Wilton South railway station

Wilton South railway station is a disused railway station which served Wilton in Wiltshire, England, on the West of England line from London Waterloo to Exeter.

Wilton South
Former station building in 2023
General information
Location	Wilton, Wiltshire England
Coordinates	51.08529°N 1.85827°W / 51.08529; -1.85827
Grid reference	SU100317
Platforms	2
Other information
Status	Disused
History
Original company	Salisbury and Yeovil Railway
Pre-grouping	London and South Western Railway
Post-grouping	Southern Railway
Key dates
1859	Opened
1966	Closed

It was opened in 1859 as Wilton railway station. The Great Western Railway opened a station nearby in 1856 on its Salisbury branch from Westbury, and in 1949 the stations were renamed Wilton South and Wilton North respectively.

The station closed in 1966 although the line remains open.

History

Wilton station was opened with the first section of the Salisbury and Yeovil Railway on 2 May 1859. At first just used for passenger traffic, goods were also handled from 1 September the next year. The Salisbury and Yeovil Railway was amalgamated into the London and South Western Railway (LSWR) in 1878.^[1] In 1923 the LSWR became part of the Southern Railway (SR) in 1923, which in turn was nationalised in 1948 to become the Southern Region of British Railways.

This was the second station in Wilton, the Great Western Railway (GWR) having opened one on their adjacent route in 1856. To avoid confusion between the two stations the former SR station became 'Wilton South' in September 1949, and at the same time the former GWR station became "Wilton North". The North station closed to passengers in 1955 but goods continued to be handled there until 1965. In the meantime, at the South station goods traffic ceased on 6 July 1964 and then passenger services were also withdrawn on 7 March 1966.^[2]

Fast expresses such as the Devon Belle that were not scheduled to stop at nearby Salisbury sometimes changed locomotives here so as to avoid congestion at Salisbury. The stop was not advertised in the timetables and passengers could not join or alight from trains at Wilton.^[2]

Signalling

A signal box was provided at the east end of the eastbound platform. It was kept in use after the station closed as the line westwards was single. Alterations saw control of the area transferred to Salisbury signal box and later to Basingstoke ASC. Now redundant, the box was taken down and rebuilt at Medstead and Four Marks on the Mid Hants Railway.^[2]

Description

The main station buildings, including a house for the station master and the signal box, were on what was the northern platform, which was served by trains towards Salisbury and London. A footbridge linked this with the now demolished westbound platform where there was a smaller shelter for passengers. A goods yard was on the north side of the line at the Salisbury end of the station.^[2]

Services

The station was served by trains on the London Waterloo to Exeter line.

Preceding station	Historical railways			Following station
Salisbury		London and South Western Railway West of England Main Line		Dinton

See also

• Southern Railway routes west of Salisbury

References

1. Ruegg, Louis H (1960) [1878]. The Salisbury and Yeovil Railway. Dawlish: David & Charles.
2. Oakley, Mike (2004). Wiltshire Railway Stations. Wimbourne: The Dovecote Press. pp. 145–146. ISBN 1-904349-33-1.