The Bristol Railway Archive

I went to Avonmouth yesterday (drawn in by the huge plums of smoke I could see from Weston-super-Mare) having taken the family there for the weekend.

I went on the hunt for the former train stations that use to be there. But after finding the current station and further down the road the old Docks station I gave up realising that there were quite a few and I doubted I would be able to locate any more of them.

Am I right in thinking that there were 6 stations in Avonmouth over the years, and the current open station is Avonmouth Dock.
Avonmouth
Avonmouth Town
Avonmouth Royal Edward
Avonmouth Dock
Avonmouth Docks (GW)
Avonmouth East Pier

I was successful in finding the 2 Dock stations but does anyone know the location of the other 4.

Avonmouth sure is complicated!

I make it six stations. These are:

Avonmouth (first station)
Avonmouth Dock (current one)
Avonmouth Docks. (one down the road)
East Pier
Royal Edward
St Andrews Road.

Of these, the original Avonmouth Station (and railway alignment) is right in the middle of the Royal Edward Dock, it was excavated when the dock was built. East Pier and Royal Edward are within the docks themselves.

I make it 7 stations in Avonmouth

St. Andrews Road
Avonmouth (original)
Avonmouth Dock (in use)
Avonmouth Docks
Royal Edward
East Pier

And

Avonmouth Town - between St. Andrews Road and the current Avonmouth Dock station

See this map I have found from the Crowther Atlas

Avonmouth Town Goods is on this site:

http://www.bristol-rail.co.uk/avonmouthtowngoods.php

It's about a hundred yards from St Andrews Road. I don't think it's ever been the site of a passenger station. Not 100% though.

Rather after the event, however there's a detailed article on the railways serving the Port of Bristol in the August 1972 edition of The Railway Magazine. The link below is to a map scanned from the article. I'm sure Bristol library will have a copy but could produce a full scan if there's any interest.

http://www.3gmarine.co.uk/suvan_2004/avonmouth.jpg

As an aside, the April '72 edition of RM reports on the introduction of Stage 10 of the Bristol m.a.s. scheme. To quote:

"Double-track is retained at Weston-super-Mare Station, where a singalling panel is now available for the emergency local control of the Worle-Weston-Uphill area in the event of the failure of the remote control equipment."

I can vaguely remember a panel located in a room behind the booking office, but was this ever used in anger? Is it still there? What was the point!?

the panel is still there and in use for visual for the station staff it has been used in my time both as a driver and inspector