06:29

Welcome to Railway Forum!
Welcome!

Thank you for finding your way to Railway Forum, a dedicated community for railway and train enthusiasts. There's a variety of forums, a wonderful gallery, and what's more, we are absolutely FREE. You are very welcome to join, take part in the discussion, and post your pictures!

Click here to go to the forums home page and find out more.
Click here to join.


Go Back   Railway Forum > General Railway Discussion > Narrow Gauge

Forest of Dean Railways and Tramways

Reply
 
Thread Tools
  #1  
Old 25th February 2018, 23:13
RogerFarnworth RogerFarnworth is offline  
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2018
Location: Ashton-under-Lyne
Posts: 505
Forest of Dean Railways and Tramways

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 vague 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://rogerfarnworth.wordpress.com...lydney-harbour



Last edited by RogerFarnworth; 26th February 2018 at 07:58.
Reply With Quote
  #2  
Old 25th February 2018, 23:33
RogerFarnworth RogerFarnworth is offline  
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2018
Location: Ashton-under-Lyne
Posts: 505
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.com...d-wye-tramroad

Last edited by RogerFarnworth; 25th February 2018 at 23:38.
Reply With Quote
  #3  
Old 26th February 2018, 07:54
RogerFarnworth RogerFarnworth is offline  
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2018
Location: Ashton-under-Lyne
Posts: 505
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 t was the centre of some major forest industries which were heavily served by tramways. The first image on the blog below ius a map of the tramways at Park end in its prime as an industrial centre in the Forest.

https://rogerfarnworth.wordpress.com...forest-of-dean
Reply With Quote
  #4  
Old 26th February 2018, 13:46
RogerFarnworth RogerFarnworth is offline  
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2018
Location: Ashton-under-Lyne
Posts: 505
There was a significant network of tramroads close to Parkend in the Forest of Dean.

https://rogerfarnworth.wordpress.com...dikes-tramways
Reply With Quote
  #5  
Old 26th February 2018, 21:20
boilersuit's Avatar
boilersuit boilersuit is offline  
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: Moved again! Back in Kent!!
Posts: 1,213
Images: 99
I've visited the Forest of Dean a few times and soon became fascinated by the complex history of the area. A most interesting part of the world from the railway point of view.
Reply With Quote
  #6  
Old 26th February 2018, 22:41
RogerFarnworth RogerFarnworth is offline  
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2018
Location: Ashton-under-Lyne
Posts: 505
It is. And there is plenty of literature on the railways in the area. I have enjoyed reading about a particular length of line and then being able to walk the route and discover industrial archeology along the way.
Reply With Quote
  #7  
Old 27th February 2018, 10:14
RogerFarnworth RogerFarnworth is offline  
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2018
Location: Ashton-under-Lyne
Posts: 505
We will probably end up retiring to the Welsh Marches which will put me close enough to the forest to allow me to indulge this interest. I also am developing a model of Hereford in my loft in N Gauge, and have an interest in the metre-gauge railways of Provence a place we continue to visit annually. I have been exploring some of these things on this forum.

Hereford: http://www.railwayforum.net/showthread.php?t=15949
Provence: http://www.railwayforum.net/showthread.php?t=15943
Nice Trams: http://www.railwayforum.net/showthread.php?t=15953

Beware, I have found the metre-gauge railways and tramways of Provence to be quite an additive interest!

Roger
Reply With Quote
  #8  
Old 27th February 2018, 20:12
RogerFarnworth RogerFarnworth is offline  
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2018
Location: Ashton-under-Lyne
Posts: 505
This may be old hat to readers of this site but here is a post on New Fancy Colliery in the Forest of Dean ....

https://rogerfarnworth.wordpress.com...nd-it-railways
Reply With Quote
  #9  
Old 27th February 2018, 20:14
RogerFarnworth RogerFarnworth is offline  
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2018
Location: Ashton-under-Lyne
Posts: 505
Moseley Green Tramways

https://rogerfarnworth.wordpress.com/2017/09/27/moseley-green-tramways"]https://rogerfarnworth.wordpress.com/2017/09/27/moseley-green-tramways
Reply With Quote
  #10  
Old 13th March 2018, 18:25
RogerFarnworth RogerFarnworth is offline  
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2018
Location: Ashton-under-Lyne
Posts: 505
In the last few days I have been looking at the route of the Forest of Dean Tramway which was a major innovation in its day. Haie Hill Tunnel which was built for it in the very early 19th Century was for a short while the longest tunnel in the world. It was also one of the earliest tunnels built.

The tramway linked significant industrial concerns in the Forest of Dean with the Severn Estuary at Bullo Pill. The owners of the tramway were also behind the first serious attempt to tunnel under the Estuary.

https://rogerfarnworth.wordpress.com...f-dean-tramway
Reply With Quote
Reply


Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)
 
Thread Tools

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is Off
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump


All times are GMT +1. The time now is 06:29.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.4
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.