2020

SO6906 : Unused railway embankment

taken 4 years ago, near to Blakeney, Gloucestershire, England

Unused railway embankment
Unused railway embankment
The Forest of Dean Central Railway was intended to capture much of the lucrative freight traffic generated by the industry of the Forest of Dean. It was, however, founded on a pretty shaky financial footing and predicated on a level of traffic which either never really existed or was snapped up by the FoDCR's rival, the Severn & Wye. The line was intended to run from a purpose-built dock at Brimspill on the banks of the Severn Estuary near Awre, to Foxes Bridge Colliery near Speech House in the Forest of Dean. Ultimately, the line only ever made it as far north as New Fancy Colliery (and then only for four years or so); even though the trackbed northwards was prepared, track was never laid on it. Likewise at the southern end, earthworks for the line to Brimspill dock (and possibly for the dock itself) were built but track was never laid: instead, a junction with the South Wales Railway was built. The FoDCR was not, by any stretch of the imagination, a success, and there's something poignant about the idea of these earthworks, symbolising the hopes and dreams of the holders of the FoDCR's worthless shares, still bearing mute testimony to the plans of the doomed company over 150 years later. This was taken looking towards the intended site of Brimspill dock.

Creative Commons Licence [Some Rights Reserved]   © Copyright John Winder and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence.
Geographical Context: Railways Derelict, Disused Place: Awre Primary Subject: Embankment other tags: Awre Junction Forest of Dean Central Railway Unused Embankment Old Railway Embankment Earthworks Click a tag, to view other nearby images.
This photo is linked from: Automatic Clusters: · Forest of Dean Central Railway [3] · Junction with the South Wales Railway [2] · Runs [2] ·
1:50,000 Modern Day Landranger(TM) Map © Crown Copyright
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1:50,000 Modern Day Landranger(TM) Map © Crown Copyright
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Grid Square
SO6906, 9 images   (more nearby 🔍)
Photographer
John Winder   (more nearby)
Date Taken
Thursday, 4 June, 2020   (more nearby)
Submitted
Tuesday, 9 June, 2020
Subject Location
OSGB36: geotagged! SO 6914 0696 [10m precision]
WGS84: 51:45.6280N 2:26.9118W
Camera Location
OSGB36: geotagged! SO 6911 0696
View Direction
EAST (about 90 degrees)
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Image Type (about): geograph 
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