Buildwas
The station in 1962
General information
LocationBuildwas, Shropshire
England
Coordinates52°38′03″N 2°31′00″W / 52.6342°N 2.5167°W / 52.6342; -2.5167
Grid referenceSJ651041
Platforms3
Other information
StatusDisused
History
Original companySevern Valley Railway
Pre-groupingGreat Western Railway
Post-groupingGreat Western Railway
Key dates
1 February 1862Opened
9 September 1963Closed[1]

Buildwas railway station was an isolated junction railway station on the Wellington to Craven Arms Railway and Severn Valley Railway. Opened on 1 February 1862. Although the station served both the Severn Valley Railway and Wellington to Craven Arms Railway, it was an interchange station in open countryside with no passenger access except by rail.[2]

The station had three platforms, with two platforms at a lower level serving the Severn Valley Railway and one at a higher level serving the Wellington to Craven Arms Railway.[3] At its peak, the station had a total of eleven staff, including the station master. Up to 1923 the area was controlled by two signal boxes, the Station signal box controlling the station area and the Junction signal box controlling the junction between the Severn Valley line and the double track line across the Albert Edward Bridge towards Lightmoor Junction. These were replaced with a single signal box approximately midway between its predecessors in 1923. This box was subsequently enlarged to accommodate a frame containing 113 levers on 9 December 1931. The track layout was altered several times during its existence including the additional CEGB sidings opened in 1932.

The planned closure of the northern end of the Severn Valley Line including Buildwas station pre-dated the Beeching report. Following closure, the station was demolished to make way for Ironbridge B Power Station. Coal for the power station was offloaded close to the site of the original station until the power station stopped generating electricity in November 2015.

The Telford Steam Railway has aspirations to operate to this site, running over the Albert Edward Bridge to a new terminus on or close to the site of Buildwas station.

Site of Buildwas station in 2018

Power Station Regeneration Project

The Ironbridge Power station closed in 2015 and the site was decommissioned by Uniper until sold to the Harworth Group in June 2018. Regeneration of the site is set to include approximately 1000 new homes with the potential of the reopening of a train station on the site. Both Telford Steam Railway and National Rail have expressed interest in the reintroduction of both heritage and passenger services to the site using the disused tracks, which currently links the power station to the Birmingham-Shrewsbury line near Telford. Harworth Group's planning proposal was initially rejected by Shropshire Council in August 2021 over a number of issues including the level of guaranteed affordable housing,[4] but was granted in September 2021 after amended proposals were submitted.[5]

In March 2020, a bid was made to the Restoring Your Railway Fund to get funds for a feasibility study into reinstating the line from Wolverhampton to Ironbridge. In March 2021 a bid was made to the Restoring Your Railway fund for money to strengthen and develop the case for plans to reinstate the former Ironbridge to Bridgnorth line. Both bids were unsuccessful.[6][7]

During 2021 part of the former railway line at the site was recommissioned and buildings, platform and other infrastructure features were installed to act as a marketing facility for the Revolution Very Light Rail (RVLR) Demonstrator vehicle announced in October 2021.[8]

References

  1. ↑ Butt, R. V. J. (October 1995). The Directory of Railway Stations: details every public and private passenger station, halt, platform and stopping place, past and present (1st ed.). Sparkford: Patrick Stephens Ltd. p. 46. ISBN 978-1-85260-508-7. OCLC 60251199. OL 11956311M.
  2. ↑ Vanns, Michael A. (2013). Severn Valley Railway, A View from the Past. Shrewsbury: Shrewdale Publishing. p. 30. ISBN 978-0-9575898-0-3.
  3. ↑ Marshall, John (1989). The Severn Valley Railway. Newton Abbot: David St John Thomas. p. 111. ISBN 0-946537-45-3.
  4. ↑ Robertson, Dominic (14 August 2021). "People urged to look at 'bigger picture' over Ironbridge Power Station site". Shropshire Star. Retrieved 17 August 2021.
  5. ↑ Austin, Sue (20 September 2021). "Major Ironbridge Power Station development approved at third time of asking". Shropshire Star. Retrieved 18 November 2021.
  6. ↑ "Restoring Your Railway Fund: bids received". gov.uk. Department for Transport. 27 October 2021. Retrieved 28 October 2021.
  7. ↑ "Restoring Your Railway Fund: successful bids". gov.uk. Department for Transport. 27 October 2021. Retrieved 28 October 2021.
  8. ↑ "Launching Revolution Very Light Rail (RVLR)". transportdesigninternational.com. Transport Design International. 7 October 2021. Retrieved 28 October 2021.

Further reading

  • Mitchell, Vic; Smith, Keith (2008). Craven Arms to Wellington. Middleton Press. figs. 54-65. ISBN 9781906008338. OCLC 750867075.
  • Mitchell, Vic; Smith, Keith (2007). Kidderminster to Shrewsbury. Middleton Press. figs. 95-101. ISBN 9781906008109. OCLC 154801530.
Preceding station   Disused railways   Following station
Cressage
Line and station closed		   Great Western Railway
Severn Valley Railway		   Ironbridge and Broseley
Line and station closed
Coalbrookdale
Line and station closed		   Great Western Railway
Wellington to Craven Arms Railway		   Farley Halt
Line and station closed


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