The Abandoned Wye Valley Railway

The Abandoned Wye Valley Railway

Closed to passengers in 1959, the line idled on for freight until 1964. For three years the line lay abandoned following this, and then track lifting commenced, leaving just two miles of railway from Wye Valley Junction to Tintern Quarry, and around thirteen miles of dismantled railway.

Abandonment overtook even this stretch, and now the railway lies silent. Sleepers remain marked up for replacement as they were in 1981 and 1990. Tidenham station is quiet now with no signs of rails, while Netherhope is gone from the scene, steps ending about two feet above track level. Tidenham Tunnel lies through Dennel Hill, ghostly, dark, and forlorn, with a cold breeze blowing and silent, rusty rails leading in at the southern end and out to a large stone blocking the rails at the northern. The quarry sidings are overgrown and partially lifted, and Tintern Quarry North groundframe no longer moves the points - a bufferstop south of the quarry looks like it wouldn't stop a runaway pram, and for many years the line ended in a gorsebush with a burnt out car which vanished just before we got round to taking its picture...

WARNING: EXISTENCE OF A PICTURE HERE IS NO DISPLAY OF RIGHT OF ACCESS OR EVEN THAT ACCCESS IS POSSIBLE WITHIN A REASONABLE DEFINITION OF THE WORD. THIS PAGE IS INTENDED TO INFORM, NOT ENCOURAGE IMITATION. TRESPASSING ON ANY RAILWAY IS ILLEGAL, AND YOUR SAFETY AND THE SAFETY OF TRAINS MAY BE AT STAKE.

Welcome to the Wye Valley Railway. This first view shows the southern end of the line, looking north (or, to be more precise, north east). The railway is now popular with gorse, brambles and trees and has two options - revert to being a railway again or become a nature reserve. A lovely winter's day. December 28th, 2004

Lots of people drive under this bridge, you know.... Would you do so so happily now you've seen this picture? Actually, the bridge is quite safe, as our research team walked across it, came back and two weeks later it was still there. This photo is looking north. Tidenham station is beyond the trees. Under the bridge, about twenty feet below, is the A48. 2nd October, 2005

"They do say that there used to be a railway in here, sir, and a station too, and it was in use less than fifty years ago". Tidenham station south throat, taken from a pile of rubble. Despite threatening rumours of a cycle track earlier this year, this is yet to appear, and, looking at this view, probably with good reason. Some people are trying to get some happy little weeds between the rails on lesser used lines "weedkillered" out of existence and publish pictures in magazines to encourage this. We wonder if they might be good enough to suggest that a weedkilling train might come up here twice a year to change tracks on the mainline while clearing the route up or something. 2nd October, 2005

Curiously, as the loading bays for Dayhouse Quarry were located at Tidenham Station, it seems to have been decided at some point to take advantage of the double-track cutting immediately to the north of the station and install a second line. This provides a lengthy section of double-track railway which was presumably used for stabling longer stone trains. There is a little area where it has access to the northern end of the quarry as well. This section of double line is not marked on any maps, presumably because Ordnance Survey never bothered to look. The track layout in the area had a complex career. Originally Tidenham station had a loop for goods trains but this was converted into a siding accessible only from the north end in 1952 before being removed altogether in 1955. In the early 1960s it was re-instated but was converted back into a siding in 1968 (but with the link now at the south end). The new loop here will have been provided instead. As a result the (original) line on the left has old wooden sleepers while the (newer) line on the right has concrete ones. At some point the track between the station and the end of the loop was lifted. 11 April, 2007.

The bridge between Tidenham and Netherhope has been tidied up lately, involving chopping down the trees around it and knocking the broken coping stones off the top of the bridge, before finally planting some more trees on the cutting sides and covering the line in exciting rubbish. This picture was taken looking north; just behind the camera was the end of the line once the line north of Tidenham was mothballed. This was denoted by a sleeper tied to the rails which is now completely overgrown. 11 April 2007

"Now where did I leave Netherhope Halt? I'm sure it was down there somewhere." The halt was demolished in the mid 1960s, probably to save on providing a new edging, and the line was taken out of use in 1981, leaving this impressive view of a wide bank of trees between two fields. In there somewhere is the single track branchline. So much for a world shortage of plants. Honest, it's not summer. 2nd October, 2005

More recently, work around Tintern Quarry has caused some minor problems, including this level crossing (which is certainly not mentioned in the Act of Parliament and is therefore illegal). Oddly, some rails have been lifted nearby but the track remains intact over the crossing. This view is looking north towards the end of the line. In the following two years the buddleia prospered and the line is now blocked at this point. Credit must be given to whoever it was who finally created conditions in the Wye Valley for this pink-flowering weed to breed happily. 11 April, 2007

The northern end of the line on a warm day, looking south. Just north of here, the rails end without warning in what looks like a warm spot in a quiet corner of the world. Three hundred yards away to the south is Tintern Quarry and three hundred yards to the west on the other bank of the river is a well-hidden quarry that is still in use. The line ahead has now had a ballast road bulldozed across it. Sometime in May, 2004

I wouldn't worry actually, it's what all the abandoned lines look like these days. This is the Pontypool and Blaenavon Railway, South Wales, owners of Britain's highest standard gauge station. On the left - yes, that flat area on the left of the cycleway - is the railway. They're hoping to re-open it sometime next year. 16th October, 2005

<<<Wye Valley Railway<<<

09/08/09

	Welcome to the Wye Valley Railway. This first view shows the southern end of the line, looking north (or, to be more precise, north east). The railway is now popular with gorse, brambles and trees and has two options - revert to being a railway again or become a nature reserve. A lovely winter's day. December 28th, 2004
	Lots of people drive under this bridge, you know.... Would you do so so happily now you've seen this picture? Actually, the bridge is quite safe, as our research team walked across it, came back and two weeks later it was still there. This photo is looking north. Tidenham station is beyond the trees. Under the bridge, about twenty feet below, is the A48. 2nd October, 2005
	"They do say that there used to be a railway in here, sir, and a station too, and it was in use less than fifty years ago". Tidenham station south throat, taken from a pile of rubble. Despite threatening rumours of a cycle track earlier this year, this is yet to appear, and, looking at this view, probably with good reason. Some people are trying to get some happy little weeds between the rails on lesser used lines "weedkillered" out of existence and publish pictures in magazines to encourage this. We wonder if they might be good enough to suggest that a weedkilling train might come up here twice a year to change tracks on the mainline while clearing the route up or something. 2nd October, 2005
	Curiously, as the loading bays for Dayhouse Quarry were located at Tidenham Station, it seems to have been decided at some point to take advantage of the double-track cutting immediately to the north of the station and install a second line. This provides a lengthy section of double-track railway which was presumably used for stabling longer stone trains. There is a little area where it has access to the northern end of the quarry as well. This section of double line is not marked on any maps, presumably because Ordnance Survey never bothered to look. The track layout in the area had a complex career. Originally Tidenham station had a loop for goods trains but this was converted into a siding accessible only from the north end in 1952 before being removed altogether in 1955. In the early 1960s it was re-instated but was converted back into a siding in 1968 (but with the link now at the south end). The new loop here will have been provided instead. As a result the (original) line on the left has old wooden sleepers while the (newer) line on the right has concrete ones. At some point the track between the station and the end of the loop was lifted. 11 April, 2007.
	The bridge between Tidenham and Netherhope has been tidied up lately, involving chopping down the trees around it and knocking the broken coping stones off the top of the bridge, before finally planting some more trees on the cutting sides and covering the line in exciting rubbish. This picture was taken looking north; just behind the camera was the end of the line once the line north of Tidenham was mothballed. This was denoted by a sleeper tied to the rails which is now completely overgrown. 11 April 2007
	"Now where did I leave Netherhope Halt? I'm sure it was down there somewhere." The halt was demolished in the mid 1960s, probably to save on providing a new edging, and the line was taken out of use in 1981, leaving this impressive view of a wide bank of trees between two fields. In there somewhere is the single track branchline. So much for a world shortage of plants. Honest, it's not summer. 2nd October, 2005
	More recently, work around Tintern Quarry has caused some minor problems, including this level crossing (which is certainly not mentioned in the Act of Parliament and is therefore illegal). Oddly, some rails have been lifted nearby but the track remains intact over the crossing. This view is looking north towards the end of the line. In the following two years the buddleia prospered and the line is now blocked at this point. Credit must be given to whoever it was who finally created conditions in the Wye Valley for this pink-flowering weed to breed happily. 11 April, 2007
	The northern end of the line on a warm day, looking south. Just north of here, the rails end without warning in what looks like a warm spot in a quiet corner of the world. Three hundred yards away to the south is Tintern Quarry and three hundred yards to the west on the other bank of the river is a well-hidden quarry that is still in use. The line ahead has now had a ballast road bulldozed across it. Sometime in May, 2004
	I wouldn't worry actually, it's what all the abandoned lines look like these days. This is the Pontypool and Blaenavon Railway, South Wales, owners of Britain's highest standard gauge station. On the left - yes, that flat area on the left of the cycleway - is the railway. They're hoping to re-open it sometime next year. 16th October, 2005