Didcot Newbury & Southampton line

[KeithMacdonald]

As originally and eloquently expressed by Mikkel Kjartan on GWR Org UK:

 

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The story of the Didcot, Newbury and Southampton Railway is a fascinating study in ambition, manipulation and failure. The full story is too complex to recount here, but essentially, a small company's dream to build a line that connected the North with Southampton drowned in a much larger railway game between the GWR and the LSWR.

 

What happened?

 

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After much back and forth, the GWR ended up operating the line from Didcot to Winchester, with trains being forwarded from there to Southampton by the LSWR (and later the SR). The GWR part of the line was divided into two sections, the Northern section stretching from Didcot to Newbury, and the Southern section from Newbury to Winchester.

 

Perfect material, and modeller's license to run both GWR and SR?

 

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The line also had some interesting trackplans. In particular, there was a recurring pattern of trackplan (see example below) on many of the through stations that offers some quite interesting scope for layout operation. Moreover, the use of bay platforms at both Didcot and Newbury may be compelling to those who have very litle space but would like to model a cross-country line.

 

Ref: http://www.gwr.org.uk/nodns.html

 

That's enough intro, shall we get started?

 

 

[KeithMacdonald]

Starting at the northern end, and working our way south, the first section is Didcot Junction to Churn Halt, passing by Upton and Chilton.

 

 

Edited October 16, 2022 by KeithMacdonald
RMWeb image disaster recovery

[CME and Bottlewasher]

Good call Keith. I shall read with interest.

Edited June 24, 2021 by CME and Bottlewasher

[rodent279]

I've always thought this was one of those lines that, had it survived another 20 years, would have had a niche place in the modern railway.

(That doesn't read quite right-I was going to say had it not closed it would have stayed open, which makes even less sense....but you get my drift....)

Edited June 24, 2021 by rodent279

[KeithMacdonald]

The part of Didcot now used by the Didcot Railway Centre is so well-known, I hardly need mention it here. It's off of the top left corner of this map.

 

 

I've highlighted the DN&S track in green, and a minimal amount of GWR track in yellow, just to show the connections.

 

It looks like the DN&S didn't have much space south of the GWR mainline, and only one small goods/passing loop, just east of the station.

 

 

 

 

[James Makin]

We used to regularly walk some of the old route as kids in the 90s with grandparents showing us the way, we got educated to look for the numerous bits of old ‘clinker’ which could still be found by the sides of the pathways, nerdily enough I always used to take a few bits home as souvenirs 

 

Cheers,

James

[KeithMacdonald]

It's the curve furthest east that's the start of the DN&S line proper, curving and heading south. In the 1898 OS map, the strangely lonely siding in the centre is a bit of a mystery. Why didn't they put it parallel to their "mainline" into the station?

 

 

The answer seems to be provided by the 1933 version of the map. "Rich's Sidings" has appeared, but with such tight curves! I'm assuming it was for wagons, not coaches?

 

[KeithMacdonald]

The first station after Didcot Junction is Upton and Blewbury.

 

 

It looks like quite a nice little station for modellers, with the passing loop, two sidings, a goods yard, signal box, cattle pens, coal hopper, and a crane.

 

It's a historical curiosity that some of the most ancient and most modern is found side-by-side close to this station. One of the roads (making up the crossroads next to the station) is the Icknield Way, one of the most ancient trackways in Britain. Upton was the nearest station to what was the UK's Atomic Energy Research Establishment. Also nearest to Chilton and the Harwell Science and Innovation Campus, home of the UK Space Agency.

 

The Upton Village website has several pictures of the station. Identifiable traffic includes a Class 118 DMU (W51325).

 

In earlier times, Upton had plenty of horsebox traffic as well. In one picture, five horseboxes are show. See about three quarters of the way down this page : https://www.steve-banks.org/prototype-and-traffic/129-horse-race-traffic

 

Edited October 16, 2022 by KeithMacdonald
RMWeb image disaster recovery

[KeithMacdonald]

This might be quite a rare video, in colour and with sound in 1962.

 

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18th August 1962 Newbury to Didcot on the old DNSR

 

 

 

[KeithMacdonald]

Churn Halt

 

How small would you like your station?

 

 

 

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This was a small and very isolated single platform halt with access only via an unmetalled downland sheep road. It was built as a temporary stop to accommodate a competition held by the National Rifle Association in 1888. However, from 1889 military summer camps were established near to the station which required the use of the halt as the only access to the site. Timetables provided that trains would not call at Churn unless prior notice had been given to the Stationmaster at Didcot.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Churn_railway_station

 

 

Paul and Rebecca Whitewick reckon it to be one of the most remote abandoned stations in England.

 

 

 

Edited October 16, 2022 by KeithMacdonald
RMWeb image disaster recovery

[KeithMacdonald]

The rifle ranges built by the National Rifle Association are still visible on this map.

https://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/#zoom=16&lat=51.53947&lon=-1.25151&layers=168&b=1

 

So is the Ridgeway, at least 8,000 years old, one of the very oldest long distance paths in Britain. The "Greater Ridgeway" went from Lyme Regis in Devon all the way to the East Coast in Norfolk.

[Nick Gough]

9 hours ago, KeithMacdonald said:

The part of Didcot now used by the Didcot Railway Centre is so well-known, I hardly need mention it here. It's off of the top left corner of this map.

 

 

I've highlighted the DN&S track in green, and a minimal amount of GWR track in yellow, just to show the connections.

 

It looks like the DN&S didn't have much space south of the GWR mainline, and only one small goods/passing loop, just east of the station.

 

 

 

 

Keith

The DN&S didn't have a through platform line at Didcot - the main station building was in the way.

Instead the line ended as an east facing bay. After closure this area became the original station car park.

 

There was a corresponding, west facing, bay at the other end of the down main platform that was used by the long gone Didcot-Swindon stopping trains.

 

I'm sure you know that many of the intermediate DN&S stations still survive as private homes and even two of the signal boxes - Highclere and Burghclere.

[jonny777]

9 hours ago, rodent279 said:

I've always thought this was one of those lines that, had it survived another 20 years, would have had a niche place in the modern railway.

(That doesn't read quite right-I was going to say had it not closed it would have stayed open, which makes even less sense....but you get my drift....)

 

I agree. One of those lines which would have served the import/export container industry very well over the last couple of decades. 

 

However, in the 50s/60s rush to abandon most railways in favour of the obsession with road transport, the die was cast with little thought to the future (unlike those in Victorian times).

[Oldddudders]

I think a key part of the south end of the DN&S is under the M3. Think green protestors and Swampy.

[phil-b259]

15 minutes ago, Oldddudders said:

I think a key part of the south end of the DN&S is under the M3. Think green protestors and Swampy.

 

No its not - it passed far too close to the centre of Winchester for that with both Cheshill tunnel and Hockley Viaduct still in exsistance.

 

What is true however is to the north of Winchester the A34 has been built over it.

[phil-b259]

1 hour ago, jonny777 said:

 

I agree. One of those lines which would have served the import/export container industry very well over the last couple of decades. 

 

However, in the 50s/60s rush to abandon most railways in favour of the obsession with road transport, the die was cast with little thought to the future (unlike those in Victorian times).

 

10 hours ago, rodent279 said:

I've always thought this was one of those lines that, had it survived another 20 years, would have had a niche place in the modern railway.

(That doesn't read quite right-I was going to say had it not closed it would have stayed open, which makes even less sense....but you get my drift....)

 

Much like the Woodhead route railway enthusiasts love to pretend that the DNSR would be invaluable today when in reality any sane analysis shows otherwise.

 

For starters it left the SWML  on the flat, crossed the GWR on the flat at Newbury and arrived on the south side of the busy GWML at Didcot when most traffic needs to be on the northern side. Yes all fixable BUT if you are going to do that then you get far more bang for your buck if you do Reading (as NR have done) and Basingstoke were passenger services can make use of it too.

 

[Mike_Walker]

On 24/06/2021 at 23:36, KeithMacdonald said:

The part of Didcot now used by the Didcot Railway Centre is so well-known, I hardly need mention it here. It's off of the top left corner of this map.

 

 

I've highlighted the DN&S track in green, and a minimal amount of GWR track in yellow, just to show the connections.

 

It looks like the DN&S didn't have much space south of the GWR mainline, and only one small goods/passing loop, just east of the station.

 

 

 

 

Not sure why you've shown the DNS passing right through the down side station building.   There were bays at both ends, the eastern one (used by the DNS trains) is shown here.

 

 

Edited April 11, 2022 by Mike_Walker

[jonny777]

1 hour ago, phil-b259 said:

 

 

Much like the Woodhead route railway enthusiasts love to pretend that the DNSR would be invaluable today when in reality any sane analysis shows otherwise.

 

 

 

 

Ok, so you think I am insane? 

 

And a Merry Christmas to you too. 

[KeithMacdonald]

29 minutes ago, Mike_Walker said:

Not sure why you've shown the DNS passing right through the down side station building.

 

@Mike_Walker Excellent feedback, thanks! I mistook the station building for a platform canopy. Also, I should have used the 1930's map, not the older one. Doh!

 

That's a great picture, by the way.

 

 

Edited June 25, 2021 by KeithMacdonald
Map fix

[KeithMacdonald]

32 minutes ago, Mike_Walker said:

  There were bays at both ends, the eastern one (used by the DNS trains) is shown here.

 

 

Would that have run tender-first all the way to Newbury (and/or beyond)?

[Mike_Walker]

7 minutes ago, KeithMacdonald said:

 

Would that have run tender-first all the way to Newbury (and/or beyond)?

Possibly, but many trains only covered the Didcot - Newbury section.  Not my photo (I'm not that old!) but one of a number of copy slides I acquired from the late Gerald Robinson many, many years ago.

 

Incidentally, the course of the DNS line out of Didcot station is now occupied by Hitchcock Way, the road built several years ago from the roundabout on Broadway to the station. South of the roundabout, the old route is now a public foot/cycle path.  There is also a road off Broadway serving some light industrial units alongside Hitchcock Way that perpetuates the name Rich's Sidings.

[KeithMacdonald]

2 hours ago, phil-b259 said:

For starters it left the SWML  on the flat, crossed the GWR on the flat at Newbury and arrived on the south side of the busy GWML at Didcot when most traffic needs to be on the northern side. Yes all fixable

 

With the addition of just one right-hand point and a crossing, we can now run non-stop from Newbury to Oxford over the track highlighted in red.

 

 

 

[KeithMacdonald]

Next section?

Churn Halt to Hermitage.

Calling at:

• Compton
• Hampstead Norris
• Pinewood Halt
• and Hermitage

 

 

Edited October 16, 2022 by KeithMacdonald
RMWeb image disaster recovery

[Oldddudders]

3 hours ago, phil-b259 said:

 

No its not - it passed far too close to the centre of Winchester for that with both Cheshill tunnel and Hockley Viaduct still in exsistance.

 

What is true however is to the north of Winchester the A34 has been built over it.

So 'north of Winchester' isn't the south end of the DN&S? It's a jolly long way from Didcot, while really quite close to Shawford Junction. 

[KeithMacdonald]

4 hours ago, Oldddudders said:

I think a key part of the south end of the DN&S is under the M3. Think green protestors and Swampy.

 

4 hours ago, phil-b259 said:

 

No its not - it passed far too close to the centre of Winchester for that with both Cheshill tunnel and Hockley Viaduct still in exsistance.

 

What is true however is to the north of Winchester the A34 has been built over it.

 

To be fair to you both, maybe it's simply "lost in translation"?

 

As in, Winchester was the southern end of the GWR-controlled part of the DN&S. It then passed into the tender care of Southern to complete the DN&S journey to Southampton. We can get to that in more detail sometime soon.