The first Severn Bridge.

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Evening All,

 

Many younger people today are probably quite unaware that there was once a railway bridge across the River Severn quite a bit further upstream than the present day road bridges.  I recently came across some pictures of it in 1964, four years after it was closed by a pair of fuel barges hitting one of the 22 pillars and causing two of the sections to collapse. 

 

I was there on a railtour run by the Railway Enthusiasts' Club which covered what was left of the lines in the Forest of Dean.  This included a visit to the Severn Railway Bridge.  The train, made up of brakevans, was not allowed onto the bridge itself, but stopped short at the end of the bridge.  Probably in what was Severn Bridge station.  The tour participants were permitted to walk out onto the bridge as far as the gap.   

 

I have put the pictures on Flickr and if anyone would like to see them, this is the first one :

 

R1611.  Severn Railway Bridge. 20th June,1964. by Ron Fisher, on Flickr

 

Clicking on the picture will enlarge it and take you to the others.

 

[Judge Dread]

More info to this sad story can be found here.