Wiltshire Traction

Bounded by the counties of Hampshire, Somerset, Berkshire, Dorset, Oxfordshire and Gloucestershire the county of Wiltshire has several significant mainline railway routes passing through it. To the north of the county the Great Western Main Line from London Paddington to South Wales, through the heart of the county the Berks & Hants route from Reading to Westbury, and westwards to Taunton. And to the south of the county the former London & South Western Railway route from London Waterloo to Exeter. The cross-country route from Southampton to Bath cuts across the county from the south-east to the north-west. Wiltshire is also home to the Great Western Railway at Swindon, although that is now sadly a shadow of its former past. Covering more than thirty years, these previously unpublished photos show the diverse workings and traction that have passed through the county, from the days of British Rail to the privatised railway of today.