History Didcot, Newbury and Southampton Railway

1 history

1.1 first proposals
1.2 partial opening, , further authorisations
1.3 worked gwr
1.4 reaching southampton @ last
1.5 newbury station
1.6 operation

history

the dn&sr authorised in 1873 , became part of series of railway wars in south of england between great western railway (gwr) , london , south western railway (lswr).

first proposals

the idea railway running north south through hampshire stemmed proposal manchester & southampton railway during railway mania of 1840s. failed gain parliamentary approval, largely because of opposition great western railway.

the idea of direct line linking manufacturing districts , south coast inspired scheme, oxford, southampton, gosport & portsmouth railway, known bethell s line after john bethell, solicitor, principal spokesman promoters. failed gain parliamentary approval in may 1846. intended connecting line, promoters offered no explanation of how break of gauge dealt with.

the earlier plans never progressed, idea of railway linking industrial areas of midlands revived in 1870s, when growth of railway network meant main lines north reached southampton via oxford, reading , basingstoke. indirect , complex route, , in 1873 parliamentary bill submitted construction of didcot, newbury & southampton junction railway. company incorporated act of 5 august 1873, build 34-mile (55 km) line didcot on gwr point 2 miles (3.2 km) north of micheldever on lswr, whence access southampton on lswr line. there branch compton east ilsley , loop @ whitchurch join basingstoke , salisbury line of lswr. line cross gwr berks , hants extension line @ newbury without making junction there, line still broad gauge @ time.

by 1878 company on verge of abandonment—a bill submitted parliament purpose—and no vestige of financial support , due exertions of lord caernarvon, revised route planned, connecting gwr @ newbury , running through gwr station there; , forming micheldever junction nearer station second spur @ whitchurch. these changes authorised act of parliament of 9 july 1880, caernarvon s energy had led first sod being cut on didcot newbury section on 26 august 1879.

partial opening, , further authorisations

map of didcot newbury , southampton railway system in 1891

the didcot newbury section proceeded rapidly, , opened traffic on 12 april 1882. had junctions gwr @ both places , used gwr stations, , gwr worked line. energetic plans, company sought authority own line southampton, 33 ⁄2 miles (53.9 km) in length, location near royal pier there burghclere.

there station @ bargate, southampton, , 10 ⁄2-mile (16.9 km) line burghclere aldermaston, gwr, micheldever line , whitchurch loops abandoned. authorised act of 10 august 1882. planned railway run across largely empty country between newbury , winchester before running down eastern side of itchen valley, closely paralleling lswr s main line on western side, , joining south western main line @ st denys station short final run southampton terminus. dn&s proposed short cut coast, saving 6 miles compared existing route through reading.

the aldermaston branch , independent line southampton never built, , act of parliament authorising yet further modifications changed name of company; word junction dropped , didcot, newbury & southampton railway.

the line opened between newbury , company s own station @ winchester cheesehill on 4 may 1885, after ceremonial inauguration 3 days previously. winchester station reached bored tunnel under soke; on cramped site adjacent st. giles hill. appears line built far bar end, goods facilities winchester provided.

worked gwr

the dn&sr company lacked resources operate line, , arranged great western railway work new line, providing rolling stock , traincrews. @ time there intense competitive rivalry between gwr , lswr. in 1876 somerset , dorset railway had leased line midland railway , lswr jointly, giving independent access midlands , north of england south coast. gwr alarmed @ loss of primacy in traffic, , pleased undertake working of dns line, hoped give access southampton, in lswr territory.

reaching southampton @ last

a 1913 railway clearing house map showing (right) railways in vicinity of winchester

the company had expended financial resources in building line, southern terminus in winchester: cathedral city not commercial centre had been planned. in june 1885 company estimated required £100,000 complete line southampton, , winchester , southampton councils invested £15,000 , £70,000 respectively.

the intended works @ southampton considerable: £100,000 had been expended, of on land acquisition. sands, writing in 1971, said,

the d.n.&s. had bought wide belt of land stretching wyndham place, outside present southampton central station, northwards along east side of hill lane  ⁄2 mile, north-westward mile towards st. james s church in upper shirley ... actual work seems have been confined hill lane area ... viaduct required ... viaduct completed on half length ... unfinished viaduct has [since] vanished.

deposited plans held hampshire record office show route planned run south winchester through twyford, allbrook (where shown cross lswr main line @ allbook lock), chandlers ford (crossing lswr salisbury line west of oakmount road), pass under current leigh road / bournemouth road junction, climb tunnel near current chilworth arms public house, descend through lordswood , current sports centre area traverse east side of dale valley, swing south east under current winchester road, pass through site occupied shirley junior school, run south west of current wilton road before crossing east side of hill lane , heading south towards intended bridge on lswr. final stretch area in work commenced , location of surviving embankment, part of land upon preparatory clearance , culvert work undertaken later became dell (southampton) football ground between archers road , milton road north of unused embankment. main passenger station @ bargate street, reached bridge on lswr southampton dorchester railway, , area widened throughout length considerable reclamation work , sea wall built alongside central station (at time lswr southampton west station east of present central station position). intermediate stations have been provided on route , story grew st james park, southampton site in shirley excavated purpose, repeated in local books. deposited plans, however, show park site existed within surrounding road layout , not part of planned route, ran north east of st james church; current sunken appearance caused later gravel extraction. there didcot, newbury , stratton (formerly station) roads south of park. station road did contain police station @ 1 time. physical remnant of project in southampton tree covered embankment hidden behind current properties east of hill lane between milton road , commercial road. deposited plans route through southampton , current land levels suggest location of viaduct work described sands. photograph described illustrating part built viaduct appears in book illustrated history of didcot, newbury , southampton railway.

the way out accommodation lswr; under agreement company built short connecting line winchester station shawford junction on lswr; authorised acts of 1888 , 1889. opened on 1 october 1891. seeing danger of admitting dns trains worked gwr locomotives southampton, lswr agreed connection on condition own engines took on @ winchester , worked dns trains on southampton there, on own line onward shawford junction. time being gwr engines forbidden work south of winchester, , there engine change in cramped station there until pooling agreement finalised in 1910 removed restriction.

part of hockley viaduct in 2005

this line, running on hockley viaduct, completed in 1891, , services didcot southampton began shortly after. dn&sr joined lswr line @ shawford junction, north of shawford station.

parts of land in southampton purchased dn&sr (including part built viaduct) final link subsequently sold off.

the lswr advanced loan of £16,000 construction of extension winchester shawford junction built. became due repayment on 1 january 1900, , dns had no resources repay money: in fact paid off interest lord wantage. robertson says money advanced confidentially gwr, no doubt forestall attempt lswr take on line , gain access didcot.

newbury station

prior construction of dns line, newbury had had simple two-platform through station. dns trains ran through station , passenger trains made calls there. when gwr completed development of cut-off route west of england 1900 diverted of devon , cornwall traffic via newbury. of weymouth traffic had earlier been transferred route melksham line. gwr reconstructed newbury station, providing through lines independent of passenger platforms, , enlarged goods yard, in period 1908 - 1910, , gwr insisted on large financial contribution work dns company.

operation

when trains north-west of england started running through southampton in 1920s, proprietors of dn&sr hoped line provide north-south link, in fact trains routed via reading west curve, using faster lines greater capacity. during 1930s line downgraded, removal of passing loops , signal boxes not in stations. station staff numbers reduced. @ same time, section of line around st catherine s hill, north of hockley viaduct moved west around 55 feet allow construction of winchester bypass section of a33 road (now removed).

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