Open main menu

Rifle Range Halt

Location of the Rifle Range (Ordnance Survey 1888-1913)
Next stations pre-closure
Towards Kidderminster Towards Shrewsbury
Kidderminster
via Foley Park Halt 		Bewdley

Rifle Range Halt was a short-lived halt located between Kidderminster and Bewdley.

Contents

The Rifle Range

The rifle range which gave the halt its name was situated on the open heathland near "The Devil's Spittleful" or "Spadeful", the large sandstone outcrop on the right just before the Safari Park as you travel towards Bewdley. It was apparently opened in August 1887 for the benefit of the members of the local corps of Rifle Volunteers.[1] During the First World War it was used mainly by volunteers from the Yeomanry.[2] Its location is shown on the extract from the Ordnance Survey Map of 1888-1929. The map of that time still referred to the railway between Kidderminster and Bewdley as the "Kidderminster Loop Line". A research project completed during 2012 and 2014, paid for out of public and HLF funds, includes a section on the Rifle Range (see 'Links' below).

The Halt

The Halt was located immediately on the Kidderminster side of the Devil's Spittleful (Rifle Range) Bridge. Its construction at a cost of £145 was authorised by the GWR on 12 April 1905, and it opened in June of that year. An inspection by Major Pringle on behalf of the Board of Trade on 29 April found the shelter "not quite finished".[3] It was initially served by a steam railmotor service which had begun in January 1905.[4]

The halt was closed on 4 October 1920 and no traces of it remain today. Despite this closure, the area retained a military connection. In late 1943 two large hutted camps were built along nearby Burlish Top (the wooded area on top of the hill on the opposite side of the line from the Rifle Range). These held some 6-7000 American troops, the headquarters of the US Army VIII Corps (Dec 1943 to Apr 1944) and IX Corps (Apr 1944 to July 1944). During World War 2 the easterly part of the heathland became a tented camp used by the 297th U.S. Army Hospital. The area towards the west, between the Safari Park and the SVR, was also used for tank training.[2]

Today the heathland area is a nature reserve, owned and managed by Wyre Forest District Council.

See also

List of Stations

References

  1. ↑ Worcestershire Chronicle, quoted in SVR Forum 3 July 2019 (Retrieved 3 July 2019)
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Nature Reserve information boards
  3. ↑ Documents held by Shropshire Archives
  4. ↑ Marshall (1989) p. 92.

Links


Stations and halts
Present day stations and halts
Former stations and halts
Severn Valley branch
Loop line
Retrieved from ‘https://www.svrwiki.com/mediawiki-1.28.2/index.php?title=Rifle_Range_Halt&oldid=26191’
SVR Wiki

Main Page

From SVR Wiki
Jump to: navigation, search

Welcome to the Severn Valley Railway Wiki

From this week's featured article
"76738" is a London and North Western Railway Company 10-ton Goods Van, although it carries a fictitious number as its true identity is unknown. After restoration it saw limited use in the SVRSevern Valley Railway's demonstration goods train, but due to its age and wooden underframe it is now in static use as a sales coach at Bridgnorth. (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 SVRMapandlinks.png
Click on the map for a
larger interactive version

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!

Adding to this Wiki

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.

Alternatively, if you don't feel confident editing this Wiki (although there is no reason you shouldn't!!), each article also has a "Discussion" page, which can be accessed by clicking the relevant button in the top left hand corner. This allows you to make additions, suggestions, or corrections to a page without making any change to the article itself.


Retrieved from ‘https://www.svrwiki.com/mediawiki-1.28.2/index.php?title=Main_Page&oldid=29415’

Navigation menu