Purpose of the trip
Another railway day out with three odd pieces of track in my sights – the end of the Severn Beach branch line which I have never traversed, the platform route at Frome as I may or may not have covered it plus the cut off between Chippenham and Westbury through Melksham which I have covered when it was freight only with Melksham re-opening to passengers in 1985.
The services taken today:
| Headcode | Dep | Route | Arr | Miles | Railmiles |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1V39 | 0910 | Sandhurst - Reading | 0930 | 11.5 | 11mi 52ch |
| 1D18 | 0948 | Reading - Didcot Parkway | 1003 | 17.25 | 17mi 10ch |
| 1C09 | 1038 | Didcot Parkway - Bristol Temple Meads | 1135 | 65.25 | 65mi 20ch |
| 2K26 | 1146 | Bristol Temple Meads - Severn Beach | 1224 | 13.5 | 13mi 37ch |
| 2K29 | 1301 | Severn Beach - Bristol Temple Meads | 1343 | 13.5 | 13mi 37ch |
| 2O78 | 1403 | Bristol Temple Meads - Castle Cary | 1517 | 48 | 47mi 67ch |
| 1A87 | 1531 | Castle Cary - Westbury | 1554 | 19.75 | 19mi 46ch |
| 2M21 | 1623 | Westbury - Swindon | 1705 | 32.5 | 32mi 41ch |
| 1L26 | 1719 | Swindon - Reading | 1748 | 41.25 | |
| 1O82 | 1821 | Reading - Sandhurst | 1839 | 11.5 | 11mi 52ch |
| Total Miles | 274 | 273mi 5ch |
Notes:
As before my thanks to Real Time Trains for the material in the links.
Operations on the Day
Having had problems with GWR during my railrover last year (when I had originally hoped to visit Severn Beach) I was a little concerned at spending an entire day at their tender mercies but I am pleased to report that the day ran pretty smoothly with connections made and all plans executed.
To minimise the ticket costs my trains have to capable of stopping at Didcot Parkway so on the outward journey I actually change trains there but on the return journey the service I am using makes that call. Split Ticketing has not saved me very much today – and the surprise is that it is possible to save money by making such splits work.
The route to Severn Beach passes through the Avonmouth complex but the main sidings are clearly now disused and the only sign of freight is a stone working sitting in a siding on the outward journey which leaves whilst we are at the end of the branch taking the freight only route which I had traversed on a previous visit.
Severn Beach is definitely on the river Severn and dominating the view from the waterfront is the new Severn Crossing – the M4 road – which is central in the view. However “Beach” is going a little far – judging by the paw prints “mud” is a far more apposite description. I walk along the front and there are plaques recording a bathing pool and model railways and other accoutrements of the English seaside – this was once a popular destination in high summer. There are signs announcing a forthcoming miniature railway. There are no obvious track works at present so a 2025 opening looks optimistic – but who knows – it could all happen next week.
Reaching Severn Beach means that I believe I have now covered all regular passenger track in England south of the Midlands – certainly below a line drawn between the Thames and the Severn. There may be odd curves outstanding but they can be ignored for this purpose. Still a lot to cover further north but this gap is closed.
The return journey commences following the outward route with a run to Bathampton Junction where we turn left to follow the Avon Valley. We then continue to Westbury and turn westwards again for the run through Frome station (avoiding the avoiding line) and onto Castle Cary where I change platforms to head back to Westbury and then on the former freight only line through Melksham re-joining the main line at Thingley Junction.
The train terminates at Swindon where I catch the second London bound service as it has the requisite stop at Didcot Parkway.
Costs / Ticket Checks
These are slightly odd. A day return from Sandhurst to Didcot Parkway was £8.25 whilst the Day return from Didcot Parkway to Swindon was £10.95 whilst beyond that point it was all covered by a Heart of Wessex ranger for £17.30, total £36.70 and I covered 274 miles so 13.4p per mile. If I had had more daylight then I should probably have gone to Yeovil and back simply as I have not visited that line for a very long time.
Three ticket checks during the day mainly on the branch line services from Severn Beach, on the service to Castle Cary and shuttle between Westbury and Swindon.
Rolling Stock
The surprise was the 158 on the service between Westbury and Swindon. Otherwise the main line services were all IETs and 165s on the branch line services as might be anticipated. Odd minutes late here and there through the day but generally close to time and certainly managed to return home on time.
Summary
For the mile or so of completely new track it felt expensive but such is life. For the overall journey reasonable value – the cost of Didcot Parkway – Swindon seems particularly out of kilter compared with the rest of the day.