The Bristol Railway Archive

Several items in the local news made me wonder if it may now be an appropriate time for the authorities or an enterprising company to keep the FILTON airfield as an airport serving the Continent and the USA. These are:

1) The construction of a railway servicing depot between the Filton railway ...

Rail Service to Thornbury

According to the plan set out in the Evening Post recently, a passenger rail link to Thornbury is again shown on the wish-list.

How realistic is this proposal?

Has feasibility study been done on this particular new stretch of the urban rail network - likely costs ...

On a slightly different note, but with some local rail connection, on a number of times I have flown in and out of Bristol after visiting my family in Ireland. In doing so, I have often wondered why the city airport is located in a such an inconvenient place.

Surely its about time the whole ...

I have recently seen a photo of an oil tanker train travelling to the Westerleigh Oil Treminal from Milford Haven up the western side of the Severn Estuary, presumably by the long way round through Gloster. Are dangerous goods banned from travelling via the tunnel, or is because the South Wales line ...

Does anyone know why the railway was built in the first place. Were the buildrs hoping to connect up with the Severn Tunnel line?

I have been looking at some photos on the following web page - dave-higsonfotopic.net/c767463.

One of the photo caption is headed Furzebrook to Hallen. I take it this refers to an LPG tanker train servicing the Wytch Farm oil field near Furzebrook in Dorset.

Other photo captions refer to Fishpool ...

Thanks for all the comments on my post on the Clifton Extension railway. I have now looked at previous posts. Although these indicate when the line started and finished they give no real clues to the original rationale for the expensive engineering in the first place. Perhaps it was just one of ...

I have recently come across reference to the Clifton Extension Railway. It was apparently built jointly by the old GWR and Midland railways around the 1870Æs. It left the old Midland railway at Kingswood Junction, not far from Fishponds station. It passed over the old Eastville viaduct (demolished ...

Some readers may be interested in a bit of local New Zealand history with connections to the Avonside Railway Works, concerning Fell Engine H199.

Full details can be found on from the Fell EngineÆs Musuems Webb Site http://fellmuseum.org.nz Some details are given below.
The Fell Locomotive Museum ...

Hi from New Zealand

Your comments are noted. Howeversteep gradients would probablty be avoided by starting the new line at the bottom of Alveston Hill alongside Thornbury Golf Club. From memory it would be relatively flat land skirting around the plateau on which Alveston/Olveston sits though I do ...

Hi from New Zealand

Your comments tend to confirm my suspicions that the proposal is not a serious GOER. However I wonder why FOSBR has pencilled it on their WISH LIST. Furthermore, the line would need to finish as close as possible to the edge of Thornbury so that it is within walking distance for ...

:D

Hi from New Zealand

Thanks for all your comments on the Filton Railway Chords.

I used to go to Thornbury Grammar School between 1951-57. I well remember watching trains on the Thornbury/Yatesbury branch line doing their afternoon shunt about once a week. It proved an interesting diversion ...

:D

Hi from New Zealand

I emigrated to New Zealand in 1965, having lived in Filton, Bristol up to 1957. I lived in Conygre Grove very close to Filton-Avonmouth railway chord. As a boy, I played regularly with friends in the area bounded by the Filton Junction/Patchway - Filton Junction /Avonmouth ...