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Narroways Junction
To Bristol: Glenfrome Road
To Wales, The North or London: Boiling Wells Lane
To Kingswood Junction: Glenfrome Road
To Avonmouth: Mina Road
History
Narroways Hill got it's name from the nearby Narroways Road which used to be nothing more than a small footpath between St Werburghs Church and Mina Road. For many years the lane was known as Cut-Throat Lane after a particularly gruesome murder that took place there.
1950s
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2883 descends Filton Bank with the 0710 Rogerstone-Tavistock Junction loco coal on 10/3/52. Ashley Hill station is visible in the distance. © Michael Jackson
1960s
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A Class 47 storms through Narroways Junction in the early 1960s. Four tracks up Filton Bank, lots of semaphore signals, double track Severn Beach Line connection and coal wagons in the gas works. © Ian Tiley
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The Midland Railway bridge carrying the Clifton Extension Railway line between Ashley Hill Junction and Kingswood Junction. Ashley Hill Junction is visible in the distance. © Ian Tiley
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The view along the Midland Railway line towards Kingswood Junction. The 13 Arches Viaduct is visible in the distance. © Ian Tiley
1970s
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A Peak trundles past in the opposite direction. © Andy Kirkham
1990s
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The 1220 Furzebrook-Hallen Marsh LPG train passes the junction in 1996. © Chris Hopkins
2005
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The view south from Narroways Hill. In the far distance the line curves and enters Stapleton Road station. The scrapyard at the right of the railway is alongside the M32 motorway and was once rail served and even had it's own 03 shunter. It's built on the site of Stapleton Road goods yard. The line curving away on the right is The Severn Beach Line.
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Looking north towards Ashley Hill with the Brunel college (once an old orphanage) visible at the top left of the hill. The abutments belong to the bridge that carried the Clifton Extension Railway route between Ashley Hill Junction and Kingswood Junction.
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The graffiti covered footbridge that crosses the mainline. Beyond this footbridge is a smaller one that crosses the Severn Beach line.
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Looking in the opposite direction.
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The bridge itself. Viewed from on top of Narroways Hill on 7.1.05.
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The junction of the Severn Beach line, as viewed from the second footbridge. The line curves around beneath this spot and then crosses Mina Road in St Werburghs. The whole line, with the exception of the passing loop at Clifton Down, was singled on the 19th October 1970.
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The same view on 7.1.05 with 143611 heading for Montpelier station.
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The opposite view.
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A look along the footbridge that crosses the Severn Beach line.
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A really nice view of this second footbridge.
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Back on top of Narroways Hill and this is the view of the west abutment of the dismantled connecting line. The sheer amount of hill that was carted away to create these two railway lines at this location is amazing.
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The route of the Midland Railway through Narroways Hill.
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Looking East at the now filled in cutting.
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The cutting has long been filled in. The line of houses on the right give away the direction the line went in, and in the middle of the photo is a lampost with a blue sign attached. That's where the railway crossed Glenfrome Road. This is the same view as in Ian Tiley's photo at the top of the page.
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On 7.1.05 I caught a loaded MGR en route to Didcot from Avonmouth.
Junction Renewal Work 5th-7th May 2007
5.5.07
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A site visit by Jules captured track panels being removed. © Julien Weston
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These were taken to a spot to the north of the work area. © Julien Weston
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A general view of work in progress. The junction had disappeared from the Down line and a temporary line put in its place to allow works trains to remove the junction, track and spoil on the Up line. The new junction can be seen ready assembled on the left. © Julien Weston
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A view of the work site from the bridge over the Severn Beach branchline. © Julien Weston
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Later that day, and the Up main was in the process of being removed. The junction had been cut up and taken away, and an army of diggers were removing the old ballast. © Ian Skinner
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A similar view of the work, this time taken from the footbridge across the Severn Beach line. © Ian Skinner
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Two track machines carried more redundant pieces of track away. © Ian Skinner
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The view north later that night. (about 8.30pm)
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A zoomed view showing the new junction assembled and ready to be moved into place.
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A train stood on the temporary Down line and was loaded with spoil from the site of the junction.
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A slightly different view of the work.
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The remains of one of the old points had been placed right beneath the footbridge.
6.5.07
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7.30 Sunday morning and the new point for the Severn Beach line was in place. © Julien Weston
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By 8.30pm all the new trackwork was in place. The crossover had been moved 60 yards to the south of its previous location. (possibly to move it away from Glenfrome Road Bridge?) © Julien Weston
7.5.07
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Lunchtime Monday morning. 66233 faced the wrong way on the Up line. © Julien Weston
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The train was being loaded with all the material that was dumped to the north of the main work area. © Julien Weston
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The catch point on the Severn Beach was having its motor attended to. The yellow signs seem to suggest that the line speed through the junction had now been increased. © Julien Weston
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An army of men were hard at work getting everything ready before the engineers gave possession of the line back to the signallers. © Julien Weston
A BIG heartfelt thank you to Julien Weston and Ian Skinner (from this websites forum) for answering my plea for help in recording this event. Fantastic works lads! :)
2009
19.10.09
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A view south showing a new mobile communications mast has been installed.
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Piles of steel sleepers await installation on the Severn Beach branch.
2014
14.4.14
A couple of photos showing the now caged bridges.
2018
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Information regarding the installation of a new bridge at this location.
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The new footbridge after installation.
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Although new, it's already covered in graffiti.
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looking up the hill and the old parapet of te Clifton Extension Railway has been removed in preparation of the four tracking of Filton Bank.
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The view south. The mobile mast installed in 2009 has been moved to create room for the new railway.
Videos
- Severn Beach Train at Narroways Hill
- Class 143 at Narroways Hill
- Class 153 at Narroways Hill
- Voyager at Narroways Hill
- The Great Britain, Day 3, 71000. 14.4.07
- 6201 Princess Elizabath Attacks Filton Bank 15-09-07
- 6201 Princess Elizabeth storming up Horfield Bank, 13.10.07
- 6201 Princess Elizabeth Climbs Horfield Bank 10/11/07
- 6201 The Welsh Marches Express 10th Nov 2007