The Wilts, Somerset & Weymouth Railway – Bath & Thingley to Weymouth

The Bath and Thingley line to Weymouth saw many changes over the years. Initially the junction with the GWR main line was at Thingley, offering a direct line to London, but then another line was laid through Bradford-on-Avon to Bathampton to give direct access from Bristol and Bath. As coal began to be brought through the Severn Tunnel from South Wales to Portsmouth, Weymouth and Southampton shipping services to the Channel Islands developed. First produce was moved and later it was holidaymakers too. Everything was good until the 1960s when car ownership reduced rail travel and foreign holidays became more popular. In this comprehensive history there are thirteen chapters looking at early history, locomotives, locomotive sheds, passenger train services and so on. The eleven appendices include signal box details in 1918, contractors, and shed allocations.