Albert Edward Bridge

The Albert Edward Bridge, looking downstream

Albert Edward Bridge carried the line from Coalbrookdale and Lightmoor Junction across the River Severn near Buildwas, the junction with the Severn Valley line. The bridge is almost identical to Victoria Bridge, with a 200ft cast iron span, and was named after Albert Edward (later Edward VII), the eldest son of Queen Victoria. It was designed by the SVR's chief engineer, John Fowler, and opened on 1 November 1864. It is cast-iron with brown brick abutments with chamfered yellow brick angle quoins. It has a single segmental girder arch with a mid-20th century steel parapet. Plates at the apex of the arch record the date and name of the bridge and the names of its engineer and the contractors responsible, Messrs Brassey and Field.[1] Another plate records the fact that the bridge was cast and erected by the Coalbrookdale Company of Ironbridge.

It was Listed as a Grade II Listed Building on 24 February 1986.[2] It is also identified by Primary Reference Number (PRN) 12662 on the Shropshire Historic Environment Record as Albert Edward Bridge (B4380) over Severn at Buildwas.[3].

Following the closure of the Severn Valley and Much Wenlock lines, the bridge was used by coal and other freight trains travelling to Ironbridge power station until the closure of the latter in November 2015.

In 2019 the line was mooted by Network Rail (NR) to be mothballed, but on 9 June Vintage Trains ran a railtour with GWR Collett 4073 Castle class 4-6-0 7029 Clun Castle. It was unable to traverse the bridge, stopping just short, as NR engineers had closed it to all rail traffic (apparently over structural issues with the abutments).[4][5][6]

Telford Steam Railway have set out plans to extend across the bridge to the power station site.[7]

See also

References

  1. Grace's Guide Retrieved 14 October 2019
  2. Historic England (Retrieved 19 July 2019)
  3. Shropshire Council HER user policy (retrieved 18 July 2019)
  4. 'Last Steam from Ironbridge', Vintage Trains (Retrieved 11 May 2019)
  5. Andrews, M., 'Trains taking to the tracks on Ironbridge line for 'final time, Shropshire Star, 23 April 2019 (Retrieved 11 May 2019)
  6. RAIL Magazine, Issue 878, 8 May 2019, p. 22
  7. 'Steaming to Ironbridge', Telford Steam Railway website (Retrieved 22 October 2018)

Links

Historical photo of the bridge at darwincountry.org
'Steaming to Ironbridge', Telford Steam Railway website
Historic England Listing Number 1055277, first listed 24 February 1986, Albert Edward Bridge, B 4380

National Grid Reference: SJ6604903797

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Welcome to the Severn Valley Railway Wiki

From this week's featured article
Trimpley Reservoir can be seen to the west of the line between Bewdley and Arley. The reservoir, which is managed by Severn Trent Water, was opened in 1968 and covers 29 acres. It is open to the public and is used by the Trimpley Sailing Club, while other activities include angling, wildlife watching and walking. (Full article...)
Schematic Map of the SVRSevern Valley Railway
BridgnorthEardingtonHampton LoadeCountry Park HaltHighleyThe Engine HouseArleyVictoria BridgeNorthwood HaltWyre Forest LineBewdleyStourport BranchBewdley TunnelConnection to Network RailKidderminsterMaps#Schematic maps of the pre-closure SVRMapandlinks.png
Click on the map for a
larger interactive version

For 101 years between 1862 and 1963, the Severn Valley Railway formed part of the national railway network, running for 40 miles between Hartlebury and Shrewsbury. Established as a separate company, it was mainly operated by the Great Western Railway (GWRGreat Western Railway) and later by British Railways (BRBritish Rail or British Railways).

The present day Severn Valley Railway (SVRSevern Valley Railway) was established in 1965 to preserve part of the line as a heritage railway. Today it has six stations and two halts and runs for 16 miles along the Severn Valley between Bridgnorth in Shropshire and Kidderminster in Worcestershire, following the course of the River Severn for much of its route. Operations involve a mixture of steam and heritage diesel-hauled services.

This unofficial website is a project aimed to collect information and record events relating to the SVRSevern Valley Railway, both past and present.

For timetables, fare information, and news about special events, please visit the SVR Official Website. Other news and information of interest to members, shareholders and enthusiasts can be found on SVRLive.

In April 2023 the SVRSevern Valley Railway announced the launch of a Survival Fund to enable it to overcome the current financial crisis and implement longer-term plans for its future. Information and details of how to donate may be found on the SVRSevern Valley Railway's Survival Fund page.

Categories of article

History of the Severn Valley Railway

Current events on the SVRSevern Valley Railway

Information about the SVRSevern Valley Railway

Miscellaneous


Query Corner

Unsurprisingly, there are a large number of questions about the SVRSevern Valley Railway, both in pre-preservation days and for a number of historical items since then. Take a visit down to Query Corner to see if you have a recollection relating to some long forgotten event, or know of a reliable source (maybe an early edition of the SVR News?) that might have the information we need!

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This site, or "wiki", is a collaborative effort, and anyone who has any knowledge relating to the SVRSevern Valley Railway should feel free to contribute. Once you have created a user account and logged in, you can modify any page by clicking the "Edit" button in the top right hand corner. For some tips on how to format pages, and some guidelines on how to make this wiki accessible can be found on Tips for contributing to the SVR Wiki.

Alternatively, if you don't feel confident editing this Wiki (although there is no reason you shouldn't!!), each article also has a "Discussion" page, which can be accessed by clicking the relevant button in the top left hand corner. This allows you to make additions, suggestions, or corrections to a page without making any change to the article itself.


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