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The changing face of Bristol


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  • RMweb Gold
On 28/11/2020 at 18:59, rodent279 said:

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.

I drove to within sight of the new bridge yesterday. No photos, because I didn't want to get out of the car in the rain, but it looks like there'll be a fairly steep ramp on the road on the eastern approach, to get under the bridge. I guess this is partly because the adjoining Station Road up to Patchway station limits/dictates where the ramp can start.

I'll see if I can get some photos over Xmas.

Edited by rodent279
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4 hours ago, rodent279 said:

 

I'll see if I can get some photos over Xmas.

I've got a Cardiff on Thursday morning, I'll try to get some pictures from above, but it may be too dark on the way over.

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For all of you that were hoping to pictures of Gypsy Patch bridge from above, I have to disappoint you. It was very dark on the trip over, what else would you expect at 6am? It was still fairly dim at 8am on the return trip, but I did try to grab a couple of pictures, but all I succeeded in doing was getting the OHLE pylons. Had another look at lunchtime today, but all it looks like is a muddy field both sides. At track level it looks much the same as before, except the parapets are longer and concrete.

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  • RMweb Gold
36 minutes ago, JZ said:

For all of you that were hoping to pictures of Gypsy Patch bridge from above, I have to disappoint you. It was very dark on the trip over, what else would you expect at 6am? It was still fairly dim at 8am on the return trip, but I did try to grab a couple of pictures, but all I succeeded in doing was getting the OHLE pylons. Had another look at lunchtime today, but all it looks like is a muddy field both sides. At track level it looks much the same as before, except the parapets are longer and concrete.

I nearly cycled up there today, but after 15 miles I'd had enough, and went home for a bacon sarnie instead! Maybe tomorrow, or Thurs/Fri next week.

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  • 4 weeks later...
On 11/06/2012 at 20:40, burgundy said:

Evidently I missed this topic when it came round first, so I am glad that it has been resurrected.

Post 65 mentions the Ashton swing bridge over the New Cut at the western end of the harbour. I took some photos of this when it was being used for the "park and ride" shuttle service that operated during the Festival of the Sea in 1996(?). I am not sure that it was used again afterwards and I understand that it is no longer in a state that would allow it to be used for rail traffic any more. Difficult to imagine that the upper level provided the bridge for the main road from Bristol to Weston-super-Mare. post-9472-0-40215200-1339443065_thumb.jpg

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The final photo shows the loco that had been borrowed from the East Somerset at Cranmore for the occasion - Brighton E tank, formerly Burgundy (what a nice name) and, of course, the nearest Brighton loco to this part of the world!

Best wishes

Eric

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Today I had to scan some more photos that were taken during the Festival of the Sea event in 1996. There is a discussion in another e group about Burgundy, the Brighton E tank that now resides on the Isle of Wight. 

What struck me about the photos was the extent to which things have moved on in the intervening 25 years. The Bristol Harbour Railway was being used to provide a "park and ride" service from a car park by the former Portishead branch into the middle of the Festival. The parking area is now a housing estate and that section of the railway, including the bridge, is now a guided bus lane - or at least it would be if a section further on by Cumberland Road had not slipped into the New Cut. 

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Best wishes 

Eric    

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  • RMweb Gold
13 hours ago, burgundy said:

The parking area is now a housing estate and that section of the railway, including the bridge, is now a guided bus lane - or at least it would be if a section further on by Cumberland Road had not slipped into the New Cut. 

 

Best wishes 

Eric    

 

Almost - the section which fell into the river was still the railway formation, as the bus route's original intended path (down the side of the New Cut) was turned down and it now joins Cumberland Road at a point just behind the E tank in the last pic. 

The intention (once it's repaired) is to reinstate the railway all the way to the bonded warehouse, the main difference is no more large S bend aiming at the bridge, the buffer stop will be almost perpendicular to the bridge.

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Google Maps is your friend here...

 

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@51.446257,-2.6197332,293m/data=!3m1!1e3?hl=en

 

The concrete road curving round and over the river bridge is the (mis-)guided busway. The railway is planning on terminating in the shadows between 'A Bond[ed] Warehouse' and the busway, last time I spoke to my friend who has an interest in it.

Edited by talisman56
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  • 2 weeks later...
  • RMweb Gold

Finally I managed to cycle up to Gypsy Patch Lane today, as part of my permitted exercise, to see the rebuilt bridge. Managed to catch 66534 on an engineers train from Llandeilo to Westbury, with what I think was 66571 on the rear.

 

 

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This is the view from the eastern approach on Gypsy Patch Lane. To the right, not quite visible behind the temporary fencing, is Station Road, which leads up to Patchway station, about 300m away. To the left, out of sight and about 500m away is the Stoke Gifford Hitachi IEP depot. The Rolls Royce/BAE factories were the other side of the railway bridge, though long gone now. Filton airfield, now in the course of being built on, is about 1km away.

 

 

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A view from a little further back.

 

 

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and a little closer, from what will be the middle of the two lane road.

 

 

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Finally, two views from the western approach. Visible in the last photo at far right is the Stoke Gifford Hitachi IEP depot. The compound in which the new bridge was cast is on the right.

 

The road under the bridge is in the process of being lowered by about 3m from the original road surface. Bradley Stoke Brook looks to be unaffected.

Edited by rodent279
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  • 1 month later...

An old favourite, Bristol Rapid Transit, reappeared yesterday with an announcement that Bristol and WECA (the West of England Combined Authority) are working to put forward proposals for public consultation in the Summer and an outline business case to the Department for Transport. 

I shall be fascinated to see the option for the line to Bristol Airport. Will it be underground with a huge escalator at the airport? Or will there be trams that can climb mountains? Or will it continue to  be a bus?

image.png.83e33e9936df9eb4fa96268a71ee5190.png

Best wishes 

Eric 

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4 hours ago, burgundy said:

An old favourite, Bristol Rapid Transit, reappeared yesterday with an announcement that Bristol and WECA (the West of England Combined Authority) are working to put forward proposals for public consultation in the Summer and an outline business case to the Department for Transport. 

I shall be fascinated to see the option for the line to Bristol Airport. Will it be underground with a huge escalator at the airport? Or will there be trams that can climb mountains? Or will it continue to  be a bus?

image.png.83e33e9936df9eb4fa96268a71ee5190.png

Best wishes 

Eric 

Hmm - Interesting! I can't see half of it happening though. On the line to Bristol Airport, out of curiosity what is the height differential between the mainline at Backwell and the airport? As the crow flies they are only a few miles apart and bearing in mind how hard access is to the airport by road then a rail link would be great albeit it does feel like a Heathrow express style tunnel/huge lift would be required (and thus not happen due to the costs). A more creative option would be a dedicated road way with something like the Heathrow terminal 5 "Pod parking" solution link to a new airport interchanges station south of Backwell.

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3 minutes ago, 37114 said:

Hmm - Interesting! I can't see half of it happening though. On the line to Bristol Airport, out of curiosity what is the height differential between the mainline at Backwell and the airport? As the crow flies they are only a few miles apart and bearing in mind how hard access is to the airport by road then a rail link would be great albeit it does feel like a Heathrow express style tunnel/huge lift would be required (and thus not happen due to the costs). A more creative option would be a dedicated road way with something like the Heathrow terminal 5 "Pod parking" solution link to a new airport interchanges station south of Backwell.

The height difference is something  in the region of 170 metres: the airport is about 185 m ASL  and the mainline about 15 m ASL. One could -- if money were no object -- construct a line with a ruling gradient of about 1 in 25, which with modern electric traction would be feasible. But the cost would be gigantic.

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  • RMweb Gold
26 minutes ago, 37114 said:

Hmm - Interesting! I can't see half of it happening though. On the line to Bristol Airport, out of curiosity what is the height differential between the mainline at Backwell and the airport? As the crow flies they are only a few miles apart and bearing in mind how hard access is to the airport by road then a rail link would be great albeit it does feel like a Heathrow express style tunnel/huge lift would be required (and thus not happen due to the costs). A more creative option would be a dedicated road way with something like the Heathrow terminal 5 "Pod parking" solution link to a new airport interchanges station south of Backwell.

If half of it does happen, Bristol will be about 10 times better off than it is now!

I suspect this will turn out to be a vote-gathering wishlist.

Edited by rodent279
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46 minutes ago, rodent279 said:

I suspect this will turn out to be a vote-gathering wishlist.

 

Well it's no surprise that the mayoral election is a few weeks away!

 

Can't see it ever happening myself - at least not in my lifetime! - its been 40 years since the first  proposal already 

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Still only showing a spur to Henbury. Operationally, a loop would be better, with Portishead to Portishead trains via Filton and Avonmouth and vice versa. We have quite a few people that travel from Avonmouth, Shirehampton and Sea Mills to Filton, yet they have to change a Stapleton Rd or Temple Meads. Most of the line is double track, so passing of trains is less of a problem. Of course, if the old Midland line was still there, it could have tapped into Fishponds, Staple Hill, Mangotsfield and Soundwell.

Also can't see the point of new stations at both Ashley Hill AND Lockleaze.

Edited by JZ
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That map shows an over or underground rapid route to Bristol airport via Knowle - not necessarily a rail link!

 

Of course if they put the airport back where it was in Hengrove, no problem putting a rail link.

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3 minutes ago, Tim V said:

That map shows an over or underground rapid route to Bristol airport via Knowle - not necessarily a rail link!

 

Of course if they put the airport back where it was in Hengrove, no problem putting a rail link.

Do you mean Hengrove or Filton? Hengrove is probably even harder than Lulsgate!

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4 minutes ago, Northmoor said:

I think you'd have to do a lot of demolition to reinstate Hengrove airfield.....

Be a lot more convenient for the centre of Bristol:D

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10 hours ago, burgundy said:

An old favourite, Bristol Rapid Transit, reappeared yesterday with an announcement that Bristol and WECA (the West of England Combined Authority) are working to put forward proposals for public consultation in the Summer and an outline business case to the Department for Transport. 

I shall be fascinated to see the option for the line to Bristol Airport. Will it be underground with a huge escalator at the airport? Or will there be trams that can climb mountains? Or will it continue to  be a bus?

image.png.83e33e9936df9eb4fa96268a71ee5190.png

Best wishes 

Eric 

 

A pipe dream I am afraid. If we  can`t get the simple job of opening the Portbury branch, and the Hengrove loop done , then what hope is there for this. From what I understand there was an option to reopen the Portbury branch as a passenger branch when the line was re-opened  for freight, but the cheaper option was chosen instead

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This comes up with all the inevitability of an unwanted relative, usually around election times. It's usually quietly forgotten about (by the candidates) after said elections; the electorate usually have the alleged memory retention of a goldfish...

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On 12/03/2021 at 16:17, Tim V said:

That map shows an over or underground rapid route to Bristol airport via Knowle - not necessarily a rail link!

Of course if they put the airport back where it was in Hengrove, no problem putting a rail link.

 

Being Brisall, they will probably go for a "sustainable" Stagecoach bus service.

 

Meanwhile, folks that actually operate the fastest-growing part of aviation (private business jets) are rumoured to be moving to Gloucestershire Airport. A more receptive airport, much better connections to the M5, and for most of their customer market, much easier to get to.

 

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