Blaise Signal Box and Sidings

To Filton: Hallen Halt
To Avonmouth: Henbury West

History

Blaise Signal Box controlled Blaise Sidings. It opened on 13 june 1940 and closed on 22 May 1966. Signalmen who worked it included Wilf Stanley and Brian Chaney. After closure, Blaise Sidings were worked by Hallen Marsh signal box.

The sidings were part of an underground Air Ministry fuel depot. They opened on 13 June 1940 and closed in July 1973.

31.3.05

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  The fence around the depot is falling over. © Julien Weston
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  An old concrete base support from one of the old discharge stands. © Julien Weston
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  Another concrete base with it's structure cut off. © Julien Weston
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  The overgrown interior of the siding compound © Julien Weston
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  Line of the depot fence along the fields. © Julien Weston
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  More vegetation - at the bottom of the photo, you can see the trackbed of one of the sidings, which was in a small cutting. © Julien Weston
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  The view from the trackbed to the end of the sidings (in a cutting in the hill). © Julien Weston
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  The very end of the depot - was this a headshunt? © Julien Weston
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  Humps of earth at the very end of the old sidings. © Julien Weston
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  A thick old iron pipe embedded in concrete. © Julien Weston
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  Looks like some animal is living down this hole as it had scooped a lot of earth all over the place! © Julien Weston
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  The fence marks the depot's boundary. © Julien Weston
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  An embankment leading to the strange concrete structures. © Julien Weston
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  One of the three strange concrete structures to the south of the depot branch line. © Julien Weston
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  A detailed view of the strange concrete structures. © Julien Weston
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  This photo gives an idea of the size of these structures. © Julien Weston
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  This one is badly overgrown. © Julien Weston
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  Another view. © Julien Weston
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  The red blur on the embankment is 47812. It was trundling around the Avonmouth area all afternoon. © Julien Weston
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  Some old steps that lead down to the concrete structures. © Julien Weston
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  There are only a few old rotting sleepers lying around - most have been removed. © Julien Weston
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  More old sleepers. © Julien Weston
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  More rotting sleepers and a good view of the fence. © Julien Weston
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  Another view of the fence, clearly showing a small cutting and the old trackbed of one of the sidings. © Julien Weston