The District Controller's View No. 11 - The Midland and South Western Junction Railway
Neither a branch nor a trunk line, the Midland & South Western Junction Railway was a 68-mile cross-country route that gave a direct connection between the Solent and the West Midlands. In spite of its name, it was an independent concern until 1923 when it was grouped with the Great Western Railway and existed in hopes of a heavy flow of traffic between Southampton Docks and Birmingham.
Although it acquired several military establishments - which brought forth some very heavy special trains from time to time at its southern end, regular traffic never matched expectations although it remained sufficient to warrant several daily goods services between Southampton and Cheltenham together with an interesting timetable of local services. Passenger traffic varied between the Cheltenham - Southampton 'North Expresses', worked by a selection of Manor 4-6-0's, 43xx Moguls and Southern Railway U 2-6-0's, and a miscellany of local trains entrusted to 57xx Pannier tanks or 45xx 2-6-2T's. The variety of motive power was enhanced by the use of LMS 2-6-2T's on the Tidworth branch - a military line worked by the MSW and its successors and in fact the MSW was one of the few in the country where engines from three of the four main line companies were booked to mix on a daily basis. typical day's operating during the 1950's; a time when the traditional timetable
This book describes in detail the numerous activities that made up a operated without change and before any serious questions had been raised concerning the possibility of closure. The full working timetable for 1955 is included together with the associated traffic graphs whilst the engine allocations for Swindon and Gloucester - the sheds which provided most of the power for the line - are shown for the entire 1950's. The locomotive diagrams (engine workings) for the route are also provided to complete what is probably the most detailed account of operations yet to appear in print on the Midland & South Western Junction.
Softback, 68 pages, black & white photographs, track layouts and much more
Condition: Very Good
ISBN: 9781901056310
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Updated: 2 January 2025