Frome To Radstock Reopening (Again)

With a bit of political will you could connect Radstock and Bath, as the line is technically clear through Wellow and down the Two Tunnels, but it'd take capital. The Frome - Radstock project would be much much easier, but as you say has no commercial benefit at all

 

AFAIK there was a proposal post WW2 to link the SDJR to the Limpey Stoke branch at Midford then SDJR trains could use Bath Spa

It would get over the 'Tunnels' issue and link trains direct into the main line

 

There was also a plan to divert the branch from mangotsfield into Bath Spa.

 

Are those proposals on t'internet anywhere?

 

Not that I can find, but I remember reading about it pre-internet.

 

That'd never work now though, I don't imagine there is enough traffic from Radstock to justify the additional pressure on the Heart of Wessex Line, or whatever they call it now after Westbury (toward Bath).

Surely just cross what is now the Newton St Loe SSI, over the Avon? Not that difficult at all.

 

Well there would have been a bit more to it than that as you would have had to divert the S&D as well and build a bigger station.

 

Ah I assumed this precluded the S&D, as you only mentioned the Mangotsfield Branch.

 

Well there would have been little point in doing one without the other, I guess. However despite a search I can't find anything online about the plans, which I don't think got beyond the wouldn't it be a good idea if..... stage.

 

That would in theory have been dead easy, as the two lines come very close together in the narrow part of the valley between Saltford and Twerton.

Until a few months back I worked in Bath with colleagues from Radstock and Wells; and almost daily they wished there were better rail connections southwards. The train services that there are into Bath are at capacity at rush hour - to the extent that if any run with just one carriage less, people get left behind on platforms.

(One colleague from Westbury resorted to jogging home some days! Not everyone is a marathon runner though.)

 

Oh yes that's happened to me!

 

I read about the plans too but I can't remember whether they were in the Railway Magazine or the S&D Telegraph. Basically the plan was to link to Mangotsfield line to the GW mainline ,build a new 4 platform station on the site of Bath goods . Then a new tunnel would have been built Southeast of Bath Spa station with the junction at the east end of the platforms . The new line would have linked up with line towards Freshford with a new railway being built to link up with the S&D just south of Midford viaduct .. The Midland line into Bath Green Park ,the S&D to Midford and the GW line from Bathampton towards Freshford would have been closed along with Bath Spa station . The war put an end to the plans . I hope this information is of some help .