The Line Surveyed
Gloucester to Cheltenham

Gloucester Central was a long single platform with a bay at its western end. Built as the northern terminus of the Midland Railway, this platform was originally used by the Bristol and Gloucester Company. The Central station was not completed until 1852. The long platform was open to the elements on both sides and very exposed. It was used by both up and down trains from South Wales and by the shuttle from the "T" station. A three road goods shed lay at the west end, while an eleven road engine shed lay at the Cheltenham end at Horton Road. The goods facilities were relatively large, although the Midland's sheds far outshone the Great Western's.

Gloucester had been a successful port since the opening of the Berkeley canal in 1826, most of its trade coming from the Baltic and West Indies, with cargoes of grain and wood forming the bulk of goods handled. The GWR and Midland took full advantage of the port trade, the GWR serving the Llanthony Wharf through Over Junction. Its warehouses stood to the north of the docks.

Gloucester Central

Eastgate station and the Barton street loop were important for the Midland Railway as it enabled them to compete with the GWR for north to south traffic.

A second platform and bay were added to the up side of Central station in 1889, but reversal trains to Cheltenham continued to use the long main platform. The up bay was later used by the Chalford local train.

The platform awning was altered and an aerial signal box. built over the main station platform buildings. Water cranes stood at the platform ends and adjacent to the two central passing lines.

In Frank McKenna's "The Railway Workers" he relates the story of how young cleaners at Gloucester engine shed were put through initiation ceremonies during the 1950s. This included being hung twelve foot above the ground, using a shunter's pole as a coat hanger. They were then locked in a cold wet tender and afterwards in an engine smoke box where they were littered with smouldering cleaning waste. Churchdown station, built by the Midland Railway and opened in January 1847,was originally a standard two platform station, but became a double island with the quadrupling of the Gloucester to Cheltenham section on 9th August 1942. It never had goods facilities or storage sidings, except for the eleven months from September 1941, when a temporary engineer's siding was laid. The station was passed to the GWR when they repurchased the line to Cheltenham. It was however jointly staffed by both Companies.

Malvern Road was opened on the St James' terminus line from Lansdown Junction on 30th March 1908 and was an island platform station with a single bay at the Cheltenham end. A single span bridge linked the platform with the station buildings, although the shelters were built on the platform. The main function of the station was to serve the Honeybourne line from Gloucester to Birmingham via Stratford on Avon. The engine shed stood to the north of the station, but had been opened a year earlier. It was enlarged in 1943 by adding a two road corrugated iron building to the original structure. The station never had goods facilities.

Cheltenham Malvern Road Engine Shed

Built over the River Chelt is the terminus station of the Cheltenham and Great Western Union Railway in St James' Square. George Measom describes the station in his "Illustrated Guide to the Great Western Railway 1852":- "The station is tolerably good but considering that it belongs to so important, populous, and wealthy a locality, it scarcely meets the requisitions of local traffic". At this time Cheltenham had a population of about 20,000, with a similar figure made up of visitors and wealthy residents with a base in the Spa. St James' station was just over a mile from the Midland station and was more central to the heart of the town.

Originally the terminus had just two platforms and a loading bay with a wagon turntable. A two road engine shed stood at Gloucester end, but was demolished with the building of the Honeybourne line in 1906. The goods shed which was sited behind the engine shed was rebuilt on the departure side of the station, the engine turntable being located on a spur off the arrival platform. By 1907 the size of the station had increased to four platforms, the building expanding to the north side. To the south lay goods sidings and the privately owned Corporation siding. The two storey station was built in stone with a distinctive Doric colonnade entrance. Shortly after St James' opened it became the home of a parrot which was reputed to have reproduced with "great exactness" the callings of information shouted by young porters.

The approach to Cheltenham Station	Cheltenham Spa St James