Advent Quiz - 2019

[whole diary]

[martyjon]

Yatton

[martyjon]

Yatton ?

[martyjon]

Yatton ?

[grahame]

Yatton

Yatton ?

Yatton ?

Yes, yes, YES 

Astounding to see what looks like a major line off towards Clevedon (one that should never have been lost, but will never come back?) and love the pointwork. Interesting to see all the staff on these old photos putting "being in the picture" ahead of safety ...

[grahame]

I spent some time researching the WS&WR and there are some interesting stories to be told.

Noticably missing from the bookshelves (and also from the back catalogues) is volume on the WS&WR - and I'm making that comment with regard to the section north of Westbury up to the original GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) main line from London to Bristol.   When I retire (ha, ha - writing from a train near Carmyle on my way to IT work) I'll have to tap a few resources and put pen to paper - or is it finger to keyboard these days. Are you game to help?

[Bmblbzzz]

Yatton

Yatton ?

Yatton ?

Yes, yes, YES 

Astounding to see what looks like a major line off towards Clevedon (one that should never have been lost, but will never come back?) and love the pointwork. Interesting to see all the staff on these old photos putting "being in the picture" ahead of safety ...

Wow! So... busy! The line towards Clevedon is the one branching off to the left? And the tracks on the right lead to the Strawberry Line? And the area that is now drop off in front of the station was once all tracks...

[bradshaw]

Grahame
The text has been ready for many years. I did offer it to a couple of publishers but was declined. One reason was I stopped after the system grew to its maximum size and secondly I focussed on researching the Hemp and Flax industries of West Dorset and South Somerset, which has occupied the last two decades!
If you would like to have a look at the text I am happy to send you a copy by email. I managed to find a whole stock of original letters regarding the promotion of the line.

[Red Squirrel]

Astounding to see what looks like a major line off towards Clevedon (one that should never have been lost, but will never come back?)...

Quite so.

It's interesting to compare Clevedon with Penarth; both are genteel Victorian seaside towns of around 20,000 people; both are on the Bristol channel and have attractive piers, and both are a short distance from a large city. But whilst Clevedon folk have to rely on an hourly, hour long bus ride to get to their local city centre, Penarth folk can do it in 12 mins on their quarter-hourly train service. To be fair Clevedon to Bristol is about three times the distance, but I think it is fair to assume that a train could make the journey in about 30 minutes.

[johnneyw]

Is the gabled building with chimneys to the left of the station the Firebox pub (or whatever it's called now)? I've had a much needed pre train pint there a few years back after a walk along the Strawberry Line to Winscombe and back one sunny September day. I picked up a container of cider from the Thatcher's shop in Sandford on the way back which started to feel a bit heavy in my rucksack by the time I was half way back.

[johnneyw]

Astounding to see what looks like a major line off towards Clevedon (one that should never have been lost, but will never come back?)...

Quite so.

It's interesting to compare Clevedon with Penarth; both are genteel Victorian seaside towns of around 20,000 people; both are on the Bristol channel and have attractive piers, and both are a short distance from a large city. But whilst Clevedon folk have to rely on an hourly, hour long bus ride to get to their local city centre, Penarth folk can do it in 12 mins on their quarter-hourly train service. To be fair Clevedon to Bristol is about three times the distance, but I think it is fair to assume that a train could make the journey in about 30 minutes.

Online maps/overhead photos show that all but a very short stretch of the formation at the Yatton end is still there (the built over part is a short bit of road) while the Clevedon end now stops at the towns southern limits, rather like the Thornbury branch now does. Perhaps a future candidate for a light rail/tram link?

I don't know how many Clevedon people currently opt to get to Bristol by train from Yatton but I recall that the bus service between the station and Clevedon is not all that frequent.

Edit: The M5 also provides a diagonal barrier halfway along which would be an additional challenge.

[grahame]

Grahame
The text has been ready for many years. I did offer it to a couple of publishers but was declined. One reason was I stopped after the system grew to its maximum size and secondly I focussed on researching the Hemp and Flax industries of West Dorset and South Somerset, which has occupied the last two decades!
If you would like to have a look at the text I am happy to send you a copy by email. I managed to find a whole stock of original letters regarding the promotion of the line.

Would LOVE to have a look.  My knowledge tens to date from the rundowns of the Beeching era onwards, so there might be a fit ... I will message you, but don't expect mcc action this week or next.  Programming is Scotland this week ... 2 days training, a house move, an election, a Santa wrapping party and a key bus meeting next week!

[Red Squirrel]

Astounding to see what looks like a major line off towards Clevedon (one that should never have been lost, but will never come back?)...

Quite so.

It's interesting to compare Clevedon with Penarth; both are genteel Victorian seaside towns of around 20,000 people; both are on the Bristol channel and have attractive piers, and both are a short distance from a large city. But whilst Clevedon folk have to rely on an hourly, hour long bus ride to get to their local city centre, Penarth folk can do it in 12 mins on their quarter-hourly train service. To be fair Clevedon to Bristol is about three times the distance, but I think it is fair to assume that a train could make the journey in about 30 minutes.

Online maps/overhead photos show that all but a very short stretch of the formation at the Yatton end is still there (the built over part is a short bit of road) while the Clevedon end now stops at the towns southern limits, rather like the Thornbury branch now does. Perhaps a future candidate for a light rail/tram link?

I don't know how many Clevedon people currently opt to get to Bristol by train from Yatton but I recall that the bus service between the station and Clevedon is not all that frequent.

Edit: The M5 also provides a diagonal barrier halfway along which would be an additional challenge.

Something that came up in a documentary about CrossRail struck a chord for me: At some point during the construction, people started to realise that they weren't building a tunnel with a railway in it; what they were actually doing was building a railway which just happened to be in a tunnel.

According to this benchmark, you ought to be able to dig a 5.5m diameter tunnel for about £40 million/km.

Getting a railway across the M5 ought to be fairly straightforward. Getting through the dozens of streets of houses either side of Southern Way would be much more of a challenge... unless you had a tunnelling machine, in which case suddenly it looks almost trivial; 1km of tunnel would get you under the Kenn and far enough to pop out somewhere near the Rugby Club; before you knew it you'd be at Station Road. It's do-able, with a modicum of political will.

[eXPassenger]

Just bear in mind that the tunnel would be in peat and under the high water mark.  A lot of pumping would be required.

[grahame]

And another curved platform

[ellendune]

Just bear in mind that the tunnel would be in peat and under the high water mark.  A lot of pumping would be required.

A tunnel in peat near to buildings!  Might as well demolish the buildings to start with!