Railways around Bridgnorth

rogerfarnworth · 15 Feb 2023

I have spent some time at the beginning of 2023 finding out as much as I can about the railways which served collieries either side of the River Severn and which were served by the Severn Valley Railway.

Years before the Severn Valley Railway was constructed tramroads brought coal and othe mine arisings down the the river for distribution around the country. The Tramroad served wharves on the river and Severn Trows took the load downstream.

This first article is about the Billingsley Plateway. .....

Railways Around Bridgnorth – Part 1

The Billingsley Plateway Highley, and the area immediately around, it has a long industrial history and the remains of numerous railways and tramways can be seen today. At the end of the 18th centu…

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778 · 16 Feb 2023

There was a coal mine at Kinlet Colliery (about half way between Arley and Highley). A siding used to branch off from the main line for a few hundred metres to reach the colliery. The branch was controlled by a small signal box.

Also (more well known), there used to be coal mines at Highley and Alveley.

chris_in_salop · 16 Feb 2023

Maybe not relevant, but over the years there were many different routes proposed for a line between Bridgnorth and Wolverhampton.

rogerfarnworth · 17 Feb 2023

778 said:
There was a coal mine at Kinlet Colliery (about half way between Arley and Highley). A siding used to branch off from the main line for a few hundred metres to reach the colliery. The branch was controlled by a small signal box.

Also (more well known), there used to be coal mines at Highley and Alveley.

Thank you.

I have just finished a second article which I will post as time allows which covers all these collieries and, apart from Alveley, the standard guage lines which served them. Alveley had sidings and it's screens adjacent to the Severn Valley Railway on the West side of the river. The colliery (on the East side) was, for much of its life linked to the screens by an incline which crooked a bridge over the river. This was later replaced by an aerial ropeway.

The Kinlet branch was served by the same box as Billingsley after its standard gauge line was constructed, both collieries using the same sidings.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 17 Feb 2023 ==

chris_in_salop said:
Maybe not relevant, but over the years there were many different routes proposed for a line between Bridgnorth and Wolverhampton.

Yes, I am still focussing on the Telford, Bridgnorth and Ironbridge areas at the moment. Too much good stuff to look at!

P Binnersley · 17 Feb 2023

You may be interested in the RA Cooke series of historical track diagrams. Section 32 covers East Shropshire.

rogerfarnworth · 27 Feb 2023

Railways Around Bridgnorth again. .....

South of Bridgnorth in the valley of the River Severn were a series of collieries and associated sidings:

Alveley Sidings and Alveley Colliery with a private railway/aerial ropeway;
Highley Station;
Highley Colliery & Sidings;
The Billingsley Railway & Collery; and
Kinlet Colliery and Sidings.

These locations were all within the Wyre Forest Coalfield. All were connected to the GWR Severn Valley Railway (SVR). This next article looks at each of these locations in turn: