ST6389 : Thornbury Railway Station & goods yard
taken 58 years ago, near to Thornbury, South Gloucestershire, England
The 7½ branch line from Yate to Thornbury was built & operated by the Midland Railway. It opened in September 1872. There were 2 intermediate stations: Iron Acton & Tytherington. Between Tytherington & Thornbury the railway served quarries at Tytherington & Grovesend. Passenger traffic was withdrawn in June 1944, a relatively early closure which was indicative of the limited use made of the line. The branch remained open for goods traffic until 1966. The following year the track was removed, however within a few years the first 6 miles of track were relaid to serve Tytherington Quarry. Since 1972 the branch has seen periods of use by heavy stone trains followed by periods officially 'Out of Use' - the status depending upon the requirements of the construction industry for stone from Tytherington.
Since the withdrawal of the passenger service Thornbury has seen a great deal of residential development & it is now a commuter town. As a result there have been calls for the passenger service to be re-instated. Unfortunately the station site & much of the approach trackbed has been built upon so re-instatement would require a new site to be found.