Hampton Loade
| Up (towards Kidderminster) | Down (towards Bridgnorth) |
|---|---|
| Highley (2 miles) via Country Park Halt |
Bridgnorth (4½ miles) via Eardington (disused) |
Hampton Loade station is a minor country station located between Bridgnorth and Highley, located close to the River Severn. On opening, the station had only a single platform and a siding, with a second platform and signal box being added in 1880s.
Contents
The station
Hampton Loade station has two platforms and a signal box, allowing trains travelling in opposite directions to pass. However the crossing loop is the shortest on the railway, only able to hold a loco and 8 full-length coaches. During periods of lighter traffic, when Hampton Loade signal box is switched out, all trains use platform 1, adjacent to the station house.
During the early years of SVR operation (early 1970s) Hampton Loade formed the southern terminus. Evidence of this remains in the form of the presence of the down starting signal on platform 2, which is normally only used for up trains.
The station house is built of yellow brick. Unlike some of the other station houses including Highley and Arley, this was not upgraded during the GWR era by the extension of the waiting room and provision of an extra bedroom. In late 2014 the railway announced that as the station house had become vacant, plans were in hand for it to be converted into SVR volunteers' accommodation,[1] subject to final agreements and costings between Severn Valley Railway (Holdings) PLC and Hampton Loade Station Fund. This would provide a more suitable facility than GWR 2426 Toplight Full Third which had been stabled at Hampton Loade since 1988 for that purpose. 2426 continued in use until mid-2016 and was briefly succeeded by GWR Riding Van 55.
Facilities
The station has a small kiosk serving snacks and hot and cold drinks. The Hampton Loade Station Fund Shop and the Barry Railway Carriage Trust sales van are both situated in the bay platform. There is a small picnic area next to the station.
Although the station has a very small car park, road access to the station is limited and SVR visitors are advised not to travel to Hampton Loade station by car.
Hampton Loade history before preservation
Although the village was also historically known as Hampton's Loade[2], the station was called Hampton at opening, but within a month had adopted the name Hampton Loade which it has retained ever since[3].
Key dates in the history of Hampton Loade were:
- 1862: Hampton Loade station opened with the rest of the Severn Valley Line on 1 February, with a single platform on the west side of the line and a short siding opposite. There was no facility for crossing trains.
- 1882-1883: Approval was given for construction of the up platform and provision of the passing loop and an additional siding, controlled by a newly-installed signal box. The Board of Trade approved these works in June 1883[3].
- 1930s: Hampton Loade was the site of a GWR camping coach pre-World War 2[3].
- 1963: Through passenger services ceased on 9 September, with through freight services ending at the end of November.
| Passenger Traffic | Freight Traffic | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Tickets issued | Parcels despatched | Revenue (£) | Tons received & despatched | Revenue (£) | Total revenue (£) |
| 1903 | 9,967 | 2,691 | 760 | 1,488 | 631 | 1,391 |
| 1913 | 10,350 | 3,076 | 579 | 4,632 | 1,270 | 1,849 |
| 1923 | 9,077 | 3,117 | 778 | 900 | 599 | 1,377 |
| 1933 | 4,704 | 1,183 | 350 | 335 | 147 | 497 |
| 1938 | 5,116 | 659 | 304 | 555 | 201 | 505 |
Points of interest
Passenger Foot Ferry
The station and the nearby Unicorn Inn are actually situated in the hamlet of Hampton. The village of Hampton Loade is on the other bank of the river (Loade comes from the Saxon word 'lode' meaning ford). There is now no ford or bridge, but in modern times a passenger foot ferry operated in summer months. However, the ferry has not operated since 2013, and it is not known if or when it will return to operation.
Hampton Loade ferry
Paddock Garden Railway
The Paddock Garden Railway, a 32mm gauge model railway, is situated adjacent to the station. This may be open on Sundays and Bank Holidays.
The Paddock Garden Railway
Barry Railway Carriage 163
Hampton Loade is the base for Barry Railway Carriage Trust who are restoring Barry Railway Carriage 163.
Filming at Hampton Loade
Hampton Loade was used as a flming location for the film The Englishman Who Went Up a Hill But Came Down a Mountain and the BBC TV drama The Incredible Robert Baldick.
Hampton Loade derailment
On 28 September 2009, a derailment occurred when the tender of LMS Ivatt Class 4 43106 hauling a down passenger train became derailed as it approached Hampton Loade. There were no injuries. The immediate cause of the accident was the leading right-hand wheel of the tender flange climbing over the rail at the site of a track twist. An incorrect spring had been fitted to this axle of the tender.[5]
Gallery
An ex-GWR diesel railcar on a Northbound service in October 1959 (Sellick Collection)
Ex-LMS 40126 arriving with a Southbound service in April 1960 (Sellick Collection)
See also
References
- ↑ SVR(H) notice board issue NBI-H-194 "October-December 2014 Round Up", published on SVRLive.
- ↑ Handbook to the Severn Valley Railway, by J. Randall 1863
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Marshall (1989), p101
- ↑ Nabarro (1971) p. 54.
- ↑ Rail Accident Investigation Branch (retrieved 6 January 2017)
Links
Sharpos-World photos at Hampton Loade, showing station buildings, signalbox etc.
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