Bristol to Cardiff
Including the works of quadrupling Doctor Days Jct. to Filton.
Including the works of quadrupling Doctor Days Jct. to Filton.
On Friday, 11 May 2018, 16:13, guy vincent <guyvncnt@yahoo.co.uk> wrote:
Afternoon Keith,
Thanks for the above, all read and digested with much interest as always. I looked at Roger's shots on the features section so I shan't need you to send them separately thank you. The 'Filton Bank Project', including preliminary ground investigation works, has now been going on for at least six years but should be more or less complete by spring 2019. The best information on the project I have come across is via Network Rail's own site, type in 'Filton four track' to any search engine for access to Network Rail's site then the 'City of Bristol' and 'South Gloucestershire' sections. Very interesting reading indeed.
I have taken many photos of the work over the past few years and will try to sort a few out and send them to you.
I'll now try answering your questions as far as I am able to, based on what I have read elsewhere:
1) Lawrence Hill will remain with only it's two current platforms, as will Stapleton Road. Both stations will be served as present by Bristol-South Wales & Parkway/Gloucester/Severn Beach trains and the 'down' platforms will be fenced off from the new 'fast' lines.
2) Current lines will be for Severn Beach/South Wales trains and local stopping services towards Bristol Parkway. The new faster lines will be used by Bristol-Padd'n via Parkway and Cross Country services plus, presumably, some freight.
3) A new platform (4) is currently being constructed at Filton Abbey Wood on the far left of the site and will serve South Wales bound trains.
4) Pointwork at Filton will presumably be by ladder connections for higher speeds. I am sure that trains from either route will, in practice, use the new or old lines depending on operating circumstances /requirements at any given time.
5) Dr Day's Junction will be adjusted to allow the new 'fast' lines to be installed. The junction was completely renewed/relayed 5 or 6 years ago but much of that pointwork will have to be replaced!
6) Other than crossovers at Dr Days and Filton, most of which already exist and might just need modifications, I don't think there are any further crossings planned.
New stations have been mentioned, to be built close to Horfield and Ashley Hill but no signs of construction yet.
The total cost of putting back what was removed in 1984 is around £33,000,000. Two major landslides have had to be corrected and the embankments totally rebuilt, several bridges have had to be repaired and made good, and Stapleton Road Viaduct has been removed, partially infilled and a new concrete bridge is under construction.
Do look at the NR sites regarding Filton and the Bristol area in general. You will learn much, as I have done and I suggest putting links onto the CRS site for readers to follow.
With all good wishes
Guy V
Afternoon Keith,
Thanks for the above, all read and digested with much interest as always. I looked at Roger's shots on the features section so I shan't need you to send them separately thank you. The 'Filton Bank Project', including preliminary ground investigation works, has now been going on for at least six years but should be more or less complete by spring 2019. The best information on the project I have come across is via Network Rail's own site, type in 'Filton four track' to any search engine for access to Network Rail's site then the 'City of Bristol' and 'South Gloucestershire' sections. Very interesting reading indeed.
I have taken many photos of the work over the past few years and will try to sort a few out and send them to you.
I'll now try answering your questions as far as I am able to, based on what I have read elsewhere:
1) Lawrence Hill will remain with only it's two current platforms, as will Stapleton Road. Both stations will be served as present by Bristol-South Wales & Parkway/Gloucester/Severn Beach trains and the 'down' platforms will be fenced off from the new 'fast' lines.
2) Current lines will be for Severn Beach/South Wales trains and local stopping services towards Bristol Parkway. The new faster lines will be used by Bristol-Padd'n via Parkway and Cross Country services plus, presumably, some freight.
3) A new platform (4) is currently being constructed at Filton Abbey Wood on the far left of the site and will serve South Wales bound trains.
4) Pointwork at Filton will presumably be by ladder connections for higher speeds. I am sure that trains from either route will, in practice, use the new or old lines depending on operating circumstances /requirements at any given time.
5) Dr Day's Junction will be adjusted to allow the new 'fast' lines to be installed. The junction was completely renewed/relayed 5 or 6 years ago but much of that pointwork will have to be replaced!
6) Other than crossovers at Dr Days and Filton, most of which already exist and might just need modifications, I don't think there are any further crossings planned.
New stations have been mentioned, to be built close to Horfield and Ashley Hill but no signs of construction yet.
The total cost of putting back what was removed in 1984 is around £33,000,000. Two major landslides have had to be corrected and the embankments totally rebuilt, several bridges have had to be repaired and made good, and Stapleton Road Viaduct has been removed, partially infilled and a new concrete bridge is under construction.
Do look at the NR sites regarding Filton and the Bristol area in general. You will learn much, as I have done and I suggest putting links onto the CRS site for readers to follow.
With all good wishes
Guy V
Lawrence Hill One Mile from Bristol Temple Meads.
Stapleton Road One and a half miles from Bristol Temple Meads.
Work in progress on theStapleton Road New Viaduct May 2018 Guy Vincent. Note the new bridge in it's rust proof paint lying a short distance away.
Ashley Hill Two and a half miles from Bristol Temple Meads. Closed 1964
Horfield Three and three quarter miles from Bristol Temple Meads
The station was opened in 1927 by the Great Western Railway. The station passed to the Western Region of British Railways on nationalisation in 1948. It was closed by the British Railways Board in 1964.
The station was opened in 1927 by the Great Western Railway. The station passed to the Western Region of British Railways on nationalisation in 1948. It was closed by the British Railways Board in 1964.
Filton Abbey Wood railway station serves the town of Filton in South Gloucestershire, England, inside the Bristol conurbation. It is 4.4 miles (7.1 km) from Bristol Temple Meads. Its three letter station code is FIT. There are three platforms but minimal facilities. The station is managed by Great Western Railway, the seventh company to be responsible for the station, and the third franchise since privatisation in 1997. They provide most train services at the station, with two trains per day operated by CrossCountry. The general service level is eight trains per hour - two to South Wales, two to Bristol Parkway, two toward Weston-super-Mare and two toward Westbury.
Filton Abbey Wood is the third station on the site. The first station, Filton, was opened in 1863 by the Bristol and South Wales Union Railway. The station had a single platform, with a second added in 1886 to cope with traffic from the Severn Tunnel. The station was closed in 1903, replaced by a new station, Filton Junction, 0.15 miles (0.24 km) further north, which was built at the junction with the newly constructed Badminton Line from Wootton Bassett. The new station had four platforms, each with waiting rooms and large canopies.
Filton Abbey Wood is the third station on the site. The first station, Filton, was opened in 1863 by the Bristol and South Wales Union Railway. The station had a single platform, with a second added in 1886 to cope with traffic from the Severn Tunnel. The station was closed in 1903, replaced by a new station, Filton Junction, 0.15 miles (0.24 km) further north, which was built at the junction with the newly constructed Badminton Line from Wootton Bassett. The new station had four platforms, each with waiting rooms and large canopies.
Filton Junction Four and three quarter miles from Bristol Temple Meads
North Filton Five and three quarter miles from Bristol Temple Meads The railway line between Stoke Gifford Junction and Holesmouth Junction (Avonmouth), now known as the Henbury Loop Line, was opened by the Great Western Railway (GWR) on 9 May 1910, together with the Filton West Loop (Filton Junction to Filton West Junction).[2] Among the stations on that line which opened the same day was one originally known as Filton Halt. It closed less than five years later, on 22 March 1915.[3]
It was reopened either on 12 July 1926[4] or on 20 September 1926,[5] and was now known as North Filton Platform.[4]
Regular passenger services ceased from 23 November 1964, but workman trains continued until 12 May 1986.[6][7]
It was reopened either on 12 July 1926[4] or on 20 September 1926,[5] and was now known as North Filton Platform.[4]
Regular passenger services ceased from 23 November 1964, but workman trains continued until 12 May 1986.[6][7]
Patchway 114 FROM Paddington
Patchway railway station first opened on 8 September 1863 when services began on the Bristol and South Wales Union Railway (BSWUR), which ran from Bristol Temple Meads to New Passage Pier, north of Bristol on the banks of the River Severn. At New Passage, passengers were transferred to a ferry to cross the Severn to continue on into Wales. The line, engineered by Isambard Kingdom Brunel, was built as single track 7 ft 1⁄4 in (2,140 mm) broad gauge.[27] Patchway was 6 miles 37 chains (10.4 km) from Temple Meads, adjacent to the Bristol to Gloucester road, what is now the A38 Gloucester Road.[6][8] The station was only a small structure, and very little is known about it.[8] There were initially six trains per day on weekdays in each direction, with three trains per day on Sundays.[28]The BSWUR was amalgamated with the Great Western Railway (GWR), which had from the beginning operated all BSWUR services, in 1868; and in 1873 the line was converted to 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in) standard gauge.[27] Although the line made travel from Bristol to Wales easier, the change from train to ferry to train was inconvenient, and so a tunnel was built under the Severn. To cope with the anticipated increase in demand, it was decided that the line should be increased to twin track. However, the gradient between Pilning and Patchway, 1 in 68, was considered undesirably steep for trains heading up the hill towards Bristol, particularly for heavy coal trains, and so a three-mile deviation was built with a 1 in 100 gradient between Pilning and a point south of Patchway. Trains uphill towards Bristol would use the new line, while trains downhill towards Wales would continue to use the steeper, original track.[27] The deviation left the two tracks at Patchway at significantly different levels, and so made the original site impractical for a station.[8] The station was rebuilt 40 chains (0.80 km) south along the line at its present site, 5 miles 77 chains (9.6 km) from Bristol Temple Meads.[6] A boulder and information board marks the site of the original station.[29][30]
The original Patchway railway station was 40 chains (0.80 km) west of the current site. It was abandoned when a new, less steep, track (left) was built for trains from Wales towards Bristol.The new station opened on 10 August 1885, and was originally known as "Patchway & Stoke Gifford", but reverted to "Patchway" from 27 October 1908. The station was on a north/south alignment and had two platforms, separated by two running lines, with a third line, a goods loop, behind the western platform. There was a goods yard to the south of the station on the eastern side, with an adjacent signal box. As now, the eastern platform was for trains towards Bristol, the western platform for trains towards Wales. The station buildings were of a standard 1880s GWR design, with tall chimneys and fretted wooden canopies. The main building was on the eastern platform, containing the booking office, toilets, and waiting rooms. A matching brick shelter with canopy was built on the western platform. The eastern platform also had a "bicycle house" at the northern end.[8] A large covered and glazed footbridge linked the two platforms.[8][29] The goods yard included two sidings: a short, south-facing one adjacent to a loading dock; and a longer north-facing one. There was also a weigh bridge, coal office. At the north end of the station was a south-facing siding and an oil store.[31] The station did not have a dedicated approach road as it was adjacent to the road between Gloucester Road to the west and Gypsy Patch Lane to the south. The road subsequently became known as Station Road.[29] At the time of construction, the station was mostly surrounded by fields, with the Bristol conurbation almost 3 miles (4.8 km) away.[32]
In 1900, almost all trains from London to Wales travelled via Bath and Bristol, with some still routed via Gloucester. However, the final 15 miles (24 km) to Bristol were relatively slow and congested, so a new route was built further north, the GWR's Badminton Line, now part of the South Wales Main Line, running from Wootton Bassett to a junction just south of Patchway. The new line opened in 1903, and allowed faster services to Wales. There was a new triangular junction between Patchway and Filton, with the new line coming in from the east.[33] As part of the work, the station signal box was closed, replaced by a larger one closer to the junction on 19 October 1902. The signal box would later become one of only a few to be double glazed, due to the noise from jet engine testing from the Bristol Siddeley Aero-Engines factory (now the Rolls Royce factory) opposite the box.[29] The Henbury Loop Line opened in 1910, connecting Avonmouth to the main lines south of Patchway.[8] From 1928, some trains from Bristol would travel in loops via Patchway and Severn Beach.[23]
A passenger train passes west through Patchway in 1958. In the background on the right, a freight train can be seen using the goods loop.When the railways were nationalised in 1948, Patchway came under the aegis of the Western Region of British Railways.[34] In 1949, there were 11 trains towards South Wales and 13 towards Bristol each weekday, with three trains per day in each direction on Sundays.[35] However, by 1965 this had reduced to eight trains on weekdays towards South Wales and six towards Bristol, with no Sunday service.[36] Traffic levels fell - the station was closed to goods traffic on 5 July 1965, and subsequently had all staff withdrawn on 14 October 1968. The goods loop was taken up and the station buildings demolished, replaced by small brick shelters. The structure of the footbridge remained, but the roof was removed. The goods yard was repurposed as vehicle storage.[8]
In 1974, when the Local Government Act 1972 came into effect, the southern part of Gloucestershire, including the district of Patchway, became part of the new county of Avon.[37] Avon was disbanded in 1996, with the region now governed by South Gloucestershire council.[38]
South of Patchway is Patchway Junction, where the lines from London, Bristol and Avonmouth converge.British Rail was split into business-led sectors in the 1980s, at which time operations at Patchway passed to Regional Railways.[39] When the railway was privatised in 1997, local services were franchised to Wales & West, which was succeeded by Wessex Trains, an arm of National Express, in 2001.[40][41] The Wessex franchise was amalgamated with the Great Western franchise into the Greater Western franchise from 2006, and responsibility passed to First Great Western, a subsidiary company of FirstGroup, and rebranded as Great Western Railway in 2015.[42][43][44][45] From December 2006, Virgin CrossCountry began operating a single daily service Newcastle to Cardiff Central via Bristol Temple Meads and Patchway.[46][47] This service was taken over by Arriva CrossCountrywhen the CrossCountry franchise changed hands in 2007, and then replaced by a daily service each direction between Cardiff Central and Manchester Piccadilly.[48][49]
Since the mid-2000s, the Severnside Community Rail Partnership have been working to enhance Patchway station. One of the first acts was installing new community notice boards.[50] A local working group was formed to "adopt" the station, and the group negotiated with Rolls Royce to use their CCTV system to cover the station.[51] A successful bid was made to the Department for Transport's "Access for All" scheme, which provided for improved signage, lighting and seats.[52] A station garden was created in partnership with nearby Patchway Community College, and two decorative mosaics were installed.[53][54][55] The disused railway land adjacent to the station was cleared through a Community Paybackscheme.[55]
Patchway railway station first opened on 8 September 1863 when services began on the Bristol and South Wales Union Railway (BSWUR), which ran from Bristol Temple Meads to New Passage Pier, north of Bristol on the banks of the River Severn. At New Passage, passengers were transferred to a ferry to cross the Severn to continue on into Wales. The line, engineered by Isambard Kingdom Brunel, was built as single track 7 ft 1⁄4 in (2,140 mm) broad gauge.[27] Patchway was 6 miles 37 chains (10.4 km) from Temple Meads, adjacent to the Bristol to Gloucester road, what is now the A38 Gloucester Road.[6][8] The station was only a small structure, and very little is known about it.[8] There were initially six trains per day on weekdays in each direction, with three trains per day on Sundays.[28]The BSWUR was amalgamated with the Great Western Railway (GWR), which had from the beginning operated all BSWUR services, in 1868; and in 1873 the line was converted to 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in) standard gauge.[27] Although the line made travel from Bristol to Wales easier, the change from train to ferry to train was inconvenient, and so a tunnel was built under the Severn. To cope with the anticipated increase in demand, it was decided that the line should be increased to twin track. However, the gradient between Pilning and Patchway, 1 in 68, was considered undesirably steep for trains heading up the hill towards Bristol, particularly for heavy coal trains, and so a three-mile deviation was built with a 1 in 100 gradient between Pilning and a point south of Patchway. Trains uphill towards Bristol would use the new line, while trains downhill towards Wales would continue to use the steeper, original track.[27] The deviation left the two tracks at Patchway at significantly different levels, and so made the original site impractical for a station.[8] The station was rebuilt 40 chains (0.80 km) south along the line at its present site, 5 miles 77 chains (9.6 km) from Bristol Temple Meads.[6] A boulder and information board marks the site of the original station.[29][30]
The original Patchway railway station was 40 chains (0.80 km) west of the current site. It was abandoned when a new, less steep, track (left) was built for trains from Wales towards Bristol.The new station opened on 10 August 1885, and was originally known as "Patchway & Stoke Gifford", but reverted to "Patchway" from 27 October 1908. The station was on a north/south alignment and had two platforms, separated by two running lines, with a third line, a goods loop, behind the western platform. There was a goods yard to the south of the station on the eastern side, with an adjacent signal box. As now, the eastern platform was for trains towards Bristol, the western platform for trains towards Wales. The station buildings were of a standard 1880s GWR design, with tall chimneys and fretted wooden canopies. The main building was on the eastern platform, containing the booking office, toilets, and waiting rooms. A matching brick shelter with canopy was built on the western platform. The eastern platform also had a "bicycle house" at the northern end.[8] A large covered and glazed footbridge linked the two platforms.[8][29] The goods yard included two sidings: a short, south-facing one adjacent to a loading dock; and a longer north-facing one. There was also a weigh bridge, coal office. At the north end of the station was a south-facing siding and an oil store.[31] The station did not have a dedicated approach road as it was adjacent to the road between Gloucester Road to the west and Gypsy Patch Lane to the south. The road subsequently became known as Station Road.[29] At the time of construction, the station was mostly surrounded by fields, with the Bristol conurbation almost 3 miles (4.8 km) away.[32]
In 1900, almost all trains from London to Wales travelled via Bath and Bristol, with some still routed via Gloucester. However, the final 15 miles (24 km) to Bristol were relatively slow and congested, so a new route was built further north, the GWR's Badminton Line, now part of the South Wales Main Line, running from Wootton Bassett to a junction just south of Patchway. The new line opened in 1903, and allowed faster services to Wales. There was a new triangular junction between Patchway and Filton, with the new line coming in from the east.[33] As part of the work, the station signal box was closed, replaced by a larger one closer to the junction on 19 October 1902. The signal box would later become one of only a few to be double glazed, due to the noise from jet engine testing from the Bristol Siddeley Aero-Engines factory (now the Rolls Royce factory) opposite the box.[29] The Henbury Loop Line opened in 1910, connecting Avonmouth to the main lines south of Patchway.[8] From 1928, some trains from Bristol would travel in loops via Patchway and Severn Beach.[23]
A passenger train passes west through Patchway in 1958. In the background on the right, a freight train can be seen using the goods loop.When the railways were nationalised in 1948, Patchway came under the aegis of the Western Region of British Railways.[34] In 1949, there were 11 trains towards South Wales and 13 towards Bristol each weekday, with three trains per day in each direction on Sundays.[35] However, by 1965 this had reduced to eight trains on weekdays towards South Wales and six towards Bristol, with no Sunday service.[36] Traffic levels fell - the station was closed to goods traffic on 5 July 1965, and subsequently had all staff withdrawn on 14 October 1968. The goods loop was taken up and the station buildings demolished, replaced by small brick shelters. The structure of the footbridge remained, but the roof was removed. The goods yard was repurposed as vehicle storage.[8]
In 1974, when the Local Government Act 1972 came into effect, the southern part of Gloucestershire, including the district of Patchway, became part of the new county of Avon.[37] Avon was disbanded in 1996, with the region now governed by South Gloucestershire council.[38]
South of Patchway is Patchway Junction, where the lines from London, Bristol and Avonmouth converge.British Rail was split into business-led sectors in the 1980s, at which time operations at Patchway passed to Regional Railways.[39] When the railway was privatised in 1997, local services were franchised to Wales & West, which was succeeded by Wessex Trains, an arm of National Express, in 2001.[40][41] The Wessex franchise was amalgamated with the Great Western franchise into the Greater Western franchise from 2006, and responsibility passed to First Great Western, a subsidiary company of FirstGroup, and rebranded as Great Western Railway in 2015.[42][43][44][45] From December 2006, Virgin CrossCountry began operating a single daily service Newcastle to Cardiff Central via Bristol Temple Meads and Patchway.[46][47] This service was taken over by Arriva CrossCountrywhen the CrossCountry franchise changed hands in 2007, and then replaced by a daily service each direction between Cardiff Central and Manchester Piccadilly.[48][49]
Since the mid-2000s, the Severnside Community Rail Partnership have been working to enhance Patchway station. One of the first acts was installing new community notice boards.[50] A local working group was formed to "adopt" the station, and the group negotiated with Rolls Royce to use their CCTV system to cover the station.[51] A successful bid was made to the Department for Transport's "Access for All" scheme, which provided for improved signage, lighting and seats.[52] A station garden was created in partnership with nearby Patchway Community College, and two decorative mosaics were installed.[53][54][55] The disused railway land adjacent to the station was cleared through a Community Paybackscheme.[55]
Patchway, GWR 4965 Rood Aston Hall & 4936 Kinlet Hall on the 1Z50 1506 Newport-Tyseley VT 'Double Headed Hallage' 23rd March 2013 Copyright Guy Vincent
Pilning High Level 116 and a half from Paddington
Severn Tunnel Junction 123 and a half from Paddington
Undy Halt 125 and a half from Paddington
Magor 126 miles
Newport 133 and a half from London Paddington
Cardiff 145 and a quarter