Cheltenham and Great Western Union Railway

Cheltenham and Great Western Union Railway

Company type	Public company
Industry	Railway transport
Founded	1836
Fate	Sold to Great Western Railway in 1843
Headquarters	England, United Kingdom
Area served	Cheltenham, Gloucester, Swindon, Cirencester
Key people	Isambard Kingdom Brunel (engineer)
Products	Railway services

The Cheltenham and Great Western Union Railway was established to link Cheltenham, Gloucester, and Swindon in England. Although authorised in 1836, it faced difficulties in securing sufficient funding and managed to open only the segment between Swindon and Cirencester by 1841. Subsequently, its operations were transferred to the Great Western Railway, which extended the line to Gloucester by 1845 and further reached Cheltenham by 1847, sharing portions of the route with other rail companies.

Starting in 1903, the line introduced railmotors—compact self-propelled coaches—that enabled many economical passenger stops along the route.

While the Cirencester branch ceased operations in 1964, the majority of the network established by 1845 continues to serve as an important passenger corridor between Swindon and Gloucester.

Gloucester and Cheltenham Railway

The earliest railway serving Cheltenham was the Gloucester and Cheltenham Railway, authorised under the Gloucester and Cheltenham Railway Act 1809 (49 Geo. 3. c. xxiii). It functioned as a horse-drawn plateway with a gauge of , primarily used to transport building stone from Leckhampton quarries and coal from Gloucester docks. The expansion of Cheltenham as a health resort attracted wealthy residents. This line commenced operations in 1811.

Great Western Railway

In 1835, the Great Western Railway was formed to construct a main line connecting London to Bristol. Designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel, it employed broad gauge tracks and steam locomotive propulsion. The railway reached Swindon on 17 December 1840, initially without providing a station at that location.

Birmingham and Gloucester Railway

Promoters from Birmingham sought to develop a railway linking their city with Gloucester to access Bristol’s port for transatlantic commerce. They obtained approval through the Birmingham and Gloucester Railway Act 1836 (6 & 7 Will. 4. c. xiv) on 22 April 1836.

Cheltenham and Great Western Union Railway authorised

Prior to the authorisation of the Great Western Railway, advocates in Cheltenham proposed a line passing through Gloucester and Stroud to connect with the Great Western near Swindon. They appointed Isambard Kingdom Brunel as engineer, who verified the project’s viability. However, Gloucester exhibited limited enthusiasm due to existing waterway links to Bristol and plans for dock expansion. The construction cost was estimated at £750,000.

A bill was submitted in 1836 and received approval on 21 June as the Cheltenham and Great Western Union Railway Act 1836 (6 & 7 Will. 4. c. lxxvii), authorising capital of £750,000. Stationary steam engines were probably intended for use on steep inclines close to Sapperton Tunnel.

The proposed route extended from Cheltenham through Gloucester, joining east of Gloucester to Swindon, with a branch line to Cirencester. The C&GWUR route between Gloucester and Cheltenham closely resembled that of the Birmingham and Gloucester Railway; both were authorised simultaneously and agreed on cooperation. The C&GWUR would construct the portion nearer Gloucester; Birmingham and Gloucester would finance half of this section’s cost and manage it as if they had built it themselves. Birmingham and Gloucester were responsible for building Gloucester station; C&GWUR constructed Cheltenham station; both companies retained rights to use either station.

The C&GWUR was planned as a broad gauge line, whereas the Cheltenham-Gloucester segment was narrow gauge (), although C&GWUR could install broad gauge rails there at their own expense. Completion of the Gloucester section by C&GWUR was required before Birmingham and Gloucester's opening. Both companies shared ownership of the Gloucester and Cheltenham Tramway, which Birmingham and Gloucester acquired for £35,000; although this plateway was unsuitable for mainline traffic, it provided valuable access to Gloucester Docks.

Squire Gordon of Kemble, near Cirencester, opposed the railway development on his land but received significant compensation. He insisted on a tunnel beneath his property with no public station constructed there.

Construction

In May 1837, contracts were awarded for construction, beginning with work on the Sapperton Tunnel. By November of the same year, the C&GWUR disclosed financial limitations that hindered the completion of the entire route. Consequently, they opted to concentrate efforts on the Swindon to Cirencester segment, which was considered the most promising for revenue generation. The Birmingham and Gloucester Railway, which depended on the C&GWUR for the shared Gloucester to Cheltenham section, expressed concern. The Cheltenham and Great Western Union Railway Act 1838 (1 & 2 Vict. c. xxiv), enacted on 11 June 1838, extended construction deadlines and permitted the Birmingham company to undertake the Gloucester-Cheltenham portion if delays persisted from C&GWUR. This legislation also allowed for independent stations at Gloucester and later at Cheltenham, and it modified the Sapperton Tunnel plan by substituting one long curved tunnel with two shorter tunnels.

The C&GWUR redirected its focus, issuing contracts and acquiring land around Gloucester; nonetheless, by November 1839, financial troubles stalled major progress there. Under the provisions of the 1838 act, the Birmingham and Gloucester Railway was invited to complete the outstanding work.

Authorized in July 1839, the Bristol and Gloucester Railway relied on C&GWUR tracks between Standish and Gloucester. Confronted with challenges similar to those faced by the Birmingham and Gloucester Railway, both companies attempted a joint acquisition of C&GWUR and submitted a bill in 1840; however, negotiations failed to produce an agreement.

As a result, the Birmingham company assumed responsibility for constructing the Cheltenham-Gloucester section under its existing authority. They took control of these works on 18 June 1840 and inaugurated their Birmingham-Cheltenham line shortly after, on 24 June 1840. Construction continued without significant issues, leading to the opening of the Cheltenham-Gloucester line on 4 November 1841 as part of the Birmingham and Gloucester Railway network.

Meanwhile, C&GWUR completed its southern stretch from Swindon to Cirencester—featuring double track up to Kemble junction followed by single track—and opened this segment on 31 May 1841. The Great Western Railway operated this portion under a short-term lease, serving stations at Purton, Minety, and Cirencester.

Sale to the Great Western Railway

Weary from persistent difficulties, the C&GWUR Board obtained passage of the Cheltenham and Great Western Union Railway Act 1842 (5 & 6 Vict. c. xxviii), which authorized them to sell or lease their line to either the Great Western Railway (GWR), Bristol and Gloucester Railway, or Birmingham and Gloucester Railway. The Act also allowed raising an additional £750,000 in capital and extended the timeframe for construction by three years.

Under this legislation, the Birmingham and Gloucester Railway was required to install broad gauge rails between Gloucester and Cheltenham, while the Bristol and Gloucester Railway gained authority to construct the Standish to Gloucester section incorporating narrow (standard) gauge rails as part of their own plans.

Following negotiations with GWR, an agreement was reached in January 1843 for GWR to acquire the line, taking over all rights and obligations previously held by C&GWUR. The transfer was completed on 1 July 1843; GWR invested £230,000 in capital whereas C&GWUR had expended over £600,000. This sale was confirmed by the Great Western Railway Act 1844 (7 & 8 Vict. c. iii), which also sanctioned extending Cheltenham’s Lansdown station closer to St James Square in a more central location.

Construction from Kemble to Gloucester

The Great Western Railway (GWR) gave precedence to completing the segment between Kemble and Gloucester, as reacquiring the C&GWUR’s share of the Gloucester-Cheltenham route was contingent upon finishing this section by 21 June 1845. Although the Bristol and Gloucester Railway was expected to secure access from Standish to Gloucester by April 1844, they finalized this portion themselves on 8 July 1844. Significant engineering works included the 1,855-yard Sapperton Tunnel along with a shorter tunnel measuring 353 yards.

Nine timber viaducts stood between the tunnel and Stroud, all inspected by General Pasley on behalf of the Board of Trade. These structures comprised Frampton Viaduct with twelve spans each 30 feet long; Slip Viaduct featuring twenty-two spans of similar length; St Mary's skew span extending 75 feet; Bourne Viaduct which had seventeen spans including a skew span of 67 feet; Capel's Viaduct with eighteen spans of 30 feet each; Canal Viaduct containing four spans including one spanning 51 feet over a canal; Watt's Viaduct with eight spans of 30 feet; Stratford Viaduct having eight spans including a 40-foot span; and Cainscross Viaduct with four spans measuring 32 feet each.

According to Brian Lewis, the Stroud Valley line contained nineteen timber-built viaducts and bridges in total, with Capel's and Canal viaducts undergoing their last reconstruction in 1892.

Stations along this route included Tetbury Road, Brimscombe, Stroud, and Stonehouse. At Gloucester, the C&GWUR utilized a platform situated on the northern side of the Birmingham and Gloucester Railway’s station, which was also shared by the Bristol and Gloucester Railway. The railway crossed over the Birmingham line at the station entrance and commenced operations on 12 May 1845.

Between Gloucester and Cheltenham

Although initial work had started on extending the line from Lansdown Road to St James in Cheltenham, GWR postponed further construction while evaluating an alternative routing that required a different alignment. This alternative was ultimately discarded, and by 1847 GWR confirmed plans to begin operating services to Cheltenham. Broad gauge track had already been laid, and Cheltenham station was nearly finished.

On 15 October 1847, Captain Simmons from the Board of Trade inspected this section, marking one of the earliest significant examples of a mixed gauge railway. His inspection included the newly constructed Avoiding Line forming a triangular junction at Gloucester.

The station arrangements at Gloucester remain unchanged... but the broad gauge to Cheltenham joins the narrow gauge immediately outside the station, with the Down line laid with three rails up to the gauge separation near Cheltenham, and the Up line laid with four rails until junction with the Avoiding Line, then three rails to separation near Cheltenham...

The gauge combination using three rails for both has been achieved by adding an extra rail outside each narrow gauge line, leaving it undisturbed.

GWR services commenced running to Cheltenham Spa St. James station on 23 October 1847. At Gloucester, a new broad gauge station located on the Avoiding Line intersected a direct route from Gloucester station; each track featured its own turntable. This facility became known as the T station.

Once operational, trains from Swindon traveled directly to Cheltenham via this T station, while shuttle services connected passengers to Gloucester’s principal station. Rolling stock transfers were facilitated using turntables. This arrangement continued until September 1851 when the opening of the line westward from Gloucester to Grange Court rendered both the Avoiding Line and T station redundant. Upon acquiring C&GWUR rights in 1845, GWR obtained ownership of the entire Gloucester–Cheltenham stretch, holding part near Gloucester in trust for the Birmingham and Gloucester Railway.

Gauge conversion

By the early 1870s, the GWR Board had come to accept that a transition from broad gauge to standard gauge was unavoidable. The South Wales routes underwent conversion in early May 1872, followed by the Gloucester to Swindon section between 23 and 26 May 1872. Beginning 26 May, operations continued solely with narrow gauge trains on a temporary single track, with full service resuming by 29 May 1872.

Tetbury branch

The market town of Tetbury identified the need for a branch line in 1872. Parliamentary approval for the project was granted on 7 August 1884, and the branch officially opened on 2 December 1889. Its junction was established at Kemble on the C&GWUR route, which already functioned as the junction for the Cirencester branch.

Initially functioning as an exchange station without public entry, Kemble was opened to the public in 1872. The proposed branch line crossed property owned by Anna Gordon, who opposed the idea of connecting solely at an exchange station. After discussions, GWR consented to designate Kemble as a public station and the junction point for the Tetbury branch. Construction commenced in 1887.

Standish Junction

Upon C&GWUR's inauguration, a broad gauge junction existed at Standish, where the Bristol and Gloucester Railway merged. Following the Midland Railway's acquisition of that company and its establishment of a separate standard gauge route to Gloucester in 1854, no direct connection remained between those lines at Standish.

After broad gauge was discontinued in Gloucester, a junction reopened on 21 April 1873, permitting GWR trains from Gloucester to access Midland Railway tracks toward Bristol under running rights; this connection ceased operation in 1887. It was reinstated on 25 July 1908 to allow GWR trains traveling from Birmingham via Honeybourne to join the Bristol line, with crossovers configured for both southbound and northbound movements.

On 26 October 1964, additional crossovers were installed enabling trains from Stroud to utilize the former Midland Railway northbound track and vice versa. This arrangement allowed London–Cheltenham services to call at Eastgate station in Gloucester without requiring reversal.

Starting from 8 September 1968, the Standish–Gloucester section was reduced to two tracks, restoring the junction to a conventional double junction layout.

Steam railmotors

In 1902, Thomas Nevin submitted an application to construct light railways—essentially street tramways for passengers—connecting Cheltenham with Gloucester, Stroud, and Chalford. Although the main line served a densely populated valley floor corridor, its stations were spaced widely apart, prompting frequent complaints. The GWR recognized that such tramway services could quickly diminish local train patronage. Despite Nevin’s proposal being rejected, GWR acknowledged growing competition from road omnibuses and their limited daily passenger service between Stonehouse and Chalford (five to six trains each way).

Traffic density was significant due to mineral trains and banking engines until the South Wales and Bristol Direct Railway (known as the Badminton line) opened on 1 July 1903. Numerous mineral trains from South Wales were rerouted through the Severn Tunnel and Badminton line, easing congestion between Standish Junction and Swindon.

The London and South Western Railway along with the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway jointly developed a steam railmotor—a compact steam engine integrated into a single passenger carriage that could be operated from either end—making it ideal for frequent shuttle runs by eliminating turnaround delays. The south coast companies intended to deploy it on their East Southsea branch.

GWR trialed this vehicle over a weekend in May 1903 between Swindon and Stonehouse. While it attracted local curiosity, it proved unsuitable for longer distances and steep gradients on the Stroud line due to loss of steam pressure and reduced speed.

GWR had been investigating alternatives, favoring petrol-powered versions as early as April 1903 to decrease crew expenses. Nonetheless, by the end of that month three steam railmotors had been authorized; after a demonstration on 9 October 1903, public operations began on 12 October. These vehicles featured retractable steps allowing boarding at ground level at simple stopping points including level crossings. An hourly service operated six days per week with onboard ticket sales following "tramway principles." Lighting was gas-powered while communication between driver and conductor used electric signals.

The railmotors rapidly gained favor but encountered capacity constraints during peak periods. To ease overcrowding in 1905, GWR introduced a concurrent omnibus service for three months. Adding trailers was not feasible due to insufficient power on steep inclines.

Ultimately, these railmotors were converted into trailers hauled by conventional small locomotives equipped with push-pull controls. The service was extended from Chalford through to Gloucester. The last genuine steam railmotor ran on this route in July 1928.

Diesel railcars

The initial diesel railcar operating on the main line was introduced in April 1936. This was a GWR unit, numbered 15, which ran services from Cheltenham via the Midland and South Western Junction Railway to Marlborough and returned along the C&GWUR main line. Due to low popularity, this service was discontinued by September 1936.

Starting from 2 February 1959, four-wheeled diesel railbuses were deployed on routes between Cirencester and Kemble, as well as on the Tetbury branch. However, their light weight caused unreliable track circuit detection, preventing their use on main line passenger services. To facilitate these operations, new halts were established at Chesterton Lane near Cirencester and subsequently at Park Leaze.

Since 1948

The railway line became part of British Railways following nationalization on 1 January 1948.

Although diesel railbuses increased passenger numbers on the Cirencester branch, it remained financially unviable, resulting in the cessation of passenger services on 6 April 1964; freight operations continued until October 1965. The Tetbury branch also closed to passengers on the same date, with goods traffic having ended earlier on 5 August 1963.

On 28 July 1968, the Swindon to Kemble section was converted to single track. Subsequently, on 8 September 1968, the track between Standish Junction and Tuffley Junction was reduced to two lines.

Gloucester Eastgate station ceased operations on 1 December 1975, with all passenger trains rerouted to Gloucester Central. Platform alterations there allowed for double-banked train operations. The up platform was repurposed for parcel handling before being restored as platform 4 in 1984.

The single track between Swindon and Kemble was reinstated as double track on 2 September 2013, improving both capacity and operational flexibility.

Gradients

The highest point of the line lies within Sapperton Tunnel. Approaching from the south involves a lengthy ascent from Oaksey Halt, beginning at a gradient of approximately 1 in 330 and steepening to around 1 in 94 over the last two miles. From the northern side, gradients vary from about 1 in 330 near Standish to as steep as 1 in 60 close to St Mary's Crossing Halt.

Location list

• Swindon; station on Bristol main line;
• Purton; opened 31 May 1841; closed 2 November 1964;
• Minety; opened 31 May 1841; renamed Minety and Ashton Keynes in 1905; closed 2 November 1964;
• Oaksey Halt; opened 18 February 1929; closed 2 November 1964;
• Kemble; initially opened for exchange traffic on 12 May 1845; public opening from 1 May 1872; still operational;
• Tetbury Road; opened 12 May 1845; converted to goods-only use from 1 May 1882; renamed Coates goods in 1908; closed July 1963;
• Sapperton Short Tunnel, length: 352 yards;
• Sapperton Long Tunnel, length: 1,864 yards;
• Chalford; opened August 1897; closed November 1964;
• St Mary's Crossing Halt; opened October 1903; closed November1964;
• Brimscombe; opened June1845; closed November1964;
• Brimscombe Bridge Halt; opened February1904; closed November1964;
• Ham Mill Crossing (later Ham Mill Halt); opened October1903; renamed in1957; closed November1964;
• Bowbridge Crossing Halt; opened May1905; closed November1964;
• Stroud; opened May1845; operational;
• Downfield Crossing Halt; opened October1903; closed November1964;
• Cashes Green Halt; opened January1930; closed November1964;
• Ebley Crossing Halt; opened October1903; closed November1964;
• Stonehouse; opened June1845; renamed Stonehouse Burdett Road in1951, reverted to Stonehouse in1968; still operational;
• Standish Junction;
• Millstream Junction (later Gloucester South Junction);
• Tramway Junction;
• Gloucester station history: originally used by Bristol and Gloucester Railway from July1844, taken over by GWR in May1845 with own station established September1851, renamed Gloucester Central in1951, merged with Eastgate station in May1968 as Gloucester; operational;

Additional junctions:

• Engine Shed Junction (later known as Barnwood Junction);
• Churchdown; opened February1874; closed November1964;
• Hatherley Junction (divergence towards Banbury line);
• Lansdown Junction (Banbury line convergence and Midland Railway divergence towards Ashchurch);
• Cheltenham Malvern Road; opened March1908, intermittently closed during WWI, renamed Cheltenham Spa Malvern Road in1925, closed January1966;
• Malvern Road East Junction (line leading to Honeybourne);
• Cheltenham main station: inaugurated October1847, relocated eastward September1884, renamed Cheltenham St James in1908 then Cheltenham Spa St James in1925, closed January1966.

Cirencester branch:

• Kemble; as noted above;
• Park Leaze Halt; commenced service January1960; ceased November1964;
• Chesterton Lane Halt; started February1959; ended April1964;
• Cirencester (renamed Cirencester Town in1924); opened May1841; closed April1964.

See also

• Dual gauge