Clifton Extension Railway

v t e Railways in the Bristol area
Legend
Cross Country Route Thornbury branch line Yate South Wales Main Line New Passage Pier Westerleigh Junction New Passage Halt Cross Hands Halt South Wales Main Line via Severn Tunnel Pilning Severn Beach Coalpit Heath Severn View Industrial Park Winterbourne Chittening Industrial Estate Bristol Parkway Patchway Smoke Lane Industrial Estate Ram Hill Colliery Chittening Platform Hallen Halt Avonmouth Docks Henbury St Andrews Road Charlton Halt Avonmouth (BPR&P) North Filton Platform Avonmouth (Royal Edward) Stoke Gifford depot Avonmouth Docks Westerleigh Goods Depot Avonmouth Avonmouth Light Railway Filton Junction Avonmouth Docks Filton Portway Park & Ride Filton Abbey Wood Shirehampton Horfield Sea Mills Ashley Hill Clifton Down Tunnel Mangotsfield (1845–1869) Clifton Down Mangotsfield (1869–1966) Redland Staple Hill Montpelier Fishponds Hotwells Halt Warmley Hotwells Narroways Hill Junction Stapleton Road sidings Grey line represents Stapleton Road boundary of Bristol Oldland Common unitary authority area Avon Valley Railway Lawrence Hill Waste depot Bitton Bristol St Philip's Barton Hill Depot St Mary Redcliffe tunnel Avon Riverside Bristol Temple Meads Bristol Temple Meads Princes' Wharf Kelston Bristol Harbour Railway St Philip's Marsh T&RSMD SS Great Britain East Depot Bristol Docks (North) Bedminster Bristol Docks (South) Parson Street CREATE Centre Mangotsfield to Bath line South Liberty Lane Depot Ashton Gate St Anne's Park Clifton Bridge Brislington Nightingale Valley Halt Long Ashton Ham Green Halt Bristol–Exeter line Pill Whitchurch Halt Portbury shipyard Keynsham Royal Portbury Dock Bristol & North Somerset Rly Portbury Shipyard Saltford Portbury Great Western Main Line (1954–1964) Portishead Weston, Clevedon and Portishead Light Railway (1879–1954) Portishead Portishead Pier

The Clifton Extension Railway was a joint railway in Bristol, owned by the Great Western Railway (GWR) and the Midland Railway (MR) companies.

Description of line

The railway ran from a junction with the GWR at Narroways Hill, just north of Stapleton Road railway station, to Avonmouth Docks. The branch was joined at Ashley Hill junction, just beyond Narroways Hill, by a line which left the Midland main line at Kingswood Junction, south-west of Fishponds station.

The first section of line through Montpelier to Clifton Down opened on 1 October 1874. The greatest engineering feature of the branch was a mile-long tunnel underneath Clifton Down. The section through the tunnel from Clifton Down station to Sneyd Park Junction, where it connected to the Bristol Port Railway, opened to goods traffic in 1877 and to passenger trains on 1 September 1885.^[1]

Legal history

Originally the railway was promoted by the Bristol Port Railway and Pier Company, incorporated under the Bristol Port Railway and Pier Act of 17 June 1862. In 1871 the railway was transferred to the Great Western and Midland railway companies jointly, under the Great Western and Midland railway companies (Clifton and Bristol) Act of 25 May 1871, and the Midland Railway (Additional Powers) Act of 25 July 1890. The line was administered by the Clifton Extension Railway Joint Committee until 1894, and from then the Great Western and Midland Railways Joint Committee.^[2]

Recent history

v t e Severn Beach Line detail
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South Wales Main Line Pilning Cross Hands Halt River Severn New Passage Pier New Passage Halt Severn Tunnel South Wales Main Line Station Road Severn Beach A403 Severn Road Border of Bristol Henbury Loop Line A403 St Andrew's Road Kings Weston Lane Stores Road Zinc Road St Andrews Road Avonmouth Docks Avonmouth Victoria Road River Severn M5 Avonmouth Bridge Portway Park & Ride Station Road Shirehampton Hung Road Woodwell Road River Trym Sea Mills A4 Portway Sneyd Park Junction Clifton Down Tunnel (1751 yds) Circular Road Hotwells Halt Ladies Mile Hotwells River Avon A4176 Clifton Down B4467 Pembroke Road Downfield Road Apsley Road Beaufort Road Duchess Road Clifton Down Tunnel (1751 yds) St John's Road Clifton Down A4018 Whiteladies Road Hampton Park Hampton Road Redland Grove Redland Redland Road Kingsley Road A38 Cheltenham Road Montpelier St Andrew's Road Montpelier Tunnel (288 yds) B4052 Ashley Hill Cross Country Route Mina Road Midland Railway Narroways Junction James Street M32 motorway A432 Stapleton Road Stapleton Road St Mark's Road Bannerman Road B4465 Easton Road Midland Railway To waste depot Lawrence Hill A420 Church Road Ducie Road Barton Hill Road Dr Days Junction Silverthorne Lane Great Western Main Line A4320 St Philips Causeway Silverthorne Lane Temple Meads Goods Depot Kingsland Road Gas Lane Avon Street Bristol Docks Bristol Temple Meads Cattle Market Road River Avon Bristol to Taunton Line

The line from Narroways Hill is now part of the Severn Beach Line.

The connection to the Midland Railway closed in 1965, and the thirteen arch viaduct over the River Frome valley was demolished in 1968.^[3]

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Clifton Extension Railway.