Superb new release from our friends at 1st Take is Branch Lines to Gloucestershire. This is of course available from our website at £14.95 and each one sold raises £5 for the New S&D.
Blurb to accompany the DVD is -
The Beeching cuts prompted a massive reshaping of Britain’s railway network in the 1960s, when almost a third of the country’s track was closed. Most of the victims were minor routes which linked rural locations; they were axed as they were simply deemed uneconomic. But they remain fondly remembered today and this film is intended as the first in a series which will celebrate the branch lines of England, in association with railway author and historian Colin Maggs MBE.
You will see a wide range of routes, from those initially worked by horses to one which boasted the longest railway bridge in England. These lines provided vital services for the industrial heartland of Bristol, and key places such as Gloucester Docks and Lydney harbour. They also reached out to towns and villages in the Cotswolds, the Forest of Dean and many other parts of the county.
The story is illustrated by extensive use of rare archive photographs, and is enhanced by informed commentary from Colin Maggs, who has seen so many changes in the county’s railway network during a lifelong interest in the subject. You will also enjoy stunning modern film, excerpts of archive footage and visits to two of the county’s preserved lines - the Dean Heritage Railway and Avon Valley Railway – and the GWR Museum at Coleford. There are also fascinating interviews with former railwaymen and those who recall how important such branch lines were to rural areas.
Numerous locations are visited, including Avonside Wharf, Severn Beach, Mangotsfield, Westerleigh, Yate, Thornbury, Berkeley Road, Coaley, Dursley, Stroud, Gloucester, Cheltenham, Bourton-on-the-Water, Stow-on-the-Wold, Tewkesbury, Cirencester, Kemble, Tetbury, Lydney, Cinderford and Chepstow.
2 comments:
I'll be investing in this little gem.
I've walked most of the Yate to Thornbury line several times. The intermediate stations in Iron Acton and Tytherington are long gone: a shame but who knows these days. The line's refurbishment is on the agenda as part of the Greater Bristol Metro. Tytherington Quarry provides stone and the line is still extant. The raised line beyond here towards Thornbury goes as far as the A38 but is lost to development. However, part of the line into the old Thornbury terminus is still there. It is not impossible to restore the line along its original path but one or two of the modern houses and industrial units will need demolition. Magg's book has some on the line has some very interesting photos. A relative of mine went to Thornbury Grammar School and still recalls the toot of the 3.45pm train, just before the school bell.
Chepstow and the Wye Valley are another shame. Chepstow Station in part still operates. A partially restored Wye Valley line might provide improved services to Bristol,Cardiff, Gloucester and beyond. They're needed desperately, judging by the traffic jams most days around the Severn Estuary area. It needs a proper feasibility study full stop.
I'd like to look at running trains around the circle of Gloucester, Stroud, Severn Tunnel, Swindon, Bristol Parkway and Chepstow.
Neil - you seem to be going through a similar process to me, suddenly seeing potential new lines everywhere! The New S&D has been a group member of Railfuture almost from the day we started, so this larger responsibility has been there for some time. I'd like to see Railfuture develop enormously over the coming years, as it is so important that there is a strong and respected campaigning group, with smaller groups like ours as the foot soldiers. I think there is now a group looking at restoring the Wye Valley line, and I think they have amodern transport element. Of course the old Thornbury line had been closed and lifted for many years, then relaid to Tytherington, again one of the inspirations for the New S&D for this reason. I think it was the first major track relaying since Beeching, breaking a psychological barrier.
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