Back to Tewkesbury Quay Branch

For this week's blog post we return to the Tewkesbury Quay branch, the small 'branch within a branch' that ran from the Malvern-Ashchurch line down to Quay Street in Tewkesbury. This tiny line is really interesting when compared with the genteel country nature of the rest of the route, featuring as it did trains running through industrial and urban areas, as well as sections with on-street running. By far the best part of the Quay branch, however, was the evocative engine shed with its cobbled road and high brick walls. These pictures by Ben Brooksbank are among my favourite shots of the whole railway, so enjoy!
 
As a small aside, I have noticed in the last couple of days that 'Britain from the Air' have recently recatalogued all of their photographs. This has broken all of the links on my page to their shots, so please bear in mind while I track down and restore these resources over the next few days.

'Tewkesbury Old Station: View SW along Mill Branch towards High Street (level) crossing and Healing's Mill, showing remains of the original (1840) Tewkesbury Station'. Used under licence via Creative Commons 2.0.

'Tewkesbury Engine Shed: The small engine-shed, on the Mill Branch, with two occupants: ex-GWR '57XX' class 0-6-0PT no.7788 (built 12/30, withdrawn 7/62), behind it an ex-MR 3F 0-6-0'. Used under licence via Creative Commons 2.0.

'Tewkesbury Engine Shed, with a Midland 0-6-0 prominent: View eastward, towards Tewkesbury Junction and Ashchurch. The line is the original (1840) branch from Ashchurch to the terminus by the High Street that closed to passengers on 16/5/1864, when a new station was opened on the line to Upton-on-Severn and Great Malvern. Ex-Midland 3F 0-6-0 No. 3604 dominates the scene; ex-Midland 1P 0-4-4T is just outside the little shed'. Used under licence via Creative Commons 2.0.

'Tewkesbury Engine Shed, with a Midland 0-4-4T: View eastward, towards Tewkesbury Junction and Ashchurch. Ex-Midland Johnson/Deeley 1P 0-4-4T No. 1338 is beside the makeshift 'coaling stage''. Used under licence via Creative Commons 2.0.

'Tewkesbury Quay branch: View westward from near Tewkesbury Junction, towards the Engine Shed, Old Station and across the High Street to the Quay. The branch was closed in 12/57, some years before the line through the 'New' station to Upton-on-Severn closed in 1961'. Used under licence via Creative Commons 2.0.

More Pictures of Ashchurch Station

For our blog post this week we return to Ashchurch Station, with some more fantastic pictures taken from Ben Brooksbank's Geograph page. These shots show Ashchurch during its post-war years with all three lines still connected: the old line to Malvern to the west, the route to Barnt Green via Evesham to the east, and the surviving Birmingham-Gloucester main line running down the middle. The Malvern line as we know is sadly long-gone, but a stub remains of the Evesham 'loop' line in the form of a 400m access spur serving the Army's vehicle depot in the town. This station was sadly closed in 1971, although a smaller station was built nearby in 1997 to restore the town's connection to the main line.

'Ashchurch Station, 1957'. This shot clearly shows the three lines that once ran through Ashchurch, as well as the curious wedge-shaped buildings on the platforms. Used courtesy of Ben Brooksbank via Creative Commons.

'Ashchurch Station: view northward from the A438 bridge in December 1948'. Used courtesy of Ben Brooksbank via Creative Commons.

'Ashchurch: Midland 0-4-4T engine in Transition'. Used courtesy of Ben Brooksbank via Creative Commons.

'Ashchurch Station: a view from the 'Entrance' onto the Up platform, with the Tewkesbury Engine'. Used courtesy of Ben Brooksbank via Creative Commons.

The Colin Allbright Collection, Part XI: Malvern Link Station

This week's post takes us to Malvern Link, a site less frequently visited by this blog. These pictures were taken in the late 1970s by Colin Allbright, and show the station in a bit of a run-down state. Happily, the stop was given a facelift in early 2014, with a new stone-clad booking office a key new addition. The shots below are interesting in that they depict the station in a less congested setting - the area around Malvern Link has seen quite a lot of building work in the last few years with a revamped fire station, hospital and new retirement homes all clustered alongside nearby Worcester Road. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this trip through time!

The view northwards along Malvern Link station from Worcester Road bridge.

The pedestrian footbridge from the east.

The station master's house, and the day's laundry.

The station master's house from above.

Howsell Road bridge.

The view north from Howsell Road to the caravan park.

Some building work being carried out!

The Colin Allbright Collection, Part IV: Peachfield Bridge

This week's blog post sees us returning to Peachfield Road bridge with some of Colin Allbright's shots from the late 1970s. Apart from the ancient rolling stock and the signal posts which were trimmed down in July 2016, not much has changed around here in the intervening decades. Nevertheless, these pictures provide an interesting glimpse of a site which was at the time still coming to terms with the closure of its local station. Note the old buildings belonging to Malvern Wells GWR station still standing in the abandoned station forecourt and the comparatively well maintained lineside brambles!

A DMU passes the abandoned Malvern Wells station.

A DMU on the way to Great Malvern.

A clear shot of the line down to Malvern.

Peachfield Road bridge from the north.

The semaphore signals (replaced and shortened 2016).

The underpass beneath the railway line on Malvern Common.

The Colin Allbright Collection, Part VII: Great Malvern Station

This week's update includes some more pictures of Great Malvern Station. These pictures are from the late 1970s, and show the station before it was gutted by fire in 1986. The shots taken from Platform One are particularly interesting, as they show the long-derelict Midland bay a few years before it was finally filled in and sold for housing. Notice also the old British Rail trappings, also now consigned to history.

The front of the station with the old British Rail awning.

Looking across the station car park.

Looking across Platform One to the derelict Midland bay platform.

The view from Avenue Road bridge, 1/2...

...and 2/2.

'The Worm' and the wooden track crossing below the bridge.

The Colin Allbright Collection, Part II: Fruitlands Estate

This week's blog update takes us back to Colin Allbright's collection, this time to fill a gap by revisiting the old buffers outside Malvern Wells signal box. These shots were taken in the late 1970s and show the area behind the new Fruitlands housing estate, north of Colwall Tunnel. There will be more from this collection to come in the following weeks but meanwhile, enjoy!

Skid row: the buffers, 1/2...

...and part 2/2.

Down the line, with the Fruitlands estate on the bend.

New houses on the railway line. Shame they got rid of the nearby station!

Malvern Wells box in the distance.

Back down to the lineside.

Photos of Tewkesbury and Ashchurch from Roger Smith

This week's update takes us away from my familiar stamping ground to the other end of the Malvern-Ashchurch railway. The following pictures come courtesy of Roger Smith's excellent Flickr page and show the Northway Lane bridge over the railway at Ashchurch, as well as the Mythe embankment and tunnel portal outside Tewkesbury. The tunnel picture is particularly interesting: I haven't been able to find many shots of the Mythe tunnel so far and Roger's shot clearly shows the small bridges that were ripped up as part of flood prevention works in 2013. The Northway bridge photos are worth a look too: so much of the site around Ashchurch station was levelled but as far as I know the bridge remains, even if its original purpose has long since disappeared. One to look out for in future.

'Last train to Upton-on-Severn entering Mythe Tunnel', 14th August 1961

The Northway Lane bridge pulls into view outside Ashchurch.

Letting off some steam under Northway Lane bridge.

The Colin Allbright Collection, Part VI: Great Malvern Station

This week's post takes us back to Great Malvern station, with these excellent shots taken in the late 1970s. Of particular interest are the pictures showing the old Midland bay platform, which by this point had fallen into a state of decay. The bay itself was eventually filled in to make way for the station's lower car park, while some of the land comprising the bay's approach lanes was sold for housing in the 1980s. The signal box was also removed, while Platform Two itself was narrowed by building large planters to provide trees with which to screen the new housing. As for the rest, Great Malvern station was listed in 1969 and so remains a popular historical asset.

This is a really great angle, showing the abandoned bay platform at Great Malvern.

The wall separating the station from what is now the lower car park.

The passenger tunnel down to Platform Two.

A site familiar to many returning Malvernians!

Platform One.

Platform Two from Avenue Road bridge.

The Colin Allbright Collection Part III: Malvern Wells (GWR)

Yes, I know I'm uploading these in the wrong order, but I wanted to put this set up before I show you Part II (which will show the old buffers outside Colwall Tunnel). The reason for this is that I have finally found a picture of what is now a tumbledown old shed outside Malvern Wells station before it fell into disrepair. This collection from Colin Allbright shows the old GWR stop around fifteen (we think) years after its demise, providing an fantastic snapshot of a site clearly in decline but with a few interesting features still visible.

The Wells signal box from the south. The corrugated hut to the right still stands today.

A slightly closer-up shot of the above.

The Wells box with the windows open on a hot day.

The old station shed, still in remarkably good condition and with windows intact.

Peachfield Bridge. This view is now obscured by security fencing.

The view from Peachfield Road down across the old Wells station.

The Colin Allbright Collection, Part I: Colwall Tunnel

Well, no sooner do I decide to stop updating this blog every week than someone comes up with me with a new supply of amazing photos. These pictures were taken by Colin Allbright in the late 1970s (or possibly early 1980s) and show the railway around Colwall Tunnel on what seems to have been a very nice summer's day! Colin himself writes:

'My Grandad, Albert Jordan was in the home guard. His platoon guarded the old tunnel during the war. As the Sarg in charge he decided one night to walk the entire tunnel to find no one was guarding the other end. Ever since he told that tale I wanted to see the tunnel myself and been a life long railway enthusiast I decided to record the line just in case I decided to make a model.'

Some of the angles in Colin's shots have now probably passed into history; the growth of trees and shrubs near the line has meant that many of these views are now obscured and may actually have been lost forever. The good news, however, is that there are plenty more shots in Colin's collection and so I will begin to upload those on a regular cycle for the next few weeks. Hopefully, this will give me some time to get out into the countryside to take some more of my own! I hope you enjoy them.

The tunnel portal at the eastern end of Colwall tunnel.

The disused original Colwall tunnel.

The view towards the tunnel with the ruins of a brick shed in view.

A view westwards along the tracks.

The reverse view back towards Malvern.

The pedestrian underpass at Fruitlands.