Community rail partnership TransWilts has called for local residents’ memories of Wiltshire’s railways to contribute to their forthcoming exhibitions at railway stations across the area celebrating the history and heritage of the county’s railways.
Faces On The Line will bring together the history of the railway lines across Swindon, Westbury, Warminster, Melksham, Dilton Marsh, Pewsey and Bedwyn with the local community that the stations serve today.
As part of the exhibition, which will be on display in 2027, TransWilts would like to hear people’s memories of the trains. They’re looking for all kinds of stories, large and small and from any era, just like former Staverton resident David Maunder who shared his memories of his step-grandfather, who was Station Master of Trowbridge Station until 1934.
David said: “My step-grandfather, Mr Pugh, was the Station Master of Trowbridge train station until his retirement in 1934. I remember a gentle giant of a man, he was 6’ 8”, originally from Haverford West and was kind and caring. As young children, he would take my sister and me down to Staverton station in a pushchair, crossing the lines to move between the platforms rather than using the bridge. We trusted he knew exactly what he was doing!
“Later on, we had a cat called Nicky. One day he followed me onto the train from Staverton to Trowbridge, and then followed me to school. I took him back to the station, and asked the guard to put him on a train home and they never charged a fare for him!”
Sophie Martin, TransWilts Community Partnership Manager, added: “Railways are about so much more than getting from A to B. They are part of people’s lives, from journeys to school and family holidays to first jobs, daily commutes and special occasions. Generations of families have connections to their local stations and railway lines, and we’d love to capture those stories before they are lost.
“You don’t need to be a railway enthusiast or have a particularly unusual story to take part. We’re interested in the everyday memories just as much as the extraordinary ones, and hope people across Wiltshire will get involved.”
To share your story and photographs with TransWilts, please email faces@transwilts.org.
For more information on TransWilts, visit www.transwilts.org
