The Bristol Railway Archive

Two more photos as a result of scanning negatives.

http://simon71.fotopic.net/p26559041.html

and the one before it.

I don't remember where this is at all. Any one any ideas? Dates from 1973/4

Do you think it's in Bristol?

I'm very tempted to say that it's definately not Bristol, except that the second shot has what looks very much like the spire of St Mary Redliffe in the background.

But still, can't say there are many locations in Bristol where the railway passes over a main road, and can't think of many where it's on that kind of viaduct either.

What other cities have churches with spires like St Mary Redcliffe?

Another clue might be the coach accompanying the breakdown crane. I always think of those colours as belonging to the research dept or west coast mainline electrification trains.

I'm afraid I have no idea where it is. No clues on the negative but I would think I went there knowing the bridge was being replaced otherwise i wouldn't have had my camera with me so that would say Bristol to me but as you say I can't think of a location in Bristol that looks like that.

It's a pity you didn't get the number of the 08 in shot. We could have checked which depot it belonged to. I'm wondering if it's Gloucester. There's a bridge across a road just outside the station (as the line heads to Wales) and the church nearby has a spire like the photo.

Can't find a pic to compare with though.

I would go along with the not bristol quote.

The one thing that is missing is hills in the background, if that was the line going out through bedmiinster which the flats suggest, there are ones like that in windmill hil, there would be hills behind, even if thatw as st maty redcliffe spire behind. but from bedmister you would not see the tower redcliffe hill would be in the way. The ?FW registration on the cortina is a lincolnshire registration, so again suggesting not bristol. I have tried looking up bridge motors, there is none showning for bristol but many elswhere incuding the birmingham area which would tie in with the west coast line comment.
The only location i can think of that would have st mary redcliffe behind it with a main road under a bridge is st lukes road totterdown, and is certainly not there, every thing else is wrong.
Need to search outside of bristol i think.

madhattie wrote: I'm wondering if it's Gloucester.

Could be. When I worked at the Bristol Suburban Railway we recovered a signal box from Painswick Crosing in Glos over several weekends so that a possibility.

It stood half derelict at Bitton for a number of years and I think has now been taken down.

I think the picture could be of the London Road Bridge, Gloucester.

This would be the bridge adjacent to the west side of the current Gloucester Station (Gloucester Central) and carries the line to South Wales.

The spire on the church is very similar to the spire which is pictured on page 67 of the No. 16 Past and Present Book (Avon Cotswold and The Malverns). It is not a clear picture in the past and present book but it makes some sense especially when referencing the location with an OS map and multimap of the area.

Can anyone confirm this?

Found this pic on the web. Gloucester.

http://brantacan.co.uk/GlosPlate1.jpg

Is this the Bridge in question ?

The pic could have been taken from the opposite side.

I think it's Worcester Street in Gloucester, looking northwards.
http://images.fotopic.net/y46xw9.jpg
from Google Earth shows the church at 1, and the building between the crane and the 08 at 2. The buildings at 3 can be seen in the brantacan photo, they're clearer when you zoom in, in Google Earth.
Bridge Motors has been obliterated by the Gouda Way / Black Dog Way junction.

Ian J

Certainly looks like Worcester Street in Gloucester, looking northwards.


Thanks to everyone for their ideas.

Geat detective work! Right down to using satellite technology to pinpoint the location

I'm amazed!

madhattie wrote:Geat detective work! Right down to using satellite technology to pinpoint the location

I'm amazed!

Yep great detective work. Thanks again to everyone.

Still remain some unanswered questions:

what was I doing there?

what do I say to my wife's question "why is anyone interested in that picture (and all your other ones on your fotopic site)"

Have moved these two into a seperate collection on my fotopic website and have also moved the Avon Valley ones to their own collection as have found a few more from my time there. Will load them as soon as time allows.

simon wrote:what do I say to my wife's question "why is anyone interested in that picture (and all your other ones on your fotopic site)"

"I want a divorce"?

simon wrote: what do I say to my wife's question "why is anyone interested in that picture (and all your other ones on your fotopic site)"

My poor wife spends her Sundays getting dragged across muddy fields full of cows, horses and nettles just so I can photograph some obscure farm access bridge!

She thinks the internet is weird