopening of the Andover to Ludgershall part of the line to serve the growing town and the expanding military base.
- A boiler (believed to be from a former M&SWJR locomotive) formerly used as a stationary boiler at Didcot motive power depot survives at the Great Western Society's museum at Didcot.
See also
- Marlborough and Grafton RailwayMarlborough and Grafton RailwayThe Marlborough and Grafton Railway was an English railway company incorporated in 1893 and the line was opened in 1898. It completed the missing link, between Marlborough and Grafton, in the Cheltenham to Andover line...
- Swindon, Marlborough and Andover RailwaySwindon, Marlborough and Andover RailwayThe Swindon, Marlborough and Andover Railway was one of the constituents of the Midland and South Western Junction Railway. It received Parliamentary approval on 21 July 1873 and construction began in 1875 ....
- Locomotives of the Great Western RailwayLocomotives of the Great Western RailwayThe first Locomotives of the Great Western Railway were specified by Isambard Kingdom Brunel but Daniel Gooch was soon appointed as the railway's Locomotive Superintendent. He designed several different broad gauge types for the growing railway, such as the Firefly and later Iron Duke Class 2-2-2s...