Lydney Town railway station

Lydney Town railway station is a railway station on the Dean Forest Railway in Lydney in Gloucestershire.

Lydney Town
Station on heritage railway
LocationLydney, Forest of Dean
England
Coordinates51.72578°N 2.53214°W / 51.72578; -2.53214
Grid referenceSO633031
Operated byDean Forest Railway
Platforms1
History
Original companySevern and Wye Railway
Key dates
23 September 1875opened
26 October 1960passenger service suspended
November 1964officially closed
22 April 2001reopened

History
A 1911 RCH map of railways in the vicinity of Lydney Town

The station which is situated in the centre of Lydney opened with rather basic facilities on 23 September 1875, these facilities were later upgraded in 1897.[1]

The station is located at 8 miles 75 chains from Berkeley Road, located at exactly 1 chain to the north of the station is the High Street level crossing (officially called "Lydney Town Crossing").[2]

The station's proximity to the main road through Lydney proved to be a problem throughout the station's life as shunting in the nearby yard and in the station caused delays to road and foot traffic.

A footbridge was constructed in 1904 in order to reduce the delays to foot traffic.[3]

The metal supports for the footbridge and the old platform foundations can still be carefully made out in the undergrowth on the East side of the line between the new platform and the level crossing.[4]

All passenger services north of Lydney Town ceased in 1929. The passenger services from Lydney Town to Berkeley Road survived until the destruction of the Severn Railway Bridge in October 1960 when passenger services were suspended.[5] The station was officially closed in November 1964.

The Dean Forest Railway started operating services over Lydney Town Crossing and past the site of the former Lydney Town Station to St Mary's Halt (which was then known as Lydney Lakeside) in 1991.

Lydney Town Station was then rebuilt (on a re-aligned track profile due to the amount of urban development and the widening of the High Street) and the subsequently reopened on 22 April 2001.[6]

Services
Preceding station   Disused railways   Following station
Lydney Junction
Station restored		   Severn and Wye Railway
(Later MR and GWR)		   Whitecroft
Station restored
  Heritage railways
St Mary's Halt   Dean Forest Railway   Norchard

See also

References
  1. Butt, R.V.J. (1995). The Directory of Railway Stations. Yeovil: Patrick Stephens Ltd. p. 151. ISBN 1-85260-508-1. R508.
  2. Berkeley Road to Whitecroft - Gradients. British Railways. 1950. Sheet No. 151.
  3. "Lydney Town". Forest of Dean Railways. Archived from the original on 21 August 2020. Retrieved 26 August 2020.
  4. "E6001 passes over Lydney town crossing (the old station foundations are visible in the foreground)". Flickr. Retrieved 10 June 2012.
  5. David, Gareth. "Gloucestershire steam in the 1960s". Railway World. Archived from the original on 26 August 2020. Retrieved 26 August 2020.
  6. "Dean Forest Railway History". Dean Forest Railway. Archived from the original on 15 December 2011. Retrieved 10 June 2012.
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