Speech House Road railway station
Speech House Road | |
|---|---|
| General information | |
| Location | Gloucestershire |
| Owned by | GWR and MR |
| Line(s) | Severn and Wye Railway |
| Platforms | 1 |
| Key dates | |
| September 1875 | Opened |
| 12 August 1963 | Closed |
Speech House Road railway station is a disused railway station opened by the former Severn and Wye Railway in 1875, it remained open for 88 years until the line finally closed to freight in 1963. Passenger services ceased north of Lydney in 1929.
All passenger trains along the former Severn and Wye Railway were withdrawn from 1929.[1]
History
The station was built by the Severn and Wye Railway which ran from Berkeley Road, over the Severn Railway Bridge between Sharpness and Lydney, following the route of the River Lyd to Parkend and finally onto Cinderford.
The station was situated on the south side of the Speech House Road (now the B4226).
The station consisted of one platform with a small building, a passing loop, a signal box opposite the platform building, next to the road crossing. It also had a small goods yard with a facilities for coal, timber and general freight, the station being home to a wooden derrick crane.[2]
The Seven and Wye Railway opened the station as a halt in 1875. The facilities were then expanded by 1878. Cannop Colliery closed in 1960, removing most of the freight traffic that passed through the facilities. In 1963 the line was closed north of Coleford Junction.[3]
The only remains of the station today is part of the track bed (which is in use as a cycle track), a rail and sleeper name board marks the location of the platform (and the altitude at 78m) and a pair of false wooden crossing gates - marking where the cycle track crosses the B4226.[4]
Future & Preservation
 | This section possibly contains unsourced predictions, speculative material, or accounts of events that might not occur. Information must be verifiable and based on reliable published sources. (August 2012) |
The Dean Forest Railway (a preserved Heritage/Tourist railway line, located close by), plans to extend a further 2 and a half miles in length to the station site itself, to whom see's the line go direct to the nearby Beechenhurst Visitor Attraction close by.
Also making Speech House Road, the current terminus of the line til further notice.
Services
| Preceding station | Disused railways | Following station | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bicslade Wharf | Severn and Wye Railway (Later MR and GWR) |
Serridge Platform |
References
- ^ Stanley C Jenkins, The Ross, Monmouth and Pontypool Road Line, revised second edition 2009, ISBN 978-0-85361-692-4
- ^ "Speech House Road in 1922". Flickr. Retrieved 10 June 2012.
- ^ "Forest of Dean Railways - Speech House Road". Retrieved 10 June 2012.
- ^ "Speech House Road in 2010". Flickr. Retrieved 10 June 2012.