Bewdley railway station
Encyclopedia
Bewdley railway station serves the town of Bewdley
in Worcestershire
, England
. It is the administrative headquarters of the Severn Valley Railway
, and is the principal intermediate station on the line.
and Shrewsbury
. The station was operated by the SVR company before being absorbed into the Great Western Railway
(GWR).
In 1864 the Tenbury & Bewdley Railway opened, with its route through the Wyre Forest
branching off the SVR 1 mile north of Bewdley station, before crossing the River Severn
over the now partially-dismantled Dowles Bridge. Thus Bewdley became a junction.
In 1878, GWR opened a "loop-line" to Kidderminster
meaning Bewdley had a direct link with the town and became a double junction. As a legacy of its former junction status Bewdley station is unique on the SVR in that it has two signal box
es, Bewdey north and Bewdley south, to this day.
Bewdley station was at its busiest at weekends and local holiday periods, and traffic declined only with the introduction of the family car
in the 1950s. As a consequence, the rationalisation resulted in the halt of through passenger traffic — firstly on the Wyre Forest line in 1961, followed by the Severn Valley in 1963. Although thought by some people to have been part of the Beeching axe
these closures pre-dated his report.
British Rail
passenger services clung on until early 1970 around the last remaining stations of Stourport-on-Severn
, Hartlebury
, Bewdley and Kidderminster
.
–Hampton Loade
to Highley
and eventually Bewdley that same year. Bewdley forms the administrative headquarters of the Severn Valley Railway (Holdings) Company.
From 1980 onwards, occasional bank holiday
services were operated to Bewdley, originally from Kidderminster
and later from Birmingham New Street
. The SVR's own services to Kidderminster could not commence until sugar beet traffic to Foley Park ceased in 1982 and the opening of its own station — Kidderminster Town
in 1984.
During and after preservation:
, there have been calls for Bewdley station to be returned to the National Rail
network once more. The idea of Kidderminster to Bewdley trains has been discussed at meetings with Central Trains
, its successor London Midland
and Chiltern Railways
. The obstacle always seems to be who provides the infrastructure and staff. New services could run further than Kidderminster to Birmingham, Dudley or London.
Bewdley
Bewdley is a town and civil parish in the Wyre Forest District of Worcestershire, England, along the Severn Valley a few miles to the west of Kidderminster...
in Worcestershire
Worcestershire
Worcestershire is a non-metropolitan county, established in antiquity, located in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes it is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three counties that comprise the "Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire" NUTS 2 region...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. It is the administrative headquarters of the Severn Valley Railway
Severn Valley Railway
The Severn Valley Railway is a heritage railway in Shropshire and Worcestershire, England. The line runs along the Severn Valley from Bridgnorth to Kidderminster, following the course of the River Severn for much of its route...
, and is the principal intermediate station on the line.
History
Bewdley station originally opened in 1862 as one of the main intermediate stations on the 40¾-mile line between HartleburyHartlebury
Hartlebury is a village in Worcestershire, England. It is a few miles south of Kidderminster and is in Wychavon district. The village registered a population of 2,549 in the Census 2001.The railway station is about half a mile to the east of the village....
and Shrewsbury
Shrewsbury
Shrewsbury is the county town of Shropshire, in the West Midlands region of England. Lying on the River Severn, it is a civil parish home to some 70,000 inhabitants, and is the primary settlement and headquarters of Shropshire Council...
. The station was operated by the SVR company before being absorbed into the Great Western Railway
Great Western Railway
The Great Western Railway was a British railway company that linked London with the south-west and west of England and most of Wales. It was founded in 1833, received its enabling Act of Parliament in 1835 and ran its first trains in 1838...
(GWR).
In 1864 the Tenbury & Bewdley Railway opened, with its route through the Wyre Forest
Wyre Forest
Wyre Forest is a large, semi-natural woodland and forest which straddles the borders of Worcestershire and Shropshire, England.The Wyre Forest district of Worcestershire takes its name from the forest, despite the fact that much of the woodland does not lie within the district's boundaries, but...
branching off the SVR 1 mile north of Bewdley station, before crossing the River Severn
River Severn
The River Severn is the longest river in Great Britain, at about , but the second longest on the British Isles, behind the River Shannon. It rises at an altitude of on Plynlimon, Ceredigion near Llanidloes, Powys, in the Cambrian Mountains of mid Wales...
over the now partially-dismantled Dowles Bridge. Thus Bewdley became a junction.
In 1878, GWR opened a "loop-line" to Kidderminster
Kidderminster
Kidderminster is a town, in the Wyre Forest district of Worcestershire, England. It is located approximately seventeen miles south-west of Birmingham city centre and approximately fifteen miles north of Worcester city centre. The 2001 census recorded a population of 55,182 in the town...
meaning Bewdley had a direct link with the town and became a double junction. As a legacy of its former junction status Bewdley station is unique on the SVR in that it has two signal box
Signal box
On a rail transport system, signalling control is the process by which control is exercised over train movements by way of railway signals and block systems to ensure that trains operate safely, over the correct route and to the proper timetable...
es, Bewdey north and Bewdley south, to this day.
Bewdley station was at its busiest at weekends and local holiday periods, and traffic declined only with the introduction of the family car
Čar
Čar is a village in the municipality of Bujanovac, Serbia. According to the 2002 census, the town has a population of 296 people.-References:...
in the 1950s. As a consequence, the rationalisation resulted in the halt of through passenger traffic — firstly on the Wyre Forest line in 1961, followed by the Severn Valley in 1963. Although thought by some people to have been part of the Beeching axe
Beeching Axe
The Beeching Axe or the Beeching Cuts are informal names for the British Government's attempt in the 1960s to reduce the cost of running British Railways, the nationalised railway system in the United Kingdom. The name is that of the main author of The Reshaping of British Railways, Dr Richard...
these closures pre-dated his report.
British Rail
British Rail
British Railways , which from 1965 traded as British Rail, was the operator of most of the rail transport in Great Britain between 1948 and 1997. It was formed from the nationalisation of the "Big Four" British railway companies and lasted until the gradual privatisation of British Rail, in stages...
passenger services clung on until early 1970 around the last remaining stations of Stourport-on-Severn
Stourport-on-Severn
Stourport-on-Severn, often shortened to Stourport, is a town and civil parish in the Wyre Forest District of North Worcestershire, England, a few miles to the south of Kidderminster and down stream on the River Severn from Bewdley...
, Hartlebury
Hartlebury
Hartlebury is a village in Worcestershire, England. It is a few miles south of Kidderminster and is in Wychavon district. The village registered a population of 2,549 in the Census 2001.The railway station is about half a mile to the east of the village....
, Bewdley and Kidderminster
Kidderminster Town railway station
Kidderminster Town is a railway station situated in the town of Kidderminster, Worcestershire, England. It is operated by the Severn Valley Railway, a heritage line which runs from Kidderminster to Bridgnorth...
.
Preservation
Bewdley was disused for only four years before preservationists from the new SVR Company bought the land, track and buildings in 1974 enabling the SVR to extend from BridgnorthBridgnorth
Bridgnorth is a town in Shropshire, England, along the Severn Valley. It is split into Low Town and High Town, named on account of their elevations relative to the River Severn, which separates the upper town on the right bank from the lower on the left...
–Hampton Loade
Hampton Loade
Hampton Loade is a village in Shropshire, England along the Severn Valley. It is situated on the east bank of the River Severn at , and is notable for the unusual current-operated Hampton Loade Ferry, a cable ferry to the hamlet of Hampton on the west bank...
to Highley
Highley
Highley is a large village in Shropshire, England, on the west bank of the River Severn and on the B4555 road. Highley has a population of approximately 3,100, but is beset by transport problems due to the lack of a road bridge, resulting in a high unemployment rate.-History:Highley began as a...
and eventually Bewdley that same year. Bewdley forms the administrative headquarters of the Severn Valley Railway (Holdings) Company.
From 1980 onwards, occasional bank holiday
Bank Holiday
A bank holiday is a public holiday in the United Kingdom or a colloquialism for public holiday in Ireland. There is no automatic right to time off on these days, although the majority of the population is granted time off work or extra pay for working on these days, depending on their contract...
services were operated to Bewdley, originally from Kidderminster
Kidderminster railway station
Kidderminster railway station is the main station serving the large town of Kidderminster, Worcestershire. The station is operated by London Midland.-Facilities:...
and later from Birmingham New Street
Birmingham New Street Station
Birmingham New Street is the main railway station serving Birmingham, England, located in the city centre. It is an important hub for the British railway system, being served by a number of important long-distance and cross-country lines, including the Birmingham loop of the West Coast Main Line,...
. The SVR's own services to Kidderminster could not commence until sugar beet traffic to Foley Park ceased in 1982 and the opening of its own station — Kidderminster Town
Kidderminster Town railway station
Kidderminster Town is a railway station situated in the town of Kidderminster, Worcestershire, England. It is operated by the Severn Valley Railway, a heritage line which runs from Kidderminster to Bridgnorth...
in 1984.
During and after preservation:
- The station clock on platforms 2/3 was brought from Stourbridge Junction railway stationStourbridge Junction railway stationStourbridge Junction railway station is a railway station on the Birmingham, Worcester and Kidderminster Line in West Midlands, England. Stourbridge Town Branch Line runs from the station to Stourbridge town centre...
. - The longer valancing pieces on the east side of the island platform canopy came from Birmingham Snow Hill station, this is marked on the canopy. The canopy itself was constructed for the opening of the line to Kidderminster and was later extended, it was not brought in from elsewhere as previously reported here.
- Until recently, there was a Gentlemen's toilet on platform's 2/3, but it was closed as a result of health and safely regulations as it had no wash hand basin. The structure remains to this day for historical reasons.
Future services
Due to heavy congestion in the Wyre ForestWyre Forest
Wyre Forest is a large, semi-natural woodland and forest which straddles the borders of Worcestershire and Shropshire, England.The Wyre Forest district of Worcestershire takes its name from the forest, despite the fact that much of the woodland does not lie within the district's boundaries, but...
, there have been calls for Bewdley station to be returned to the National Rail
National Rail
National Rail is a title used by the Association of Train Operating Companies as a generic term to define the passenger rail services operated in Great Britain...
network once more. The idea of Kidderminster to Bewdley trains has been discussed at meetings with Central Trains
Central Trains
Central Trains was one of the original 25 train operating companies to emerge from the break-up of British Rail between 1994 and 1997. The company operated local, urban and secondary express services across central England and Mid Wales.-Overview:...
, its successor London Midland
London Midland
London Midland is a train operating company in the United Kingdom. Legally named London and Birmingham Railway Ltd, it is a subsidiary of Govia, and has operated the West Midlands franchise since 11 November 2007....
and Chiltern Railways
Chiltern Railways
Chiltern Railways is a British train operating company. It was set up at the privatisation of British Rail in 1996, and operates local passenger trains from Marylebone station in London to Aylesbury and main-line trains on the Chiltern Main Line to Birmingham Snow Hill with its associated branches...
. The obstacle always seems to be who provides the infrastructure and staff. New services could run further than Kidderminster to Birmingham, Dudley or London.