Parkend railway station
Encyclopedia
Parkend Station, in the village of Parkend, in the Forest of Dean
, Gloucestershire
, is the northern terminus of the Dean Forest Railway
.
began operating mineral trains through the village. The station was built in 1875 to enable the company to also offer passenger services. A decline in mineral traffic and passenger numbers saw regular passenger services cease in 1929. The last goods train left Parkend on 8 July 1975 and much of the track was dismantled.
The line was bought by the Dean Forest Railway Preservation Society, now based at Norchard, who reopened Parkend station on 26 December 2005. Diesel Railcars ran the service in December 2005 and then Steam services have run into Parkend since 25 March 2006. It was then officially opened, by HRH the Princess Royal
, on 19 May 2006.
The station has two platforms, a water column, footbridge, goods shed (not in use yet), level crossing and a signal box (not in use yet). On the 'Down' Platform there is the main station building which has a ticket office and also sells some food & drink along with some gifts. Toilets are also part of this building. The level crossing gates at the north end of the station are reputedly the longest in Britain.
Forest of Dean
The Forest of Dean is a geographical, historical and cultural region in the western part of the county of Gloucestershire, England. The forest is a roughly triangular plateau bounded by the River Wye to the west and north, the River Severn to the south, and the City of Gloucester to the east.The...
, Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn, and the entire Forest of Dean....
, is the northern terminus of the Dean Forest Railway
Dean Forest Railway
The Dean Forest Railway is a long heritage railway that runs between Lydney and Parkend in the Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire. The route was part of the Severn and Wye Railway which ran from Lydney to Cinderford. The society that operates the line started steam locomotive operations in 1971, and...
.
History
In 1864 the Severn and Wye RailwaySevern and Wye Railway
The Severn and Wye Railway was a small railway network in west Gloucestershire that was constructed to allow exploitation of the mineral resources of the Forest of Dean. The Severn and Wye Railway and Canal Company began construction of the tramway and the Lydney Canal in 1810. In 1868 the tramway...
began operating mineral trains through the village. The station was built in 1875 to enable the company to also offer passenger services. A decline in mineral traffic and passenger numbers saw regular passenger services cease in 1929. The last goods train left Parkend on 8 July 1975 and much of the track was dismantled.
The line was bought by the Dean Forest Railway Preservation Society, now based at Norchard, who reopened Parkend station on 26 December 2005. Diesel Railcars ran the service in December 2005 and then Steam services have run into Parkend since 25 March 2006. It was then officially opened, by HRH the Princess Royal
Princess Royal
Princess Royal is a style customarily awarded by a British monarch to his or her eldest daughter. The style is held for life, so a princess cannot be given the style during the lifetime of another Princess Royal...
, on 19 May 2006.
The station has two platforms, a water column, footbridge, goods shed (not in use yet), level crossing and a signal box (not in use yet). On the 'Down' Platform there is the main station building which has a ticket office and also sells some food & drink along with some gifts. Toilets are also part of this building. The level crossing gates at the north end of the station are reputedly the longest in Britain.