Little Somerford railway station

Little Somerford railway station served the village of Little Somerford, Wiltshire, England from 1903 to 1963. It was on the South Wales Main Line and served as the junction for the Malmesbury branch line from 1933.

Little Somerford
The site of the station in 2018
General information
Location	Little Somerford, Wiltshire England
Coordinates	51.5563°N 2.0478°W / 51.5563; -2.0478
Grid reference	ST968842
Platforms	2
Other information
Status	Disused
History
Original company	Great Western Railway
Key dates
1 July 1903 (1903-07-01)[1]	Opened
3 April 1961	Closed to passengers
1963 (1963)	Closed completely

History

When the Malmesbury branch line was opened in 1877, it left the Great Western Main Line at Dauntsey and had one intermediate station just north of Great Somerford. In 1903 the Great Western Railway opened the South Wales Main Line which provided a more direct route to South Wales, passing close to the south of Little Somerford village and to the north of the earlier line. A small station at Little Somerford^[2] was opened on the day the line was opened to passengers, 1 July 1903.^[3]

In 1933 the connection of the branch to the main line network was altered so that the branch began at Little Somerford, and the section south to Dauntsey was closed. Thus from 17 July 1933 Little Somerford became a junction, until the branch was closed (to passengers in September 1951 and completely in November 1962). Main line passenger service at the station was withdrawn in April 1961 and goods traffic in June 1963.^[3][4]

Preceding station	National Rail			Following station
Brinkworth Line open, station closed		Great Western Railway South Wales Main Line		Hullavington Line open, station closed

Preceding station		Disused railways		Following station
Great Somerford Halt Line and station closed		Great Western Railway Malmesbury branch line		Malmesbury Line and station closed

References

1. Quick, M E (2002). Railway passenger stations in England, Scotland and Wales - a chronology. Richmond: Railway and Canal Historical Society. p. 253. OCLC 931112387.
2. "Ordnance Survey 1:25,000 maps of Great Britain, sheet ST98". National Library of Scotland. 1959. Retrieved 8 September 2017.
3. Oakley, Mike (2004). Wiltshire Railway Stations. Wimborne: The Dovecote Press. pp. 77–79. ISBN 1-904349-33-1.
4. "Little Somerford". Wiltshire Community History. Wiltshire Council. Retrieved 7 September 2017.