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how long did it take by train Birmingham to Portsmouth in 1945....changed posting. Also how long would it take by car from Birmingham to Portsmouth

I am curious why the year 1944 is chosen. Portsmouth would be a major place for train movements connected with the port and invasion plans.
1944, probably more so than any other year during the second world war, would be likely to be subjected to lots of delays - even passenger train cancellations - given the build up of troops, tanks, military vehicles and the supplies needed in Southern England towards the planned in invasion of Europe at the beginning of June. Additionally the RAF were getting more airfields, this needed construction materials and also the infrastructure required for the gliders that were to towed to mainland Europe. There would be trains from northern and western ports bringing supplies as well. In the reverse direction, after the invasion of Europe, there would be many ambulance trains. Locomotives, shipped here from the USA and destined for Europe, were also assisting move this large volume of goods and people plus British industries still required coal, oil and the manufacture of aircraft and munitions was still vital to our war effort.
I guess 1944 was very busy on our railways and any information regarding train movements would be interesting and very comprehensive. The country was still under airborne attack (V1's as well) and railways were a prime target.
The government urged the population to avoid all unnecessary journeys. I suspect any published timetables became quite irrelevant in many cases due to the sheer volume of trains, which in some areas ran almost 'convoy' style.
Maybe someone else has access to statistics for you, there are books so maybe we will get more information, particularly with emphasis on train operations in the Birmingham area towards the end of WW2.
 
This is most kind of you and in view of what you say I am making this what
Radiorails said:
I am curious why the year 1944 is chosen. Portsmouth would be a major place for train movements connected with the port and invasion plans.
1944, probably more so than any other year during the second world war, would be likely to be subjected to lots of delays - even passenger train cancellations - given the build up of troops, tanks, military vehicles and the supplies needed in Southern England towards the planned in invasion of Europe at the beginning of June. Additionally the RAF were getting more airfields, this needed construction materials and also the infrastructure required for the gliders that were to towed to mainland Europe. There would be trains from northern and western ports bringing supplies as well. In the reverse direction, after the invasion of Europe, there would be many ambulance trains. Locomotives, shipped here from the USA and destined for Europe, were also assisting move this large volume of goods and people plus British industries still required coal, oil and the manufacture of aircraft and munitions was still vital to our war effort.
I guess 1944 was very busy on our railways and any information regarding train movements would be interesting and very comprehensive. The country was still under airborne attack (V1's as well) and railways were a prime target.
The government urged the population to avoid all unnecessary journeys. I suspect any published timetables became quite irrelevant in many cases due to the sheer volume of trains, which in some areas ran almost 'convoy' style.
Maybe someone else has access to statistics for you, there are books so maybe we will get more information, particularly with emphasis on train operations in the Birmingham area towards the end of WW2.
Click to expand...
Radiorails said:
I am curious why the year 1944 is chosen. Portsmouth would be a major place for train movements connected with the port and invasion plans.
1944, probably more so than any other year during the second world war, would be likely to be subjected to lots of delays - even passenger train cancellations - given the build up of troops, tanks, military vehicles and the supplies needed in Southern England towards the planned in invasion of Europe at the beginning of June. Additionally the RAF were getting more airfields, this needed construction materials and also the infrastructure required for the gliders that were to towed to mainland Europe. There would be trains from northern and western ports bringing supplies as well. In the reverse direction, after the invasion of Europe, there would be many ambulance trains. Locomotives, shipped here from the USA and destined for Europe, were also assisting move this large volume of goods and people plus British industries still required coal, oil and the manufacture of aircraft and munitions was still vital to our war effort.
I guess 1944 was very busy on our railways and any information regarding train movements would be interesting and very comprehensive. The country was still under airborne attack (V1's as well) and railways were a prime target.
The government urged the population to avoid all unnecessary journeys. I suspect any published timetables became quite irrelevant in many cases due to the sheer volume of trains, which in some areas ran almost 'convoy' style.
Maybe someone else has access to statistics for you, there are books so maybe we will get more information, particularly with emphasis on train operations in the Birmingham area towards the end of WW2.
Click to expand...
This is very kind of you...I will now set this book in 1945 ! Thank you so much for such a detailed reply.
 
Radiorails said:
I am curious why the year 1944 is chosen. Portsmouth would be a major place for train movements connected with the port and invasion plans.
1944, probably more so than any other year during the second world war, would be likely to be subjected to lots of delays - even passenger train cancellations - given the build up of troops, tanks, military vehicles and the supplies needed in Southern England towards the planned in invasion of Europe at the beginning of June. Additionally the RAF were getting more airfields, this needed construction materials and also the infrastructure required for the gliders that were to towed to mainland Europe. There would be trains from northern and western ports bringing supplies as well. In the reverse direction, after the invasion of Europe, there would be many ambulance trains. Locomotives, shipped here from the USA and destined for Europe, were also assisting move this large volume of goods and people plus British industries still required coal, oil and the manufacture of aircraft and munitions was still vital to our war effort.
I guess 1944 was very busy on our railways and any information regarding train movements would be interesting and very comprehensive. The country was still under airborne attack (V1's as well) and railways were a prime target.
The government urged the population to avoid all unnecessary journeys. I suspect any published timetables became quite irrelevant in many cases due to the sheer volume of trains, which in some areas ran almost 'convoy' style.
Maybe someone else has access to statistics for you, there are books so maybe we will get more information, particularly with emphasis on train operations in the Birmingham area towards the end of WW2.
Click to expand...
humbleseeker said:
Wonderful ! I will be using 1945 after the reply from RobT.... very grateful to him and you for such a fast excellent response. Thank you so much.
Click to expand...
Would the train go straight through ? and what would be
humbleseeker said:
Wonderful ! I will be using 1945 after the reply from RobT.... very grateful to him and you for such a fast excellent response. Thank you so much.
Click to expand...
So how long would it take ? can't fathom time table yet !!
 
I appreciate you are now travelling by car but I thought this might be interesting for travelling by rail in 1945:
A Picture of a Southern Town- Life in Wartime Reading, Berkshire, England, UK, 1945
A_Picture_of_a_Southern_Town-_Life_in_Wartime_Reading,_Berkshire,_England,_UK,_1945_D25417.jpg
 
Very interesting ...but still might be by train !!! I am just trying to make sure I get travel times right. Very important. Again grateful Rob. Great photo.....
 
It was the train in Southern region colours, sometimes with a West Country or similar on that took the NS men down to Aldershot, change at Basingstoke and Ash, I think.

Bob
 
I have a very rare wall time table for May 1943 for Birmingham Snow Hill Station if you want some timings but and this what makes is very rare, is that it is Sundays only
 
Penns said:
I have a very rare wall time table for May 1943 for Birmingham Snow Hill Station if you want some timings but and this what makes is very rare, is that it is Sundays only
Click to expand...
Times would be good.....I just need to know how long time wise the journey was. I understand you had to change at Basingstoke from another member. Thank you for your input.
 
From Birmingham Snow Hill you would have changed at Reading for Portsmouth with a journey time of around 4 hours. In May 1943 on a Sunday the first train of the day is shown as the 12.47 am! to London. calling at Leamington Spa, Banbury,Oxford, Didcot, READING & London.
The Great Way Round
 
Not an expert on timetables, but I would have thought that the train would have not necessarily have gone through Reading. Indeed to do so would involve a reversal. The 1950 timetable shown shows many trains not stopping at Reading, but presumably turning off just before the town or possibly going by what was then still a route via Didcot and Newbury
 
Delivered a car toPortsmouthfor V W of digbeth.Caught the train back.Had to go to Southampton first ,then to Reading then by GWR to Oxford Banbury and Snow Hill.Cant remember how long it took.This was in1978 for Martin Broadbent.Leasehire Manager
 
The original line to Paddington from Birmingham ran through Oxford etc and thats what gave it the name, the Great Way Round. As far as I am aware there has never been a need for reversal through Reading
 
Penns said:
The original line to Paddington from Birmingham ran through Oxford etc and thats what gave it the name, the Great Way Round. As far as I am aware there has never been a need for reversal through Reading
Click to expand...
This has now got me worried, did not the Snow Hill - Paddington trains avoid Didcot after Oxford by a curve that then joined the Paddington - Bristol Line? travelled to London nine times out of ten by GWR, as I was a Western obsessive (still am, apart from the Government designed seats in the IEP) and seem to remember it was change at Oxford for Didcot. Also did the Snow Hill - Portsmouth run on a number of occasions (some connected with NS when going to Aldershot or Borden), but cannot remember changing or reversing before I got into Southern territory. I think there was a wye from the Paddington Line to the Basingstoke line.

Bob
 
I live in Reading (though not in 1944 when I would have been 1 ). The line from the midlands comes down through Oxford and trains then usually bypass Didcot on a curve to the east of the station. On occasion they can go via the station, though usually only local trains. It is Newbury then a straight line to Paddington . For Southampton, Portsmouth the trains usually go to Reading. However the line to those two is to the west of Reading, so involves a reversal. On occasion (ie when line to Paddington is closed) trains go straight down the line to the west of Reading, ignoring the station. I would suggets that this probably also happened on the 1950 timetable earlier posted , when Reading is not listed as a station. In 1944 there was still a line which left the main Paddington-Bristol line to the east of Didcot and on which a train to Southampton/Portsmouth could travel via the Didcot, Newbury & Southampton Railway, but now realise that passenger traffic on the line was stopped 1942-45 giving priority to freight, and thus this would not have been available in 1944
 
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There was a regular RAIL AIR service from Birmingham to Reading in the 90s for Heathrow with onward travel to LHR by coach. It may still run. I can remember taking a photograph in the early 90s of a Class 47 just outside Reading Station routing towards Oxford on this service
 
In the late 1950s- not much different from 1944 as there were still no motorways - a friend and I regularly did Birmingham to Ferndown, not much different to Birmingham to Portsmouth, late at night in a Jaguar in two and a half hours. The same trip in your average saloon car was closer to 4 hours during the daytime.

Some years later, when the A34 was a dual carriageway and I could pickup the M40, I could do it in just over two and a half hours in the daytime in my Audi 200. I doubt if that would be possible now with the much heavier traffic and speed restrictions all over the place, not to mention roadworks!

Maurice :cool:
 
mikejee said:
I live in Reading (though not in 1944 when I would have been 1 ). The line from the midlands comes down through Oxford and trains then usually bypass Didcot on a curve to the east of the station. On occasion they can go via the station, though usually only local trains. It is Newbury then a straight line to Paddington . For Southampton, Portsmouth the trains usually go to Reading. However the line to those two is to the west of Reading, so involves a reversal. On occasion (ie when line to Paddington is closed) trains go straight down the line to the west of Reading, ignoring the station. I would suggets that this probably also happened on the 1950 timetable earlier posted , when Reading is not listed as a station. In 1944 there was still a line which left the main Paddington-Bristol line to the east of Didcot and on which a train to Southampton/Portsmouth could travel via the Didcot, Newbury & Southampton Railway, but now realise that passenger traffic on the line was stopped 1942-45 giving priority to freight, and thus this would not have been available in 1944
Click to expand...
Mike
You mean bypass Didcot?
Bob
 
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mikejee said:
Yes Bob. sorry. have corrected it
Click to expand...
Mike
No need to apologise, I should apologise really for picking it up, but it was central to the discussion. You live that way is there still a wye before Reading West or did they just leave the Basingstoke line and lift the rest?

Bob
 
humbleseeker said:
Very interesting ...but still might be by train !!! I am just trying to make sure I get travel times right. Very important. Again grateful Rob. Great photo.....
Click to expand...
Thank
Bob Davis said:
It was the train in Southern region colours, sometimes with a West Country or similar on that took the NS men down to Aldershot, change at Basingstoke and Ash, I think.

Bob
Click to expand...
Thank you..could only get all this info on this great site.
 
Bob Davis said:
This has now got me worried, did not the Snow Hill - Paddington trains avoid Didcot after Oxford by a curve that then joined the Paddington - Bristol Line? travelled to London nine times out of ten by GWR, as I was a Western obsessive (still am, apart from the Government designed seats in the IEP) and seem to remember it was change at Oxford for Didcot. Also did the Snow Hill - Portsmouth run on a number of occasions (some connected with NS when going to Aldershot or Borden), but cannot remember changing or reversing before I got into Southern territory. I think there was a wye from the Paddington Line to the Basingstoke line.

Bob
Click to expand...
Many thanks for your input.
 
mikejee said:
Not an expert on timetables, but I would have thought that the train would have not necessarily have gone through Reading. Indeed to do so would involve a reversal. The 1950 timetable shown shows many trains not stopping at Reading, but presumably turning off just before the town or possibly going by what was then still a route via Didcot and Newbury
Click to expand...
Thank you very much ...
 
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