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[[File:5786 Severn Valley Railway.jpg |thumb|300px|right| 5786 in the Rock Siding with the distinctive red sandstone rockface behind.]]
[[File:Rock Siding, Bewdley Station - geograph.org.uk - 2321639.jpg |thumb|300px|right| DMU at the north end of Rock Siding, 9 April 2005. Rob Newman]]
The '''Rock Siding ''' is a double-ended siding at [[Bewdley]], situated on the Eastern north east side of the station, opposite platform 3.<ref>[http://www.svrsig.org.uk/svr/Frame2.htm 'Bewdley South', S.V.R. S&T Department website]</ref> In 1900 authorisation was given for additional siding space, including the Rock Siding.<ref>[[Bibliography#Books|Marshall (1989)]] p. 94.</ref> Its name originates from the adjacent rockface, which was cut away to allow for the building of Bewdley Station.
==Construction==
At the time the Severn Valley Railway was being built, both the [[Wyre Forest Line|Tenbury and Bewdley Railway]] and [[Kidderminster Loop Line]] had also been authorised and so Bewdley was planned as a junction station. The local geography meant that although the north and south approaches to the station would both need viaducts, the station itself required considerable excavation to create a sufficiently large level area. This resulted in a sandstone rockface along the north east side of the station.
The view below shows Bewdley circa 1890 (after the opening of the Loop Line in 1878) with a train standing at Platform 2. Platform 3 is to the right of the island platform as seen; the land further to the right of it was levelled as part of the original excavation but had not been developed further since. This layout is reflected in the extract from the 1882 OS map.
<gallery mode=packed heights=200px style="text-align:left">
Bewdley_circa_1890.jpg|Bewdley circa 1890
OS_Bewdley_1882.jpg|OS map of Bewdley in 1882
</gallery>
On 9 August 1900, the GWR authorised the provision of additional siding space at Bewdley at a cost of £2,051. This included the 'Rock Siding' between platform 3 and the rock face (from which the siding takes its name) and also a new siding along the far side of [[Bewdley Down Yard]].<ref>[[Bibliography#Books|Marshall (1989)]] p. 94.</ref> The first picture below showing a large P Way gang at Bewdley is dated to circa 1900 and therefore may be associated with the Rock Siding construction work. The second picture shows a similar view in 1910 to that in 1890 above, but with the Rock Siding present. Both new sidings can be seen on the revised 1901 OS map.
<gallery mode=packed heights=200px style="text-align:left">
Bewdley PW.jpg|P Way gang at Bewdley circa 1900
Bewdley_1910.jpg|Bewdley in 1910
OS_Bewdley_1901.jpg|OS map of Bewdley in 1901
</gallery>
==Operations==
While Bewdley station platforms 1 to 3 are signalled between the [[Bewdley North signal box|North]] and [[Bewdley South signal box|South]] signal boxes, Rock Siding is operated as a through siding.
The south end of the siding is used for servicing steam locomotives as [[Bewdley MPD]], whilst the north end is usually used to store the [[Class 108 DMU]] when not in use, although the DMU is occasionally temporarily stationed elsewhere during special events to clear the siding, such as the [[Spring Steam Gala|Spring]] and [[Autumn Steam Gala|Autumn Galas]].
===Historic Other historic maps showing Rock Siding=of Bewdley==
* GWR plan of Bewdley station with the original lines in blue and the Rock Siding and alterations to the Down Yard as later amendments in red.
<gallery mode=packed heights=150px style="text-align:left">
File:GWRplanBewdley.jpg| GWR plan
File:Bewdley1903map.jpg | 1903
File:Bewdley plan 1905.png | 1905
==See also==
*[[Class 108 DMU]]<br> *[[Bewdley MPD]]<br>*[[Bewdley South signal box]]<br>*[[Bewdley North signal box]]
==References==
*[https://www.flickr.com/photos/60790501@N04/8392733351/ 46512 in the Rock Siding in 1972. David Cooke collection.]
*[https://www.flickr.com/photos/71592768@N08/14890140673/ 75069 passes Bewdley South signal box on 20 April 1986. Note the disc signal for the Rock Siding. David Rostance]
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