Four track for Filton Bank - ongoing discussion

[whole diary]

[TonyK]

Haven't been down there since Lockdown 1. It might be time for a visit to Sweet Mart!

Might see you there! Although I am not sure when.

[Bmblbzzz]

Haven't been down there since Lockdown 1. It might be time for a visit to Sweet Mart!

Might see you there! Although I am not sure when.

It's that elusive "when we return to normality". Which assumes normality is or ever was a valid concept... 

[johnneyw]

This is the best place that I can think of asking as it's on Filton Bank and it spans all four tracks.
A little earlier on this day I travelled down the Filton Bank and only then noticed what looks to me like a huge new crossing between Narroways Junction and Stapleton Road station.  It's like a barrow crossing on steroids being easily two lane.  It does look very new, not least with the excavations each side for access.
Is it a recent addition or have I been woefully unobservant over the last few weeks and months?
If it is new, anyone know what it's for?

[paul7575]

This is the best place that I can think of asking as it's on Filton Bank and it spans all four tracks.
A little earlier on this day I travelled down the Filton Bank and only then noticed what looks to me like a huge new crossing between Narroways Junction and Stapleton Road station.  It's like a barrow crossing on steroids being easily two lane.  It does look very new, not least with the excavations each side for access.
Is it a recent addition or have I been woefully unobservant over the last few weeks and months?
If it is new, anyone know what it's for?

Sounds like a modern “road rail access point” - that’s from your description, I haven’t seen it myself.  Those yellow machines like excavators use them to get onto the rails, long term permanent structures have been installed for a while now... 

[Red Squirrel]

Well thank you johnneyw for asking the question, and paul7755 for answering it. I've certainly learnt something!

The location is presumably here: https://goo.gl/maps/oCchEyJSVcbXXnzY6

Work has been going on for some time, but the track access wasn't there last time I looked, during half term.

If you want to bone up on Infrastructure Access Points, you could start here:

(Network Rail - home page)-Access-Points-BPHB-Issue-1.pdf" target="_blank">https://safety.networkrail.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/CS075481-NR-Access-Points-BPHB-Issue-1.pdf

[TonyK]

There has long been a gate allowing access to the railway by the bridge where James Street becomes Glenfrome Road. If it's there, which is just before Narroways Junction in railway terms, then it's a big upgrade to the existing access.

[ellendune]

There has long been a gate allowing access to the railway by the bridge where James Street becomes Glenfrome Road. If it's there, which is just before Narroways Junction in railway terms, then it's a big upgrade to the existing access.

That's a pedestrian gate with some steps up the embankment.  A tricky upgrade to get vehicle access.

[TonyK]

There has long been a gate allowing access to the railway by the bridge where James Street becomes Glenfrome Road. If it's there, which is just before Narroways Junction in railway terms, then it's a big upgrade to the existing access.

That's a pedestrian gate with some steps up the embankment.  A tricky upgrade to get vehicle access.

Now you've explained it, and I have thought it through, you are of course absolutely right. Silly me.

[Bmblbzzz]

I can't think exactly where this access is – it certainly wasn't visible from the Narroways footbridge when I was there a week or so ago, so I presume it's a bit further towards down Stapleton Road – but I do like that the google satellite view has captured a freight train on the up main.

[stuving]

I can't think exactly where this access is – it certainly wasn't visible from the Narroways footbridge when I was there a week or so ago, so I presume it's a bit further towards down Stapleton Road – but I do like that the google satellite view has captured a freight train on the up main.

I thought the obvious place was the secondary (northern) work site for the railway bridge (re) construction. That's next to the modern gasholder (six long steel pressure vessels holding about 1100 m³) as opposed to the not-quite-as-modern gasholder that stood north of Glenfrome Road on a site now being redeveloped.

But it's no clear that is (or ever was) railway land, which is needed to just build the access with none of this planning nonsense. Stapleton Road goods yard was across on the west side of the railway. I guess we'll have to wait for a newer satellite picture.

[Red Squirrel]

The attached map, from Bristol City Council's Planning Portal, shows active railway land in dark grey (and cutting sides in brown or dark green, but I digress).

By this criterion, there is an area between the gas holders and the Filton Main lines that appears to be railway land. Possibly NR^» (Network Rail - home page) negotiated longer term access via New Stadium Road when they used this location for the Stapleton Road Viaduct work?

[johnneyw]

The crossing seemed to be alongside the abovementioned new white gas tanks when I went past on "The Severn Riviera Express" on Tuesday.
I think that I also noticed evidence of excavations on both sides of the track but the train was off course moving and it was just a fleeting glance that I had of the opposite side.

[Red Squirrel]

I managed to get a photo yesterday, from a train on the Up Filton Relief. It looks like the matting only extends to the mains. One of the big white gas tanks is just visible in the background on the right.

[stuving]

I managed to get a photo yesterday, from a train on the Up Filton Relief. It looks like the matting only extends to the mains. One of the big white gas tanks is just visible in the background on the right.

It's unusual for these access points to extend further than two tracks, so that's not a surprise. There's visibly more of the road surface to be filled in too. And you can see how much lower the ground is where the gas tanks are.

I reckon from the old maps that access point itself, and any fencing, storage etc. could be on railway land. That's because the railway footprint was always wide enough for the embankment. What is outside the boundary is the access road, and that has had to be built up to track level, in part to retain the built-up land of the access point itself.

But who owns the gas depot area? Wales & West Utilities say they lease it.