Rise and fall of valley rail route (From Stroud News and Journal)

Rise and fall of valley rail route

THIS week marks the 40th year since passenger trains ceased running between Gloucester Central and Chalford serving the various stations and halts along the Stroud Valley.

The route through Stonehouse, Stroud and onward to Swindon and London was opened in 1841 and came under GWR ownership a few years later. In 1961, Dr Richard Beeching, chairman of the newly formed railways board was briefed to make the railways pay.

Three years later he wielded his axe leaving only half of the 17,000 miles of track in this country intact.

As the 19th century closed and the 20th century began, there was an increased demand for local travel and the railway was well suited and situated to meet this demand.

In 1903 GWR introduced a steam railmotor services and opened new halts at St Mary's, Ham Mill Crossing, Downfield and Ebley, in addition to the existing main stations.

The railmotor service proved extremely popular and GWR was forced to put on a bus service between Chalford and Stroud to cope with the demand.

But the steam railmotors, although popular, were not really suited to the line, because they were not powerful enough and could not keep time. So in 1905, GWR introduced the first auto-trans with the principle of a locomotive either pushing or pulling one or more coaches.

These trains were specially designed and fitted to be driven from either the locomotive or the adapted coach, with the engine at the Swindon end of the train.

Stations were opened at Brimscombe Bridge halt in February 1904 and Bowbridge in May 1905. The service was extended to Gloucester in 1921 and Cashes Green halt opened in January 1930.

GWR used the ubiquitous 1400 class 0-4-2T and the infamous 5400 and 6400 pannier tank 0-6-OPTs to power the trains.

The final steam railmotors ran in July 1928 and from then until 1964 auto-trains ruled the roost. The weekday timetables of 1947, 1959 and 1962-63 winter showed around 12 trains in either direction. On Saturday evenings, the 9.35pm service from Gloucester was extended to Kemble.

There was a Sunday service, but it was limited to the summer months by 1963.

The GWR line ran parallel with the Midland line from Standish Junction to Tuffley Junction. One of the locomotives working the Chalford service was 0-4-2T 1401.

This loco was used in the Ealing comedy The Titfield Thunderbolt back in 1952 at locations such as Limpley Stoke and Camerton, near Bath.

Things carried on in much the same way until the Beeching report of March 1963 and closure of the local stations was soon to follow. The final trains ran on Saturday, October 31, 1964 and were withdrawn on the following Monday, November 2.

This brought auto-train working to an end throughout Britain. On the same day, Gloucestershire's last branch line closed to passengers.

This was the line from Berkeley Road to Sharpness, although it is still used today for nuclear flask trains. Passenger services between Gloucester Central and Hereford were withdrawn on the same weekend.