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
The Severn Valley Country Park opened in 1992, having been created by Shropshire Council on land reclaimed from the former Alveley Colliery.[1] Subsequently, construction of a halt to serve the Park was sponsored by Bridgnorth District Council and partly funded by an EC grant.[2] The halt is built on the site of the former Alveley Sidings, which can be seen in the photograph below. The halt is situated level with the rear of the train.[3]
Alveley Sidings in October 1959 (Sellick Collection)
The halt opened on 4 April 1996 and features a brick built shelter.[3] 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.[4] 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.[5] The roof was eventually replaced by contractors in July 2022, with part-funding being provided by the Shropshire Council-owned Severn Valley Country Park[6].
See also
References
- ↑ Severn Valley Country Park web site
- ↑ SVR News 117
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 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
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