Great Western Coffee Shop

www.southwesternlines.co.uk/downloads/maps/fgw.pdf

As part of swlines expansion into FGW territories, I've made this today..

Gold is for High Speed services, red is ex-Wessex and blue is ex-Thames Trains.

It can be printed out to an A4 page if you want!

If anyone wants to use it on their own sites, let me know and I'll licence you a copy out. :)

Other maps can be made upon request.

Looks good. Some nice touches, such as the inclusion of Reading Green Park.

Don't mean to be picky, but I never knew the Heathrow Express was an HST!

It isn't ;)

It's a high speed service though which is why I included it! Well, not that exactly, but the actual reason is I included Heathrow Connect as it is a First Group/BAA operation, and that will go to T4 when T5 is opened. It made sense to include T5 as well - so I put the HeX in.

Hi, swlines!

I agree - it looks good!

I just wondered, as Lee has mentioned the inclusion of Reading Green Park ... would you consider including the Portishead and Tavistock branches?

 ;D

Certainly sir... "Great Western in 2020" perhaps...

I'll have a dig around and see what I can do on Monday.

This link might help.
http://www.portisheadrailwaygroup.org/FOSBR_future_of_network_map.pdf

Thanks Lee. I'll have a try later for Bristol area.

www.southwesternlines.co.uk/downloads/maps/fgw2.pdf

You might want to submit this map to the Project Mapping (http://www.projectmapping.co.uk/trainoperatingco.html) team when completed - they already have the likely maps of UK's railway franchises for December 2008, 2009 and 2010 published on their site.

On the subject of maps, can I just mention an odd little website that I'm particularly fond of?

I remember Adlestrop (http://www.systemed.net/atlas/)

The New Adlestrop Railway Atlas, named after a poem by Edward Thomas describing a deserted station he passed by in 1914, offers a wonderful historical atlas of Britain's railways, mapping passenger lines, stations and freight routes, both extant and abandoned. Perfect for logging those desolate platforms you pass by on modern trains.

Produced as a one meg PDF download, the map currently covers Wales, the Midlands, East Anglia, Yorkshire and the South West and provides a comprehensive and detailed listing of railway lines loved, lost and forgotten. It's already a superb piece of work, and the author intends to add a searchable index to stations, with enlargements of the London and Birmingham areas. Great stuff.

That's a great map. Maybe you should put in the reversal at bere Alston for Gunnislake so that, if the Tavistock line does indeed reopen, you'll be able to add it onwithout any problems!

Might do that Andy.

At the moment, I'm working on a little thing for my line (Weymouth - London) but if I get a chance I'll probably expand it to the Great Western division...

www.southwesternlines.co.uk/downloads/Picture2.png for a little taster ;)

I shall certainly look forward to that one....

It is my intention to charge a small amount for the full product with the amount of work that has gone into these... but I'll show you lot page 1 for free! ;)

www.southwesternlines.co.uk/downloads/pg1.pdf

That be a little bit like quail!

I really enjoyed looking at the route map and look forward to seeing any SWline maps in the future a Sw line with a  fgw overlay would be interesting  showing the shared routes perhaps I also have a interest in the SWline between Weymouth and Southampton Well done (I do'nt like 444 ether)

The SW lines map is an excellent illustration of the problems faced by the railways due to BRs rationalisations in the 70 and 80s.

Weymouth only three platforms approached by a length of bi directional single track. If anything happens on this length then Weymouth station is closed. Also only 3 sidings left.

Single lead junction at Dorchester Junctionv to Yeovil. Train cannot join branch if section to Maiden Newton occupied thus blocking mainline.

5 mile single line Dorchester South to Moreton.

Those that remember Weymouth in steam days will know that there was a double track approach and lots of sidings both freight and carriage.

Now I also know that with the end of steam and freight many of these facilities were redundant but I believe that  in lots of cases rationalisation went too far and the current railway now suffers from a lack of metal on the ground.  More to the point there appears to be a lack of will to restore some of the missing infrastructure. Some schemes of which would be considerably cheaper than 4 tracking the WCML and probably give a more immediate return in improved services.

A classic small scheme being the provision of a crossover at Birmingham International to allow local services to turnback without occupying the mainline.

The redoubling around Par is another scheme which must already be paying for itself.

Not forgetting the most producitve of the lot, Princes Risborough to Anyho. Can't wait to travel on the Wrexham and Shrewsbury trains, not that I want to go to Wrexham. Just the thought of Mark 3s and a 67! It would not have been possible to run these trains without the redoubling.

So what about Salisbury - Exeter, Oxford - Worcester they must be viable.

Although it is a single lead junction it reverts to double track through Dorchester West so that a train can stand in the staton (and clear of the mainline) whilst another train approaches from Maiden Newton.