rogerfarnworth 3 Report post Posted April 14, 2018 My wife and I enjoy an annual holiday in the Forest of Dean. We have been there almost every year since the year 2000. During that time we have enjoyed exploring a number of the different railway routes in the forest and have begun to realise just how complex a network of tramways supported the standard vague railways which themselves had replaced much earlier tramways. I hope this thread will be of interest to some. This is the first of a series of blog posts about the forest and its railways and tramways and focusses on Lydney Harbour and its transport links, particularly rail and tramway/tramroad. ... https://rogerfarnworth.wordpress.com/2017/09/26/lydney-harbour 1 Bob Hughes reacted to this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rogerfarnworth 3 Report post Posted April 15, 2018 Prior to the introduction of standard gauge railways in the Forest of Dean there was an extensive network of tramways or tramroads. These tramways were of a variety of gauges from 3ft 6in to 4ft. One of these was the Severn and Wye Tramroad. This post details the various branch and feeder tramways associated with this line. The tramway was replaced by the Severn and Wye Joint Railway. ... https://rogerfarnworth.wordpress.com/2017/09/28/the-branch-tramways-and-sidings-of-the-severn-and-wye-tramroad 1 Bob Hughes reacted to this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bob Hughes 536 Report post Posted April 16, 2018 4ft gauge can be modelled fairly accurately in 4mm scale by using OO track and mechanisms, 3'6" is not far off either, certainly no worse than using the same track and scale for standard gauge anyway. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
piermaster 1,055 Report post Posted April 16, 2018 There was also the Stratford and Moreton Tramway, I know it's off your beat but this display close to the RSC in Stratford upon Avon is a reminder of the plateways and waggonways that once existed. 1 rogerfarnworth reacted to this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rogerfarnworth 3 Report post Posted April 17, 2018 (edited) Parkend in the Forest of Dean is currently the terminus of a preservation line, the Dean Forest Railway (http://www.deanforestrailway.co.uk). Historically it was a small through station on the Severn and Wye Joint Railway with a short branch to transhipment wharfs that allowed tramways to transfer good to the main line. Further back still it was the centre of some major forest industries which were heavily served by tramways. The first image on the blog below is a map of the tramways at Parkend in its prime as an industrial centre in the Forest. https://rogerfarnworth.wordpress.com/2017/09/29/parkend-forest-of-dean There was a significant network of tramroads close to Parkend in the Forest of Dean. https://rogerfarnworth.wordpress.com/2017/10/02/oakwood-and-dikes-tramways Edited April 17, 2018 by rogerfarnworth Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rogerfarnworth 3 Report post Posted April 18, 2018 (edited) Moseley Green Tramways https://rogerfarnworth.wordpress.com/2017/09/27/moseley-green-tramways New Fancy Colliery in the Forest of Dean ....https://rogerfarnworth.wordpress.com/2017/09/23/new-fancy-colliery-and-it-railways In the last few weeks I have been looking at the route of the Forest of Dean Tramway which was a major innovation in its day. Haie Hill Tunnel which was built for it in the very early 19th Century was for a short while the longest tunnel in the world. It was also one of the earliest tunnels built. The tramway linked significant industrial concerns in the Forest of Dean with the Severn Estuary at Bullo Pill. The owners of the tramway were also behind the first serious attempt to tunnel under the Estuary. https://rogerfarnworth.wordpress.com/2018/03/13/bullo-pill-and-the-forest-of-dean-tramway Edited April 19, 2018 by rogerfarnworth Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rogerfarnworth 3 Report post Posted August 31, 2018 A recent visit to the Forest of Dean promoted some reading and reflection on Cannop Colliery. This post is the result of those reflections: http://rogerfarnworth.com/2018/08/31/cannop-colliery My wife and I were in the Forest of Dean on 30th August 2018 and visited a small garden centre that we have been to many times before - the Pigmy Pymetum. Later in the day I was reading an older copy of "The New Regard" - Number 23 from 2009. The first article in that edition of the magazine was about Cannop Colliery and was written by Ian Pope. The colliery was just north of the location of the garden centre. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rogerfarnworth 3 Report post Posted February 8 Recently, I have begun researching some of the tramways/tramroads in the valleys of South Wales. The first of these that I looked at was the Penydarren Tramroad. While I was looking at the website of the Industrial Railway Society (https://www.irsociety.co.uk) I came across a story which related to the Forest if Dean and, in particular, the Severn & Wye Railway & Canal Company. The link below highlights the story of what appears to have been the research necessary before purchasing the first steam locomotive the Forest of Dean. It also pints to what could have been a far earlier introduction of steam traction into the Forest. http://rogerfarnworth.com/2019/02/08/a-first-steam-locomotive-for-the-severn-and-wye-tramway Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
