# Wye Valley Railway Remains, October 2007.



## LiamCH (Oct 11, 2008)

These are a few photographs I took of the Wye valley railway, which opened in 1876 and closed to passenger traffic in 1959. Goods services used the line until 1964, and a few trains ran up to the quarry at Tidenham until 1981. There is not all that much left, although the main points of interest - the tunnels - are still there.

Fact sheet on the line.







Tintern Station, which remains as a museum and Cafe.






Tintern Signalbox.






Tintern Bridge - the iron was sold and now only the butresses remain.






Tintern Tunnel, bricked up in the seventies due to junkies taking up residence there.
















The exit.






A viaduct. You wouldn't even notice you were on it until you look over the side.






Tintern quarry. Because of this, trains still used Tidenham tunnel up until 1981. I'm think the quarry is still open, but no trains pass now.






Tidenham tunnel. I seem to recall that this was about the twentieth longest tunnel in Britain or something like that.
















The huge ventilation shaft.






Calcite had formed in the tunnel.


























I couldn't continue any further, because of the impenetrable undergrowth.


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## smiffy (Oct 11, 2008)

Thats great mate....I went for a visit there this summer and took loads of shots in and around the old quarry sidings.......its incredibly overgrown and rather unique with the tracks still in place even though it ain't been used for nearly 30 years.....
Out of interest ...did you approach that chalet style shed at the old qaurry???? When you get about 30' from it a booming recorded voice says summat like,,,,
" YOU ARE BEING WATCHED !!!!!!!!! MOVE AWAY FROM THE BUILDING!!!!!!!!!!!! MOVE AWAY FROM THE BUILDING!!!!!!!!!".............
...........its a bit reminisent of the 'bad' robot cops voice in Robocop One ........heh heh!..........


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## cardiffrail (Oct 11, 2008)

Lovely set there mate. Not much has changed from when I went there. The tunnel is 1188 yards long (approx 2/3 mile). Would agree with you about the heavy vegetation to the south of Tidenham Tunnel. Back last summer (2007) I attempted to get southwards, clearing vegetation with secateurs. I got about 200m before I gave up. 

Here's some pics

Just south of the Netherhope Bridge (at tunnel south portal)
















Platelayer's hut? 






Woodcrogt Road bridge - seen better days


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## LiamCH (Oct 11, 2008)

smiffy said:


> Out of interest ...did you approach that chalet style shed at the old qaurry???? When you get about 30' from it a booming recorded voice says summat like,,,,
> " YOU ARE BEING WATCHED !!!!!!!!! MOVE AWAY FROM THE BUILDING!!!!!!!!!!!! MOVE AWAY FROM THE BUILDING!!!!!!!!!"............



When did you go there? When I went it was just a boring alarm sound. Maybe they've upgraded it.

Cardiffrail, I like the look of that bridge. What exactly are those things supporting it? They look as if you could just kick them over. I am going back to Tintern this month - perhaps I will attempt to walk further this time.


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## Engineer (Oct 11, 2008)

*Wye Valley Railway*

Is this on the same line?

http://www.forgottenrelics.co.uk/tunnels/mierystock.html


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## cardiffrail (Oct 11, 2008)

No, Mireystock is on the Lydbrook Juction to Lydney route. However that is excellent news about the excavation of the north portal. That must be pretty recent, as when I went, you could just see the top of the stonework. I also met one of the enthusiasts who was working to clear the tunnel when he was doing some stonework at the southern portal. Shame they put the wall up tho.. 

The other tunnels on the Wye valley route are Symonds Yat and Lydbrook / Bicknor. 

Mireystock is on the same route as the Moseley Green and Purton / Severn Bridge tunnels.


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## Engineer (Oct 11, 2008)

*Tunnel.*

Thanks Cardiffrail, I new one of the experts would save me a bit of research,lol.


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## Foxylady (Oct 12, 2008)

Really enjoyed the tour and photos of this site...such a lot to see. Love the viaduct and the Woodcroft road bridge. And there's even a quarry!  Excellent stuff.


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## RichardB (Oct 12, 2008)

Great set of pictures. I don't know why I have such a fascination for abandoned railways. It's amazing how quickly nature takes over. There's a railway locally that was in use until at least the late 1990s, and I think is still officially open, and trees have already taken over large stretches of it.

Coincidentally I'm about to post a set of railway/tunnel pictures too.


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## smiffy (Oct 12, 2008)

cardiffrail said:


> No, Mireystock is on the Lydbrook Juction to Lydney route. However that is excellent news about the excavation of the north portal. That must be pretty recent, as when I went, you could just see the top of the stonework. I also met one of the enthusiasts who was working to clear the tunnel when he was doing some stonework at the southern portal. Shame they put the wall up tho..
> 
> The other tunnels on the Wye valley route are Symonds Yat and Lydbrook / Bicknor.
> 
> Mireystock is on the same route as the Moseley Green and Purton / Severn Bridge tunnels.


*Just a few little corrections...........*
Miereystock tunnel is actually on the Lydbrook junction to Serridge junction line.(serridge junction joins onto the old severn and Wye main line that ran from Lydney to Cinderford)
The Moseley Green tunnel is on a different line....Its on the old Mineral Loop line that ran from Drybrook Road station (further along the main line from serridge junction towards Cinderford) and then it joined back onto the main Severn and Wye line outside of Whitecroft.....................and finally.........
The Severn Bridge line tunnel is on the line from Lydney to Berkeley (crossing the river via the the old bridge)..........
heh heh,,,sorry for correcting ya ...........but I knows my FoD railways pretty good you see.........


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## sheep2405 (Oct 12, 2008)

smiffy said:


> *Just a few little corrections...........*
> Miereystock tunnel is actually on the Lydbrook junction to Serridge junction line.(serridge junction joins onto the old severn and Wye main line that ran from Lydney to Cinderford)
> The Moseley Green tunnel is on a different line....Its on the old Mineral Loop line that ran from Drybrook Road station (further along the main line from serridge junction towards Cinderford) and then it joined back onto the main Severn and Wye line outside of Whitecroft.....................and finally.........
> The Severn Bridge line tunnel is on the line from Lydney to Berkeley (crossing the river via the the old bridge)..........
> heh heh,,,sorry for correcting ya ...........but I knows my FoD railways pretty good you see.........



He He He He He


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## LiamCH (Oct 12, 2008)

RichardB said:


> There's a railway locally that was in use until at least the late 1990s, and I think is still officially open, and trees have already taken over large stretches of it.



Would that be the Watford to Croxley Green railway? I have a few pictures of that - it's amazing how little is left.


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## Engineer (Oct 13, 2008)

*Wye Valley Railway.*

Oh-dear I must consult the maps,lol.

If I remember correctly and I'm thinking about the right line(Watford-Croxley), they removed part of the embankment in the late 90's.


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## RichardB (Oct 13, 2008)

LiamCH said:


> Would that be the Watford to Croxley Green railway? I have a few pictures of that - it's amazing how little is left.



No, it's the Leven to Thornton line.. I'll take my camera next time I walk along it.


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## BANANAVAN (Oct 13, 2008)

smiffy said:


> When you get about 30' from it a booming recorded voice says summat like,,,,
> " YOU ARE BEING WATCHED !!!!!!!!! MOVE AWAY FROM THE BUILDING!!!!!!!!!!!! MOVE AWAY FROM THE BUILDING!!!!!!!!!".............
> ...........its a bit reminisent of the 'bad' robot cops voice in Robocop One ........heh heh!..........




sorry first post but could not help myself.

was it like this ? [ame]http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=BTDDlWtnvSE[/ame]

great pics , i really like sites where the rails are still intact.

I'll go and say hello now .

J


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## sqwasher (Oct 14, 2008)

Nice report & those tunnels look especially good-tracks an all!


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## randomnut (Oct 14, 2008)

Some really interesting shots there. Wouldn't mind visiting there sometime


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## LiamCH (Oct 16, 2008)

You can't see much from the air, but if it's useful to anyone, here is a Flashearth link which is centred on the hut - very near to the start of Tidenham tunnel.

http://www.flashearth.com/?lat=51.677023&lon=-2.656811&z=17.9&r=0&src=msl

And I think I have found the southern portal - facing towards Chepstow. http://www.flashearth.com/?lat=51.663792&lon=-2.650602&z=19.5&r=0&src=msl


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