A shot along the up platform under the canopy. Trains from Radstock will enter this platform.
A closer view of the gap with the beginnings of the safety works in position. This is to protect Silver Street prior to the bridge being replaced.
The new bridge with be skewed across the road and on the northern (right hand) side will be about 100 metres from the point where the photo has been taken. This will mean that the road will only have to be lowered slightly to accomodate larger vehicles - if these still exist in 10 or 20 years time ...
Another bridge will need to be replaced on the main Midsomer Norton to Radstock road. There will be no height problems at all here as the line was high above the road.
A return to Radstock will allow us to properly restore Midsomer Norton station and station area to 1950s style and move the retail and some office functions down to a purpose built building alongside or close to a replica Radstock station. This will also alleviate some of the inevitable parking problems already experienced at Midsomer Norton - and of course set us up nicely for the eventual return to Bath.
2 comments:
When is work due to start on the replacement Silver Street Railway bridge and earthworks and how much, roughly, will it cost?
After we reach the Chilcompton infill I suspect. There haven't been any costings yet as there may well be a redundant bridge available which will bring the cost right down. It can only be done in one hit, ie Midsomer Norton to Radstock which will require a second bridge over the main MN - Radstock road. We're talking millions rather than hundreds of thousands.
It will be cheaper to continue south of course, as there are no significant problems until Shepton, but the Radstock location will have superb parking facilities, the possibility of building a replica station with other facilities nearby freeing up MN station for full restoration and, possibly most importantly, a very visible presence near the mining museum.
Once we're established at Radstock then we can seriously look at the option of returning to Bath, which is the key to success for the line both as a leading tourist attraction but more importantly as a major transport link for passengers and freight.
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