The Bristol Railway Archive

Last week saw clearance work begin on land at Severn Beach station. All vegetation has now been cleared and it is suprising to see what a vast area of land has been revealed. The two sidings have been lifted but the the unused line at the platform is still in situ as is the buffer stops. There are a lot of chairs in piles on the cleared land and a brief look has shown them to be marked GWR 1950. The groundframe where the two sidings had converged has so far remained untouched. The rumour I heard is that a petrol station is to be built here, but I find that very unlikely myself.
I know the land was up for sale by auction several months ago but I'm unsure as to who had originally owned it. Could it have been owned by Terra/ICI as this is where their trains were brought to join the national network and is it more than a coincidence that the sidings at Terra/ICI are also being lifted at the moment.
I've taken a few photos on my "point and shoot" but hope someone with better equipment, more time and an eye for a good phot could capture these changing scenes of our local railways better than myself.
Anyway, i better go, I'm off for a stroll !!! I wonder where !!!

I'm surprised the track remained in situ for so long, indeed i belive the track is still as was in the 60's.

I have been told that this is going to be an illegal travellers site. Aren't we all lucky !

southglosboy wrote:I have been told that this is going to be an illegal travellers site. Aren't we all lucky !

Unlikey, as it was sold for ú500,000. It's only 6 acres. Nothing can be built with bedrooms.

Shame the track went for scrap, I'm sure a preserved railway would've found a use for it. Apparently the price of iron was falling day by day so they were getting considerably less money per ton at the end then when they started!

I'm guess it will be industrial units? Whether anything will happen now there's a recession remains to be seen...

Alex

I don't quite understand this information - does the lifting refer to the goods sidings or the former through line on the east side of the platform (or indeed the whole lot?)

Stanley_C_Jenkins wrote:I don't quite understand this information - does the lifting refer to the goods sidings or the former through line on the east side of the platform (or indeed the whole lot?)

I haven't been down there myself but I think it's the whole lot.

Alex

I haven't been down there myself but I think it's the whole lot.

It is the whole lot. There is nothing left from the old trhough platform right to the far fence line ... all track gone, vegetation cleared and ground largely levelled.

I'll bet there are a few relics out there amongst the dirt. If I'd had time to jump off the platform on Saturday, I would have gone and had a dig about!

I had a drive-past late yesterday afternoon. Was surprised at size of yard. How much trackwork would have originaly been there does any one know.
If you look along fence beside road there are what appears to be gate posts presumably to yard.

To be honest with the current financial situation I wouldn't envisage any building for the forseable, probably end up as overgrown as it was.
(always seeing the positive side )

if any one is intrested i have some pictures

Any photos you care to post of severn beach station site would be welcome
I'm not the worlds expert on posting photos so if all else fails try emailing to mad hattie

These are complete random shots i was so tired i was not thinking

nickt wrote:I had a drive-past late yesterday afternoon. Was surprised at size of yard. How much trackwork would have originaly been there does any one know.
If you look along fence beside road there are what appears to be gate posts presumably to yard.

To be honest with the current financial situation I wouldn't envisage any building for the forseable, probably end up as overgrown as it was.
(always seeing the positive side )

One of the reasons for the size of the yard was that it had to double up for use as carriage sidings as well as goods traffic .
Until well into the 1950's Severn Beach was a very popular day trip destination for Bristolians with its open air swimming pool , boating lake and funfair.
Traffic was so heavy at some Bank Holidays that all service trains had to be strengthened and additional reliefs run . I remember on several occasions waiting in a queue that stretched from the booking office up the road past the funfair and nearly to the seawall to catch a returning train to Bristol and several trains would come in , load to capacity and depart before our places in the queue had even reached the platform.
I think there was a plan at one time for additional terminal platforms to be built and this was one of the reasons the booking office was built at right angles to the through platform .
If Clifton Down was very busy with excursion traffic and special trains for the zoo then occasionally some of that rolling stock was temporarily stabled at SB for the day .

It is hard to believe that severn beach was so popular as it was looking around today, but it is still a good place for a stroll along sea wall etc.
My mother told me how she enjoyed catching a train to S.B for the day and how many people used to go there.
Even the large (railway hotel ) Severn Salmon pub was knocked down for housing several years ago now. Quite a large building as I remember.