Train GraphicClick on the map to explore geographics
 
I need help
FAQ
Emergency
About .
Travel & transport from BBC stories as at 14:55 29 Mar 2024
* Delays at Dover as millions begin Easter getaway
- Attempted murder charge after man stabbed on train
* A view from inside ship that hit Baltimore bridge
Read about the forum [here].
Register [here] - it's free.
What do I gain from registering? [here]
 02/06/24 - Summer Timetable starts
17/08/24 - Bus to Imber
27/09/25 - 200 years of passenger trains

On this day
29th Mar (1913)
Foundation of National Union or Railwaymen (*)

Train RunningCancelled
13:15 London Paddington to Cardiff Central
14:19 Westbury to Swindon
14:57 Bedwyn to Newbury
15:14 Swindon to Westbury
15:22 Newbury to Bedwyn
15:28 Weston-Super-Mare to London Paddington
15:50 Bedwyn to Newbury
15:54 Cardiff Central to London Paddington
16:15 Newbury to Bedwyn
16:23 Westbury to Swindon
16:55 Bedwyn to Newbury
17:36 Swindon to Westbury
18:37 Westbury to Swindon
20:13 Swindon to Westbury
21:16 Westbury to Swindon
22:30 Swindon to Westbury
Short Run
12:35 London Paddington to Exeter St Davids
13:10 Gloucester to Weymouth
13:42 Exeter St Davids to London Paddington
13:55 Paignton to London Paddington
14:36 London Paddington to Paignton
15:28 London Paddington to Weston-Super-Mare
15:42 Exeter St Davids to London Paddington
16:35 London Paddington to Plymouth
16:50 Plymouth to London Paddington
17:03 London Paddington to Penzance
17:36 London Paddington to Plymouth
18:03 London Paddington to Penzance
18:29 Weston-Super-Mare to London Paddington
18:36 London Paddington to Plymouth
19:04 Paignton to London Paddington
20:03 London Paddington to Plymouth
21:04 London Paddington to Plymouth
Delayed
10:04 London Paddington to Penzance
10:20 Penzance to London Paddington
12:03 London Paddington to Penzance
12:15 Penzance to London Paddington
13:03 London Paddington to Plymouth
13:15 Plymouth to London Paddington
13:50 London Paddington to Great Malvern
14:03 London Paddington to Penzance
14:15 Penzance to London Paddington
15:03 London Paddington to Penzance
15:15 Plymouth to London Paddington
16:03 London Paddington to Penzance
16:15 Penzance to London Paddington
19:04 London Paddington to Penzance
PollsOpen and recent polls
Closed 2024-03-25 Easter Escape - to where?
Abbreviation pageAcronymns and abbreviations
Stn ComparatorStation Comparator
Rail newsNews Now - live rail news feed
Site Style 1 2 3 4
Next departures • Bristol Temple MeadsBath SpaChippenhamSwindonDidcot ParkwayReadingLondon PaddingtonMelksham
Exeter St DavidsTauntonWestburyTrowbridgeBristol ParkwayCardiff CentralOxfordCheltenham SpaBirmingham New Street
March 29, 2024, 14:59:27 *
Welcome, Guest. Please login or register.

Login with username, password and session length
Forgotten your username or password? - get a reminder
Most recently liked subjects
[127] 2024 - Service update and amendment log, Swindon <-> Westbury...
[80] Infrastructure problems in Thames Valley causing disruption el...
[59] Who needs a travel agent these days?
[44] Travel for free on the m2 metrobus - Bristol - 4,5,6 April 202...
[34] would you like your own LIVE train station departure board?
[32] West Wiltshire Bus Changes April 2024
 
News: A forum for passengers ... with input from rail professionals welcomed too
 
   Home   Help Search Calendar Login Register  
Pages: [1]
  Print  
Author Topic: Thingley Junctions (deliberate plural)  (Read 2117 times)
Robin Summerhill
Transport Scholar
Hero Member
******
Posts: 1145


View Profile Email
« on: May 10, 2020, 11:31:57 »

Whilst doing somerhing else this morninh with elderly Ordnance Survey maps, I stumbled across this pne that  was surveyed in 1885 and published in 1889: https://maps.nls.uk/view/102347986

This shows an "old railway" at Thingley that once provided the third side of a triangle.

For many years I have been under the impression that this chord was built as a WW2 measure, but it now appears that I was absolutely wrong and it existed back in the 19th century and had in fact been lifted by 1885.

Does anybody know any more about this chord?
Logged
JontyMort
Hero Member
*****
Posts: 342


View Profile
« Reply #1 on: May 10, 2020, 12:07:04 »

Whilst doing somerhing else this morninh with elderly Ordnance Survey maps, I stumbled across this pne that  was surveyed in 1885 and published in 1889: https://maps.nls.uk/view/102347986

This shows an "old railway" at Thingley that once provided the third side of a triangle.

For many years I have been under the impression that this chord was built as a WW2 measure, but it now appears that I was absolutely wrong and it existed back in the 19th century and had in fact been lifted by 1885.

Does anybody know any more about this chord?

It is certainly discernible on the modern OS (Ordnance Survey) at 1:50,000 and (especially) 1:25,000. It doesn’t appear in Jowett**, whose maps in the relevant area are stated to be derived from 1911/1924. That would support the theory of an early chord, maybe reinstated as a wartime measure?

** Admittedly, Jowett has many errors.
Logged
bradshaw
Transport Scholar
Hero Member
******
Posts: 1450



View Profile
« Reply #2 on: May 10, 2020, 13:19:47 »

Colin Maggs in his book “The Bath to Weymouth line” suggests that the chord was laid out in the 1840s as an alternative to the Bathampton to Bradford route, which the GWR (Great Western Railway)/WSWR did not really want. However, like the south chord at Yeovil rails were not laid.
Then in WWII (World War 2 - 1939 to 1945) it became an alternative route in case of bomb damage.
Relevant page attached
Logged
Robin Summerhill
Transport Scholar
Hero Member
******
Posts: 1145


View Profile Email
« Reply #3 on: May 10, 2020, 14:41:59 »

Thanks for that - all clear now. And I also agree with the conjecture that builing that chord would have been far cheaper than building the line from Bathampton to Trowbridge!
Logged
bradshaw
Transport Scholar
Hero Member
******
Posts: 1450



View Profile
« Reply #4 on: May 10, 2020, 15:23:53 »

I have just read through the notes I made on the Board of Trade inspections of the WSWR. The inspection for the opening in 1848 makes no mention of a west chord. It simply refers to there being no facing points on the main line. So the train had to reverse into a siding before taking the WSWR.

The other report is from 1875 after the narrowing of the gauge. Again no mention is made of a west chord, which one would expect, especially with respect to the arrangements at the junction

Thingley Junction and Bathampton Junctions (both mixed gauge) were provided with this weird single moveable blade point. Here the switch was on the common, outer rail. As the train took the points it moved onto the branch and the nearside wheels were dragged over the fixed nearside B-G rail onto the branch! The moveable rail acted as a check rail to guide the train to the branch.
(The National Archives Rail 1053-57 BoT report on Narrowing of the Gauge 12/6/1875)

Accidents did happen and it was eventually scrapped.
Logged
Do you have something you would like to add to this thread, or would you like to raise a new question at the Coffee Shop? Please [register] (it is free) if you have not done so before, or login (at the top of this page) if you already have an account - we would love to read what you have to say!

You can find out more about how this forum works [here] - that will link you to a copy of the forum agreement that you can read before you join, and tell you very much more about how we operate. We are an independent forum, provided and run by customers of Great Western Railway, for customers of Great Western Railway and we welcome railway professionals as members too, in either a personal or official capacity. Views expressed in posts are not necessarily the views of the operators of the forum.

As well as posting messages onto existing threads, and starting new subjects, members can communicate with each other through personal messages if they wish. And once members have made a certain number of posts, they will automatically be admitted to the "frequent posters club", where subjects not-for-public-domain are discussed; anything from the occasional rant to meetups we may be having ...

 
Pages: [1]
  Print  
 
Jump to:  

Powered by MySQL Powered by PHP Powered by SMF 1.1.2 | SMF © 2006-2007, Simple Machines LLC Valid XHTML 1.0! Valid CSS!
This forum is provided by customers of Great Western Railway (formerly First Great Western), and the views expressed are those of the individual posters concerned. Visit www.gwr.com for the official Great Western Railway website. Please contact the administrators of this site if you feel that the content provided by one of our posters contravenes our posting rules (email link to report). Forum hosted by Well House Consultants

Jump to top of pageJump to Forum Home Page