Southwest England

The railway scene in much of Southwest England from early days was dominated by Isambard Kingdom Brunel and his Great Western Railway. However the GWR did not have the territory entirely to itself. By fair means and foul the London & South Western Railway managed to reach Plymouth, plus several holiday resorts in north Devon & Cornwall such as Infracombe, Bude and Padstow. Whether this now “withered arm” ever made an economic return on the investment is a fair question – was it just a vanity project financed from the pockets of London commuters?

Brunel’s Great Western Railway was completed to Bristol in June 1841, with the broad gauge trains terminating under the hammer-beamed trainshed at his Tudor Revival style station. Earlier the same month the broad gauge Bristol & Exeter Railway had already reached Bridgwater, starting from its own terminus facing, but at right angles to, the GWR station. For over 30 years through travelers to the West Country had either to change stations in Bristol or wait for the carrianges to be shunted between the two railways. The present through station was built 1871-78 as a joint venture between the GWR and the Midland Railway. The design is attributed to Sir Matthew Digby Wyatt (1820-77). Both original and later stations are Grade 1 listed; details in the links to Historic England.

From Bristol the gallery follows the lines of the Bristol & Exeter Railway (opened 1844), South Devon Railway (opened to Plymouth in 1849), Cornwall Railway (opened to Truro in 1859 & Falmouth in 1863) and West Cornwall Railway (opened as standard guage in 1852) westwards. Brunel was the engineer for each of these independent lines; all except the WCR built to the 7′ 0¼” broad gauge – the WCR was later connected to the CR and converted to mixed gauge in 1867 . By 1876 each had been leased or taken over by the GWR. Until the cut-off via Westbury was completed in 1906, this route via Bristol formed the GWR main line to Plymouth, Falmouth and Penzance.

Noteworthy is the Pumping House at Starcross, part of the ill-fated experiment with “atmospheric railway” propulsion, and the GWR lower quadrant signalling still much in evidence in the 21st century. In Cornwall there is a minor diversion down the Looe Branch.

Brunel trainshed Bristol TM (1977)

Brunel trainshed Bristol TM (2008)

Bristol Temple Meads (1977)

Class 52 Western Diesel Hydraulic Loco Taunton Station

Class 52 ‘Western Lady’ at Taunton (1969)

Brunel Atmospheric Railway Pumping House Starcross

Brunel’s Starcross Pumping House (1993)

Class 118 at Dawlish (1985)

Inter-City 125 HST passing Dawlish (1985)

Teignmouth station (1985)

Class 118 at Teignmouth (1985)

BT livery Class 118 at Newton Abbot (1985)

Class 67 at Plymouth (2000)

GWR signals at Liskeard (2000)

Class 153 at Liskeard (2000)

Class 153 at Looe (2000)

Class 158 at Par (2019)

‘Castle’ HST at Par (2019)

GWR signals at Par (2019)

Class 220 DEMU Class 158 DMU Penzance Station

Penzance station (2020)

‘Night Riviera’ Sleeper at Penzance (2020)

‘Night Riviera’ Sleeper at Penzance (2020)

‘Night Riviera’ Sleeper at Penzance (2020)

Frome station (1992)

Frome station trainshed (1992)

Frome station trainshed

Weymouth Custom House Quay Harbour Tramway

Weymouth Harbour Tramway (2014)

Weymouth Harbour Station (2014)

Dartmouth Railway station (1979)

Ferry to Kingswear station (1979)

Devon Belle Pullman Observation Car Dart Valley Railway Kingswear

Pullman Observation Car, Kingswear (1989)

Dart Valley Railway GWR Steam Loco Kingswear

Dartmouth Steam Railway (1979)

Although often wrongly attributed to Isambard Kindon Brunel (engineer to the Wilts, Somerset & Weymouth Railway), Frome (opened 1850) is a remarkable surviving example of his influence on early station design. The station is actually the work of J.R. Hannaford. The GWR took over the WS&WR the same year and the line eventually reached Weymouth in January 1857, although the 1865 “Tramway” to the harbour only saw its first passenger trains in 1889.

The Dartmouth & Torbay Railway never reached Dartmouth, but it did build a station there for passengers taking the ferry across the River Dart to Kingswear, where the line terminated. Courtesy of the Dartmouth Steam Railway, trains still run to Kingswear, sometimes with former “Devon Belle” Pullman Observation Car No.13.

Beer Heights Railway (1993)

Pullman Car "Orion" (1993)

Pullman Car "Orion"

WEST OF ENGLAND MAIN LINE

GREAT WESTERN RAILWAY BRANCHES

OTHER RAILWAYS

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