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The changing face of Bristol


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Guest 838rapid

WoW thats where I started my Railway Career at B and E house as we knew it... 1988.

I remember having to polish the brass plaques on the front of the building and that grand staircase inside.

Looks so lonely on its own with the Newspaper suppliers building gone.

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Tim,

Put me out of my misery - where are photos one and three in relation to Bristol? I thought I knew the area well but cannot place them :scratchhead:

Robin

 

I'll leave it for the Cap'n but the last time I went to the location of the bottom one (well I'm pretty sure that's where it is) there were a few small scrubby bushes and an expanse of dead land which had once played host to a number of sidings and the trace of the truncated railway beyond the stop blocks was still fairly obvious. Does that help? If it doesn't the middle picture of the three should give you a hint ;)

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I'll leave it for the Cap'n but the last time I went to the location of the bottom one (well I'm pretty sure that's where it is) there were a few small scrubby bushes and an expanse of dead land which had once played host to a number of sidings and the trace of the truncated railway beyond the stop blocks was still fairly obvious. Does that help? If it doesn't the middle picture of the three should give you a hint ;)

Rail access to the former ICI Severnside?

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My guess is that we are looking at the Severn Beach branch and the only bridge of the size of the one in the first picture has the M5 running about 80 feet above the railway, just by Avonmouth, where the M5 crosses the river Avon. The second shows the "beach" at Severn Beach and the third may be looking towards the buffer stops at Severn Beach station, where the line formerly contnued round to Pilning to join the main line going through the Severn tunnel.

Best wishes

Eric

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The bridge looks to be this one:

http://binged.it/PCUPBe

where the line enters the site, under the A403, from the Severn Beach branch.

Ding don-g! Spot-on!

 

The third photo is looking along the Severn Beach branch towards the station at Severn Beach, from the junction with the former ICI works branch.

 

 

Edit - since when has 'don-g' become a 'naughty word'..??!!

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Ah yes of course :thankyou:

I remember a work related trip on one of the ICI YE diesels in the 1980's shunting the ammonia tank wagons.

I was told that they used to have a pair of 'Janus' 0-6-0 diesels there.

 

Photos of industrial dereliction are here - http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/60323-industrial-weathering-and-dereliction/

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I was told that they used to have a pair of 'Janus' 0-6-0 diesels there.

 

Photos of industrial dereliction are here - http://www.rmweb.co....nd-dereliction/

I was told that they used to have a pair of 'Janus' 0-6-0 diesels there.

 

Photos of industrial dereliction are here - http://www.rmweb.co....nd-dereliction/

 

Tim,

 

That's them............... just found this photo of 'Iburndale'on Flickr

 

http://www.flickr.com/photos/12a_kingmoor_klickr/7091677329/in/photostream/

 

The spherical tank in the photo is an ammonia storage tank behind which was a road/rail weighbridge which I had the task of testing. This proved an interesting challenge on occasions when trying to avoid inhaling fumes.

Some of the photos in your other 'dereliction' thread show what I believe were the rail maintainence shed.

 

Robin

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Taken 10 days ago, the coach goes back to the 50s, the HST design to the 70s, the logo to the 80s, and the GPO building is still an eyesore.

 

post-25-0-55163100-1345645336_thumb.jpg

 

Unfortunately that is the fault of "Royal Mail Property holdings", they just let the buildings go to pot.

 

Terry

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Since this topic is entitled "the changing face of Bristol", it may be the appropriate place to mention an article in the Stephenson Loco Society journal for Jan 1943. It describes observations at Temple Meads on Easter Monday 1900 - at which point neither the Badminton cut off nor the direct west of England line would have been open. TM is described as "an extremely busy station".

It mentions that west of England trains typically changed engines at Temple Meads and the normal practice for up trains was to run the detached loco round the triangle to Dr Day's Bridge Jnc, then to North Somerset Jnc before returning through the station to get to Bath Road depot. "This saved using the shed turntable". :huh:

Latest locos on running in turns on the "Swindon - Bristol all stations" were "Camels" - 3347/8/9/50 are mentioned - while Dean Singles are evidently so routine as not to raise any excitement. Clifton Down locals were run by Wolverhampton saddle tanks of the 19xx and 20xx classes and Portishead services were worked by double framed Armstrong "Buffalo" saddle tanks.

Carriage stock included not only GWR vehicles, but also MR, LNWR and S&DJR.

It must have been an interesting sort of place ....................

Best wishes

Eric

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The spherical tank in the photo is an ammonia storage tank behind which was a road/rail weighbridge which I had the task of testing.

And here's said sphere from a different angle, before the rest of the plant was demolished, taken in 2006:

 

post-6668-0-11221000-1345657634_thumb.jpg

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More changes to the railway scene in Bristol... taken a couple of weeks or so ago, as I walked down the slope from Temple Meads to the office, I realised that the old brick office block 'Collett House' had finally been demolished (and not a moment too soon, some might say!):

 

post-57-0-29135900-1338842243.jpg

 

post-57-0-94567500-1338842253.jpg

 

post-57-0-97791100-1338842263.jpg

 

I wonder how many of us on here have had some involvement with that building over the years?

 

I was under the impression that Collett House is the one in the background.

Whatever I hope that what replaces it is in sympathy with Bristol and Exeter House. A wonderful building now that it can be seen.

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I was under the impression that Collett House is the one in the background.

Whatever I hope that what replaces it is in sympathy with Bristol and Exeter House. A wonderful building now that it can be seen.

 

To my eternal (well, 5 mins or so :P ) shame, you are right, Julian, Collett House survives and is there in the background. It was also due for demolition, from what I understood at work, may be able to find out more when I next talk to the property bods on the third floor soon.

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Afew shots around Severn Beach in 1979 or 80. Never been back there since.

post-14048-0-29796900-1345723836_thumb.jpg

post-14048-0-70401300-1345723856_thumb.jpg

post-14048-0-02047900-1345723876_thumb.jpg

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post-14048-0-66948700-1345723925_thumb.jpg

Those were interesting pictures of Severn Beach. The sort of pictures that, looking back now, so nice to see. I often went to Severn Beach in the 1970's and can remember the level crossing and i'm sure i can remember seeing stock stored on the section beyond the station, over the crossing. Also, there used to be a nice miniature railway at Severn Beach that ran around a boating lake. I would guess the railway was probably about 10.25 inch gauge. As a kid, I was fascinated by it and the pointwork that led into an engine/ carriage shed. The boating lake had a cafe situated on a little island that was accessed from a bridge. I think it all closed when the flood defense was built.

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To my eternal (well, 5 mins or so :P ) shame, you are right, Julian, Collett House survives and is there in the background. It was also due for demolition, from what I understood at work, may be able to find out more when I next talk to the property bods on the third floor soon.

The buildings that have been demolished at Temple Meads were Herbert House and the telephone exchange building

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