Bristol and Gloucester Railway
Encyclopedia
The Bristol and Gloucester Railway opened in 1844 between Bristol
and Gloucester
, meeting the Birmingham and Gloucester Railway
. It is now part of the main line from the North-East of England
through Derby and Birmingham
to the South-West.
. In 1824 a meeting was held at the White Lion Inn in Bristol to discuss the idea of a railway to be known as the Bristol, Northern and Western Railway. This was the period around the opening of the Stockton and Darlington Railway
in 1825, when many ambitious schemes were being floated, between London
and Bristol and Birmingham
and also the East Midlands.
Although there was a great deal of initial enthusiasm, there were technical difficulties and a financial crisis, and the plans were never carried through. Towards the end of the decade the country was in an economic recession, but two horse-drawn tramways
were built, between 1832 and 1835, the Avon and Gloucestershire and the Bristol and Gloucestershire. These were locally known as The Coalpit Heath Dramway, serving among others, the Ram Hill Colliery
.
In spite of the problems, interest remained high. Through the 1830s lines were in active construction, not only the Birmingham and Gloucester, but others from Birmingham through the Midlands
to Yorkshire.
A railway would give access to the coal and minerals - and the manufactured riches - of the North, and provide an export outlet for Birmingham through the port of Bristol.
In 1839 the Bristol and Gloucester Railway Bill was passed by Parliament. At Gloucester it formed a junction with the broad gauge
Cheltenham and Great Western Union Railway
running into the town on mixed gauge tracks. The Bristol and Gloucester Railway had itself been built as broad gauge, but was narrowed to standard gauge and the rolling stock sold to Thomas Brassey
for use on the North Devon Railway
.
In 1844 the Bristol and Gloucester merged with Birmingham and Gloucester Railway
to form the short-lived Birmingham and Bristol Railway
, becoming a pawn in railway politics between the Midland Railway
and the Great Western Railway
. In 1877 the joint Great Western and Midland Clifton Extension Railway
in Bristol gave access to Avonmouth Docks
, providing the docks with a route to the midlands.
The line remains part of one of the UK's important routes. The Midland Railway later became part of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway
in the rationalisation of 1923. The LMS, along with the rest of the UK's mainline railways, became part of British Railways when it was nationalised in 1948 by the Labour government. Today it carries a frequent service from Birmingham to Penzance
.
However the section between Yate
and Bristol through Mangotsfield is closed. It was due to close on 3 January 1970, but in fact closed a week early after a landslip blocked the line at Staple Hill
. Traffic now diverts at Westerleigh Junction
and passes through Bristol Parkway
and Filton
(as shown on diagram).
who were contracted to operate the railway.
Although the Midland Railway (MR) purchased these eleven locomotives from the contractors in July 1845, and absorbed the Bristol & Gloucester Railway (and the Birmingham & Gloucester Railway) on 3 August 1846, the locomotives were not given MR numbers until February 1847, when they became nos. 260–270. They were twice renumbered by adding 100 to their number in June 1852 and again in September 1853. Eight of the locomotives (B&GR nos. 1, 3 & 7 excepted) were sold by the MR to Thomas Brassey, who had secured the contract for working the North Devon Railway from 28 July 1855. That railway was absorbed by the London and South Western Railway
(LSWR) on 1 January 1865; although none of the engines gained LSWR numbers, they remained in service a few more years, one of them as late as April 1877.
.
.
.
These locomotives were renumbered into the 200, 300, then the 400 series before being converted to standard gauge in 1854.
These locomotives were renumbered into the 300, then the 400 series before being converted to standard gauge in 1854.
Bristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
and Gloucester
Gloucester
Gloucester is a city, district and county town of Gloucestershire in the South West region of England. Gloucester lies close to the Welsh border, and on the River Severn, approximately north-east of Bristol, and south-southwest of Birmingham....
, meeting the Birmingham and Gloucester Railway
Birmingham and Gloucester Railway
The Birmingham and Gloucester Railway is a railway route linking Birmingham to Gloucester in England.It is one of the world's oldest main line railways and includes the famous Lickey Incline, a dead-straight stretch of track running up the 1-in-37 gradient of the Lickey Ridge...
. It is now part of the main line from the North-East of England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
through Derby and Birmingham
Birmingham New Street Station
Birmingham New Street is the main railway station serving Birmingham, England, located in the city centre. It is an important hub for the British railway system, being served by a number of important long-distance and cross-country lines, including the Birmingham loop of the West Coast Main Line,...
to the South-West.
History
In the early nineteenth century, Bristol was an important portPort
A port is a location on a coast or shore containing one or more harbors where ships can dock and transfer people or cargo to or from land....
. In 1824 a meeting was held at the White Lion Inn in Bristol to discuss the idea of a railway to be known as the Bristol, Northern and Western Railway. This was the period around the opening of the Stockton and Darlington Railway
Stockton and Darlington Railway
The Stockton and Darlington Railway , which opened in 1825, was the world's first publicly subscribed passenger railway. It was 26 miles long, and was built in north-eastern England between Witton Park and Stockton-on-Tees via Darlington, and connected to several collieries near Shildon...
in 1825, when many ambitious schemes were being floated, between London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
and Bristol and Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
and also the East Midlands.
Although there was a great deal of initial enthusiasm, there were technical difficulties and a financial crisis, and the plans were never carried through. Towards the end of the decade the country was in an economic recession, but two horse-drawn tramways
Plateway
A plateway is an early kind of railway or tramway or wagonway, with a cast iron rail. They were mainly used for about 50 years up to 1830, though some continued later....
were built, between 1832 and 1835, the Avon and Gloucestershire and the Bristol and Gloucestershire. These were locally known as The Coalpit Heath Dramway, serving among others, the Ram Hill Colliery
Ram Hill Colliery
Ram Hill Colliery, Ram Hill, Coalpit Heath, Bristol was sunk sometime between 1820 and 1830. It was owned by the Coalpit Heath Company, which included Sir John Smyth as a shareholder...
.
In spite of the problems, interest remained high. Through the 1830s lines were in active construction, not only the Birmingham and Gloucester, but others from Birmingham through the Midlands
Birmingham and Derby Junction Railway
The Birmingham and Derby Junction Railway was a British railway company. From Birmingham it connected at Derby with the North Midland Railway and the Midland Counties Railway at what became known as the Tri Junct Station...
to Yorkshire.
North Midland Railway
The North Midland Railway was a British railway company, which opened its line from Derby to Rotherham and Leeds in 1840.At Derby it connected with the Birmingham and Derby Junction Railway and the Midland Counties Railway at what became known as the Tri Junct Station...
A railway would give access to the coal and minerals - and the manufactured riches - of the North, and provide an export outlet for Birmingham through the port of Bristol.
Broad gauge
Broad-gauge railways use a track gauge greater than the standard gauge of .- List :For list see: List of broad gauges, by gauge and country- History :...
Cheltenham and Great Western Union Railway
Cheltenham and Great Western Union Railway
The Cheltenham and Great Western Union Railway was a broad gauge railway that linked the Great Western Railway at Swindon, Wiltshire, with Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England...
running into the town on mixed gauge tracks. The Bristol and Gloucester Railway had itself been built as broad gauge, but was narrowed to standard gauge and the rolling stock sold to Thomas Brassey
Thomas Brassey
Thomas Brassey was an English civil engineering contractor and manufacturer of building materials who was responsible for building much of the world's railways in the 19th century. By 1847, he had built about one-third of the railways in Britain, and by time of his death in 1870 he had built one...
for use on the North Devon Railway
North Devon Railway
The North Devon Railway was a British railway company which operated a line from Cowley Bridge Junction, near Exeter, to Bideford in Devon, later becoming part of the London and South Western Railway's system...
.
In 1844 the Bristol and Gloucester merged with Birmingham and Gloucester Railway
Birmingham and Gloucester Railway
The Birmingham and Gloucester Railway is a railway route linking Birmingham to Gloucester in England.It is one of the world's oldest main line railways and includes the famous Lickey Incline, a dead-straight stretch of track running up the 1-in-37 gradient of the Lickey Ridge...
to form the short-lived Birmingham and Bristol Railway
Birmingham and Bristol Railway
The Birmingham and Bristol Railway was a short-lived railway company, formed in 1845 by the merger of the Birmingham and Gloucester Railway and the Bristol and Gloucester Railway.-Origin:...
, becoming a pawn in railway politics between the Midland Railway
Midland Railway
The Midland Railway was a railway company in the United Kingdom from 1844 to 1922, when it became part of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway....
and the Great Western Railway
Great Western Railway
The Great Western Railway was a British railway company that linked London with the south-west and west of England and most of Wales. It was founded in 1833, received its enabling Act of Parliament in 1835 and ran its first trains in 1838...
. In 1877 the joint Great Western and Midland Clifton Extension Railway
Clifton Extension Railway
The Clifton Extension Railway was a joint railway in Bristol, owned by the Great Western Railway and the Midland Railway companies.-Description of line:...
in Bristol gave access to Avonmouth Docks
Avonmouth Docks
The Avonmouth Docks are part of the Port of Bristol, in England. They are situated on the northern side of the mouth of the River Avon, opposite the Royal Portbury Dock on the southern side, where the river joins the Severn estuary, within Avonmouth....
, providing the docks with a route to the midlands.
The line remains part of one of the UK's important routes. The Midland Railway later became part of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway
London, Midland and Scottish Railway
The London Midland and Scottish Railway was a British railway company. It was formed on 1 January 1923 under the Railways Act of 1921, which required the grouping of over 120 separate railway companies into just four...
in the rationalisation of 1923. The LMS, along with the rest of the UK's mainline railways, became part of British Railways when it was nationalised in 1948 by the Labour government. Today it carries a frequent service from Birmingham to Penzance
Penzance railway station
Penzance railway station serves the town of Penzance, Cornwall, UK. The station is the western terminus of the Cornish Main Line from London Paddington station. The current journey time to or from London is about five hours....
.
However the section between Yate
Yate
Yate is a town in South Gloucestershire, England, at the southwest extremity of the Cotswold Hills, 12 miles northeast of the city of Bristol. At the 2001 census the population was 21,789. The town of Chipping Sodbury is continuous with Yate to the east...
and Bristol through Mangotsfield is closed. It was due to close on 3 January 1970, but in fact closed a week early after a landslip blocked the line at Staple Hill
Staple Hill railway station
Staple Hill railway station was on the Midland Railway line between Bristol and Gloucester on the outskirts of Bristol. The station was on the Bristol and Gloucester Railway line, but opened in 1888, 44 years after the line had been opened through the site...
. Traffic now diverts at Westerleigh Junction
Westerleigh Junction
Westerleigh Junction is a railway junction in Gloucestershire, England, where the Cross Country Route from to Bristol meets the South Wales Main Line from London to , near the village of Westerleigh....
and passes through Bristol Parkway
Bristol Parkway railway station
Bristol Parkway railway station is situated in Stoke Gifford in the northern suburbs of Bristol, England. It is part of the British railway system owned by Network Rail, and is managed by First Great Western....
and Filton
Filton Abbey Wood railway station
Filton Abbey Wood railway station, was opened on 11 March 1996, replacing the original Filton station which stands to the north of the current site....
(as shown on diagram).
Locomotives
The broad gauge locomotives that operated this line carried up to four different numbers during the ten years or so that they were running. The first number (in the series 1 - 11) was given by Stothert and SlaughterAvonside Engine Company
The Avonside Engine Company was a locomotive manufacturer in Avon Street, St. Philip's, Bristol, England between 1864 and 1934. However the business originated with an earlier enterprise Henry Stothert and Company.-Origins:...
who were contracted to operate the railway.
Although the Midland Railway (MR) purchased these eleven locomotives from the contractors in July 1845, and absorbed the Bristol & Gloucester Railway (and the Birmingham & Gloucester Railway) on 3 August 1846, the locomotives were not given MR numbers until February 1847, when they became nos. 260–270. They were twice renumbered by adding 100 to their number in June 1852 and again in September 1853. Eight of the locomotives (B&GR nos. 1, 3 & 7 excepted) were sold by the MR to Thomas Brassey, who had secured the contract for working the North Devon Railway from 28 July 1855. That railway was absorbed by the London and South Western Railway
London and South Western Railway
The London and South Western Railway was a railway company in England from 1838 to 1922. Its network extended from London to Plymouth via Salisbury and Exeter, with branches to Ilfracombe and Padstow and via Southampton to Bournemouth and Weymouth. It also had many routes connecting towns in...
(LSWR) on 1 January 1865; although none of the engines gained LSWR numbers, they remained in service a few more years, one of them as late as April 1877.
Bristol and Gloucester 2-4-0
These were intended for goods traffic. The locomotives were built at Stothert and Slaughter's workshops in Bristol using parts supplied by Bury, Curtis, and KennedyBury, Curtis, and Kennedy
Bury, Curtis and Kennedy was a steam locomotive manufacturer in Liverpool, England.Edward Bury set up his works in 1826, under the name of Edward Bury and Company. He employed James Kennedy, who had gained experience of locomotive production under Robert Stephenson and Mather, Dixon and Company,...
.
- 1 Tugwell (1844 - 1856)
- Midland Railway 268 (later 368 and then 468); it was broken up in 1856.
- 2 Industry (1844 - 1856)
- Midland Railway 269 (later 369 then 469). It was sold for £1000 to Thomas BrasseyThomas BrasseyThomas Brassey was an English civil engineering contractor and manufacturer of building materials who was responsible for building much of the world's railways in the 19th century. By 1847, he had built about one-third of the railways in Britain, and by time of his death in 1870 he had built one...
in May 1856 to work on the North Devon RailwayNorth Devon RailwayThe North Devon Railway was a British railway company which operated a line from Cowley Bridge Junction, near Exeter, to Bideford in Devon, later becoming part of the London and South Western Railway's system...
, where it was named Venus, being withdrawn in August 1870.- 3 Pilot (1844 - 1851)
- Midland Railway 270. It was broken up by September 1851.
Bristol and Gloucester 2-2-2
These locomotives were built at Stothert and Slaughter's workshops in Bristol using parts supplied by Bury, Curtis, and KennedyBury, Curtis, and Kennedy
Bury, Curtis and Kennedy was a steam locomotive manufacturer in Liverpool, England.Edward Bury set up his works in 1826, under the name of Edward Bury and Company. He employed James Kennedy, who had gained experience of locomotive production under Robert Stephenson and Mather, Dixon and Company,...
.
- 4 Bristol (1844 - 1855)
- Named after BristolBristolBristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
, the southern terminus of the line, it was sold to Thomas Brassey in 1855 to work on the North Devon Railway. It ran as Midland Railway 260 (later 360 and then 460).- 5 Gloucester (1844 - 1855)
- Named after the northern terminus of the line, it was sold to Thomas Brassey in 1855. It ran as Midland Railway 261 (later 361 and then 461).
- 6 Berkeley (1844 - 1856)
- Named after the town of BerkeleyBerkeley, GloucestershireBerkeley is a town and civil parish in Gloucestershire, England. It lies in the Vale of Berkeley between the east bank of the River Severn and the M5 motorway within the Stroud administrative district. The town is noted for Berkeley Castle where the imprisoned Edward II was murdered.- Geography...
near Charfield, it was sold to Thomas Brassey in 1856. It ran as Midland Railway 262 (later 362 and then 462).- 7 Wickwar (1844 - 1853)
- Named after the town of WickwarWickwarWickwar is a village in South Gloucestershire between Chipping Sodbury and Charfield. It is famous for its football club and its high street. The Wickwar brewery is a popular local producer of cask ale....
, where the railway passed through a tunnel. It ran as Midland Railway 263 (later 363) but was withdrawn in 1853 following a boiler explosion at Bristol.- 8 Cheltenham (1844 - 1856)
- Named after the town of CheltenhamCheltenhamCheltenham , also known as Cheltenham Spa, is a large spa town and borough in Gloucestershire, on the edge of the Cotswolds in the South-West region of England. It is the home of the flagship race of British steeplechase horse racing, the Gold Cup, the main event of the Cheltenham Festival held...
which was actually on the Birmingham and Gloucester RailwayBirmingham and Gloucester RailwayThe Birmingham and Gloucester Railway is a railway route linking Birmingham to Gloucester in England.It is one of the world's oldest main line railways and includes the famous Lickey Incline, a dead-straight stretch of track running up the 1-in-37 gradient of the Lickey Ridge...
, it was sold to Thomas Brassey in 1856. It ran as Midland Railway 264 (later 364 and then 464).- 9 Stroud (1844 - 1855)
- Named after the town of StroudStroud, GloucestershireStroud is a market town and civil parish in the county of Gloucestershire, England. It is the main town in Stroud District.Situated below the western escarpment of the Cotswold Hills at the meeting point of the Five Valleys, the town is noted for its steep streets and cafe culture...
near Stonehouse (but actually on the Cheltenham and Great Western Union RailwayCheltenham and Great Western Union RailwayThe Cheltenham and Great Western Union Railway was a broad gauge railway that linked the Great Western Railway at Swindon, Wiltshire, with Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England...
), it was sold to Thomas Brassey in 1855. It ran as Midland Railway 265 (later 365 and then 465).
Bristol and Gloucester 0-6-0
These were supplied by the Vulcan FoundryVulcan Foundry
Vulcan Foundry was a British locomotive builder sited at Newton-le-Willows, Lancashire .-History:It was originally opened in 1832 as Charles Tayleur and Company to produce girders for bridges, switches and crossings, and other ironwork following the opening of the Liverpool and Manchester Railway...
.
- 10 Dreadnought (1856 - 1863)
- It was sold to Thomas Brassey in 1855. It ran as Midland Railway 267 (later 367, then 567).
- 11 Defiance (1857 - 1867)
- It was sold to Thomas Brassey in 1857 to work on the North Devon Railway. It ran as Midland Railway 266 (later 366 then 466).
Midland Railway 2-2-2
- 66 (1848 - 1854)
- 67 (1849 - 1854)
- 68 (1849 - 1854)
- 69 (1849 - 1854)
These locomotives were renumbered into the 200, 300, then the 400 series before being converted to standard gauge in 1854.
Midland Railway 0-6-0
- 290 (1852 - 1854)
- 291 (1852 - 1854)
These locomotives were renumbered into the 300, then the 400 series before being converted to standard gauge in 1854.