Bridgnorth railway station
Encyclopedia
Bridgnorth railway station is a station on the Severn Valley Railway
heritage line, serving the Shropshire
town of Bridgnorth
, England
. It is currently the northern terminus of the SVR, home to the main engine shed and a large gift shop amongst other facilities.
and 22½ miles from Shrewsbury
. Bridgnorth station was opened to the public on 1 February 1862, prompting great celebrations in the town. Originally under SVR Company ownership, it was passed to Great Western Railway
(GWR), and eventually British Railways in 1948. It closed to passengers after 101 years on 8 September 1963, and to freight traffic on 30 November 1963. Although thought by some to have been closed as part of the Beeching axe
its planned closure pre-dated his report.
The neo-Jacobean station is the only listed station on the Severn Valley Railway
. Any future plans to enhance visitor facilities will need to be carefully designed to be in keeping with the station's architecture and historic character.
The line now ends just north of the modern-day station, where the line formerly bridged Hollybush Road and passed through Bridgnorth Tunnel and on to the next station on the line, Linley. There exists an ongoing debate whether the railway should extend beyond its current limits north of Bridgnorth.
The Railwayman's Arms pub is situated at the SVR station. It opened before the original Severn Valley Line and never closed, and has thus became popular with preservationists.
in May 1970.
The station is reached from High Town via a modern footbridge over a main road and a valley, the present bridge having opened in 1994. This replacement tubular steel bridge occupies the site of a lattice bridge closed and demolished several years previously. A section of the original footbridge adorns the centre island of one of the road traffic roundabout
s.
At present, Mr.C. Walton is the station master and Mr. C. Thomas is the assistant station master.
A Direct train to London
from Bridgnorth was operated on August 15th 2009 by Chiltern Railways
. The service left Bridgnorth at 0745 and arrived at London Marylebone at 1159.
Installation of a locomotive wheel drop
commenced and was completed during 2010.
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...
heritage line, serving the Shropshire
Shropshire
Shropshire is a county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. It borders Wales to the west...
town of Bridgnorth
Bridgnorth
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...
, 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 currently the northern terminus of the SVR, home to the main engine shed and a large gift shop amongst other facilities.
History
Bridgnorth station was not the northern terminus when built, but the main intermediate station of the Severn Valley line being 18¼ miles from 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 22½ miles from 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...
. Bridgnorth station was opened to the public on 1 February 1862, prompting great celebrations in the town. Originally under SVR Company ownership, it was passed to 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), and eventually British Railways in 1948. It closed to passengers after 101 years on 8 September 1963, and to freight traffic on 30 November 1963. Although thought by some to have been closed as 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...
its planned closure pre-dated his report.
The neo-Jacobean station is the only listed station on 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...
. Any future plans to enhance visitor facilities will need to be carefully designed to be in keeping with the station's architecture and historic character.
The line now ends just north of the modern-day station, where the line formerly bridged Hollybush Road and passed through Bridgnorth Tunnel and on to the next station on the line, Linley. There exists an ongoing debate whether the railway should extend beyond its current limits north of Bridgnorth.
The Railwayman's Arms pub is situated at the SVR station. It opened before the original Severn Valley Line and never closed, and has thus became popular with preservationists.
Preservation
After only two years of closure preservationists had plans for Bridgnorth, resulting in the formation of the Severn Valley Railway Society. Vegetation was cleared, railway bric-a-brac was collected and the station buildings were refurbished. Although the original signal box was substantially demolished (only three sides of the bottom brick part and interlocking are original. The brick base was originally somewhat longer.), Bridgnorth station was never damaged through this demolition activity. From then on preservation gained momentum until the present day. Bridgnorth became the engineering centre of the new SVR because of the need to repair the growing numbers of rolling stock items and locomotives after opening to the public when the first train steamed from Bridgnorth to Hampton LoadeHampton Loade railway station
Hampton Loade railway station is a station on the Severn Valley Railway heritage line, close to the hamlet of Hampton on the western bank of the River Severn; Hampton Loade itself is on the eastern bank, and may be reached by the Hampton Loade Ferry across the river.-History:Hampton Loade station...
in May 1970.
The station is reached from High Town via a modern footbridge over a main road and a valley, the present bridge having opened in 1994. This replacement tubular steel bridge occupies the site of a lattice bridge closed and demolished several years previously. A section of the original footbridge adorns the centre island of one of the road traffic roundabout
Roundabout
A roundabout is the name for a road junction in which traffic moves in one direction around a central island. The word dates from the early 20th century. Roundabouts are common in many countries around the world...
s.
At present, Mr.C. Walton is the station master and Mr. C. Thomas is the assistant station master.
A Direct train to London
Marylebone station
Marylebone station , also known as London Marylebone, is a central London railway terminus and London Underground complex. It stands midway between the mainline stations at Euston and Paddington, about 1 mile from each...
from Bridgnorth was operated on August 15th 2009 by 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 service left Bridgnorth at 0745 and arrived at London Marylebone at 1159.
Locomotive works
The main locomotive works for the SVR are located at Bridgnorth. They are not normally open to the public because of health and safety regulations but conducted tours and open days are arranged from time to time. Major features of the locomotive works include the Boiler Shop, the machine shop equipped with a Noble and Lunn wheel lathe and ex-LT lifting jacks along with other equipment in the general fitting area.Installation of a locomotive wheel drop
Wheel drop
A drop table or wheel drop is a device used in railway engineering during maintenance that require the removal of locomotive or rolling stock wheelsets...
commenced and was completed during 2010.