Abandoned Railway Station Site Berkeley Nr Sharpness
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 6 ต.ค. 2024
- Last year I did a series of films on the station sites on the Gloucester to Bristol Railway, some still open, some just a memory. I also filmed at Sharpness docks, and whilst studying the map I was reminded that these two projects were linked by a railway, which also had a station on it, ‘Berkeley Station’. Not to be confused with ‘Berkeley Road Station’. I was told at Sharpness that an attempt was being made to uncover the remains and hopefully rebuild it. This film shows my visit to this forgotten relic.
Home to the adventurous subscriber. As well as films we have a bi-weekly Vlog to keep up to date on the previous and next week’s videos, and a chance for all to air their views on a variety of subjects, why not join in.
My passion has been walking, a while ago I was diagnosed with Parkinson’s and walking does not come naturally any more, however the more I walk the easier it gets, for now anyway. I hope these videos will inspire others to keep going and hanging on in there. I try to cover variety of subjects, such as old abandoned railways, and canals. I love the Forest of Dean in Gloucestershire, with its rich history and I usually take my camera whenever we holiday in the southwest and Cornwall. The rugged coastal paths are a magnet for anyone who loves dramatic scenery. I live close to the Cotswolds Hills and have done quite a lot of walking around there, recently, following some of the lovely rivers. Hill walking on the Malvern’s is a challenge but worth the effort. I try not to let Parkinson’s get me down and take every opportunity to get out with my camera and film, I hope you enjoy watching. P.W.
Another good one, Ron. The "site of" the railway station looked like an archaeological dig, and I was expecting Tony Robinson to pop up any minute. Instead all we got was a guy in a funny hat.
Hi Jim, smiling at your comments as usual. I think Robinson has been and gone. Hope the birthday party went well, will you be sending a piece of virtual birthday cake to us all? Ron
It is indeed an interesting sight! Yes, it does very much look like that Jim!
@@ParkinsonsWalks Sorry, Ron, I ate virtually all of it!
Morning Ron, What a wonderful piece of detective work you did to find so much of what once was an extensive railway site. Tony S has outlined today's operations of the site in much better detail than I could ever have done so I will concentrate on what was once there. Berkeley Station opened in 1879 as Double Track two platform station the Down platform (Towards Sharpness) also had a tramway terminating in the middle of the platform rear from Berkeley Vale Dairy which had gone by 1917. There was a second Tramway that came in to the Loading Dock used by F.W. Gilbert LTD which operated under a Private Siding Agreement from the 19th April 1917 but was Terminated on the 19th March 1921 it came in to one side of a Loading Dock the other side of which had a siding off the main line. As far as I can find out the tramways may well have gone over the smaller metal bridge you featured and hence the reason it had a modern railway sign on it.
To the Berkeley Road side of the station was a complex of sidings with a goods shed in the middle of them almost opposite of that was a Signal Box, closed on 26th July 1931. Two Ground Frames replaced the Signal Box coming into operation on the same day the Signal Box closed the North Ground Frame and many of the sidings closed on the 8th of June 1958 with the remainder going in 1963 except the one for BNF LTD the old South Ground Frame was replaced on the 30th January 1979. Berkeley Road was singled on the 26th July 1931 the same day the Signal Box was closed the Section being from Berkeley Loop Junction to Sharpness South Junction until the 7th August 1931 when the Section became Berkeley Road to Sharpness South Junction. Andrew.
Well done Andrew, you have answered all the questions I had regarding the site, brilliant comprehensive research as always. Thanks. Ron
Hi Ron, great to see you made it to Berkeley. The CEGB site is still active despite the closure of both Berkeley and Oldbury power stations. DRS runs double headed Class 68’s there (occasionally a 68 and an 88), from Crewe, mainly Tuesday or Thursday tho not on a weekly basis. They are always timetabled to arrive about 9.30 and depart early afternoon. The reason the tracks are shiny past the station is because the train runs to Sharpness where the locos run around and then returns to Berkeley where they reverse into the facility for unloading/loading.
The train is invariably made up of two PFA flatbeds with four Novapak low level waste nuclear containers. I believe these are loaded with waste from Aldermaston which arrives by road and then returns to Sellafield. As you said the empties are swapped out for refilling.
NB I hope you still have Pilning in your sights?
Best Regards
TonyS
Great info Tony, quite a few people have spotted it and appreciate your input. Thanks for your effort. Ron
Thank you for that additional information! Out of interest, do you know why Berkeley NPS is still creating nuclear waste some 30 years after closure?
@@westcountrywanderings As far as I am aware there is no waste generated at Berkeley nuclear power station nowadays, perhaps I misled you with “the CEGB site”? That siding where the flasks are loaded is called “Berkeley CEGB”, a hangover from days gone by I guess. Regards TonyS
@@dhdove Sorry, I was confused, because you mentioned about the four Novapak containers in your reply that still leave from the site. Why would the nuclear waste go from Aldermaston to Sellafield for reprocessing, via the Berkeley Station site - just seems an odd circuitous route.
@@westcountrywanderings You’re right it does seem a long way round. Transport of low level waste was made by road (in skips would you believe) until 1977 when a decision was made to transfer all levels of waste by rail. Some power stations had dedicated railheads onsite or nearby, like Berkeley. Other sites such as research stations eg Aldermaston, Harwell and so on didn’t, so waste is transported by road in purpose built, insulated containers to the nearest railhead, in this case Berkeley.
The Novapak containers were an update of the older Nupaks and replaced them in 2017 and can transport both low level and intermediate level waste.
Hi Ron. I'm not sure what I like better on your walks, the wonderful scenery and interesting architecture, or the brilliant running commentary with copious sprinkles of wit and wisdom. Luckily we have both. OVM was amused by so many references to "BARKley" Station or Road Station. I think you may have got some low growls out of her. It's great to see a resurrection of the station and it's good to know that there are still builders that are capable of reproducing such iconic style. Thanks Ron...have a good week. The trees are quite colourful here now so I reckon I'll take Sumac for a long walk tomorrow to air her out and enjoy the autumn colours.
Hi James old friend, when I started reading your post I began to wonder if you have been watching the right channel! Good old Sumac. Beautiful time of year, it is just that winter comes next - yuk. Enjoy the walk. Ron
Thank you Roy! This updates the video I did there a while ago rather nicely. The volunteers are really cracking on at the Berkeley Station site now. They have done an amzing job of clearing the track and sidings. I see their progress on Facebook. Thanks so much, take care, Paul.
Thanks Paul, I'll check it out. Ron
Morning Ron. Really enjoyed this one. Gosh some work to do there. 29c seems like quite a nice idea at the moment !
They are very nice people and full of confidence Pete, I'm sure they will reopen one day. Ron
@@ParkinsonsWalks Hi Ron. Do you know about Britainfromabovedotorg ? Its amazing. I had a good look at my
old local area and as I'm reading about Swindon works I thought I'd take a look. Breath taking views of the Factory from many angles taken in 1920. Well worth signing in so the images can be zoomed in. I knew the works was big but not this big
@@petepaine5331 Thanks for the info Pete, I'll take a look. Ron
Morning Ron cheers for posting Must take a look at all the work thats going on and have a mooch at sharpness too. Only a short run down the A 38 from Gloucester.👍👍👍👍
Hi Lee, I like the picnic site near the docks entrance, you can sit there and contemplate whilst looking down the estuary, lovely. Ron
Lots of interesting railway architecture on display in another absorbing video. Let's hope the efforts to restore Berkely station and reopen the line as a heritage railway are successful.
Thanks Malcolm, they were very positive when I spoke to them. Ron
Morning Ron, I love those bridges you found for us. I expect you will be back next summer to keep an eye on progress with the station. With your experience you will be able to point out anything they have got wrong!
I don't know if I have mentioned this before or not (I'm getting old). My Dad worked with Nuclear waste containers. He was part of the building and testing team. They did a lot of testing with 3/4 size models but this just wasn't enough to satisfy some people. That's when they set up the locomotive crash at 100mph into the flask straight into the lid. My Dads boss got on the video that you might find on youtube. His name was John Hart. My Dad was 2 i/c on the crash and didn't quite get on film.
You will be rest assured to know that some of the parts for the flasks were made at Rover in Oxford on a sunday. We used to have some of the lid bolts round the back of our house when I was 17. They were as thick as your forearm! I'd hate to see the spanner!
Wonderful memories Simon, the film of the crash is amazing, I bet it made a loud bang. Keep swinging. Ron
Great adventure, as always, with notable railway architecture thrown in. There will be those who doubt whether heritage trains will ever call at Berkeley or Sharpness and will be convinced that the Head Office/dodgy caravan is an indication of just how lost a cause this is. They should be reminded that heritage railway enthusiasts have been performing miracles for generations. This is another one that just happened to start a bit later. Winchcombe and Broadway on the GWSR looked just like this site 30 years ago, which modern visitors will find hard to believe. Berkeley has one key advantage that the early GWSR lacked - track and maintained trackbed. The very best of luck to them.
Hi Philip, they have already spoken to Network Rail about taking it over with shared use. I wish them well, although how they are managing at the moment in the financial chaos I don't know. take care. Ron
Yes I did enjoy that one, Ron
Brilliant Michael, Ron
Hi Ron. Currently sitting here nursing a couple of broken ribs in my back after a fall. Thanks for keeping me entertained as I'm pretty immobile at the moment! Andrew has done his usual thorough history of the sire, so little left for me to add really. Take care, Trev.
Hi Trev, sorry to hear of your accident, broken ribs are painful I believe, even when you just take a deep breath. Hope you soon get comfortable ad start to mend. We will all be thinking of you. Get well soon. Ron
Hi Trev, Sorry to read you have had a fall and sustained broken ribs, I hope you will soon be back to full health. Andrew
Ron, why did you keep barking? Did I miss something? Don't worry, you're safe with me virtually by your side! Could you pack me some roast beef next time please? I'm not sure how you make it so far on your walks without treats...Thanks Ron. Sumac OVM
Hi Sumac, I take it you are not keen on cheese and pickle then. Enjoy taking James for walks. Ron
So nice to see a bit of railway history being reborn, Ron. It’s usually the other way round. A very impressive rail bridge too. A very enjoyable adventure, well done. Take care, Ron
Thanks Ron, we old codgers do what we can. Stay well. Ron
Hi Ron, hope you didnt get back home glowing red, I think you need to go with a hat, sun cream ........ and a Geiger Counter!!
Some lovely stonework on the station house and on the skewed bridge. I couldnt get to the bottom of the little bridge even on Railmaps online, I'm sure someone on here will know!!
One answer to the bridge viaduct conumdrum might be ..... In Spain Bank Holidays fall on specific dates and although the government wants to get them aligned to the weekends they resist, so this last wednesday 12th was Spains National Day. Now if they fall on a Thursday or Tuesday then this is known as a puente (a bridge) as most people will take the Friday or Monday off as well. Now at the start of December both the 6th (Constitution Day) and the 8th (Immaculate Conception) are bank holidays and it just so happens that this year they fall on the Tuesday and Thursday so if your boss is willing you can take a viaducto (a viaduct) and have the whole week off!!
Good luck from Spain!!
Hi David, Andrew has the answer as usual. That holiday arrangement sounds complicated from here. I guess you get used to it. The nights are getting longer Brrrrrrrrrrr. Ron
@@ParkinsonsWalks Just as I thought it was safe to go out, Paul and Rebecca have published a video with an accomodation crossing in it ... and it's locked!!
@@davidberlanny3308 No surprise there then David, I had the same problem a few weeks ago on a country road. No phone, no instructions just a locked gate. Grrrrrrr. Ron
Good morning Ron. That was straight out of the Alfred Hitchcock playbook with a double ‘buzz’ on the soundtrack when discussing nuclear flasks. It did make me chuckle. Your staggeringly knowledgable viewers typically fleshed out some fascinating extra detail. They can maybe answer my question as to whether the Hinkley B waste, via Bridgwater, is also taken to the site? If so, will Hinkley C also be part of the same plan?
Hi Rodney, Bridgewater has it’s own nuclear flask loading sidings near the station, the waste from there travels direct to Sellafield, again by DRS (Direct Rail Services) who operate all nuclear related trains in the U.K. I assume when it (eventually) comes online all Hinckley C waste will travel via Bridgwater also. TonyS
@@dhdove Hi TonyS. Many thanks for the information.
Tony, you are a star. Ron
@@dhdove I'm not aware of any plans for Hinkley Point C to ship flasks to Sellafield. I believe it will follow the practice already used at Sizewell B, where used fuel is stored on site. A new Dry Fuel Store was recently opened at Sizewell for that and I believe HPC will get a similar facility too.
@@derekp2674 Thanks for that info Derek, I didn’t realise that.
Hello Ron - greetings from Poland
That was very interesting. Superb bridges, viaducts and foot bridges. Great history. Good Luck to the volunteers trying very hard to bring the station back to life.
I'm sure Andrew will give us chapter and verse on what we looked at. Thank you Tony for all the information about the current use of the site at Berkeley. The Parkinson's Walks family always come up with loads of very interesting information facts. Fantastic video. I hope you're not radio active! Love to you and Pauline - stay safe old friend.
Hi Michael, I glow in the dark since making this film. Should I be worried? Love from us both. Ron
Hello Ron. Your visit to the Berkeley railway site was very interesting. It would have been nice to see the station many years ago, long before it was a nuclear flask site. are there any stations still in and around the area. It would take a lot of time and money and manpower to transform the site into a heritage railway. It can be done, but in this time we are living thru ,with all the problems we are facing at the moment, could it still happen I really wish it could. maybe one day.
Hi Martin, there is a mothballed station at Charfield, I covered it in my Gloucester to Bristol series. Hope it is still there. Ron
Nice bit of filming there Ron. That old track I assume is still in use? Where does it go? I heard you mention nuclear flasks. Is it still used for that? If they are going to make a heritage line, then they have a lot of work to do. 29c? A bit too warm for me I fear. I'm glad you didn't get arrested for trespassing.
Hi Both, the line continues into Sharpness docks and once went over the Severn rail bridge into Wales. Yes, it is still used for nuclear waste !!. Take care. Ron
The Vale of Berkeley Railway were supposed to have three Midland signal boxes from the upgraded Nottingham to Lincoln line,they're still in situ because they Can't raise the money to remove and transport them.
They are a little off the beaten track, perhaps that affects their fund raising. Ron
@@ParkinsonsWalks
Probably,Network Rail will only hang on to them for so long before they'll say "they're only fit for demolition".
Perhaps Toddington could let them have the old Gloucester MR California Crossing Box ?