Upper Soudley Halt railway station

Former railway station in England

51°47′31″N 2°29′47″W / 51.7919°N 2.4964°W / 51.7919; -2.4964Grid referenceSO658104Platforms1Other informationStatusDisusedHistoryOriginal companyGreat Western RailwayPre-groupingGreat Western RailwayPost-groupingGreat Western RailwayKey dates3 August 1907 (1907-08-03)Station opened3 November 1958 (1958-11-03)Station closed

Upper Soudley Halt railway station is a disused railway station that was opened by the Great Western Railway (GWR) on the former Bullo Pill Railway, later known as the GWR Forest of Dean Branch.

History

A 1911 RCH map of railways in the vicinity of Upper Soudley Halt.
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Railways and Canals of the Forest of Dean
Railways legend
Waterways legend
Mitcheldean Road
Drybrook Quarry
Drybrook Halt
Lydbrook Junction
Nailbridge Halt
Steam Mills
Crossing Halt
Lower Lydbrook
Churchway Colliery
Upper Lydbrook
Whimsey Halt
Drybrook Road
Serridge Platform
Cinderford New
Wimberry Quarry
Whitecliff Quarry
Bilson Halt
Speech House
Road
Ruspidge Halt
Staple Edge Halt
Bicslade Wharf
Eastern United
Colliery
Coleford (CR)
Upper Soudley Halt
Coleford (S&WR)
Bullo Cross Halt
Milkwall
Newnham
Parkhill Colliery
Ruddle Road Halt
New Fancy
Colliery
Howbeach Colliery
Parkend
Whitecroft
Awre for Blakeney
Norchard
Lydney Town
Severn Bridge
St Mary's Halt
Sharpness
Lydney Junction
Sharpness Docks
Lydney
Upper Forge
Lydney Harbour
Lower Forge

The station - serving the village of Soudley; was located at 2 miles 16 chains from Newnham and opened when passenger services were introduced on 3 August 1907.[1] From the outset the station (which had been built on a 1 in 66 gradient) was provided with a wooden fronted platform and a GWR Pagoda type hut.[2][3] This platform was situated on the up (eastern) side of the line, adjacent to the public highway and was rebuilt from its original height of 1 foot 2 inches to the standard height of 3 feet during November 1908 (similar alterations were also made to other platforms on the line).[4]

The platform, as well as being accessible from the public highway, could also be accessed from the former Bullo Pill Tramway (locally known as the Dram Road) which was latterly used as a footpath, but there is no record of a boarded crossing over the track ever being provided at that location.[5] In the later years, crews working down trains (uphill towards Bilson) claimed to have run short on steam and regularly abandoned their trains on the unofficial foot crossing; conveniently located next to the White Horse Public House.[6]

Services

Preceding station   Disused railways   Following station
Bullo Cross Halt
Line and station closed
  Great Western Railway
Bullo Pill Railway
  Staple Edge Halt
Line and station closed

References

  1. ^ Pope, Ian; Karau, Paul (1997). The Forest of Dean Branch - Volume 2. Didcot: Wild Swan Publications Ltd. p. 235. ISBN 1-874103-36-4.
  2. ^ Yorke, Stan (2009). Lost Railways of Gloucestershire. Newbury: Countryside Books. p. 32. ISBN 978-1-84674-163-0.
  3. ^ Smith, Peter (1983). An Historical Survey of the Forest of Dean Railways - Layouts and Illustrations. Poole: Oxford Publishing Co. p. 124. ISBN 0-86093-167-6.
  4. ^ Paar, H. W. (1971). The Great Western Railway in Dean. Newton Abbot: David & Charles. p. 60. ISBN 0-7153-5369-1.
  5. ^ "Tramroad remains in the Forest of Dean" (PDF). Gloucestershire Society for Industrial Archaeology. Retrieved 29 January 2015.
  6. ^ Pope, Ian; Karau, Paul (1992). The Forest of Dean Branch - Volume 1. Didcot: Wild Swan Publications Ltd. p. 111. ISBN 1-874103-05-4.

Further reading

  • Mitchell, Vic; Smith, Keith (2008). Branch Lines around Ross-on-Wye. Middleton Press. figs. 79-80. ISBN 9781906008307. OCLC 370350430.
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Closed railway stations in western Gloucestershire
South Wales Railway
Ledbury and Gloucester Railway
Hereford, Ross and Gloucester Railway
Ross and Monmouth Railway
Coleford Railway
Wye Valley Railway
GWR Forest of Dean Branch
Severn and Wye Railway
Severn Bridge Railway
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