Swindon and Cricklade Railway
The Swindon & Cricklade Railway is a heritage railway in Wiltshire, England, that operates on a short section of the old Midland and South Western Junction Railway line between Swindon and Cricklade.
Swindon and Cricklade Railway is a registered charity.
Preservation history
The Swindon & Cricklade Railway Preservation Society was formed by a group of enthusiasts in November 1978 to reconstruct and preserve a section of the Midland & South Western Junction Railway that ran from Andover, Hampshire, to Cheltenham, Gloucestershire.The volunteer-operated railway has reopened three stations:, and, the headquarters of the line. Hayes Knoll features a restored signalbox that is operational during special events and a running/restoration shed. The length of the restored line is a little under.
The line extends north to South Meadow Lane near Cricklade, and south to Taw Valley Halt on the outskirts of Swindon, near Mouldon Hill Country Park. A southern terminus,, is proposed within the park.
Locomotives
Steam locomotives
Diesel locomotives
- BR Class 03 – 03 022. Returned to service in October 2019 after rebuild.
- BR Class 03 – D2152 – cut-down cab variant. In regular service.
- BR Class 97/6 – PWM651. Arrived from Strathspey Railway in August 2015. Operational.
- BR Class 08 – D3261. Restored to service in October 2010.
- BR Class 09 – 09 004. Undergoing overhaul. Intermittent service.
- BR Class 73 Bo-Bo electro-diesel Sir Herbert Walker No E6003. In service.
- Fowler Woodbine No 21442. In service.
- Fowler No 7342. In regular use on works trains.
- Fowler No 422003. In service.
Diesel multiple units
- BR Class 119 unit 119 021. Operational.
- BR Class 207 unit 207 203. In service until destroyed in a fire on 20 May 2016.
Specialist vehicles
- TASC 45 No. 98504, built by Plasser & Theurer for British Rail. A four-wheel vehicle with side-tipping dropside rear body, crew cab with mess facilities and a HIAB crane on the rear. Used regularly on works trains and on galas.
- Wickham Railcar No 9031, a small four-wheeled vehicle for departmental use. Crew cab seating five. Smaller than normal railway vehicles to standard loading gauge, as it is roughly tall. Has no external couplings/drawbar or buffers. Undergoing overhaul, engine being replaced with that of a Peugeot 106.
Vintage railway coaches
Wagons
Stations of the S&CR line
| Station | Notes |
| Cricklade | Construction planned as part of northern extension |
| Farfield Lane | Construction planned as a temporary northern terminus until Cricklade station is built; at the site of a collapsed and in-filled bridge where Farfield Lane crosses the line |
| South Meadow Lane | Halfway point between Hayes Knoll and Farfield Lane; used as a return point to Hayes Knoll when running north from Blunsdon. No run-round loop, no platform facilities. A siding is planned but has yet to be laid. |
| Hayes Knoll | Depot and workshop; no road access |
| Blunsdon | Headquarters of the line |
| Opened in 2014. Used as a return point to Blunsdon when running south from Hayes Knoll, and is the current terminus of the line | |
| Mouldon Hill | Construction planned as part of southern extension towards Swindon |