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Coalbrookdale

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The Darby furnace at Coalbrookdale
Coalbrookdale is a village in the Ironbridge Gorge. It was the site of the furnace where Abraham Darby first smelted iron ore using "coking coal", a major factor in the start of the Industrial Revolution. The furnace is now preserved as part of the Ironbridge Gorge Museum.[1]

Contents

The Coalbrookdale Company

The Coalbrookdale Company was formed by Abraham Darby I in 1709 when he acquired the lease to the Coalbrookdale furnace. In 1768 his grandson Abraham Darby III began to produce the first cast-iron rails for railways, and in 1778 began casting parts for the world's first cast-iron bridge at Ironbridge which opened in 1780.[2]

In 1802 the Company made the high pressure boiler and engine for one of Richard Trevithick’s early locomotives, a predecessor of Catch Me Who Can.[2] It also built a number of its own standard gauge steam locomotives of which Number 5, built in 1865, is preserved as an exhibit in Enginuity, one of the Ironbridge Gorge Museums based at the Coalbrookdale site.[1]

The Coalbrookdale Company was responsible for the manufacture of the ironwork of Victoria Bridge which was built between 1859 and 1861. It had previously produced the ironwork for Brooksmouth Bridge, built in 1828, which can be seen from the SVR near Borle Viaduct. The 39ft diameter waterwheel wheel at Daniel's Mill was also cast by the Company circa 1855.

Railways associated with Coalbrookdale

Coalbrookdale Station
Coalbrookdale is situated on the opposite bank of the River Severn from the Severn Valley Railway and was served by a station on the GWR's Wellington to Craven Arms Branch which crossed the Severn Valley Branch at Buildwas. Albert Edward Bridge provided the river crossing between Buildwas and Coalbrookdale.

The first plans for the Severn Valley Railway proposed that the north end of the line should proceed towards Coalbrookdale. However following public meetings in October 1852, a route towards Shrewsbury was ultimately built instead.[3]

See also

Ironbridge power station

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Shropshire History
  3. ↑ Marshall (1989) pp. 21-22.

Links

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From this week's featured article
Eardington is situated on Eardington Bank, mid-way between Bridgnorth and Hampton Loade. In recent years, rebuilding the platform was completed in 2019 and the water tower was dismantled in 2021. Although the station no longer features in daily operations, it resumed use during gala events in 2023 more than 40 years since regular timetabled trains ceased. (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
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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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