Difference between revisions of "Bewdley"

Revision as of 19:10, 9 May 2016

Bewdley station

Southern approach to Bewdley

The station

Bewdley station has three platforms and was formerly the junction for both the Wyre Forest and Stourport lines, both of which are now used as sidings.

The station is controlled by two signal boxes, Bewdley South and Bewdley North. The section through platforms 1 and 2 is the only double track section of the present SVRSevern Valley Railway. This is worked under Absolute Block regulations.

The yard at Bewdley is home to the Carriage and Wagon department which supplements the Carriage Repair Department at Kidderminster and maintains the fleet of goods wagons. The 4150 Fund are also restoring GWRGreat Western Railway locomotive 4150 in Bewdley yard. Public access to the yard is available during the annual Open House Weekend and the Peep Behind the Scenes event, organised by the 4150 Fund.

Bewdley MPD is home to the Class 108 DMU. Other operational locomotives are also stabled at Bewdley, running light engine to Kidderminster at the start and end of each day as required.

Bewdley Platform 1 is home to the Volunteer Liaison Office.

Facilities

Bewdley has limited public pay and display parking. There is a buffet adjacent to Platform 1. Three sales coaches run by support groups are adjacent to the car park.

Points of interest

Booking hall

The booking hall had been ‘modernised’ by BRBritish Rail or British Railways with tall ticket windows and plywood facing. The plywood was removed in winter 1980-81 to reveal the original GWRGreat Western Railway panelling. At the same time the smaller windows were reinstated and fitted with brass wired grids acquired from the old Birmingham Snow Hill station. The balustrades in front of the windows also came from Snow Hill^[1].

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  Ticket window and balustrade

Phone box

The phone box outside the station is an example of the K4 type, introduced in 1930. The K4, nicknamed the Vermillion Giant, was a combined telephone and post box. Only 50 were ever produced.^[2]

The box is Grade II listed by Historic England and described as "Intact but not on original site".^[3] It arrived on the SVRSevern Valley Railway in winter 1981-82 on permanent loan from the Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust^[4] and was originally situated on Platform 1.^[5].

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  Phone box at Bewdley

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  Rear view of phone box

Footbridge

A covered wooden footbridge at the northern end of the station allows access between Platform 1 and Platforms 2&3. It is numbered bridge 10.

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  Bewdley station footbridge

Water towers

Two water towers at the southern end of Platforms 2&3 and in the MPDMotive Power Depot area allow watering of locomotives. The tower on the island platform is of GWRGreat Western Railway origin and was recovered from Stow Heath yard, Bilston in 1969. The tower next to the MPDMotive Power Depot is of LNWRLondon & North Western Railway origin and was retrieved from Hadley, near Wellington, in October 1972^[6]. Both columns were installed during the winter of 1973-74^[7]. Unlike at Bridgnorth and Kidderminster, the water supply at Bewdley is not specially treated, and so the columns are only used on rare occasions such as galas.

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  Water towers at Bewdley station

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  Water towers as viewed from the platform

Island platform canopy

Platforms 2&3 share a canopy, built in 1878, giving passengers protection from the weather. The canopy, featuring timber frames on cast iron pillars was extended around 1900 with the new section supported on steel frames.

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  Bewdley station from the footbridge, showing the island canopy

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  An up train in platform 2 in April 1962 (PG Hindley)

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  Bewdley island platform canopy shortly after completion of refurbishment in April 2016

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  Underside view of the canopy showing the two different methods of construction

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  Underside view of the canopy showing the two different methods of construction

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  Bewdley station clock, installed in 1977 ex Stourbridge Junction Station

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  The canopy was refurbished using materials from the old Snow Hill station.

Gent's urinal

An open roofed cast iron gentlemen's urinal is located on Platforms 2&3. This was relocated from Melrose in Scotland by SVRSevern Valley Railway volunteers and formally opened in September 1977. See 'Links' below for two copyrighted images of the urinal at Melrose.

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  Bewdley gents urinal

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  Bewdley gents urinal detail

Portable water tank

A portable water tank with hand powered pump was used for the refilling of carriage water tanks.

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  Portable water tank

Token catcher

The token catcher opposite Bewdley North signal box was originally located opposite Bewdley South signal box, where it could be used by locomotives on the former Stourport Branch. It was moved to its present location during the 1974-75 close season^[8]. It is not currently in use, tokens instead being exchanged by hand.

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  Token catcher opposite Bewdley North signal box

Bewdley history before preservation

Bewdley station in 1963 (Geograph)

• 1862 Bewdley has a population of 2900^[9] (Population; 10869 in 2001)^[10]
• 1862: When the Severn Valley Line opened, Bewdley was a crossing point and was deemed a principal station, being provided with a goods shed and goods yard. Construction of the Tenbury and Bewdley Railway and the Kidderminster Loop Line had already been authorised, and the station was always planned to be a junction.
• 1877: In preparation for the delayed opening of the Kidderminster Loop, authorisation was given to enlarge the island platform and provide a shelter and footbridge. New Bewdley North and Bewdley South signal boxes were also built.
• 1878: The Kidderminster Loop opened on 1 June.
• 1900: Authorisation was given for additional siding space including the Rock Siding at the back of Platform 3 and the siding along the far side of the yard.
• 1962: Passenger services to Tenbury ceased on 29 July (services beyond Tenbury to Woofferton had ended a year earlier).
• 1963: Passenger services towards Shrewsbury ceased on 9 September, with through freight services ending at the end of November. The Public Notice announcing closure of the line can be seen behind the ‘Platform 1’ sign in the photograph to the right (a copy of the closure notice is on display in The Engine House).
• 1964: Goods services ended on the Tenbury Branch and the line was closed.
• 1965: The goods yard closed on 1 February.
• 1969: All goods traffic north of Bewdley ceased with the closure of Alveley Colliery. This enabled the SVRSevern Valley Railway Society to rent the former goods-shed and yard (even though they had not yet opened the first section of the railway between Bridgnorth and Hampton Loade by that time). This space was used for restoration of locomotives and rolling stock, 4566 and 1501 being among the earliest residents.
• 1970: Passenger services to Kidderminster and Hartlebury ended on 5 January, ending the pre-preservation use of Bewdley Station. 

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  An up goods passes Bewdley in April 1962 (PG Hindley)

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  Bewdley Station in 1898

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  Aerial view of Bewdley in 1930

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  Aerial view of Bewdley in 1952

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  A train waits to depart Northbound from Platform 1 in October 1959 (Sellick Collection)

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  An ex-GWRGreat Western Railway DMUDiesel Multiple Unit arrives at Bewdley in October 1962 (Sellick Collection)

See also

References

1. ↑ SVRSevern Valley Railway News 59
2. ↑ RedPhoneBox.info
3. ↑ Historic England listing entry for the phone box
4. ↑ SVRSevern Valley Railway News 62
5. ↑ SVRSevern Valley Railway News 66
6. ↑ SVRSevern Valley Railway News 29
7. ↑ SVRSevern Valley Railway News 31
8. ↑ SVRSevern Valley Railway News 36
9. ↑ Handbook to the Severn Valley Railway, J. Randall, 1863
10. ↑ 2001 census

Links

Bewdley Station web site
Volunteer Liaison Office web site
Image of "Melrose, Railway Station, urinal View from W" 8/4/1974
Image of "Interior of cast-iron urinal at Melrose Railway Station, Melrose, Roxburghshire", n/d