Narroways Hill got it's name from the nearby Narroways Road which used to be nothing more than a small footpath between St Werburghs Church and Mina Road. For many years the lane was known as Cut-Throat Lane after a particularly gruesome murder that took place there.
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A 1996 view of the junction taken by Chris Hopkins. The 1220 Furzebrook-Hallen Marsh LPG train passes the junction.
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The view from Narroways Hill. In the far distance the line curves and enters Stapleton Road Station. The scrapyard at the right of the railway is alongside the M32 motorway and was once rail served and even had it's own 03 shunter. It's built on the site of Stapleton Road goods yard.
The line curving away on the right is the Severn Beach line.
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Looking North towards Ashley Hill with the Brunel college (once an old orphanage) visible at the top left of the hill. The abutments belong to what was once a connecting line between the Severn Beach line and the Midland's line to Bath.
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The graffiti covered footbridge that crosses the mainline. Beyond this footbridge is a smaller one that crosses the Severn Beach line.
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Looking in the opposite direction. The security measures are a joke because there are so many holes in the lineside fences at this spot.
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The bridge itself. Viewed from on top of Narroways Hill on 7.1.05.
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The junction of the Severn Beach line, as viewed from the second footbridge. The line curves around beneath this spot and then crosses Mina Rd in St Werburghs. The whole line, with the exception of the passing loop at Clifton Down, was singled on the 19th October 1970.
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The same view on 7.1.05 with 143611 heading for Montpelier Station.
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The line heading through St Werburghs on its way to Montpelier Station
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A look along the footbridge that crosses the Severn Beach line.
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A really nice view of this second footbridge.
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Back on top of Narroways Hill and this is the view of the West abutment of the dismantled connecting line. The sheer amount of hill that was carted away to create these two railway lines at this location is amazing.
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The route of the Midland Railway through Narroways Hill.
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Looking East at the now filled in cutting.
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Looking in the opposite direction and the cutting has long been infilled. The line of houses on the right give away the direction the line went in, and right smack bang in the middle of the pic is a lampost with a blue sign attached. That's where the railway crossed Glenfrome Rd.
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Even if you're not interested in watching the trains go by, the area is outstanding for watching the sun go down, and easily the best place to be in Bristol on November 5th...
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On 7.1.05 I caught a loaded MGR en route to Didcot from Avonmouth.
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A site visit by Jules captured track panels being removed. © Julien Weston
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These were taken to a spot to the north of the work area. © Julien Weston
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A general view of work in progress. The junction had disappeared from the Down line and a temporary line put in its place to allow works trains to remove the junction, track and spoil on the Up line. The new junction can be seen ready assembled on the left. © Julien Weston
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A view of the work site from the bridge over the Severn Beach branchline. © Julien Weston
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Later that day, and the Up main was in the process of being removed. The junction had been cut up and taken away, and an army of diggers were removing the old ballast. © Ian Skinner
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A similar view of the work, this time taken from the footbridge across the Severn Beach line. © Ian Skinner
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Two track machines carried more redundant pieces of track away. © Ian Skinner
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The view north later that night. (about 8.30pm)
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A zoomed view showing the new junction assembled and ready to be moved into place.
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A train stood on the temporary Down line and was loaded with spoil from the site of the junction.
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A slightly different view of the work.
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The remains of one of the old points had been placed right beneath the footbridge.
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