The staff and volunteers have removed the point from the shed road, formerly used as the coal wagon siding. This has now been relayed with plain rail. The access road’s new formation will go straight on here and round the back of the olive shed.
Adjacent to the yard at Whapping Wharf, Bristol City Council have been trialling a cobbled surface design.
Beautiful though they are, old cobblestones can be a hazard and difficult to navigate if you are on a wheelchair or pushing a pram. Instead of replacing the cobbles along this section of path with granite setts in a fan pattern, this method reuses the existing cobbles, sawn in half and relaid to the original pattern.
The council is holding a consultation on this, so the residents and visitors to Bristol can give their opinion on the matter. You can get involved (and read the Council’s reasoning behind the trial) at the following link:
https://www.citizenspace.com/bristol/city-development/sawn-setts-trial-1/consult_view
Here are a couple of photos of the ‘new’ cobbles alongside the old ones
As the housing at Sugar Quay is going up…
… Other buildings are coming down. The former coal office (Latterly the office for the car park managers) has been demolished, along with the partially-collapsed roof of the building on the right.
See this photo from February 2013 for a comparison
Over on the shed road, the old goods platform has been renovated and the entire wall treated to new paint. The remnants of the platform roof have been removed.
Compare this last photo with the view back in 2009
Likewise, this view back toward the shed has changed so much, and is due to change again, as the access road is to be built and will need to cross the two yard tracks.
This shot of the Ruston, taken from the same location, is about a year old.
The phrase ‘ship shape and Bristol fashion’ refers to the high tidal reach of the River Avon in Bristol, where ships would have to be strong to withstand being on the riverbed every 4 hours.
During the harsh tides this spring, the banks of the New Cut between Vauxhall Bridge and the Create Centre sagged a bit, requiring this section to be closed while repairs were carried out.
This photo shows the ‘sag’ in the track.
The rails in this section were duly lifted, and the sleepers repositioned to form a ramp for construction equipment to get in.
Within two weeks the operation was completed, allowing ‘Henbury’ to propel the first passenger trains across the repaired section. A speed limit of 5mph is currently in place here.
Henbury with a warming fire lit ahead of this bank holiday weekend’s services. Construction of the Sugar Quay development continues in the background, whilst in the foreground, the new square with map of Bristol inlaid, and new lighting overhead, is visible.
With the first running weekend of the year just around the corner (5-6th April), the two steam locos were out in the open to be inspected. Henbury has had new seals fitted over the winter, and Portbury is nearing the end of her running-in period.
The curtailed siding at M Shed has been re-filled.
The single line is now relaid at Butterfly Junction for retaining access to the Smeaton Road shed.
Ashton Avenue Bridge is now severed.
Meanwhile, the Barn Yard takes shape. Both shed roads are nearly laid, as well as the line running around the back of the shed.
Work is forging ahead next door to M Shed, on the Wapping Wharf housing scheme. This includes the resurfacing of the square outside the engine shed, seen here:
The disused loop line has been cut into for drainage.
This scene is soon to change drastically, with the roadway being taken alongside the running line, to a new level crossing just out of sight.
‘Container city’ on the right.
Here’s a few more photographs from 1st Feb showing the water level at A bond warehouse. These appear with the kind permission of Jonathan Edwardes.
The track gangs (Usually a team of no more than 6 people) have been extremely busy in modifying the layout at Butterfly Junction.
This was the view today – the line through the station has been lifted, as has the loop, and the sleepers from the Ashton Meadows Spur have been recovered.
Perhaps aptly, the station information board is rather lopsided.
In the shadow of the tobacco bond warehouses, the crane lifts the last few remaining rails from the station area.
Larry the loader assists
The foreground is where the spur to Ashton Meadows used to run – this is planned to form part of the Metrobus route
Just around the corner, the new shed and yard is taking shape. Compare these photos to those taken in January, another set of points has been laid on the approach to the Barn, which is already half assembled.
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