Changes

'''Eardington''', sometimes referred to as "Eardington Halt", is situated on [[Eardington Bank]] and located mid-way between [[Bridgnorth]] and [[Hampton Loade]] at milepost 147¾. Although the station does not currently feature in daily operations a , it resumed use for gala events in 2023 after an absence of more than 40 years. A dedicated 'Friends of Eardington Station' team under Station Master Steve Downs looks after this wayside gem.

It reopened on 23 May 1970 along with Bridgnorth A working party began restoring Eardington at Whitsun 1967. During that year the platform was cleared, the station building was repainted black and Hampton Loadewhite, which formed then and other repairs were carried out. Eardington was in operation during the 1967 and 1968 Steam Galas, the latter seeing locomotives watered there for the limit of operationsfirst time (see below).<refname=SVR25>SVR (Holdings) Ltd prospectus April 1972News 25, ''Eardington Station'', David Marchant</ref> Eardington was used as an intermediate stopping point and watering place (see below) and was sometimes referred to as Eardington Halt, as it was during early BR days. For the seasons 1970 to 1973 inclusive all trains were advertised in the SVR public timetables to call there.

During the period of [[Sir Gerald Nabarro]]'s chairmanship plans were made for the possible rebuilding of Eardington as the northern terminus The station officially reopened on the line. As well as installing a run-round loop (see below), detailed plans were also prepared for the station to be enlarged 23 May 1970 along with Bridgnorth and a car park providedHampton Loade, although this was not publicised which at the timeformed the limit of operations.<ref name=Marshall180>SVR (Holdings) Ltd prospectus April 1972</ref> Eardington was used as an intermediate stopping point and watering place and was sometimes referred to as Eardington Halt. For the seasons 1970 to 1973 inclusive all trains were advertised in the [[Bibliography#BooksSVR timetables|Marshall (1989)SVR public timetables]] pto call there. 180.</ref>

It During the period of [[Sir Gerald Nabarro]]'s chairmanship, plans were made for the possible rebuilding of Eardington as the northern terminus on the line. As well as installing a run-round loop (see below), detailed plans were also prepared for the station to be enlarged and a car park provided, although this was not publicised at the time.<ref name=Marshall180>[[Bibliography#Books|Marshall (1989)]] p. 180.</ref> The station became 'request only' from 2 March 1974, the same year that services were extended to run south of Hampton Loade. The 'request' status continued until the end of the 1976 season, although calls were suspended that year because of fire risk.<ref>Minutes of SVR 10th Annual General Meeting</ref>

Part of the cutting behind the station collapsed in January 1991.<ref>SVR News 100 pp.18 and 36, SVR News 101 p.31</ref>

On 17 April 2015, the [[The 82045 Steam Locomotive Trust|82045 Steam Locomotive Trust]] ran a special fundraising train, [[The Eardington Explorer]]<ref name=SVROnlineForum>[https://forum.svr-online.org.uk/viewtopic.php?t=3298 SVR Online Forum]</ref>. This ran between Bridgnorth and Hampton Loade, calling specially at Eardington. The Fund ran a second 'Eardington Flyer' on 22 April 2016.

A Opposite the station platform is a dead-end siding which is accessed by a two-lever [[Eardington ground frame | ground frame]] at the south end. This is released by the [[Highley signal box|Highley]]-[[Bridgnorth signal box|Bridgnorth]] long section token, and was commissioned in 1976<ref>[http://svrsig.co.uk/svr/Frame8.htm Severn Valley Railway S&T Department (unofficial) website.]</ref>. The original siding at Eardington had been removed by BR in 1964 after closure of the line, but was reinstated in the early days of the SVR. In summer 1972 under Sir Gerald Nabarro's chairmanship, contractors began work to convert the siding into a passing loop at the then not insignificant cost of £8,000.<ref group="note">£8,000 in 1972 equates to around £135,000 in 2023. For context, the whole section of the railway between Bridgnorth and Alveley had cost only £25,000 just two years earlier.</ref> The loop was intended to accommodate a locomotive and 10 coaches, with a new concrete block-faced platform being built incorporating the cattle dock at the south end. A small signal box on the site of the cattle dock was to be added later. These works would have occupied most of the then car park area, so the small field above the station building was partially levelledto form a new car park which would have been accessed from the road at the north end.<ref name=SVR25/> Later that year, during preparation for commissioning the signalling between Bridgnorth and Hampton Loade, an extra token machine was installed in [[Bridgnorth signal box]] to cater for the Eardington loop.<ref>SVR News 26, ''Signal & Telecommunications Department Notes''</ref>. The installation of the passing loop was seen as part of a plan by Sir Gerald Nabarro to abandon Bridgnorth,<ref group="note">Although officially described as a passing loop, discontented members believed it was actually intended as a run round loop at what would become the northern terminus following the closure of Bridgnorth.</ref> which led to much unrest on the SVR at the time. In fact the connection at the north end would have been too tight for most locomotives.<ref name=Marshall180/> However by May 1973 Sir Gerald Nabarro had stepped down from the SVR(H) and Guarantee Company Boards. An EGM was held that month to consider the impact of the proposed Bridgnorth bypass. [[Richard Dunn]] advised shareholders and members via SVR News that "''I have no reason to reverse my opinion of 1968 that Eardington was not a suitable permanent terminus to the line, owing to the difficulties of road access and inadequate parking space.''"<ref>SVR News 27, ''The Proposed Bridgnorth By-pass'', R.H. Dunn</ref>.

In early 1974 the Board reported that "''The original siding at circumstances under which Eardington had been removed by BR in 1964 after closure of the line, but loop was reinstated in the early days of the SVRplanned have so altered that it is unlikely to be needed. In 1973 under Sir Gerald Nabarro's chairmanshipIt is proposed to convert it to a siding, it was converted by contractors into controlled from a run-round loop ground frame at the then not insignificant cost of £8south points,000. This was seen as part of with the plan proposed platform area levelled off to abandon Bridgnorth, which led to much unrest on the SVR at the time. In fact the connection at the north end would have been too tight for most locomotivesform a loading bank and car park''."<ref name=Marshall180>SVR News 31, ''Boardroom Notes'', David Mellor</ref> . By winter 1974-5 the loop had been converted to a siding to for PW use. The two points at the north end which formed a crossover were both removed; the former point in the main line was reused at [[Arley]] while the point from the loop was taken to Bridgnorth for use in the loco yard. The single-bladed trap at the south end was not considered suitable for a siding opening onto a passenger carrying line, so was replaced by a double-bladed trap.<ref>SVR News 34</ref> Since that time the siding is regularly used for storing Permanent Way rolling stock.

A water tank for Eardington was acquired by the SVR Society from Withymoor, Netherton (near Dudley) in the summer of 1967, and transported to Eardington. It was installed in time to be used for the 1968 Steam Gala. It was assisted in part by school parties from the The Royal School Wolverhampton under its history teacher, Brian Kingshott.<ref>Robert Betts and Nick Neath in Unofficial SVR Facebook post 22 April 2021</ref> The decision to install the SVR’s first proper watering facility at Eardington rather than Bridgnorth was due to Eardington having naturally soft water compared with very hard water at Bridgnorth.

Unused for some years and heavily perforated, it the water tank was removed on 22 April 2021 using the [[Cowans Sheldon 30-ton steam crane]].

*1868: Eardington Station was opened by the GWR on 1 June 1868, some six years after the opening of the Severn Valley Railway<ref name = SVR Guide”>SVR Souvenir Guide, Ninth Edition</ref>.

*[https://twitter.com/EardingtonstnEardington Station on X (Twitter)]