Worcester and Hereford Railway


The Worcester and Hereford Railway started the construction of a standard gauge railway between the two cities in 1858. It had needed the financial assistance of larger concerns, chiefly the Oxford, Worcester and Wolverhampton Railway, and the Newport, Abergavenny and Hereford Railway. It opened its line progressively from 1859 to 1861, delayed by exceptionally difficult tunnelling at Colwall and Ledbury. The company was purchased by the West Midland Railway in 1860, and that company amalgamated with the Great Western Railway in 1863.
The line was double track as far as Malvern at first, but was later doubled throughout except for the two tunnels. The line was conceived chiefly as a through railway for passenger and goods trains; the local traffic remained thin.
The line remained a secondary main line, and is in operation today.

Conception

The London and North Western Railway decided to promote a narrow gauge Worcester and Hereford Railway in the 1852 session of Parliament. It had allies in the Midland Railway and also the Newport, Abergavenny and Hereford Railway, and hoped to reach the rich mineral deposits of South Wales by running over those railways. Its Bill was rejected in the Lords in 1852, but it returned with a revised route in 1853. The Broad Gauge interest promoted a different line joining the two cities, intending to keep the LNWR and its friends out of South Wales.
The narrow gauge line was successful, and its Act was passed on 15 August 1853; authorised capital was £750,000.. The broad gauge line was thrown out; but at the time Parliament was suspicious of large groupings of railways in the hands of one dominant company, and it struck out all the clauses in the Bill giving powers of subscribing for shares, or for working arrangements, by the LNWR or the Midland Railway.
The Worcester and Hereford Railway was therefore authorised, but left on its own, and it found itself unable to raise capital to build its line. A return to Parliament in the 1855 in an attempt to have the assistance clauses reinstated was also rejected. This left the W&HR in a state of stagnation.
After a year or more the Oxford, Worcester and Wolverhampton Railway took up the cause of the W&HR, encouraged by directors of the NA&HR who had become also members of the Worcester and Hereford Railway board, and later the Midland Railway joined in the group of potential suppliers of funds. An application for the necessary powers was made in the 1858 session, and by now Parliament had softened its position, and the Bill was passed.
Construction could now be started and a double line was in the process of being constructed from Worcester to Malvern, and a single line from there to Shelwick Junction, where the line would join the Shrewsbury and Hereford Railway a few miles north of Hereford. At Worcester there was to be a triangular junction. A triangular junction had been authorised at Shelwick also, but this was never made.

Opening

The line was opened in stages. The first section was from Henwick to Malvern Link was opened on 25 July 1859. The line was worked by the Oxford, Worcester and Wolverhampton Railway company, although the line was not as yet physically connected to it.
The bridge over the River Severn at Worcester remained to be completed. When it was presented to the Board of Trade inspecting officer, he declined to sanction its use for passenger trains as the slender arches had too great a deflection. The bridge spans were stiffened and the line between Tunnel Junction, at the north apex of the triangular junction with the OW&WR at Worcester, and Henwick opened to traffic on 17 May 1860; trains reversed at Tunnel Junction to get access to and from Shrub Hill station. On 24 May the other end of the line was extended from Malvern Link to Malvern Wells. The west-to-south part of the Worcester triangle was opened to traffic on 25 July 1860.
There were two tunnels, between Malvern and Colwall and at Ledbury ; the Malvern tunnel was particularly difficult due to the rock being exceptionally hard.
It was decided not to blast the rock in the Malvern tunnel, as the engineer was bringing down from London, a novel contrivance in a tunnelling machine of extraordinary power, driven by steam, which had been intended for use in the siege operations before Sebastopol, now rendered unnecessary.

The West Midland Railway

Friendly relations between the OW&WR and the NA&HR ripened into a proposed amalgamation, which would also purchase the Worcester and Hereford Company. A Bill for the purpose was introduced into the 1860 session of Parliament and eventually became enacted. The combined company was to be called the West Midland Railway. Worcester and Hereford shareholders were guaranteed 4% from the opening of their line, rising to 5% in the third year. The necessary Bill was passed, and the amalgamation took effect, and the West Midland Railway was created, on 1 July 1860. At the same time the Worcester and Hereford Railway ceased to exist, its undertaking having been absorbed by the new company.

West Midland Railway amalgamated with the GWR

Relations between the Great Western Railway and the West Midland Railway were not especially harmonious, and it came as a shock to many when in 1861 it was announced that they had settled their differences and were to be amalgamated. An amalgamation act would be needed but in the meantime the companies would act as far as legally possible as a single system. The Act came into effect on 1 August 1863.

Completion of the Worcester and Hereford Railway

Finishing the Malvern Tunnel was the key to opening the rest of the Worcester and Hereford line. The opening took place on 15 September 1861. It had the effect of physically connecting the two parts of the West Midland Railway: the former OW&WR and the former NA&HR. It also provided a new through narrow gauge route between London and South Wales; this was important as most of the collieries in South Wales were on narrow gauge lines there, and transhipment of coal had been a major deterrent in conveying coal to London and Southampton over the GWR and its partners. At the same time the LNWR gained access over the line to South Wales.

Double track

The line was built with single track from Malvern Wells to Shelwick Junction. Double track was provided in that section, except in the two long tunnels, by 1885.

Midland Railway

John Speller writes:
The Midland Railway had running powers over the Worcester & Hereford line via the Stoke Works Branch and the Oxford, Worcester & Wolverhampton line from Droitwich Spa to Worcester, making the route part of the Midland Railway's route line from Birmingham to Swansea. At Malvern Wells Sidings, between Great Malvern and Malvern Wells, the Midland Railway had a turntable and water tank for servicing their line to Ashchurch. After 1923 the LMS used the LNWR route to Swansea, and the Midland Railway's running powers were not much exercised.

Colwall tunnel

Colwall Tunnel, west of Malvern, was geologically difficult, and maintenance problems with it resulted in its being replaced in August 1926 by a new single line tunnel alongside on a slightly easier gradient.

Rainbow Hill Junction and Henwick

Rainbow Hill Junction was at the western apex of the Worcester triangle. In the 1970s the signal box and junction trackwork were abolished, and the line to Henwick station worked as two single lines, combining into a double line west of Henwick.

Singling

The line between Malvern Wells and Shelwick Junction was singled in 1984.

Passenger train services

The 1895 Bradshaw shows six daily stopping trains, supplemented by three running from Worcester to Gloucester via Ledbury. There were three daily North and West Expresses, generally with through coaches from Manchester, Liverpool and Birkenhead to Bristol and Cardiff.
By 1922 the stopping train service was similar, although more of the stopping trains terminated at Malvern. There were several semi-fast services, and Birmingham was the dominant focus, with two London to Hereford trains.
In 1938 the local service was broadly similar, but with several additional journeys from Worcester to Malvern, shown as third class only, suggesting they were auto-trains.
In 1960 there were substantially fewer stopping trains although auto-trains to Colwall were still evident. There were several semi-fast Birmingham to Cardiff trains, and the London to Hereford services had increased considerably, with many fewer Birmingham to Hereford trains on the route.

The present day

The line continues in use as a secondary main line, with London to Hereford trains as well as local trains using Birmingham as their focus. Freight traffic is light.

Gradients

The summit of the line is at Colwall; from the north-east it is approached by an eight-mile climb of 1 in 120 to 1 in 80 from Leominster Junction; from the west there is a five-mile climb at 1 in 80 leading to it. The line from Ledbury to Shelwick Junction is undulating.

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