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The Golden Valley Line - Swindon to Gloucester Past & Present (Paperback)
Loot Price: R501
Discovery Miles 5 010
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The Golden Valley Line - Swindon to Gloucester Past & Present (Paperback)
Series: British Railways Past and Present Companion
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List price R617
Loot Price R501
Discovery Miles 5 010
You Save R116 (19%)
Expected to ship within 9 - 15 working days
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The 'Golden Valley Line' - is so called due to the descent from the
summit of the line at Sapperton Tunnel to Gloucester being cut
through a yellow/golden limestone ridge - between Swindon, on the
Great Western main line and Standish Junction, on the
Birmingham-Bristol main line. Opened from Gloucester Junction,
immediately to the west of Swindon, to Cirencester on 31 May 1841,
under the auspices of the Cheltenham & Great Western Union
Railway Act of 1936, the extension to Gloucester, via Kemble
(though without a station there initially) was completed on 12 May
1845. Laid to Brunel's 7ft 0 ins gauge, the line was bought by the
Great Western Railway and grandly called the 'South Wales Main
Line'. It was converted to standard gauge on 26 May 1872. What had
now become the Cirencester branch from Kemble closed to passengers
from 6 April 1964 and freight on 4 October the following year. A
branch from Kemble to Tetbury was opened on 2 December 1889 -
originally planned to extend to Nailsworth - and closed to
passengers on the same date as the route to Cirencester, with
freight going earlier this time, on 5 August 1963.The route has
seen a wide variety of services, from 'main line' trains to London
to the much more humble Railmotor services that ran for many years
between Gloucester/Stonehouse-Chalford/Kemble. The latter ended on
2 November 1964, leaving the services to run Swindon-Gloucester as
locals, with occasional through trains from/to London. In steam
days it was home to the world famous 'Cheltenham Spa Express',
giving the fastest journey to London. The 12-mile section from
Swindon to Kemble was singled by BR to save costs but this has
meant restrictions on traffic, with many services being negatively
affected and preventing growth of patronage. To ease this situation
and to prepare for the forthcoming electrification of the Great
Western mainline, when a diversion will be required around the
Severn Tunnel, the route is to be re-doubled by Network Rail over
the period 2013/4. This volume, extending the compass to
Gloucester, looks at both the old days, with comparisons with the
present day scene and also features the doubling work, in
conjunction with Network Rail. Men and machines at work give a
variety of illustrations and the whole is a fascinating exposition
of the transformation of this once sleepy by-way.
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