Blaise Signal Box and Sidings

<googlemap lat="51.512321" lon="-2.642813"> 51.510559, -2.643414, Blaise Sidings </googlemap>

To Bristol, the North or Wales: Hallen Halt
To Avonmouth: M5

History

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