South West Dean Forest Railway, Gloucestershire

Advertising itself as ‘The Friendly Forest Line’, this is a 4.5 mile run through the Forest of Dean between Lydney Junction and Parkend. The route runs along part of the old Severn and Wye Valley Railway line from Lydney to Cinderford.

Passengers are encouraged to join the trip at Norchard , which is the main station with plenty of parking as well as a cafe, shop and small museum. The round trip takes about 90 minutes, with a 20 minute break at Norchard on the way to Lydney and 20 minutes allowed for the steam loco to run round at either end.

The railway has three small tank engines which it uses to run services. These are similar to the locos originally used on the line.

It is an attractive run along the wooded valley.

History
The Forest of Dean had been a centre of mineral extraction for centuries. A coal and iron ore industry had been carried on by freeminers, who had the right to mine personal plots. Stone quarrying was also undertaken in the Forest. In the 18th and 19th centuries the timber of the Forest became an important resource for the construction of ships for the Royal Navy.

Goods were moved by packhorse and roads in the forest were poor. Transport of heavy materials was a constant difficulty. The established rights of the miners made the deployment of capital for large-scale development very difficult, leading to increasingly higher transport costs.

By the late C18th, the rapid development of the coal and iron mining industries made this no longer economically viable and there were increasing demands for improved transport links from the Forest to the Rivers Wye and Severn, where coal and iron ore could then be transhipped onward

Despite early opposition, three horse worked cast iron tram roads were successfully constructed between 1809-12 which later formed the basis of the railway system that subsequently emerged in the Forest.

A 3’6” horse drawn tramway was authorised between Lydbrook and Lydney in 1809 which became the Severn and Wye Valley Railway and Canal Company. Permission was given for a dock to be built at Lydney linked by a canal to the river Severn. The line between Lydney and Parkend opened in 1810. It gradually extended northwards, and additional lines were opened to connect newly opened mineral workings. Horses were replaced by steam locomotives in 1864. In in 1868, a broad gauge line was constructed alongside the original tramroad, which opened the following year. This was converted to standard gauge in 1872.

In 1879 the Severn Bridge Railway opened. The Severn & Wye Railway joined with the new Severn Bridge Railway to become the Severn & Wye & Severn Bridge Railway Co. The first passenger trains were run in 1875. The company operated until 1894 when it became bankrupt and was taken over by the The Midland Railway and Great Western Railway in 1894, becoming the Severn & Wye Joint railway.

Freight traffic was always the main source of income and passenger traffic ceased in 1929. Freight services stopped in 1974.

The Dean Forest Railway Society was formed in 1970. They purchased the Norchard site in 1978 and held open days there to raise funds. The trackbed was bought from British Rail in 1986. The line south to Lydney opened in 1995 and north to Parkend by 2006. There are plans to gradually extend north from Parkend to Speech House Road and eventually Cinderford.

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[Eleanor]

The route

Lydney Junction Station with its splendid station box was the southern end of the line. It was always a busy section as it was (and still is) the junction with the Great Western Railway main line from Paddington to South Wales.

The restored station buildings are painted in the GWR livery of chocolate and cream, and there is a small ticket office in the station building.

It was also a primary interchange for goods between the GWR and Severn and Wye Railway. It also served as the off loading point for the docks and had a lot of sidings. These are now looking overgrown and used as long term storage for rolling stock awaiting restoration.

The coaches sit here for 20 minutes while the loco runs round the train. There are information boards on the station.

Leaving the station, the line runs up the wooded valley of the River Lyd, passing the tiny St Mary’s Halt, which was opened as a temporary terminus before the line was extended to Lydney Junction.

Lydney Station, with its single platform, is soon reached. It is a short distance from the town centre and trains just make a short stop here.

Leaving Lydney, the line crosses the B4234 at a manned level crossing, before following the wooded valley again. There are glimpses of the river through the trees.

Norchard is reached next and is the main station for the railway and the loco shed and engineering works are here.

Locos and wagons can be seen in the sidings and the steam locos coal up here.

Norchard has two stations. Low Level is the original station with two platforms. The shop and cafe are here as well as the sidings.

Top Station was built later and is reached by a ramp. It is the main station used by train services. Trains to Lydney and Lydney Junction have a twenty minute wait here. Trains heading to Parkend just make a brief stop.

Leaving Norchard, the line continues to climb up the valley. There are forest roads and a lovely isolated picnic spot in a clearing along the line.

Next stop is the small village of Whitecroft. This again just has a single platform although the track is doubled here. At the end of the platform is a level crossing as the line crosses the B4243 again.

The train soon reaches Parkend which is the northern terminus and possibly the best representation of the original stations on the line, with two platforms, a water column, footbridge, goods shed , level crossing and a signal box.

Parkend was once an important industrial centre in the C19th with several coal mines, an ironworks, stoneworks, timber-yard and a tinplate works. This was a busy station with a lot of sidings and goods traffic passing through.

Trains have a 20 minute wait here while the loco runs round.

The Dean Valley Railway is a pleasant run, although most of it is through cuttings and woodland, so views are restricted. It is possibly best done in spring before the leaves are fully open or in autumn when the trees are changing colour.