The Forest of Dean Railways and Tramways

Discussion in 'Miscellaneous & Oddities' started by Roger Farnworth, Mar 17, 2018.

  1. Roger Farnworth

    Roger Farnworth Full Member

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    My wife and I enjoy an annual holiday in the Forest of Dean. We have been there almost every year since the year 2000. During that time we have enjoyed exploring a number of the different railway routes in the forest and have begun to realise just how complex a network of tramways supported the standard gauge railways which themselves had replaced much earlier tramways. I hope this thread will be of interest to some.

    This is the first of a series of blog posts about the forest and its railways and tramways and focusses on Lydney Harbour and its transport links, particularly rail and tramway/tramroad. ...

    https://rogerfarnwor.../lydney-harbour
     
    Last edited: Mar 17, 2018
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  2. Ron

    Ron Full Member

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    fascinating read, thanks Roger :tophat::thumbup:
     
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  3. Toto

    Toto I'm best ignored Staff Member Founder Administrator

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    Geesh..... You don't waste any time.:avatar: I ain't read the whole thing thing yet but my whistle stop tour of your link tells me this is going to be an interesting and popular thread I think. There are some great photographs ther which I am sure many will get some great ideas from Roger. Thanks for posting these up. :thumbs:

    Toto
     
  4. Toto

    Toto I'm best ignored Staff Member Founder Administrator

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    Geesh..... You don't waste any time.:avatar: I ain't read the whole thing thing yet but my whistle stop tour of your link tells me this is going to be an interesting and popular thread I think. There are some great photographs ther which I am sure many will get some great ideas from Roger. Thanks for posting these up. :thumbs:

    Toto
     
  5. Roger Farnworth

    Roger Farnworth Full Member

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    Thank you both - here is the next one. I have been working on these for quite a while ......

    Parkend in the Forest of Dean is currently the terminus of a preservation line, the Dean Forest Railway (http://www.deanforestrailway.co.uk).

    Historically it was a small through station on the Severn and Wye Joint Railway with a short branch to transhipment wharfs that allowed tramways to transfer good to the main line. Further back still it was the centre of some major forest industries which were heavily served by tramways. The first image on the blog below is a map of the tramways at Parkend in its prime as an industrial centre in the Forest.

    https://rogerfarnwor...-forest-of-dean
     
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  6. jakesdad13

    jakesdad13 Staff Member Moderator

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    Another cracking read Roger! I visited the Forest of Dean railway many years ago for a long weekend. We had a drive around the area after visiting the railway and happened across a place called (if I remember correctly) PuzzleWood, the site of some very old Roman mine working. Really interesting walk round, though I was worried we were lost a few times :avatar:.
     
  7. York Paul

    York Paul Staff Member Moderator

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    Thank you Roger for posting up your research info it is an incredibly interesting read and full of historic evidence to help a branch line modeller, I love the black and white photo showing the NBL Type 2 Hydraulic approaching the crossing whilst a Bristol MW single decker waits, I bet it's a service run by long gone Red & White, they had MW's... brilliant stuff :thumbup: and a capture of a way of life now lost forever. Keep them coming please.
    York Paul
     
    Last edited: Mar 18, 2018
  8. Roger Farnworth

    Roger Farnworth Full Member

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    Prior to the introduction of standard gauge railways in the Forest of Dean there was an extensive network of tramways or tramroads. These tramways were of a variety of gauges from 3ft 6in to 4ft. One of these was the Severn and Wye Tramroad. This post details the various branch and feeder tramways associated with this line. The tramway was replaced by the Severn and Wye Joint Railway. ...

    https://rogerfarnworth.wordpress.co...ys-and-sidings-of-the-severn-and-wye-tramroad
     
  9. Roger Farnworth

    Roger Farnworth Full Member

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  10. Roger Farnworth

    Roger Farnworth Full Member

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  11. Roger Farnworth

    Roger Farnworth Full Member

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  12. Roger Farnworth

    Roger Farnworth Full Member

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    A recent visit to the Forest of Dean promoted some reading and reflection on Cannop Colliery. This post is the result of those reflections:

    http://rogerfarnworth.com/2018/08/31/cannop-colliery


     
  13. SMR CHRIS

    SMR CHRIS Staff Member Moderator

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    Roger I some how missed this FoD topic the first time round but what a great wealth of info
    And some top photos for the Modeller esp like the one below I hope you don’t mind it being linked and reproduce here so much character within
    From this link
    https://rogerfarnworth.wordpress.com/2017/09/29/parkend-forest-of-dean

    222BF3C5-557E-4803-AF9B-10020FBDEE1C.jpeg

    How good is this scene, train crossing on a curve, Bus plus Truck the Crossing gates that close off the road but leave the access to the buildings beside the line open, fences sheds in the back ground etc etc it could be reproduces on any model railway corner as a scene in it self.
    Top find Rodger
     
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  14. Roger Farnworth

    Roger Farnworth Full Member

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    Glad you have enjoyed it. Please do make the link or any other links to the blog that you want to make.
     
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  15. Roger Farnworth

    Roger Farnworth Full Member

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    Recently, I have begun researching some of the tramways/tramroads in the valleys of South Wales. The first of these that I looked at was the Penydarren Tramroad.

    While I was looking at the website of the Industrial Railway Society (https://www.irsociety.co.uk) I came across a story which related to the Forest if Dean and, in particular, the Severn & Wye Railway & Canal Company.


    The link below highlights the story of what appears to have been the research necessary before purchasing the first steam locomotive the Forest of Dean. It also pints to what could have been a far earlier introduction of steam traction into the Forest.

    http://rogerfarnworth.com/2019/02/08/a-first-steam-locomotive-for-the-severn-and-wye-tramway
     
  16. Roger Farnworth

    Roger Farnworth Full Member

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    The Guardian carried an article on 31st August 2019 about old rail routes being used as cycleways. It suggested the 10 best routes where old railway formations are in use as cycleways. Theirs is not the only list of routes which seeks to provide a "Top Ten."

    I have pulled together a few examples in the linked post below. I'd like to add at least one which does not feature in the top ten lists, and that is the Forest of Dean.

    http://rogerfarnworth.com/2019/09/13/railways-and-cycleways-no-1-a-top-ten
     
  17. Roger Farnworth

    Roger Farnworth Full Member

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    The industrial history of the Forest of Dean is such that the intensity of activity was high throughout the 19th century and the first half of the 20th century. Innovation was rife and nowhere was this more true than in its transport infrastructure.

    In, what history will ultimately regard as, a very short period of time, tramroads were built and became the dominant form of transport. They waned and were replaced by broad gauge railways which in turn lost out to what was the dominant but probably inferior standard-gauge. For a time, all were active in the Forest at once. ....

    http://rogerfarnworth.com/2019/09/15/different-railway-gauges-in-operation-the-forest-of-dean
     
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  18. Roger Farnworth

    Roger Farnworth Full Member

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    My wife and I stay in the Forest of Dean most years. September 2019 was no exception. We stayed in a cottage close to what were Cannop and Speech House Collieries which were both rail served when they were active collieries. I have already posted about Cannop Colliery as part of this series of posts. It seems appropriate that I post something about Speech House Colliery.

    http://rogerfarnworth.com/2019/09/14/speech-house-hill-colliery-and-railway
     
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  19. Roger Farnworth

    Roger Farnworth Full Member

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  20. Roger Farnworth

    Roger Farnworth Full Member

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