Berkely Road Rail Junction UK
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- Опубликовано: 23 авг 2024
- The railway from Standish where it parts company from the GWR going south to Bristol began life as a coal and freight line north of Bristol. It was later extended to Gloucester and then joined with the Birmingham to Gloucester line to enable goods and passengers to travel from Birmingham to Bristol in both directions.
Although the line remains, the stations in-between have not survived as well, but given a little patience and a good eye, and it is amazing what has been left behind.
This series of films aims to look at or for evidence of these stations. Stonehouse, Frocester, Berkeley Road, Charfield, Wickwar and Yate.
We look for evidence and to tell the stories of the ‘goings on’ surrounding their history.
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The set of points that went to nowhere (on the line that was used to store nuclear flask trains), actually have a purpose. The are called Trap points and are used to protect the main line from any unauthorised movement on the siding. The trap points are designed to derail any rail vehicle (locos, wagons etc) away from the main line.
Keep up the good work.
I was just going to say that.
Thanks Mark, always good to get informed comments. Ron
Hi Ron,
Just catching up with your Gloucester to Bristol rail odyssey. I'm enjoying the vlogs very much.
Prompted by having recently visited my Mother's and my favourite Auntie's grave in Ireland the other day, Berkeley Road Station became another nostalgia trip for me.
In the mid/late 1950's my Auntie Florrie (My Mother's sister) would have used this Station every day (likely one of the very few) to commute to Winterbourne, where she worked as a Nurse in the Mental Hospital to about 1961. My Uncle Harry (my Dad's brother) worked as a Stockman on Seeley's farm - the farm land ran parallel to the rail line under the south road bridge. They lived in one of the farm cottages about half a mile from the Station down the A38, close to the bridge which crosses the A38 on the loop line. I recall visiting this once as a VERY young child and have some of my parent's B+W photos. They returned to Co. Wexford, Ireland; their homeland, in April 1963, before Dr. Beeching had the final say!
Your video made me reflect on the fact that the local Station and Railway was part of their everyday life travelling to the local towns and Bristol as they only possessed a tandem bike :-)
Keep up the great work.
Des
Hi Des fabulous post, thank you, I hope you enjoyed revisiting your past. I have recently filmed the loop line, so I probably walked on Seeleys Farm land. I need to do some work on it before it's published but it will appear. Thanks for sharing. Ron.
@@ParkinsonsWalks Great. I look forward to that with interest. I can remember the bridge that crossed the A38, as I mentioned, just up from my Aunt and Uncle's place. The bridge was removed, I'd guess in the late 1960's maybe early 1970's. Inevitable I suppose with closure of the loop line as a consequence of the loss of the Severn crossing at Sharpness in 1963.
Des
Hi Ron, There seems to be some confusion in the comments over the point on the Branch line @5.01 therefore I hope I can clarify exactly the difference in these type of points. A Catch point is situated at the bottom of an incline so that anything that comes uncoupled from a train and runs downhill is derailed, they are fitted in the trailing position on single directional lines and are closed by the wheels of a train under spring pressure in the trailing direction, they are not normally connected to the signal box interlocking. On Bi directional lines they have to be closed before the preceding signal can be cleared for a train in the facing direction and are opened after the train has passed over it. A Trap point is fitted on a running line just after a signal so that if the signal is passed at Danger then the train will be derailed, the signalman has to pull the points (and lock them on lines used by passenger trains) first before the signal can be cleared. (Basically they are the same as one end of a crossover but with only a single ended connection). A Safety point is situated in a siding to protect a running line in the event of anything stored in the siding been moved out onto the running line by derailing it, the signalman has to pull the Safety point before the relevant signal can be cleared in either the facing or trailing direction. (These were fitted after the wind blew some wagons out of a siding onto a running line causing an accident). The Catch, Trap and Safety points on the old GWR had ONE moving rail whilst other regions very often just used a conventional point with TWO moving rails as shown in your video. In some instances the GWR used a single bladed point as part of a crossover on a loop line, in these instances they were not classed as either Catch, Trap or Safety points .
Wonderful info as always Andrew, such detail, I have to read it several times to let it soak in, quite a complected subject explained in simple terms, you are a master of the art. Thank you. Ron
@@ParkinsonsWalks No problem at all Ron, the track layout here is most unusual, the point in question is guarded by a colour light ground signal which at first implies it is a siding so therefore the point in question would be a Safety Point. However there is the facing crossover from the Down Main onto the Up Main to get to the single line with the point in question, that would imply that the single line is a running line so therefore the point in question would be a Trap Point. The only real way of finding the true answer is to find out what is the signal layout on the Down Main (From Standish Junction) protecting the facing crossover to the single line and point in question. If that Signal has a Position 4 Indicator (5 white lights to the right at 45 degrees) and would be passed with a proceed aspect with the 5 white light indicator illuminated then it is a running line so the point in question is a Trap Point. If the signal has a 2 white light indicator which would be illuminated and passed with the main aspect at Danger then the single line would be a siding so the point in question would be a safety point. Is there any chance you can find a place safely to video the signal in question? If you can I would be very pleased to give a definite answer. The video is excellent as always, you could not fail to like it. Stay Safe, Andrew.
Sorry for the late check in, fibre optic cable was severed yesterday and just getting back the internet, so after putting out some work-related email fires it was time to enjoy your latest. Great detective work Ron and the weather looked fine. What a beautiful station master's house. You may notice a new subscriber...Sumac is enjoying her new routine! Thanks Ron, have a good week.
Hi James, I'm starting a charm offensive on Surmac in an effort to avoid a bite on the leg. Take care. Ron
Wise move Ron, I think she fancies the initials "OVM" after her name...Official Virtual Mascot apparently.
Great video and an interesting tour around the remains of Berkeley Road Station Ron. Loved the old signal cable cradles from the LMS days. Glad to see the station master's house has survived. Thanks again, Paul.
Thanks Paul, I was pleasantly surprised to find anything there. Ron
Interesting to see what it’s like now around the old Berkeley Road station. There are some old photographs of how it used to be many years ago in a book called Rails to the Forest, The Severn & Wye Railway from Berkeley Road to Norchard 1945 - 2010, ISBN 978 1 85794 345 0. I bought it from the shop at Norchard on the Dean Forest Railway.
It’s quite a while (around 2005) since I was in that area around 4:40. I was doing a bit of site survey work with a trainee from NR alongside. We were doing a bit of consultancy work to do with some planned permanent way alteration work a bit further north which would have needed some minor signalling alterations. Thus we had a look inside the brick building visible in your shots. It’s Berkeley Road relay room, controlled from Gloucester panel, so we were there for an hour or so.
Not clear what the plan will be for that branch now, once Oldbury power station is decommissioned. There were some ideas to build an Oldbury B one, but that has been shelved for the time being. Berkeley power station was decommissioned a long time ago.
John, thank you so much for the interesting 'hands on' post, it is great to get that type of info. There is a Berkeley preservation group in Sharpness, they are interested in the lines future. Ron
Found this as I go videoing trains especially DRS nuclear trains at Berkeley Road. If you look on eBay there are some fascinating old photographs for sale of this station which show it to be very large with an island(?) platform running from the A38 bridge between the mainline and the Sharpness branch and a footbridge connecting to the east side platform. Also another platform on the west side of the Sharpness branch presumably with a truck crossing. The Sharpness branch appears to be double tracked.
Given the current track geometry I think the whole lot must have been ripped up and simplified after the station closed?
I used to train spot here in 1971-2 but I’m afraid I don’t remember what it was like then!
Best, TonyS
Hi Tony, thanks for an interesting post, I love personal experiences of an area, it gives the film authenticity some how. Take care. Ron
@@ParkinsonsWalks My pleasure. From my vague memory I think the platforms were still intact at that time but the buildings were gone.
Hi Ron. Blimey, that was a very imposing station master's house.
I think station masters were treated like royalty, not just at the station but in the local area, I guess they had to have a house to match. Ron
Interesting content Ron, i rememember the sharpness train taking the Nuclear reactor to sharpness when i was at Standish Junction. Thank you for sharing.
Thanks John, hoping to get some garden photos on the end of the next vlog, may appeal to your photography instincts. Ron
Some very interesting stuff lying around there Ron. It seems a shame some of those old artifacts are just cast aside to the brambles though. That was a particularly beautiful stile too; always lovely seeing an old relic like that still in use, very quaint indeed.
I was tempted with those pully wheels David, but managed to resist. Ron
That modification is a set of catch points ,basically stops runaways coming off the branch and running onto the mainline.
Thanks for your input Roy, always welcome. Ron
Thanks, Ron for a nice walk around Berkeley Bridge. Pete, Taiwan.
Thanks Pete, hope all is good with you in Taiwan, look after yourself. Ron
@@ParkinsonsWalks all good here, still covid free and had my first jab too
@@pscollier1 Glad to hear it Peter. Ron
Thanks Ron - that was very interesting. What a shame that everything at the junction has been removed. The old station masters house is very impressive. I'm all for progress but why must all traces of the past always be removed as far as BR are concerned? Fascinating video.
Hi Michael hope we find you well. Re the infrastructure, there will be a cost implication somewhere. The world is run by accountants as I'm sure you know. Hope you are enjoying the spring now, nice to get out without having to wear loads of layers. Have a good week. Ron
Good Morning, RON. Another extremely interesting vlog. Thank you for sharing. Those wire straining devices on the ends of the posts, from memory, are called ‘radisoles’. I remember using them quite often on fences in the ‘70’s. I don’t think they are made any more. Very useful for efficiently tightening multiple line wires. Although why ‘radisole’ I don’t know. It sounds more like something you’d stick in a burger bun! Stay safe, Mate.
Hi Ron, fascinating glimpse into history there, another memory awoken. Look after yourself. Ron
@@ParkinsonsWalks surprise, surprise! You can still get them, and the correct technical name is ‘radisseur’. 👍
@@PROPHETVberlinschule Well done Ron, I shall think of you every time I come across an straining post in future. Ron
Very interesting video Ron
Thanks Steve, take care. Ron
Interesting walk! 👍
Thanks for taking the time to visit. Ron
Lovely House
Ok if you don't mind noisy trains Christina. Ron
Definitely worth postponing my walk, thanks Ron.
Hi Sumac, I want you to know its not my fault! Your friend Ron
Lovely Video as usual Ron.
I was thinking of you on Wednesday as I drove through your neck of the woods, I decided to drive from Pershore through Upton and Coarse Lawn then Tirley and back to Cheltenham.
Hi Richard, did you get your passport stamped? We are lucky to live in such a nice part of the world. Ron
Very interesting, as always, Ron!
Thanks Jim, hope you are all keeping well, Take care. Ron
The flask trains are quite regular lately, weekly
Hi, are they still decommissioning the power station down there? Ron
A few hundred yards south we have a small property called Lorridge Bridge. I wonder if it's named after the A38 road bridge over the railway? Is there anything on your map?
Hi Simon, the Lorridge Bridge seems to be the next on south near Stinchcombe. Hope that helps. Ron
@@ParkinsonsWalks Thanks Ron, I'll go back to map and have a peek.
Had to laugh about your comments about the state of the sleepers on the branch-line down Sharpeness.....with visions of the Nuclear Power trains being run down there. What could possibly go wrong??? 😮
It does make you think Ian. Ron
Hi Ron, fascinating as always. A bit more info and pictures here en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berkeley_Road_railway_station
Thanks Nicholas, I couldn't find any 'legal' photos to support the video, shame really. Thanks for posting. Ron