Winchester (Chesil) railway station

Winchester (Chesil) railway station was, for the first six years after the opening of the line, the terminus of the Didcot, Newbury and Southampton Railway (DNSR), until the line was extended to link up with the Southern Railway line to Southampton. The station buildings were larger than those of any other DNSR station but were built to the standard designs used by the Great Western Railway (GWR). The station buildings were located on the northbound platform. At the northern end of the station the line passed into the double tracked Chesil tunnel. The station also included a loading bay and single siding at its southern end accessible from the northbound line.

Winchester (Chesil)
Location
PlaceWinchester
AreaCity of Winchester
Grid referenceSU487292
Operations
Original companyDidcot, Newbury and Southampton Railway
Pre-groupingDidcot, Newbury and Southampton Railway
Post-groupingGreat Western Railway
Platforms2
History
4 May 1885 (1885-05-04)Opened as Winchester Cheesehill
4 August 1942Closed
8 March 1943Re-opened
26 September 1949Renamed Winchester (Chesil)
7 March 1960Closed
18 June 1960Re-opened
10 September 1960Closed
17 June 1961Re-opened
9 September 1961Closed
Disused railway stations in the United Kingdom
Closed railway stations in Britain
A B C D–F G H–J K–L M–O P–R S T–V W–Z
A 1913 Railway Clearing House map showing (right) railways in the vicinity of Winchester (Chesil); shown here as G.W. PASS
Railway stations
in Winchester
Didcot, Newbury and
Southampton Railway
South Western Main Line
Mid Hants Railway
King's Worthy
Winchester (Chesil)
 Winchester City
Hockley Viaduct
South Western Main Line

History

Originally named Winchester Cheesehill, the station was opened with the line from Newbury on 4 May 1885.[1] Initially a terminus, since the intended line southwards to Southampton was never completed, it became a through station on 1 October 1891 when a connecting line to the London and South Western Railway (LSWR) was opened, joining the latter at Shawford Junction.[2] The station closed temporarily on 4 August 1942, reopening on 8 March 1943.[1] The station was renamed Winchester Chesil on 26 September 1949.[1]

Bar End Yard

Further to the south of the station was an area of extensive sidings known as the Bar End Yard. There were 4 sidings, two passing loops, a large goods shed, and a ten-ton crane.[3] The goods facilities were withdrawn from 4 April 1966.[2] Stabling for two horses was located near the main gate; these animals were used to tow a freight delivery cart.

Engine shed

To the east of the line, adjacent to the goods shed, there was an engine shed which opened c. 1885.[4] This was one of two which provided locomotives for DNSR services, and the only one to actually be located on the line;[5] the other (Didcot) was on a GWR line,[6] but Winchester was a sub-shed of Didcot. It was 83 feet (25 m) long, and 17 feet (5.2 m) wide, built of stone and brick, with a slate roof supported by a timber framework. The shed housed a single line of rails, and there was a water tank above the northern end; to the south were a small coal stage and a turntable. On 31 December 1947, two GWR locomotives were based at this shed: Bulldog class 4-4-0 no. 3419, and 2251 class 0-6-0 no. 2252. It closed in July 1953.[4]

Signal box

The signal box at Chesil station was notable for the installation in 1922–23 [7] of an early type of all-electric route-setting using a miniature lever frame in which levers corresponded to appropriate point & signal combinations rather than controlling a single piece of apparatus; the system was designed and supplied by Siemens. It lasted until around 1933 [8] before replacement by an orthodox lever frame giving mechanical control of points and signals – it is believed that the damp conditions of the surrounding area (Chesil station lay partly in a cutting next to St. Giles Hill) caused problems with insulation of the wiring, the installation dating from a time before modern plastics like polythene and PVC were available for use in electrical insulation. The route-setting signal box was only a small scheme and effectively a testbed for a pair of similar but larger installations undertaken at Newport High Street station in South Wales, also during the 1920s.[9]

Closure

Like the other stations on the southern part of the line, Winchester Chesil closed on 7 March 1960; but unlike the others, it was reopened for the next two summers: 18 June 1960 to 10 September 1960 and 17 June 1961 to 9 September 1961,[1] on Saturdays only.[2]

Routes
Preceding station   Disused railways   Following station
King's Worthy
Line and station closed		   Great Western Railway
Didcot, Newbury and Southampton Railway		   Shawford
Line closed, station open
  • The railway near Cheesehill Station in August 1960
  • The view from the same vantage point in 2006
  • A modern view of the Old Station Approach
  • The entrance to the Chesil Tunnel still exists
  • The site of the station is now occupied by a multistorey car park.
  • Winchester Chesil goods shed
  • Inside the tunnel in 2007
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References
  1. Butt, R.V.J. (1995). The Directory of Railway Stations. Patrick Stephens Ltd. p. 251. ISBN 1-85260-508-1. R508.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  2. Judge, C.W. (1984). An Historical Survey of the Didcot, Newbury and Southampton Railway. Oxford Publishing Co. p. 123. ISBN 0-86093-149-8.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  3. Karau, P., Parsons, M. and Robertson, K. (1984) An illustrated history of the Didcot, Newbury and Southampton Railway, Wild Swan Publications, ISBN 0-906867-04-5
  4. Lyons, E.T. (1974) [1972]. An Historical Survey of Great Western Engine Sheds 1947. Headington: Oxford Publishing Co. p. 73. ISBN 0-902888-16-1.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  5. Judge 1984, p. 122
  6. Lyons 1974, pp. 70–71
  7. https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/WessexRail/conversations/topics/334
  8. http://www.hantsphere.org.uk/ixbin/hixclient.exe?a=query&p=hants&f=generic_objectrecord_postsearch.htm&_IXFIRST_=71&_IXMAXHITS_=1&m=quick_sform&tc1=i&partner=hants&text=southampton&tc2=e&s=3uImYLzJl9X
  9. http://forum.signalbox.org/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=3068

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