Country Park Halt
| Up (towards Kidderminster) | Down (towards Bridgnorth) |
|---|---|
| Highley | Hampton Loade |
Country Park Halt is an unstaffed request stop located between Highley and Hampton Loade, near Alveley Country Park. The halt, which dates from the 1990s, has no road access.
Passengers wishing to alight at Country Park Halt should inform the train guard before departure. Those wishing to join a train at Country Park Halt should signal the driver of the approaching train by holding out an extended arm, allowing sufficient time for the train to stop. As there is no lighting on the platform, trains will only stop during daylight hours.
History[edit | edit source]
Alveley Colliery, which opened in 1938, was located on the far side of the River Severn from the Severn Valley Branch. The washeries and sidings were situated next to the railway, with coal being brought across the river by a rope-worked tramway across a bridge built to serve the mine, later replaced with an aerial ropeway in 1961.
Alveley Sidings in October 1959 (Sellick Collection)
After production at Alveley ended in 1969, the mine site and its spoil heaps lay derelict until 1986. In that year, Shropshire Council instigated a project to create what became the Severn Valley Country Park. The project involved the reclamation of land, installation of drainage ditches, re-grading of the spoil heaps and planting of trees. The Severn Valley Country Park opened in 1992.[1]
Over the same period, the colliery sidings were acquired by the SVR as part of the southern section of the line to Foley Park which was purchased from BR in December 1972, subject to Light Railway Orders being granted. They were deemed unsuitable for the storage of SVR stock due to the remoteness of the location and the resultant risk of vandalism,[2] and were eventually dismantled, with much of the rail and point-work later being re-used elsewhere on the line.
In late 1994 the SVR reached agreement with Bridgnorth Council for a new halt to be built on the former site of the colliery sidings (the original Alveley Halt was situated neared to Highley station). The announcement in SVR News noted that "...the project, subject to planning permission, will embrace a platform 2½ coaches long, and will feature a replica of the waiting room on the down platform at Arley. Costs will be met by the Council."[3], partly funded by an EC grant.[4] The halt is situated level with the rear of the train in the Sellick photograph above.[5]
The halt with its brick-built shelter opened on 4 April 1996.[5] There is a picnic area in the park next to the halt, from which footpaths lead northwards towards Hampton Loade and southwards towards the Park's visitor centre which is located on the opposite bank of the River Severn and accessed via a nearby footbridge. Pedestrians may also cross the line via a foot crossing at the southern end of the platform.
On 11 March 2005 the SVR's first steam-hauled revenue-earning freight involved GWR 5764, transporting an excavator from the yard at Eardington to Country Park Halt for the contractors Mowlem Construction who were rebuilding the nearby pedestrian/cycle-way bridge across the river.[6] A number of other loads were also transported for the same project.
On 2 August 2020 arsonists attacked and badly damaged the halt's roof.[7] The roof was eventually replaced by contractors in July 2022, with part-funding being provided by the Shropshire Council-owned Severn Valley Country Park[8].
See also[edit | edit source]
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ Severn Valley Country Park web site
- ↑ Marshall (1989) p. 101.
- ↑ SVR News 113, p.5., Boardroom Noted
- ↑ SVR News 117
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 SVR Souvenir Guide, 9th Edition
- ↑ SVR News 150
- ↑ Shropshire Star,'Arsonists wreck roof at Severn Valley Railway site', 2 August 2020 (Retrieved 2 August 2020)
- ↑ Branch Lines July 2022
Links[edit | edit source]
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