Lost Railway Walks 13 - The Forest of Dean Part Two - The Wye Valley Railway
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- čas přidán 22. 05. 2024
- I return to the edge of The Forest of Dean in Gloucestershire and follow the line of the Wye Valley Railway to the Welsh Village of Tintern in the beautiful Wye Valley.
NOTE: I mention early on in the video that the 111 sign is a gradient of 1:111. However, I believe it to be a mileage signpost, probably the distance from London Paddington.
#tunnel #railway #gloucestershire
Hi Paul, An excellent video thank you for doing it, I can help you out with the answer to one of your queries, this is somewhat complicated but I will do my best to explain it for you.
Up until the 30th October 1928 there was a Signal Box on Tidenham Station Platform to the left of the station building at 13:17 which made the sections as Wye Valley Junction to Tidenham and Tidenham to Tintern. When Tidenham Signal Box closed from the 31st October 1928 two Ground Frames were brought into use near the points at both the North and South end of the goods loop where they joined the main line. At this point the section became Wye Valley Junction to Tintern.
If a train needed to be stabled in the Goods Loop at Tidenham it would have meant that the line between Wye Valley Junction to Tintern could not be used as only one token for the section could be issued at any one time. The token when inserted into the Ground Frames could then release the levers for the levers to reverse the points to put a train into the Goods Loop, the points when returned to Normal after the train was in the Goods Loop would allow the token to be withdrawn from the Ground Frame.
If the token was then placed into an intermediate token Instrument this would allow a second train to travel between Wye Valley Junction and Tintern, the Item at 15:40 is almost certainly part of one of the intermediate Token Instruments mentioned above.
Tidenham Tunnel was 1190 yards in length whilst Tintern Tunnel was 182 yards in length, when you came out of Tintern Tunnel after about 22 yards you were at the start of the 69 yard river bridge. The Wire Works Branch was taken out of use on the 6th May 1945 as was the Wire Works Ground Frame which was situated 66 yards before the portal you showed of Tintern Tunnel. Regards, Andrew.
Thank you Andrew for your detailed explanation of the description of the line.
You could tell that there was quite a significant site at Tidenham - well before Day House quarry opened in 1968(?).
Thanks for your explaination of what the item was at 15:40 - that's fantastic!!
I will pin your comment to the top.
Always great to hear from you.
Take care,
Paul
@@westcountrywanderings Hi Paul, I have found a little more information for you, it seems that the layout at Tidenham was changed twice after the Signal Box was replaced by the two Ground Frames, on the 20th November 1952 the South Ground Frame (The Wye Valley Junction end) and the Goods Loop were taken out of use. On 13th February 1955 the North Ground Frame and the siding were taken out of use, this ran closest to the Goods Shed and can be seen at 13:17 on the old photograph. From 24th August 1964 the Line between Wye Valley Junction and Tintern Quarry (known as W.G. Turriff Quarry) was worked as a private siding. From 3rd of March 1969 Wye Valley Junction Signal Box was closed and replaced by a Ground Frame, the safety siding for trains approaching Wye Valley Junction off the Branch had a safety Spur to stop and runaways getting onto the Main Line.
I feel quite honored that you think my input was worthy of being pinned, thank you very much. Best Wishes, Andrew.
Yes Paul, I woud agree. The best railway walk yet. Very interesting and something new to discover around every corner. It would have been a beautiful line to ride. Than you.👍
Thank you Daryl!
Yes, I obviously research and plan before I set out to do the walk and film, but this one exceeded my expectations in terms of what was there still to see.
Thanks so much!
Paul
Wow, that was truly one amazing walk!! Good to see that some of the history is left for all to discover! Awesome!!
Thank you so much!
Glad you enjoyed the walk and video.
Yes, I was surprised that there so much of the old line still there to see.
It is a beautiful area too, with much nature to see.
Take care,
Paul
Hi Paul, nice film, when I did it I found the walk trough the tunnel a strange experience, just you your foot fall and the dark. It felt special I thought. Take care. Ron
Thank you Ron!
Yes, I agree! It does feel very special walking through the tunnel.
Glad you enjoyed the video - so good to see the wireworks branch bridge fully restored now.
Hope all is good with you.
Take care and see you tomorrow!
Paul
Hello Paul - greetings from Poland.
What a brilliant video - the best lost railway walk you have ever done in my opinion. The tunnels were very exciting and well worth visiting. What surpised me is that there was something to see nearly all the way along the old line, relating to days gone by. A great shame the line was not preserved following its final closure in 1990.
No idea what the corrugating sheeting was but that odd piece of metal in front of it, looks like one of the parts of the metal support reinforcing frame placed under the next bridge we went under.
Thank you Michael!
Glad you enjoyed it. Yes, there was far more here to see than what I had expected there to be.
I thoroughly enjoyed the walk.
Glad you did too!
Take care,
Paul
Congratulations on being over 3K. That was such an interesting walk. Loved the sounds in the tunnel & Tintern Abbey is a treat.
Thank you so much Faith!
I can't believe I have got to 3,000 people 'following' me now!
Yes, this was a wonderful walk in beautiful weather. You can walk the other way back to make a nice circular walk, but I went the same way so I could do the additional photography/videography that you saw in the video.
Take care,
Paul
A lovely walk along what must surely have been one of the most scenic railways in the UK. Looks a splendidly restored wireworks bridge - much improved from the uneven boards and rusting ironwork when I last visited. Nice to see Tidenham Tunnel is now part of a greenway from Chepstow to Tintern. I remember walking in the early 1980's, from Tintern to Tintern Quarry which had recently been abandoned; the rails and some old machinery were still in situ, though, as I recall, there appeared to be no further access towards the tunnel. It would be nice to think, if future funds and resources allow, Tintern Tunnel might be reopened with a new footbridge bridge across the Wye into Tintern Station. Or is that just wishful thinking? A long walk there and back, but you must have well pleased.
Thank you Malcolm!
Yes, I agree - what a beautiful and scenic line this must have been.
I remember last time I was here how tatty and precarious those boards were on Wireworks Bridge - they have indeed done a fabulous job of restoring it!
Great work has been done here too in restoring Tidenham Tunnel to make it safe for users - it was a true community project.
It would be good to see both Tintern Tunnel and the bridge restored on that as well, but I think that would be too costly, but never say never!
Hope you have a fab weekend!
Cheers,
Paul
Hi Paul nice video and well done on the 3ksubs👌😊😊👌
Thank you Roy!
Glad you enjoyed it - and thanks for your congrats on my 3k subs too.
Hope you are having a good week.
Take care,
Paul
Hi Paul, The corrugated sheet I believe is a spare section of that used inside the tunnel where the air shaft is and the metal section is one of those that support the first bridge that crosses the track whether those sections had a former use I don't know.
The track to the quarry was only lifted four or five years ago and went to the Dean Forest Railway.
Thank you Grant!
Yes, it does look the same type sheet that is used in the tunnel by the air shaft (that was the water dripping onto it that you could hear in the video) - this sheet is hammered down into the ground, and I could make an opening underneath that it was covering up - not sure if it was a tunnel/investigative excavations relating to Day House quarry. There was a large cave further along near Tintern Quarry.
The metal section did look a bit like the support for the bridge, but others have said it may be to do with ground signalling.
Glad the DFR made good use of the spare track panels.
Thanks so much!
Cheers,
Paul
Loved that walk when I was visiting UK two years ago!
It is wonderful isn't it - such a beautiful valley!
Hope all is good in NZ.
Take care,
Paul
Wonderful video- such a pretty area. As you said where tourism first flourished- ‘ picturesque’.
It does look like the item you queried is helping to make up the bridge support at 18.00m. There was a notice on it with a map and writing but whether that sheds any light on that structure’s make up…..
Luckily your pinned commentator was able to explain its function & grant baker explained the corrugated sheet!
It was pleasing to see quite a few people on the Wireworks Bridge.
I am not sure if I could have gone through that tunnel alone!
Thanks Paul
Oh, yes, it was lovely seeing that the Wireworks Bridge has been fully restored now. It was in a rather dilapidated state last time I was there!
It was a little eerie in the tunnel, but not that much - at least no bats came flying towards me!
Thanks so much for a lovely comment!
Take care,
Paul
Hi Paul, That was a great walk, there was so much to see, new things kept popping up all the time.
The tunnel portal looked in excellent condition. The walk through the tunnel must have been very special. Interesting to read Andrew's comment on the token frame at 15:40 as Micheal says it looks like these were used afterwards to support the bridge ..... er ....making use of the things that the everyday folks leave behind 😁😁
I have seen Patrick Dickinson and others do light painting inside old railway tunnels, its an interesting idea that can give good results with flood lighting and long exposure.
Amazing how the track at the start of the video just pokes out of the embankment, you needed to borrow Ron's (abandoned railways) machette to get any further.
Great video, well done. have a great weekend!!
Thank you David!
Glad you enjoyed this walk.
I hesitated in numbering this one 13!! I didn't do that with the Severn Way Series.
Yes, I have done a little light painting with long shutter speeds previously, but in this tunnel they do not allow any additional lighting whatsoever because of the bat population (which I think is significant, and it includes some rare species) and they have CCTV too! That meant it was quite a challenge to get any meaning shots from the inside. I think the grainy b/w worked best in the very, very low light! That said, I didn't see or hear any!
Some of the inside of the tunnel is roughly hewn out of the rock and some is brick lined, but it was impossible for me to see which was where.....There are some great images on the Wye Valley Greenway website though.
Andrew's comments, as ever, are amazing and filled with so much detail!
I enjoyed walking through, indeed I enjoyed the whole walk and my coffee in Tintern by the Abbey as well. It was fairly quiet there - usually heaving with tourists!
Hope you are having a great weekend - I did some photography at the Tall Ships in Gloucester last night - I hope to do something with that and get it into a video. The lighting there was fab!
Take care,
Paul
@@westcountrywanderings Tallships, now we are talking!! I was fortunate to have gone to the Festival of Sea at Portsmouth Dockyard 1998/9 wonderful to see so many at one time. What stands out for me is that they had found the mainsail of HMS Victory (found?) and had it hung up in one of the sheds, an amazing sight.
Hi paul, you may want to try the pontypool - usk - Monmouth railway , theres a lot left at usk, including a girder bridge over the usk - tunnel and goods shed/are
Thank you 👍 Cheers, Paul
metal object looks like a part of a ground signal
Thank you Colin - yes, I think are right 👍.
Great to hear from you.
Cheers,
Paul
Hi Paul that yellow maker post is a 3/4 of a mile post. Great Western type. Graham.
Thanks Graham!
Do you know if the 111 is the mileage from Paddington?
Cheers,
Paul
Hi Paul. Great video as usual. In reply to your question. The three ones indicate 3/4 so you would be three quarters of a mile from the junction with the main line. All mile post read to London Paddington on the western. On a branch line if the line didn't face towards London in other words a trailing junction other than a facing junction then it would read from the junction with the main line. So at that point you were three quarters of a mile from Wye Valley junction. If there had been a 1 over the three ones you would had been a mile and three-quarters.1/111. Paul I think I told you last time I commented that I was a retired engine driver retired in 2007 after fifty years. Being one of only two drivers at Wolverhampton that drove Steam, Diesel, electric and all singing all dancing Pendolenos. If I can be of any assistance at any time feal free to contact me.
Regards Graham.
Hi there. the metal object looks like a shunt signal mounting. caroline
Thank you Caroline!
Yes, I think you could well be right 👍
Cheers,
Paul
hoping to do that walk this summer with a visit to the model shop in tintern. caroline
@@user-cn4rg2bs4p It is a great walk, and you can walk back on the Wye Valley Way (or there is a bus service - every hour I think). Unfortunately, the model shop was closed on the day of my visit, but it is still going. I was hoping to pick up a gift for my daughter in there - she has a huge model railway layout.