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Bridgnorth Tunnel

Revision as of 20:49, 16 May 2019 by Robin (talk | contribs) (tidy wording)

'Bridgnorth Tunnel allowed the Severn Valley Railway to pass under Bridgnorth High Town north of Bridgnorth Station.

Contents

Construction

The first plans drawn up for the Severn Valley Railway and authorised in the 1853 Act of Parliament showed the course of the line deviating to the right shortly after Sterns to cross the River Severn near Danesford, with the station being situated in Low Town east of the river. Beyond Bridgnorth a second bridge would have returned the line across the Severn to re-join its eventual route. However the potential cost of the bridges, allied to difficulties in raising funds for construction of the line, resulted in the line remaining west of the Severn, requiring a tunnel under Bridgnorth High Town immediately north of Bridgnorth Station.

The tunnel was 550 yards long (in comparison, Bewdley Tunnel is 480 yards), with a double curve right and left. The original bore varied between 19ft width at the north end and 16ft 8in width at the south end, substantially less than the 24ft width which Chief Engineer John Fowler specified as necessary for double track working. The tunnel was re-lined in 1911, further reducing the width to 15ft.[1]

History since closure of the line

Following closure of the line north of Bridgnorth in 1963, ballast from the tunnel was recovered by SVR volunteers in July 1965, with the permission of BR.[2] In the same month, BR announced that Hollybush Road railway bridge was to be demolished, severing the connection between Bridgnorth station and the tunnel.[3]

In summer 2003, SVR News noted that BRB (Residuary) Ltd (BRBR) had put Bridgnorth tunnel up for sale. The SVR having been offered first refusal, the structure was unsold and was transferred to Highways England Historical Railways Estate when BRBR was abolished from 30 September 2013.[4][5] In December 2017 a Freedom of Information request was submitted to Highways England asking for details of all former railway tunnels that are inspected and maintained by Highways England.[6] The list produced in response included Bridgnorth Tunnel.[7]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Marshall (1989) pp. 40/107.
  2. ↑ BBC article
  3. ↑ Magner (1997) p. 44.
  4. ↑ David Rostance, 'Bridgnorth Tunnel', Forgotten Relics website, September 2016 (Retrieved 20 April 2017)
  5. ↑ 'BRB (Residuary) Ltd has been abolished', Gov.uk, 30 September 2013 (Retrieved 20 April 2017)
  6. ↑ FOI request to Highways England, 19 December 2017 (Retrieved 16 May 2019)
  7. ↑ FOI response from Highways England, 3 January 2018 (Retrieved 16 May 2019)

Links

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Welcome to the Severn Valley Railway Wiki

From this week's featured article
Caledonian Railway Goods Van 2080 was one of the first four wagons to arrive on the SVRSevern Valley Railway post-preservation. It subsequently carried both CR and LMSLondon Midland & Scottish Railway livery, the latter as seen in 1980 TV drama God's Wonderful Railway (pictured). After some years stored out of use, it left the SVRSevern Valley Railway for a new home in 2016. (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 SVRMapandlinks3.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!

In addition are a number of stub articles requiring further input.

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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.

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