Berks and Hants Railway

The Berks and Hants Railway consisted of two railway lines built by the Great Western Railway (GWR) in an attempt to keep the London and South Western Railway (LSWR) out of the area that it considered to be its territory in England.

The two lines were from Reading, Berkshire ("Berks"), the longer one to Hungerford in the same county, and the other to Basingstoke, Hampshire ("Hants"). [cite book | last = Conolly | first = W Phillip | title = British Railways Pre-grouping Atlas and Gazeteer | publisher = Ian Allan | date = 1972 | location = Shepperton] A later Berks and Hants Extension Railway continued the Hungerford line to Devizes, Wiltshire. In more recent times the term "Berks and Hants" has been used to the whole line from Reading to Cogload Junction [cite web| title =Rules of the Plan: 2009 Timetable, Midland (Great Western)| publisher = Network Rail| date = 2008-09-01| url =http://www.networkrail.co.uk/browse%20documents/Rules%20Of%20The%20Route/Outrotp9/gw09p.pdf| format =PDF| accessdate = 2008-09-15 (Note: large document)] which does not run through Hampshire at all but includes part of the old Wilts, Somerset and Weymouth Railway and the newer Castle Cary Cut-Off.

History

In 1844 the GWR proposed a RailGauge|84 broad gauge branch line from Pangbourne railway station to Newbury while the LSWR was promoting an alternative RailGauge|ussg standard gauge branch from Basingstoke to Newbury and Swindon, the heart of GWR territory. However, the following year saw an Act of Parliament passed to allow the construction of the GWR-backed Berks and Hants Railway from Reading to both Basingstoke and Hungerford. [cite book |last = MacDermot |first = E T |title = History of the Great Western Railway, volume I 1833-1863 |publisher = Great Western Railway |date = 1927 |location = London]

The first section to open was that to Hungerford on 21 December 1847. The line to Basingstoke left the Hungerford line at Southcote Junction on the outskirts of Reading, and was opened nearly a year later on 1 November 1848.

The Berks and Hants Extension Railway was opened from Hungerford to Devizes on 11 November 1862. This was part of a GWR scheme to provide a more direct line from London to Exeter in Devon, however other elements of the route failed to materialise and the direct route to Exeter was built by the LSWR from Basingstoke through Salisbury.

A third rail was laid along the Basingstoke branch on 22 December 1856. This mixed gauge was to allow standard gauge goods trains to run through from the Midlands to ports on the South coast. Broad gauge trains stopped running on this route from 1 April 1869.

On 27 June 1874 a special road coach service was instigated between Hungerford and Devizes while the engineers converted the single track on this section to standard gauge. The remainder of the line from Hungerford to Southcote Junction at Reading was worked as a single line with trains in both directions using the normal eastbound line with a passing place kept at Newbury while the westbound line was converted. The last broad gauge train ran on 30 June and the following day the trains started to use the new standard gauge westbound line and ran through to Devizes again. Conversion of the eastbound line could then take place, and a normal service resumed on 4 July. [cite book |last = MacDermot |first = E T |title = History of the Great Western Railway, volume II 1863-1921 |publisher = Great Western Railway |date = 1931 |location = London]

At Devizes the Extension Railway connected with a branch line from Holt Junction on the Wilts, Somerset and Weymouth line which allowed through trains over the Berks and Hants to Bristol Temple Meads. A new cut-off line was opened on 29 July 1909 from a new station called Patney and Chirton to Westbury which allowed a shorter journey via Hungerford to Weymouth from where passengers could sail to the Channel Islands. From 2 July 1906 through passenger trains on the London to Penzance Line started running over the Berks and Hants line following the completion of a new cut-off line from Castle Cary railway station to Cogload Junction near Taunton.

Local services as far as Bedwyn are operated today by First Great Western, as are long distance services on the London to Penzance Line; the route is also regularly used as a diversion route for trains to Bristol when the Great Western Main Line is closed. The Reading to Basingstoke line sees frequent First Great Western stopping services and also fast CrossCountry trains from Scotland or Manchester to Bournemouth.

Relics

Most of the original Berks and Hants stations have been rebuilt, however there are two early survivors. Mortimer railway station on the Basingstoke branch is a good example of Isambard Kingdom Brunel's "chalet" style station; the main building has a wide roof that extends beyond the walls on all four sides to give shelter to passengers and there is a small waiting shelter on the opposite platform that is in matching style. Pewsey railway station on the Extension line still has a main building that shows the decorative brickwork that was a feature of all its stations; the waiting room on the opposite platform is a modern reproduction in the same style.

References