The changing face of Bristol

[PhilJ W]

3 hours ago, 101 said:

If you've been following the gypsy patch lane Bridge saga, this a long link but if you follow it to the end you'll see that bridge is finally in place 

 

http://www.stokegiffordjournal.co.uk/2020/11/08/gipsy-patch-lane-mega-bridge-move-trouble-soft-ground/

 

Some interesting pictures taken during the process too 

The new bridge appears to be as low as the old bridge. I assume the road surface will be lowered under the new bridge.

[young37215]

26 minutes ago, PhilJ W said:

The new bridge appears to be as low as the old bridge. I assume the road surface will be lowered under the new bridge.

 

I doubt that there will be any lowering of the road because it was primarily the limited width of the old bridge that created the bottlenecks; anything tall had to stradle the white lines and go through the centre of the bridge thus blocking off oncoming traffic. Whilst I would not rule out Network Rails ability to get this wrong, I would be surprised if there were height issues! 

Edited November 15, 2020 by young37215

[rodent279]

37 minutes ago, young37215 said:

 

I doubt that there will be any lowering of the road because it was primarily the limited width of the old bridge that created the bottlenecks; anything tall had to stradle the white lines and go through the centre of the bridge thus blocking off oncoming traffic. Whilst I would not rule out Network Rails ability to get this wrong, I would be surprised if there were height issues! 

The plans I have seen, on the South Gloucestershire website somewhere, show that the road bed will be lowered, and there will be an approach gradient either side, to allow double decker buses to pass each other under the bridge. That's why the road closure was scheduled for about 9 months, but the rail closure was only about 3 weeks originally.

[Andy Kirkham]

23 hours ago, mow said:

Redcliffe Tunnel route, from Bristol City Council's Know Your Place mapping site.

 

https://maps.bristol.gov.uk/kyp/?edition=bristol&layer=Community layer&x=358907.48&y=172233.67&extent=363.14

The bridges at Temple Gate were replaced in, I think, 1961, and the route was closed in 1964.

[young37215]

15 hours ago, rodent279 said:

The plans I have seen, on the South Gloucestershire website somewhere, show that the road bed will be lowered, and there will be an approach gradient either side, to allow double decker buses to pass each other under the bridge. That's why the road closure was scheduled for about 9 months, but the rail closure was only about 3 weeks originally.

I stand corrected, it makes sense to enable the double deck buses.  I hope they have made adequate provision for drainage of the lowered road bed. 

[PhilJ W]

I was thinking that about flooding, especially as the bridge installation was disrupted by soft ground.

[Andy Kirkham]

Indirectly related to railways, because formerly the Monkey Specials brought crowds of visitors to Clifton Down. 

 

Bristol Zoo is to close and will transfer to a site named The Wild Place near Cribbs Causeway https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2020/nov/27/bristol-zoo-to-leave-its-city-site-after-185-years-amid-covid-crisis

 

I don't suppose the zoo accounts for much rail traffic nowadays, but it is a shame that it's moving to somewhere so much less accessible by public transport

 

And it's a pretext to post one of my pictures.

 

Edited November 28, 2020 by Andy Kirkham

[martinT]

11 minutes ago, Andy Kirkham said:

Indirectly related to railways, because formerly the Monkey Specials brought crowds of visitors to Clifton Down. 

 

Bristol Zoo is to close and will transfer to a site named The Wild Place near Cribbs Causeway https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2020/nov/27/bristol-zoo-to-leave-its-city-site-after-185-years-amid-covid-crisis

 

I don't suppose the zoo accounts for much rail traffic nowadays, but it is a shame that it's moving to somewhere so much less accessible by public transport

 

And it's a pretext to post one of my pictures.

 

 

Nostalgic photo so thanks Andy. Does anyone know when the last Monkey Specials ran?  CD was my local station so I saw a lot of them in the 1960s but left Bristol in 1969 so completely lost touch I regret to say.

Martin

[Andy Kirkham]

26 minutes ago, martinT said:

 

Nostalgic photo so thanks Andy. Does anyone know when the last Monkey Specials ran?  CD was my local station so I saw a lot of them in the 1960s but left Bristol in 1969 so completely lost touch I regret to say.

Martin

I don't know the answer to that I'm afraid, but this book has some fascinating pictures of the specials http://www.crecy.co.uk/steam-around-bristol as well as a list of all the specials that ran in 1963. 81 of them in total, sometimes five on one day. They were nearly all from South Wales but there was one from Wadebridge hauled by D6315.

 

Locos were Halls, Granges, Counties, 28XX, 42XX, 72XX (!), Hymeks, Westerns. 

Edited November 28, 2020 by Andy Kirkham

[Fat Controller]

45 minutes ago, Andy Kirkham said:

Indirectly related to railways, because formerly the Monkey Specials brought crowds of visitors to Clifton Down. 

 

Bristol Zoo is to close and will transfer to a site named The Wild Place near Cribbs Causeway https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2020/nov/27/bristol-zoo-to-leave-its-city-site-after-185-years-amid-covid-crisis

 

I don't suppose the zoo accounts for much rail traffic nowadays, but it is a shame that it's moving to somewhere so much less accessible by public transport

 

And it's a pretext to post one of my pictures.

 

Why was the wall to the right built? ; as I recollect, well into the 1970s, there was a coal yard behind.

[Andy Kirkham]

2 minutes ago, Fat Controller said:

Why was the wall to the right built? ; as I recollect, well into the 1970s, there was a coal yard behind.

To support a canopy.

 

 had forgotten that the coal yard lasted as long as that, although I don't think it can have been been rail-served since about 1965.

[Fat Controller]

Just now, Andy Kirkham said:

To support a canopy.

 

 had forgotten that the coal yard lasted as long as that, although I don't think it can have been been rail-served since about 1965.

Thanks, Andy. The yard was road-served when I lived up the road, back in 1976/7. It seems to have been quite a big yard in its heyday.

[Andy Kirkham]

1 minute ago, Fat Controller said:

Thanks, Andy. The yard was road-served when I lived up the road, back in 1976/7. It seems to have been quite a big yard in its heyday.

The canopies had been shortened in the 1930s. They were still there in 1970, but would have gone by the time you were there. Note also the remaining stub of the line that once lead to the yard.

 

[Andy Kirkham]

By the way Brian, I sometimes wonder if I once met you. On the occasion I took this picture near Stapleton Road in 1976, I remember talking to a young welshman who had recently moved to study in the city, and asked if I knew any transport societies.

 

[rodent279]

1 hour ago, Andy Kirkham said:

Indirectly related to railways, because formerly the Monkey Specials brought crowds of visitors to Clifton Down. 

 

Bristol Zoo is to close and will transfer to a site named The Wild Place near Cribbs Causeway https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2020/nov/27/bristol-zoo-to-leave-its-city-site-after-185-years-amid-covid-crisis

 

I don't suppose the zoo accounts for much rail traffic nowadays, but it is a shame that it's moving to somewhere so much less accessible by public transport

 

And it's a pretext to post one of my pictures.

 

2nd vehicle looks like one of the XP64 stock.

[martinT]

58 minutes ago, Andy Kirkham said:

I don't know the answer to that I'm afraid, but this book has some fascinating pictures of the specials http://www.crecy.co.uk/steam-around-bristol as well as a list of all the specials that ran in 1963. 81 of them in total, sometimes five on one day. They were nearly all from South Wales but there was one from Wadebridge hauled by D6315.

 

Locos were Halls, Granges, Counties, 28XX, 42XX, 72XX (!), Hymeks, Westerns. 

Yes, I've got that book. In actual fact the list was previously published by the GW Study Group in their 'Pannier' Journal, No.29, Spring 2011 as part of a  well-illustrated article by David Cross. He lived overlooking Montpelier Station & worked as a fireman on the PBA at Avonmouth so he was in a good position to observe everything that passed along the line. He claims to have seen a West Country on a train returning to Portsmouth from his rear window!  Unfortunately his article doesn't go beyond 1963.

Here's my solitary Monkey Special photo, a Hymek on an evening departure in June/July 1967. The lines in the coal yard have gone, but the merchants are still in business - supplied by road from the concentration depot on Wapping Wharf I guess:

 

[Andy Kirkham]

By the way, Clifton Down (implicitly) features in a song:

 

The rain came down like beads
Bouncing on the noses of the
People from the train
A flock of salty ears
Sparkled in the traffic lights
Feet squelched soggy leaves across the grain
I took my love to Clifton in the rain

 

Whether Al Stewart actually had Clifton Down in mind, or whether he just needed a rhyme for "rain", I don't know.

 

 

[SP Steve]

As a diversion from lock down, I've begun to catalogue my negatives and found this amongst them.

 

 

 

In this instance what gathered my attention was the sheer physical presence of the Bath Road over bridge as seen in low winter sunshine (I think the 33 with stock behind is 33.205). I don't suppose the Bristol skyline beyond exists in this form anymore....

Edited March 31, 2022 by SP Steve

[Tim V]

Only part of the train here!

[burgundy]

1 hour ago, Tim V said:

Only part of the train here!

Obviously part of a cunning plan to put a bit more oomph into shunting at TM. 

 

Best wishes 

Eric 

[queensquare]

I read somewhere of Monkey specials coming from the south coast to Clifton over the S&D in the 1920s. Can anyone point me to further information as I would love to include one on my Bath layout.

 

Jerry

[Bristol_Rich]

On 16/11/2020 at 06:42, young37215 said:

I stand corrected, it makes sense to enable the double deck buses.  I hope they have made adequate provision for drainage of the lowered road bed. 

The Stoke Brook runs adjacent to the railway from South Wales and follows the chord to Bristol Parkway, crossing the road less than 10m from the new bridge on the non Rolls Royce side. As the road surface is being lowered you would hope that it will be rediverted or at least culverted beneath...it does have history of flooding...

[rodent279]

4 hours ago, Bristol_Rich said:

The Stoke Brook runs adjacent to the railway from South Wales and follows the chord to Bristol Parkway, crossing the road less than 10m from the new bridge on the non Rolls Royce side. As the road surface is being lowered you would hope that it will be rediverted or at least culverted beneath...it does have history of flooding...

Dunno guv, pass. I guess they could put it in a large storm tunnel or similar. It (the brook) actually crosses the main road on the other side of Station Road (the road to Patchway station), which is about 30m from the embankment, so they might just get away with it.

Edited November 28, 2020 by rodent279

[Andy Kirkham]

There is now a web page giving details of the planned station at Ashley Down, due to open in 2023 https://travelwest.info/projects/ashley-down-station

 

It seems an excellent site for a station with City of Bristol College, Gloucestershire cricket ground, Fairfield secondary school and St Werburghs City Farm all close by.

 

There are also banners displayed in the vicinity of the station site.

[Max Legroom]

Handy for popping up to the Mem to watch the Gas.