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Alton line

Coordinates: 51°9′56″N 0°57′58.48″W / 51.16556°N 0.9662444°W / 51.16556; -0.9662444
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Alton line
A South West Trains Class 450 at Bentley station in November 2007
Overview
StatusOperational
OwnerNetwork Rail
LocaleSouth East England
Stations6
Service
TypeBranch line, heavy rail
SystemNational Rail
ServicesRail connection from South West Main Line to Mid Hants Watercress Railway
Operator(s)South Western Railway
Depot(s)Farnham Traincare Depot
Rolling stockClass 450
Class 444
History
Opened1852
Technical
Track gauge1,435 mm (4 ft 8+12 in) standard gauge
Electrification750 V DC third rail
Operating speed70 mph (110 km/h) maximum
Route map

The Alton line is a railway line in Hampshire and Surrey, England, operated by South Western Railway; it is a relatively long branch of the South West Main Line.

The branch leaves the main line at Pirbright Junction to the west of Brookwood station, Surrey, then turns to the south-west. The route crosses and recrosses the Surrey/Hampshire border, serving the towns of Aldershot and Farnham, before reaching its present-day terminus at Alton in East Hampshire. The line originally continued west to Winchester; the section between Alton and New Alresford is preserved as the heritage Watercress line.

The Alton line was electrified (750 V DC third rail) during the late inter-war years by Southern Railway. Freight trains, operated by DB Cargo UK, and steam trains connected to the Mid Hants Watercress Railway (by way of rolling stock supply or special excursion) operate on the line.

Route

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Infrastructure

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The Alton line is a standard-gauge railway line in South East England. It runs for 17 miles 29 chains (27.9 km) from the South West Main Line at Pirbright Junction in Surrey to Alton in Hampshire.[1][2] The line is electrified using the 750 V DC third-rail system[3] and is double track between Pirbright Junction and Farnham.[1][2] Between Farnham and Alton, there is an 8 mi (13 km) single-track section,[2][3] although trains may pass at Bentley station.[2][4] The entire line is controlled by Woking Area Signalling Centre;[3] the signalling system uses track circuits, with the exception of the Aldershot station area, which uses the absolute block method. The maximum permitted speed on the line is 70 mph (110 km/h) and passenger trains from Alton typically reach Brookwood on the South West Main Line in around 30-35 minutes.[3]

At Pirbright Junction, a flyover allows trains heading from Alton towards London to pass over all four tracks of the South West Main Line.[5] There are two additional junctions with National Rail lines: Ash Vale Junction allows trains to access the Ascot–Ash Vale line and Aldershot North Junction allows trains to access the spur towards the North Downs Line.[5] At the southern end of the line, the connection to the Watercress Line, a heritage railway, is fully signalled.[6]

There are two tunnels on the Alton line: the longest is the 418 yd (382 m) Foxhills Tunnel, between Pirbright Junction and Ash Vale, which runs beneath Pirbright Common;[4][7] the shorter 76 yd (69 m) Aldershot Tunnel, between Ash Vale and Aldershot, passes under Redan Hill.[4][8] The Alton line crosses the Basingstoke Canal twice: at Ash Vale and Aldershot Railway Bridges.[8][9] The level crossing at Farnham is one of the most misused in the Network Rail Wessex Region.[10] Between Farnham and Alton, the line parallels the north branch of the River Wey.[11]

Stations and services

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The current terminus at Alton, taken in February 1982

All five stations on the line—Ash Vale, Aldershot, Farnham, Bentley and Alton—are managed by South Western Railway (SWR), which operates all passenger services.[12] Aldershot and Alton have three platforms, although Platform 3 at the latter is used exclusively by the Watercress Line. The other stations have two platforms each.[2][a]

Three distinct passenger services run on the Alton line, all of which are operated by SWR:

Passenger services are typically operated by Class 450 electric multiple units,[16] although Class 701 units are expected to operate services north of Farnham via Ash Vale.[17]

Stations on the Alton line (ordered from north to south)
Station Distance from London Waterloo[4] Number of
platforms
Opening date Original name Ref.
Ash Vale 32 mi 38 ch (52.3 km)
measured via Brookwood
2 2 May 1890 North Camp & Ash Vale [18]
Aldershot 35 mi 00 ch (56.3 km)
measured via Brookwood
3 2 May 1870 [19]
Farnham 40 mi 33 ch (65.0 km)
measured via Tongham
2 9 October 1849 [20]
Bentley 44 mi 24 ch (71.3 km)
measured via Tongham
2 July 1854 [21]
Alton 49 mi 13 ch (79.1 km)
measured via Tongham
3
(2 for Alton line)
28 July 1852
relocated 2 October 1865
[22]

Farnham Traincare Depot

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Farnham Traincare Depot (51°12′18″N 0°48′37″W / 51.2051°N 0.8102°W / 51.2051; -0.8102) is located on Weydon Lane in Wrecclesham; it is close to the border between Surrey and Hampshire, in between Farnham and Bentley stations.

The depot was opened by the Southern Railway, at the time of the electrification of the Portsmouth and Alton lines in 1937. It was refurbished for the introduction of modern units when slam-door trains were replaced circa 2005. At the same time, disused quarry and ballast dump sidings behind the carriage shed were removed and a number of outdoor sidings were laid for overnight storage and servicing of units.

South Western Railway uses the depot, as part of their franchise agreement; it houses mainly Class 450 electric multiple units, but also Class 444 and Class 458 units.

More recently, the depot has been used as sidings for the Class 701 fleet pending their introduction to passenger service.

History

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The first railway line to Farnham opened in 1849 and was a branch from Guildford via Tongham. The line from Farnham to Alton opened on 28 July 1852. On 2 October 1865 the Alton, Aldershot & Winchester Railway extended the line from Alton to Winchester, with Alton station moving to a new site. On 2 May 1870 the present-day line from Brookwood to Farnham opened.[d] Alton became a junction station on 1 June 1901 when the Basingstoke and Alton Light Railway opened, temporarily closed 1917–1924 as the track was taken up for use in France during the First World War, but reopened after local pressure. Use was light and the line closed in 1933. On 1 June 1903 the Meon Valley Railway opened from Alton to Fareham on the south coast. This line closed to passengers on 7 February 1955.

The section between Alton and Winchester was closed in 1973. The 10 mile stretch from Alton to Alresford was reopened in stages from 1977 to 1985 as the Watercress heritage railway. The route between Alresford and Winchester is unlikely to be reopened, as houses and the M3 motorway have since been built across the route.[23][24]

Historical timetables

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From 1937 to 1967, Alton trains ran fast from Waterloo to Surbiton and then ran all stations to Alton. They formed the front (country) end of an 8-car train that split at Woking with the rear 4 cars running to Portsmouth. The trains ran throughout the day and left Waterloo at 27 and 57 minutes past the hour and took exactly 80 minutes to reach Alton.[25] Additionally, there were trains in the rush hours that ran fast to Woking and then all stations – at 16:17, 18:14, and 18:17 (also stopping at Surbiton) to Farnham, and at 16:47, 17:17, 17:47 to Alton taking between 72 and 76 minutes. Trains from Waterloo to Alton from 05:25 to 08:25 left two minutes earlier than the standard departures and called at Wimbledon. All trains took the fast line from Waterloo to Surbiton. The last train in the evening was the 22:57 to Farnham, which ran to Alton on Wednesday and Saturday nights only, arriving at 00:17. On Sundays there was a 23:27 that only ran to Farnham. On weekdays the 17:27 and 19:27 had connections at Bentley to Bordon with a five-minute connection at Bentley and a journey time to Bordon of 15 minutes. The diminutive army town of Bordon had a very regular service on Sunday nights from Bentley.[25]

On the up line the pattern was similar, with several departures from Farnham to Waterloo starting at 06:05 and then from Alton at 06:54, then every 30 minutes till 22:54 with three extra rush hour services in the morning. In those days the line from Farnham to Alton was double track.

In the 1980s the pattern was somewhat different: the off-peak trains ran half-hourly and stopped at Surbiton, Woking then all stations, being detached from the Bournemouth (hourly) or Basingstoke (hourly) stopping services. Around 1985 Alton lost its half-hourly service, with half the trains terminating at Farnham. Peak services were approximately every 20 minutes until 1985, half-hourly thereafter, generally going fast Waterloo to Woking, occasionally stopping at West Byfleet or Surbiton

In 1989 the service changed again with three trains an hour as far as Farnham: a fast train (Clapham Junction, Woking and all stations to Alton), a semi-fast (Surbiton, certain stations to Woking, then all to Farnham) and a slow (Clapham Junction, Wimbledon, Surbiton and all stations to Farnham).

Locomotives and rolling stock

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In the late 19th century, 4-4-2 tank engines designed by the LSWR Mechanical Engineer, William Adams, worked trains between Ascot and Farnham.[26] Tank engines designed by his successor, Dugald Drummond, worked semi-fast services between London and Alton.[27] From 1902, Q class 0-4-4T locomotives are known to have operated the Ash-Aldershot shuttle services, and replaced by P Class 0-6-0 tank engines in the mid-1920s.[28]

LSWR C8 class locomotives were introduced to the line in 1903 and E10 class engines began running services the following year. In the 1920s, T9s and H15s were used to haul mixed-traffic trains. U class tender engines were introduced in 1928, replaced by D15 class locomotives in 1935.[29] In the years leading up to electrification of the line east of Alton in 1937, Waterloo to Winchester trains were hauled by H15, U and T14 locomotives.[30] During the Second World War, goods services were operated by Q1 class 0-6-0 locomotives.[31]

After the Second World War, most services that had not been converted to electric traction were hauled by M7 class tank engines.[32] A T9 locomotive is known to have hauled parcel trains[33] and freight services in the 1960s were operated by U class,[34][35] N class[36] and Standard Class 4 tender engines.[37]

A Class 421 "4CIG" unit at Aldershot in November 1979

Following electrification of the Alton line in 1937, passenger services were run by Class 404 "4COR"[38][39] and Class 401 "2BIL" units.[40] Class 421 "4CIG" and Class 423 "4VEP" units were used on the line in the 1980s and were withdrawn by South West Trains in May 2005.[41][42]

Class 456 units at Aldershot in November 2014: Although the units pictured are wearing a debranded Southern livery, they were operated by South West Trains at this point.

Class 456 units were introduced to the Alton line on 23 March 2014, when they began operating between Ascot and Guildford via Aldershot. Based at Wimbledon depot, the 2-carriage units regularly ran in pairs on this route. The Class 456s were withdrawn from passenger service by SWR on 15 January 2022.[43][44]

Alton line trains are predominantly operated by Class 450 units, but Class 444 units are also scheduled to operate selected services.[45] Class 701 units are expected to operate services north of Farnham.

Freight

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When the first part of the Alton line opened in 1949, a public freight yard was provided at Farnham station.[46] It was used by local breweries that had previously transported their ale from Winchfield station on the South West Main Line.[11][e] A public freight siding at Tongham was also provided from the outset, but the station there did not open until October 1856.[46]

Construction of the Aldershot Gas Works was authorised by the Aldershot Gas and Water Act 1896. A 1 mi (1.6 km) branch from Tongham station was built to supply the facility with coal.[47] Although the line to the gas works closed in the mid-1950s,[48] goods trains carrying agricultural produce continued to run twice weekly from Tongham. The last freight train, carrying sugar beet, departed Tongham for Guildford on 31 December 1960.[49][f]

In 1903, a siding was installed at Weydon Lane for Thomas Patterson, a gravel merchant.[50] The adjacent quarry was served by a 2 ft (610 mm) narrow-gauge railway.[51] Much of the site was used for the construction of Farnham carriage shed in 1937, although the gravel siding continued in use until 1968.[52] Spent ballast was sent for disposal at the site between 1934 and 1987.[53]

The public goods yards began to close in the mid-20th century, with the withdrawal of facilities at Farnham on 4 May 1950,[54] Bentley on 1 June 1964,[55] Alton on 6 January 1969[55][56] and at Aldershot on 6 October 1975.[57]

An oil train (left) passes Farnham Traction Depot in August 2016

Crude oil was discovered at the Humbly Grove Oil Field, the second-largest onshore oil field in the UK, in 1980.[58][59] Starting on 4 June 1986 oil was transported in a pipeline to Holybourne Oil Terminal, between Bentley and Alton, where it was loaded into tankers and was taken by rail to Fawley Refinery.[55][58] The oil train typically ran two or three times per week[60][61] and reversed at Alton station to allow the diesel locomotive to run around.[62] By the mid-2010s, the unloading equipment at the Fawley terminal was approaching the end of its working life and the decision was taken to discontinue the rail operation.[61] The last oil train from the Holybourne terminal, hauled by a Class 66 locomotive, ran on 1 September 2016[60] and thereafter oil was transported from Humbly Grove by road tanker.[61]

Accidents and incidents

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  • 26 December 1901: A fireman was struck on the head and killed when his train to Waterloo passed under a low bridge shortly after leaving Farnham station. He had been working in the coal bunker of his locomotive.[63]
  • 12 July 1905: A track worker died after being struck by a train at Farnham Junction.[64]
  • 11 July 1925: A track worker died after being struck by a train at Farnham Junction.[65]
  • 10 May 1981: A man died after being struck by a train in Foxhills Tunnel. He had been attempting to hide from the police.[66]
  • 13 August 2006: A landslip at Foxhills Tunnel prevented trains from running between Brookwood and Ash Vale for five days.[67][68]
  • 13 April 2016: A landslip at Wrecclesham closed the line between Farnham and Alton. A temporary speed limit over the affected section had been imposed on 1 April. The embankment was stabilised and the line reopened on 4 May 2016.[69][70] Later that year, the drainage of the affected site was improved and a retaining wall was constructed to reduce the risk of further landslips.[71]

Notes

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  1. ^ Most trains use Platform 1 at Bentley; Platform 2 is used when trains need to pass, generally only at peak times.[13]
  2. ^ On Sundays, trains between London Waterloo and Alton split from and join to trains serving Basingstoke at Woking.[14]
  3. ^ a b On Sundays, the AscotAldershot and FarnhamGuildford services are combined. Trains reverse at Aldershot and do not serve Farnham.[15]
  4. ^ At Pirbright Junction, between Brookwood near Woking in Surrey and Farnborough in Hampshire.
  5. ^ Before the Alton line opened, the promoters estimated that brewers in the Farnham and Alton areas were expected to transport 145,000 barrels of ale annually via the new railway.[11]
  6. ^ The goods facility at Ash Green Halt was closed on 1 December 1926.[50]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Network Specification: Wessex" 2016, p. 5.
  2. ^ a b c d e Bridge 2017, pp. 18–19.
  3. ^ a b c d "Route Specifications" 2016, pp. 71–74.
  4. ^ a b c d "Sectional Appendix" 2009, SW120.
  5. ^ a b "Sectional Appendix" 2009, SW105.
  6. ^ Puddicombe, Daniel (1 September 2022). "Making the Connection". Steam Railway. No. 535. pp. 6–13.
  7. ^ Mitchell & Smith 1988, Fig. 36.
  8. ^ a b Williams 1973, p. 64.
  9. ^ Jebens 1996, pp. 16–17.
  10. ^ White, Marcus (15 July 2024). "Near misses and risk-taking filmed at crossings". BBC News. Retrieved 8 December 2024.
  11. ^ a b c Williams 1968, p. 183.
  12. ^
  13. ^ Roberts, Stephen (2 January 2019). "Military Service and Movie Memories". RAIL. No. 869. pp. 58–64.
  14. ^ a b "10: Basingstoke, Alton and Aldershot to London Waterloo" (PDF). South Western Railway. 15 December 2024. Retrieved 16 December 2024.
  15. ^ a b c "12: Guildford to Farnham and Ascot via Aldershot" (PDF). South Western Railway. 15 December 2024. Retrieved 16 December 2024.
  16. ^ "Class 450 "Desiro"". South Western Railway. Retrieved 6 December 2024.
  17. ^ "Arterio". South Western Railway. Retrieved 6 December 2024.
  18. ^ Quick 2023, p. 56.
  19. ^ Quick 2023, p. 47.
  20. ^ Quick 2023, p. 190.
  21. ^ Quick 2023, p. 78.
  22. ^ Quick 2023, p. 50.
  23. ^ "The end of the line for southern steam". BBC Hampshire. 13 November 2014. Retrieved 18 June 2020.
  24. ^ "Mid-Hants Railway". Friends of Alton Station. Retrieved 18 June 2020.
  25. ^ a b "British Railways Southern Region Timetable". September 1950. Archived from the original on 26 April 2012. Retrieved 17 April 2012.
  26. ^ Hay 1986, Fig. 75.
  27. ^ Ellis 1956, p. 169.
  28. ^ Kidner 1974, p. 58.
  29. ^ Hardingham 1995, p. 44.
  30. ^ Hardingham 1995, p. 45.
  31. ^ Hay 1986, Fig. 77.
  32. ^ Course 1974, p. 63.
  33. ^ Hay 1986, Fig. 79.
  34. ^ Hay 1986, Fig. 80.
  35. ^ Dart 2014, p. 44.
  36. ^ Dart 2014, p. 43.
  37. ^ Dart 2014, p. 36.
  38. ^ Robertson 2008, p. 100.
  39. ^ Wragg 2003, p. 82.
  40. ^ Wragg 2003, pp. 84, 87.
  41. ^ de Souza 2019, p. 61.
  42. ^ Waller, Peter (August 2024). "Class 4VEP EMUs". Southern Way. No. 65. Manchester: Crécy Publishing Ltd. pp. 26–45. ISBN 978-1-80-035305-3.
  43. ^ Waller, Peter (November 2023). "Class 456 Farewell". Southern Way. No. 62. Manchester: Crécy Publishing Ltd. pp. 21–31. ISBN 978-1-80-035274-2.
  44. ^ Clifton, Paul (26 January 2022). "SWR withdraws '456s' following service cuts". RAIL. No. 949. pp. 10–11.
  45. ^ de Souza 2019, p. 57.
  46. ^ a b Jackson 1999, p. 52.
  47. ^ Jackson 1999, p. 191.
  48. ^ Jackson 1999, p. 53.
  49. ^ "Romance brought up the last ten-five". Surrey Advertiser. No. 12041. 4 January 1961. p. 6.
  50. ^ a b Robertson, Kevin (July 2017). "Guildford to Winchester: The Facts and the Forgotten". Southern Way. No. 38. Manchester: Crécy Publishing Ltd. pp. 83–90. ISBN 978-1-90-932863-1.
  51. ^ Jackson 1999, p. 203.
  52. ^ Mitchell & Smith 1988, Fig. 80.
  53. ^ Mitchell & Smith 1988, Fig. 81.
  54. ^ Mitchell & Smith 1988, Fig. 77.
  55. ^ a b c Maggs 2010, p. 74.
  56. ^ Mitchell & Smith 1988, Fig. 113.
  57. ^ Mitchell & Smith 1988, Fig. 56.
  58. ^ a b Mitchell & Smith 1988, Fig. 107.
  59. ^ Davis, Jonathan (4 May 1980). "Oil fever on the A32 at Basingstoke". Sunday Telegraph. No. 996. p. 22.
  60. ^ a b Clifton, Paul (14 September 2016). "Branch line in limbo as last Fawley oil train runs". RAIL. No. 809. pp. 16–17.
  61. ^ a b c de Souza 2019, p. 56.
  62. ^ Gough 2001, p. 77.
  63. ^ "Fatality on the railway". Surrey Advertiser. Vol. LV, no. 5131. 30 December 1901. p. 4.
  64. ^ "Fatality on the railway". Surrey Advertiser. Vol. LXIII, no. 5685. 17 July 1905. p. 3.
  65. ^ "Railway ganger's sad death". Surrey Advertiser. Vol. CIII, no. 8728. 15 July 1925. p. 4.
  66. ^ "Mystery of headless body solved". Aldershot News and Mail. No. 4494. 14 July 1981. p. 1.
  67. ^ "Landslide update: Alton line services". South West Trains. 17 August 2006. Archived from the original on 8 April 2009. Retrieved 13 May 2009.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  68. ^ "Whoosh and rain water flooded in". Surrey Live. 3 July 2013 [18 August 2006]. Retrieved 12 December 2024.
  69. ^ "Farnham and Alton railway line to reopen after landslip". BBC News. 29 April 2016. Retrieved 11 December 2024.
  70. ^ "Farnham and Alton railway line shut amid safety fears". BBC News. 14 April 2016. Retrieved 11 December 2024.
  71. ^ "Network Rail to rebuild embankment at site of Surrey railway landslip". Network Rail. 30 August 2016. Archived from the original on 19 June 2020.

Bibliography

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51°9′56″N 0°57′58.48″W / 51.16556°N 0.9662444°W / 51.16556; -0.9662444