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Buildwas, officially Buildwas Junction, was situated 28½ miles from [[Hartlebury]] and 12¼ miles from [[Shrewsbury]]File:Buildwas_Junction_OS_Map. It was an interchange station in open countryside with no passenger access other than by railjpg|600px|Buildwas Junction layout, and was built on two levelsOrdnance Survey 1903. The station building was of a similar design to that at [[Bewdley]].<br>
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[[File:Buildwas-SVR-Wenlock-1961-06-09.jpg|thumb|200px300px|A Westbound train on the Severn Valley line, with another in the Much Wenlock branch platform behind ([[Sellick Collection]])]][[File:BritainFromAbove Buildwas railway station 1935708 42d2f55f.jpg|thumb|200px300px|right|An aerial view of Buildwas station and Ironbridge A Power Station in January 1948. The photo is looking north, and the lines from Shrewsbury and Much Wenlock are at the left, and from Bridgnorth and Coalbrookdale on the right. Image from [http://www.britainfromabove.org.uk/image/eaw012667 Britain from Above] ]] {| class="Awikitable" power |+Next stations pre-closure|-! Towards [[Hartlebury]] and [[Kidderminster]] !! Towards [[Shrewsbury]]|-| [[Ironbridge and Broseley | Ironbridge]] (1½ miles) || [[Cressage]] (4 miles)|- |}Buildwas station was situated 28½ miles from [[Hartlebury]] and 12¼ miles from [[Shrewsbury]]. It was an interchange station in open countryside with no passenger access other than by rail, and was built on two levels. The stationbuilding was of a similar design to that at [[Bewdley]].
Approaching the station from the south, the single track Severn Valley Line was joined from the right by the double track line from [[Coalbrookdale]], which crossed the river via the [[Albert Edward Bridge]]. In the short distance between the bridge and the station, the Much Wenlock line (the Much Wenlock and Severn Junction Railway before incorporation into the GWR) began to branch off to the left and climb, the single platform for this branch being on a higher level than the two platforms for the Severn Valley Line(at opening on 1 February 1862, Buildwas was the first station at which trains leaving and approaching Shrewsbury could cross).
A new [[Ironbridge power station|power station]] came into use in 1932, requiring extensive additional sidings and a new signal box to handle the coal traffic. The station also handled limestone traffic from the quarries on Wenlock Edge.
In the early 1960s a second power station, Ironbridge B, was in course of construction. The station closed along with the Severn Valley Line in 1963, and was demolished in 1964 to make way for a new coal handling plant for the power station.
==Station name==
The station was named Buildwas in [[The Severn Valley Railway under GWR/BR ownership#Timetable extracts | timetables]], and also appeared as such in the 1963 notice of closure. However the station running in board showed the name as “Buildwas Junction”;<ref>[[Bibliography#Books | Vanns (2013)]] p. 31.</ref> this version was also shown on Ordnance Survey maps as above.
==Traffic statistics==
{| class="wikitable"
|+ [[The Severn Valley Railway under GWR/BR ownership#Traffic statistics|GWR Traffic statistics]] for Buildwas, selected years prior to 1939<ref>[[Bibliography#Books|Nabarro (1971)]] p. 56.</ref>
|-
! !! colspan="3" | Passenger Traffic !! colspan="2" | Freight Traffic !!
|-
! Year !! Tickets issued !! Parcels despatched !! Revenue (£) !! Tons received & despatched !! Revenue (£) !! Total revenue (£)
|-
|1903||style="text-align:right"|9,693||style="text-align:right"|1,258||style="text-align:right"|598||style="text-align:right"|3,831||style="text-align:right"|700||style="text-align:right"|1,298
|-
|1913||style="text-align:right"|9,601||style="text-align:right"|2,445||style="text-align:right"|582||style="text-align:right"|3,980||style="text-align:right"|600||style="text-align:right"|1,182
|-
|1923||style="text-align:right"|7,098||style="text-align:right"|1,023||style="text-align:right"|432||style="text-align:right"|3,838||style="text-align:right"|755||style="text-align:right"|1,187
|-
|1933||style="text-align:right"|5,983||style="text-align:right"|1,029||style="text-align:right"|489||style="text-align:right"|49,309||style="text-align:right"|4,105||style="text-align:right"|4,594
|-
|1938||style="text-align:right"|7,720||style="text-align:right"|1,465||style="text-align:right"|561||style="text-align:right"|324,330||style="text-align:right"|23,092||style="text-align:right"|24,555
|-
|}
Traffic at Buildwas originated from the Wellington and Much Wenlock lines as well as the Severn Valley Branch. The opening of the coal-fired Ironbridge Power Station in 1932 brought about a significant increase in freight traffic.
== Gallery ==
File:Buildwas-SVR-passenger-1961-06-09.jpg|A Westbound Severn Valley service waits in the station in June 1961 ([[Sellick Collection]])
File:Buildwas-6128-Goods-1961-06-09.jpg|A goods train waits to depart for Much Wenlock in June 1961 ([[Sellick Collection]])
File:Buildwas railway station 1935708 42d2f55f.jpg|Buildwas station and Ironbridge "A" power station
File:PGH_BuildwasJn.jpg|Buildwas station building in 1962. The signalbox is visible at the far left of the frame. (PG Hindley)
</gallery>
==SourcesSee also==*[[The Severn Valley Railway under GWR/BR ownership# Map of the Route and Nearby Railways | The Severn Valley Railway under GWR/BR ownership]]*[[Maps#Map 1 - Shrewsbury to Hartlebury | Pre-1965 Map]]*[[Shropshire Historic Environment Record]] ==References==
The Severn Valley Railway, John Marshall<br>
Severn Valley Railway, A View from the Past, MA Vanns
<references />==See also=={{StationNavbox}}[[The Severn Valley Railway under GWR/BR ownership# Map of the Route and Nearby Railways | The Severn Valley Railway under GWR/BR ownershipCategory: Featured articles]]
