19:
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134:
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411:. The GWR used it to trial various innovative schemes to reduce the cost of lightly used passenger services, such as the push-pull system, where driver's controls are provided in a trailer coach, enabling the locomotive to propel its train, eliminating the need for the engine to run round at the end of a run, and so cutting costs. The motor trolley system of maintenance was also adopted. The
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After trains were withdrawn the track was lifted and station buildings either demolished or left unoccupied. The only buildings on the line to have survived until the present day are at
Blagdon station, which is now part of a private residence, and the stationmaster's house at Burrington, although it
394:
Gradients were severe: leaving
Blagdon the line fell at 1 in 75 and then rose at the same gradient, followed by a further downward gradient of 1 in 75. There was then a local summit at Burrington, falling from Langford at 1 in 50. From Wrington to Congresbury the line was broadly level, although with
439:
When the line first opened in 1901, there were four trips a day each way between
Blagdon and Yatton; one trip each way was a mixed passenger and goods service. The first train out of Blagdon in the morning went only as far as Congresbury, and returned to Blagdon from there. Other trains ran through
464:
Freight service continued along the length of the line until 1 November 1950, when the section between
Wrington and Blagdon was closed fully. Coal traffic continued to Wrington until 6 June 1963, and the line closed completely on 10 June 1963; Congresbury itself retained passenger services until
529:
Parliamentary approval had been obtained in 1888 and work started in 1891; the reservoir started to fill in 1899 and was ready in 1903. Four compound beam engines were responsible for the pumping until April 1949 when they were replaced with electric pumps. Source=
355:
The first attempt to build a railway line in this part of North
Somerset took place in 1882 when an Act was obtained (on 18 August) incorporating the Radstock, Wrington & Congresbury Junction Railway, which was to run from Farrington Gurney on the
390:
Lt Col Yorke inspected the line on 28 November 1901, and as he found it satisfactory, the line opened to traffic on 4 December 1901. It was 6 miles 41 chains (10.5 km) long and there were stations at
Wrington, Langford, Burrington and Blagdon.
497:. Much of the planned route between Blagdon and Wrington is in private ownership which presents an obstacle for the route as, apart from the technical issue of who owns which bit of land, there’s a shortage of public money to buy real estate.
371:
c. 48) was passed to enable low-cost local railways to be built, and a line from
Blagdon to Congresbury was promoted. At this time the Bristol Waterworks Company were building a reservoir at Blagdon, and they supported the scheme. The
386:
A public inquiry was held on 20 May 1897; the line was supported by
Bristol Waterworks Company. The Order was confirmed on 18 March 1898, and the Great Western Railway was authorised to finance, construct and work the line.
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took place. Nestlé were managing milk flows from the area at the time, and arranged road lorry collections for the milk traffic. When the strike ended, much of this business stayed on road.
46:
440:
from or to Yatton. In 1910, there were five trains a day in each direction on weekdays only. Until 1915, there was a late trip on
Saturdays from Blagdon to Yatton and return.
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447:
were considered at this time in an effort to match operating costs to income, but the gradients on the line prevented them from operating successfully so they were not used.
454:'s buses. However, this was not successful, and the service returned to the original four trips a day in 1927, until closure to passenger traffic from 14 September 1931.
342:, England. Construction of the line started in 1897 and it opened in 1901. Never more than a purely local line, it closed to passengers in 1931, and completely in 1963.
395:
short sections rising at 1 in 70 and falling at 1 in 60. At
Blagdon there was a spur siding diverging to the right on the approach, serving the Yeo Pumping Station.
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805:
785:
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on the trackbed. North Somerset council has marked the former railway as a future key cycle route in the local plan. The cycle route would connect with the
800:
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experimental oil-fired locomotive of 1901 was also designed for use on this line, but issues with the technology prevented it from coming into service.
39:
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32:
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With light loadings, the service was reduced to three trains a day each way in 1919, but the fourth trip was re-instated in 1921.
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to Congresbury through Wrington. However sufficient capital could not be raised, and the company was dissolved in 1886.
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18:
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reservoir. Construction of the line overran cost and time forecasts. It was constructed and owned by the
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produced a report outlining the possibility of using the old trackbed of the railway for the proposed
383:; there was to be a short branch to Blagdon Waterworks. A statutory enquiry was held on 20 May 1897.
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In 1926, the service was increased again to five trips a day, to respond to competition from the
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425:, the junction for the main line between Bristol and Exeter, and traversed 1.8 miles of the
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The railway's primary purpose was to bring construction materials for the building of the
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436:, where a second platform and much extended track and signalling were provided.
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later in 1963, when it closed with the rest of the Yatton to Witham line.
25:
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478:
376:(GWR) agreed to finance the scheme and manage the actual construction.
331:
184:
95:
422:
17:
618:, volume II, published by the Great Western Railway, London, 1932
418:
Milk traffic was a considerable source of business on the line.
729:"Bristol South West Economic Link - Options Development Report"
762:
Somerset Railway Stations by Mike Oakley, Dovecote Press, 2002
704:"Feature. How far can the Strawberry Line go?"
659:. Newbury: Countryside Books. pp. 78–82.
421:Initially passenger trains generally ran from
40:
8:
507:West of England Local Enterprise Partnership
781:Closed railway lines in South West England
578:
576:
432:The junction for the light railway was at
165:
157:
74:
47:
33:
586:, Oxford Publishing Co., Hersham, 2001,
681:"A Selection of Great Western Stations"
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555:
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379:In 1896, an application was made for a
30:
806:British companies established in 1898
786:Railway companies established in 1898
489:at Congresbury and a future route to
452:Bristol Tramways and Carriage Company
7:
616:History of the Great Western Railway
601:
599:
477:The Strawberry Line Association and
584:Steaming Through the Cheddar Valley
801:Standard gauge railways in England
358:Bristol and North Somerset Railway
133:
14:
605:"Railway Magazine", November 1959
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83:
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334:, and serving villages in the
1:
759:1910 Bradshaw's Railway Guide
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237:
215:
796:Railway lines closed in 1950
791:Railway lines opened in 1901
563:, Oakwood Press, Usk, 2004,
487:Strawberry Line railway walk
683:. The Great Western Archive
561:Wrington Vale Light Railway
429:, that had opened in 1869.
320:Wrington Vale Light Railway
822:
776:Rail transport in Somerset
657:Lost railways of Somerset
511:Bristol Airport Rail Link
501:Bristol Airport Rail Link
289:
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474:has been much extended.
481:have aspirations for a
365:Light Railways Act 1896
736:westofenglandlep.co.uk
23:
708:Strawberry Line Times
409:Great Western Railway
374:Great Western Railway
21:
655:Yorke, Stan (2007).
629:"History of Blagdon"
427:Cheddar Valley Line
381:Light Railway Order
328:Cheddar Valley line
322:was a railway from
197:Wells (Priory Road)
189:Cheddar Valley line
100:Cheddar Valley line
22:The railway in 1962
24:
666:978-1-84674-057-2
569:978-0-85361-620-7
457:In 1926 also the
369:59 & 60 Vict.
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559:Colin G Maggs,
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459:General Strike
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340:North Somerset
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505:In 2016, the
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469:Since closure
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413:GWR 101 Class
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58:Light Railway
56:Wrington Vale
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739:. Retrieved
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711:. Retrieved
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685:. Retrieved
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633:. Retrieved
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405:Blagdon Lake
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351:Construction
319:
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15:
741:20 November
483:cycle route
434:Congresbury
324:Congresbury
143:Congresbury
770:Categories
538:References
445:Railmotors
336:Yeo Valley
269:Burrington
713:11 April
491:Clevedon
479:Sustrans
247:Langford
225:Wrington
754:Sources
687:3 April
635:3 April
399:Traffic
346:History
332:Blagdon
326:on the
291:Blagdon
663:
590:
567:
530:Maggs.
423:Yatton
108:Yatton
67:Legend
732:(PDF)
517:Notes
203:
183:
114:
94:
743:2016
715:2014
689:2009
661:ISBN
637:2009
588:ISBN
565:ISBN
363:The
318:The
493:at
330:to
195:to
106:to
772::
734:.
706:.
645:^
598:^
575:^
546:^
513:.
338:,
745:.
717:.
691:.
669:.
639:.
367:(
48:e
41:t
34:v
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
