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Location notes
Westbury station is just off the main line from London to Exeter via Reading and Taunton. There are avoiding lines so a lot of passenger and freight traffic passes to the south of the station out of view.
Railway type and traffic
Westbury is a busy junction with a staple diet of cross country DMU services as well as First Great Western HSTs and sometimes loco-hauled services.
There is a reasonable amount of freight to and from the yards to the south west of the station. The main freight flows are stone trains to and from the large quarries in the area. These are hauled by classes 59, 60 and 66.
Link to Real Time Trains
RTT Link Westbury StationThis link should be close to the location, but may not be the
actual location so please check the page. This link will take you to what is happening 'around now'. Dates and times can be changed at the top of the page.
Environment
Busy main line station with usual facilities.
Road directions
Westbury is on the A350 just north of Warminster in Wiltshire. Warminster is on the A36 from Bath to Salisbury. Follow the signs for the station from Westbury town centre, it's just to the north of the town.
To visit the sidings, leave the station on the approach road and turn sharp right at the end and go over the bridge. At the mini roundabout turn left and then left into the industrial estate. Follow your nose along the road with security fencing each side and turn left into the sidings.
Click here to set up your location for directions to this location Westbury Station map co-ordinates
Parking
Westbury station has a car park that is quite reasonably priced.
Public transport
Sun Compass
Sun Compass using Suncalc by brought to you by Vladimir Agafonkin:
It might be necessary to adjust the time to suit your visit, this link should open with the current day.
Westbury Station
Googly map
Streetmap links
Westbury Station general view map
Westbury Station close up map
Windows Local Live Link - image quality may vary
Westbury Station
Who likes this location on facebook
Railway Gen Group
Photographic notes
The station is accessed by means of a subway and is a good open design with two island platform structures but only 3 platforms in use. A fourth platform did exist and is now unused.
Freight trains from either direction often come into the line adjacent to the disused platform which now has a fence between the platform and the line which can obscure the view. Stone trains from the south sometimes come into the down yard and run round so they can continue their journey south. Unless you're very fast running out the station and along the road to the top of the yard you will see them briefly but not be able to photograph them!
The best photos and video can be taken at the far south west end of the middle island platform which is flanked either side by passenger running lines. Although not a covered location on a good weather day it offers excellent views all the way down to where the line splits. Left (south) to Southampton and right (west) to the southwest Taunton Exeter etc. as with all locations photos and videos are best taken during summer months when the sun is high in the sky.
Links to photographs at this location
UK Railpics - Westbury
General views - All photographs © Carl Watson unless otherwise stated
Fig 1 - Looking north west
The loco sidings to the north of the station
Fig 2 - Looking north west
A FGW passenger service arrives from London
Fig 3 - Looking south west
A stone train arrives from the west
Fig 4 - Looking south west
The loco holding siding to the south west of the station
Fig 5 - Looking north
The Fragonset sidings
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