Thatcham railway station
Encyclopedia
Thatcham railway station is a railway station in Thatcham
, Berkshire
, England
. The station is served by First Great Western
(FGW) local services from to and . Most services are operated by Class 165 DMUs
, of either 2 car or 3 car units. It was served before privatisation by Network SouthEast
and from 1996 until 2004 by Thames Trains
. A limited semi-fast FGW InterCity 125
service between London and also serves the station.
.
These services are summarised as follows.
to Hungerford. Traffic through the station increased when the line was extended to in 1906. The station remained as part of the Great Western Railway
(GWR) until railway nationalisation in 1948
. After the sectorisation of British Rail
in 1982 the station became part of Network South East until the privatisation of British Rail
. From 1996 services were provided by Thames Trains
until the franchise was merged with First Great Western
.
of the United States Army
built an ordnance depot next to the main line just west of the station. This included a number of sidings that were used for the delivery of equipment. After the Second World War
the site was developed as a base for what later became the Royal Logistics Corps and had a number of steam locomotives used for shunting.
The base was closed in 1999 and its site has now been developed as a housing estate.
On the up platform is a ticket office that is open Mondays to Saturdays and two access points to the station car park. On the north side of the line west of the station is a Royal Mail
sorting office
next to where the ordnance depot used to be.
On the down platform is a small shelter and access to a small car park. The Kennet and Avon Canal
runs parallel to the station and can be reached from the road at the western end of the station.
Thatcham
Thatcham is a town in Berkshire, England 3 miles east of Newbury and 15 miles west of Reading. It covers about and has a population of 23,000 people . This number has grown rapidly over the last few decades from 5,000 in 1951 and 7,500 in 1961.It lies on the River Kennet, the Kennet and Avon...
, Berkshire
Berkshire
Berkshire is a historic county in the South of England. It is also often referred to as the Royal County of Berkshire because of the presence of the royal residence of Windsor Castle in the county; this usage, which dates to the 19th century at least, was recognised by the Queen in 1957, and...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. The station is served by First Great Western
First Great Western
First Great Western is the operating name of First Greater Western Ltd, a British train operating company owned by FirstGroup that serves Greater London, the South East, South West and West Midlands regions of England, and South Wales....
(FGW) local services from to and . Most services are operated by Class 165 DMUs
British Rail Class 165
The British Rail Class 165 Turbo is a fleet of suburban diesel multiple units , originally specified by and built for British Rail, the then United Kingdom state owned railway operator. They were built by BREL at York Works between 1990 and 1992...
, of either 2 car or 3 car units. It was served before privatisation by Network SouthEast
Network SouthEast
Network SouthEast was one of three passenger sectors of British Rail created in 1982. NSE principally operated commuter trains in the London area and inter-urban services in densely populated South East England, although the network reached as far west as Exeter...
and from 1996 until 2004 by Thames Trains
Thames Trains
Thames Trains was a British railway company, owned by the Go-Ahead Group, franchised to run regional and suburban trains from London Paddington station to destinations in the home counties west of London like Slough, to Worcester, Hereford and Stratford-upon-Avon, and the Reading to Gatwick Airport...
. A limited semi-fast FGW InterCity 125
InterCity 125
The InterCity 125 was the brand name of British Rail's High Speed Train fleet. The InterCity 125 train is made up of two power cars, one at each end of a fixed formation of Mark 3 carriages, and is capable of , making the train the fastest diesel-powered locomotive in regular service in the...
service between London and also serves the station.
Services
Thatcham station is served by FGW local services from Reading to Newbury and from to Bedwyn. A limited number of services starting from Reading continue to Bedwyn. It is also served by a semi-fast InterCity 125 service from Paddington to the West CountryWest Country
The West Country is an informal term for the area of south western England roughly corresponding to the modern South West England government region. It is often defined to encompass the historic counties of Cornwall, Devon, Dorset and Somerset and the City of Bristol, while the counties of...
.
These services are summarised as follows.
History
Thatcham station was opened on 21 December 1847 as part of the Berks and Hants LineReading to Taunton line
The Reading to Taunton line also known as the Berks and Hants is a major branch of the Great Western Main Line that diverges at Reading, running to Cogload Junction near Taunton, where it joins the Bristol to Exeter line....
to Hungerford. Traffic through the station increased when the line was extended to in 1906. The station remained as part of the Great Western Railway
Great Western Railway
The Great Western Railway was a British railway company that linked London with the south-west and west of England and most of Wales. It was founded in 1833, received its enabling Act of Parliament in 1835 and ran its first trains in 1838...
(GWR) until railway nationalisation in 1948
Transport Act 1947
The Transport Act 1947 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Under it the railways, long-distance road haulage and various other types of transport were acquired by the state and handed over to a new British Transport Commission for operation...
. After the sectorisation of British Rail
British Rail
British Railways , which from 1965 traded as British Rail, was the operator of most of the rail transport in Great Britain between 1948 and 1997. It was formed from the nationalisation of the "Big Four" British railway companies and lasted until the gradual privatisation of British Rail, in stages...
in 1982 the station became part of Network South East until the privatisation of British Rail
Privatisation of British Rail
The privatisation of British Rail was set in motion when the Conservative government enacted, on 19 January 1993, the British Coal and British Rail Act 1993 . This enabled the relevant Secretary of State to issue directions to the relevant Board...
. From 1996 services were provided by Thames Trains
Thames Trains
Thames Trains was a British railway company, owned by the Go-Ahead Group, franchised to run regional and suburban trains from London Paddington station to destinations in the home counties west of London like Slough, to Worcester, Hereford and Stratford-upon-Avon, and the Reading to Gatwick Airport...
until the franchise was merged with First Great Western
First Great Western
First Great Western is the operating name of First Greater Western Ltd, a British train operating company owned by FirstGroup that serves Greater London, the South East, South West and West Midlands regions of England, and South Wales....
.
Thatcham Ordnance Depot
In 1940 the 332nd Engineer General Service Regiment332nd Engineer General Service Regiment
332nd Engineer General Service Regiment or 332nd Engineer Regiment was activated as a Special Service Regiment in May 1942, as a unit in the United States Army. Later this unit was redesignated a General Service Regiment. The unit was formed from some regular Army officers and enlisted men, trained...
of the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
built an ordnance depot next to the main line just west of the station. This included a number of sidings that were used for the delivery of equipment. After the Second World War
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
the site was developed as a base for what later became the Royal Logistics Corps and had a number of steam locomotives used for shunting.
The base was closed in 1999 and its site has now been developed as a housing estate.
Current Layout
Thatcham station has two platforms, one on each side of the main line. At the western end of the station there is a footbridge over the line. At the end of the platform there is a level crossing.On the up platform is a ticket office that is open Mondays to Saturdays and two access points to the station car park. On the north side of the line west of the station is a Royal Mail
Royal Mail
Royal Mail is the government-owned postal service in the United Kingdom. Royal Mail Holdings plc owns Royal Mail Group Limited, which in turn operates the brands Royal Mail and Parcelforce Worldwide...
sorting office
Sorting office
Sorting office or Processing and Distribution Center is any location where postal operators bring mail after collection for sorting into batches for delivery to the addressee, which may be a direct delivery or sent onwards to another regional or local sorting office, or to another postal...
next to where the ordnance depot used to be.
On the down platform is a small shelter and access to a small car park. The Kennet and Avon Canal
Kennet and Avon Canal
The Kennet and Avon Canal is a waterway in southern England with an overall length of , made up of two lengths of navigable river linked by a canal. The name is commonly used to refer to the entire length of the navigation rather than solely to the central canal section...
runs parallel to the station and can be reached from the road at the western end of the station.