2026 marks the 150th anniversary of the opening of the Sharpness branch line in Gloucestershire and it’s a special day at the Vale of Berkeley Railway. Not only is today 150 years since the branch line was first opened, it is also 62 years since the last regular timetabled passenger service ran on the line. The Vale of Berkeley Railway Charitable Trust has been working to re-open part of the Sharpness Branch Line in order to offer passenger services once again (this time as a heritage railway) and today is the culmination of the fruits of their labour.
The railway has its base at Oldminster Sidings; the former freight exchange sidings at Sharpness. The site is currently in its infancy, not even a platform exists here on site and is very much an active work in progress but there is already an interesting selection of rolling stock and motive power finding a home on the site and the targets of various restoration projects.
The historic service which runs today is on a Class 143 ‘Pacer’ 143603 DMU. In reality, a Pacer never actually ran on this branch line (since the branch line closure predates the first Pacer manufacture), however since the railway has limited available operational stock, this is the only choice. The branch line was originally built by the Severn and Wye Railway in 1876 but its status as a branch line was short lived, as in 1879, the Severn Bridge Railway opened across the River Severn to connect Sharpness to Lydney and the Forest of Dean. Passenger services ran from Lydney to Berkeley Road, meaning that Sharpness station was refashioned as a ‘through’ station, rather than a terminus. Following financial difficulties experienced, the railway was sold in 1894 to the Great Western Railway and the Midland Railway, becoming a joint line and operated by both. The railway operated in this fashion up until disaster struck in 1960 which heralded the beginning of the end. In October 1960, barges on the River Severn brought down part of the railway bridge which effectively severed services from Sharpness to The Forest of Dean. The bridge was judged to be beyond economical repair and eventually fully demolished. The railway passenger services only lasted another 4 years after the line returned to its former branch line status before being closed to passenger traffic. Given the links with GWR, it makes sense that the Pacer we ride today is in a typical modern day GWR livery.
Oldminster sidings have a number of other locomotives on display, some of which are operational and others which are under restoration. All of these started their lives elsewhere in the country but be it either from acquisition by the railway or owned by one of the volunteers, they have found a home at the Vale of Berkeley Railway. From left to right below:
- Ruston 88DS Diesel – Operational
- Planet Class 0-4-0 Diesel shunter – Operational
- Class 121 Bubble Car W55025 ‘Pandora’ – Under Restoration
As well as the main event of a rider up and down the branch line on the Pace, the diddy Planet loco is running at the sidings offering ‘Driver-for-a-fiver’ opportunities. I was incredibly lucky to get a spot to do this on the day as it proved incredibly popular. You can see it pootling up the sidings below.
With the rays of Apollo blasting down on the site, it is starting to get hot, just in time for the first journey of the day and I’m first in line to board. We’ve seen Pacers many times on different articles on this blog but this is quite a historically significant moment in that it’s the first service of the day to depart that is carrying regular passengers in 62 years.
Once everyone is onboard the train sets off on its short journey down the branch line towards the site of the old Berkely Station (which was demolished in 1976 following closure in 1964). It’s about a 30 minute return journey through peaceful green wooded areas mixed in with the odd house back garden also. Interestingly, although the line closed to passengers in the 60’s, the line was never full closed to freight traffic and even to this day, carries (albeit rare services) freight to and from Sharpness Dockside. On the train, there is a fantastic commentary which is being given by one of the volunteers which is extremely informative.
When the train reaches the turnaround point, there’s a chance to look inside the drivers cab.
Once we arrive back at Oldminster Sidings, it’s time for my turn on the Planet 0-4-0. The engine had been shutdown as they were not expecting further drivers yet so we took them by surprise a bit, but it allowed me to capture the engine starting up which we don’t normally get to see.
The walk back from Oldminster Sidings to Sharpness Docks is a short one, no more than 10-15 minutes. The route takes me over old footbridges which used to cross the Sharpness branch line and gives great views of the dock area and the canal boat works on the other side of the bridges. I’m very much looking forward to see how this railway develops over the years. I think it could be the start of something special and if the number of attendees at the event this weekend was anything to go by, I am not the only one with that sentiment.
