{"id":1334,"date":"2022-05-18T12:11:24","date_gmt":"2022-05-18T12:11:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/therailwaydog.co.uk\/?p=1334"},"modified":"2022-05-18T12:11:24","modified_gmt":"2022-05-18T12:11:24","slug":"bristol-harbour-railway","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/therailwaydog.co.uk\/?p=1334","title":{"rendered":"Bristol Harbour Railway"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/therailwaydog.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/img_3541-1024x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1338\" srcset=\"https:\/\/therailwaydog.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/img_3541-1024x1024.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/therailwaydog.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/img_3541-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/therailwaydog.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/img_3541-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/therailwaydog.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/img_3541-768x768.jpg 768w, https:\/\/therailwaydog.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/img_3541-1536x1536.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/therailwaydog.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/img_3541-2048x2048.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/therailwaydog.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/img_3541-1568x1568.jpg 1568w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption>Yoshi sits near Howard Lock, Bristol with the Clifton Suspension Bridge in the background<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>At the weekend, Yoshi visited Bristol by train from Dorset. He was a very good boy on the trains to and from the city. It was perhaps a little too hot for him during the day, but we made sure he had lots of water and opportunity to rest in the shade. He also enjoyed a boat trip.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"393\" src=\"https:\/\/therailwaydog.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/img_3550-1024x393.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1353\" srcset=\"https:\/\/therailwaydog.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/img_3550-1024x393.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/therailwaydog.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/img_3550-300x115.jpg 300w, https:\/\/therailwaydog.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/img_3550-768x295.jpg 768w, https:\/\/therailwaydog.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/img_3550-1536x590.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/therailwaydog.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/img_3550-2048x787.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/therailwaydog.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/img_3550-1568x602.jpg 1568w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption>Bristol Temple Meads &#8211; May 2022<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>We arrived in the city via Bristol Temple Meads railway station which is currently undergoing a massive transformation programme managed by Network Rail.  Having completed a major track and signalling upgrade in 2021, the station roof is currently being grit-blasted to remove layers of old colouring before receiving a protective new coat of paint. New glazing is also being installed with the project due for completion in the summer of 2024. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/therailwaydog.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/img_3551-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1366\" srcset=\"https:\/\/therailwaydog.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/img_3551-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/therailwaydog.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/img_3551-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/therailwaydog.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/img_3551-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/therailwaydog.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/img_3551-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/therailwaydog.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/img_3551-2048x1536.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/therailwaydog.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/img_3551-1568x1176.jpg 1568w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption>GWR Castle Class HST power car No. 43005 &#8216;St. Michaels Mount&#8217; stands at the rear of the 0820 Taunton to Cardiff Central service. The scaffolding for the safety deck to facilitate roof repairs can clearly be seen.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Bristol Temple Meads   14052022\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/tyMI9FhWlu0?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><figcaption>Watch a couple of HST&#8217;s at Bristol &#8211; 14\/05\/2022<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>The original Temple Meads, designed by famed engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel, was opened on 31st August 1840 as the western terminus of the Great Western Railway. The Brunel train shed no longer forms part of the operational station and is now partly used for car parking, Temple Meads having been expanded to accommodate a growing number of train services by Matthew Digby Wyatt and Francis Fox in the 1870&#8217;s and Percy Emerson Culverhouse in the early 1930&#8217;s. To me Bristol Temple Meads represents one of the finest railway stations in the UK.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1920\" height=\"2560\" src=\"https:\/\/therailwaydog.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/img_3547-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1354\" srcset=\"https:\/\/therailwaydog.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/img_3547-scaled.jpg 1920w, https:\/\/therailwaydog.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/img_3547-225x300.jpg 225w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\" \/><figcaption> A statue of Isambard Kingdom Brunel (1806 &#8211; 1859) stands on the approach to Bristol Temple Meads railway station<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>We enjoyed a walk around the city and took in the Clifton Suspension Bridge, a visit to Bristol Museum &amp; Art Gallery, the buzzing quayside area and Brunel&#8217;s SS Great Britain, once the largest passenger ship in the world. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"768\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/therailwaydog.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/img_3548-768x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1355\" srcset=\"https:\/\/therailwaydog.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/img_3548-768x1024.jpg 768w, https:\/\/therailwaydog.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/img_3548-225x300.jpg 225w, https:\/\/therailwaydog.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/img_3548-1152x1536.jpg 1152w, https:\/\/therailwaydog.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/img_3548-1536x2048.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/therailwaydog.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/img_3548-1568x2091.jpg 1568w, https:\/\/therailwaydog.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/img_3548-scaled.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/><figcaption>Brunel&#8217;s SS Great Britain. Brunel envisaged passengers boarding his steam ships in America, sailing to Bristol and travelling to London via his trains on his railway without having to leave the Great Western Railway company services on the journey.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"658\" src=\"https:\/\/therailwaydog.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/img_3549-1024x658.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1356\" srcset=\"https:\/\/therailwaydog.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/img_3549-1024x658.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/therailwaydog.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/img_3549-300x193.jpg 300w, https:\/\/therailwaydog.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/img_3549-768x493.jpg 768w, https:\/\/therailwaydog.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/img_3549-1536x987.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/therailwaydog.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/img_3549-2048x1316.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/therailwaydog.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/img_3549-1568x1007.jpg 1568w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption>As part of an exhibition of art works chosen by Grayson Perry and guest celebrities chronicling recent lockdowns at the Bristol Museum &amp; Art Gallery entitled &#8216;Grayson&#8217;s Art Club&#8217; was this fantastic Ticket Rug created by Simon Fraser. The rug contains over 25,900 individual threads and took 60 hours to complete.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Unplanned as part of our visit when originally devised, I was very pleased to see the Bristol Harbour Railway was in operation. Built by the Great Western Railway in the 1870&#8217;s, being formally opened on 11 March 1872 by Lady Mayoress, Mrs Elizabeth Hare.  The railway was used to transport goods arriving by ship including coal, esparto grass, wood and meat, as well as alcoholic drinks such as sherry and Guinness.  A great deal of goods traffic was moved on the railway throughout its working life including vital war supplies during both world wars.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The railway began at Bristol Temple Meads before proceeding through a tunnel under St Mary Redcliffe churchyard, over a steam-powered lifting bridge outside the Ostrich pub on Bathurst Basin and onto Princes Wharf.  In the 1900&#8217;s it was extended onto Wapping Wharf to where the SS Great Britain is docked today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>After a century operating as a goods railway, it was handed over to the Bristol Museum and has been run as a heritage visitor attraction ever since. Today the railway runs on the quayside between M Shed and the &#8216;SS Great Britain&#8217; or alongside the New Cut to Vauxhall footbridge. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Locomotive engineering was a vital industry in Bristol from the late 1830s to the 1950s and currently M Shed has two Bristol-built steam locomotives in operation; &#8216;Henbury&#8217;\u00a0and &#8216;Portbury<em>&#8216;,<\/em>\u00a0both of which served their working lives on the docks railway system at Avonmouth. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"687\" src=\"https:\/\/therailwaydog.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/img_3546-1024x687.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1347\" srcset=\"https:\/\/therailwaydog.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/img_3546-1024x687.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/therailwaydog.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/img_3546-300x201.jpg 300w, https:\/\/therailwaydog.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/img_3546-768x515.jpg 768w, https:\/\/therailwaydog.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/img_3546.jpg 1235w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption>&#8216;Portbury&#8217;<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Built in the Fishponds area of Bristol in 1917 by the Avonside Engine Co and painted battleship grey, &#8216;Portbury&#8217; was taken to work on the construction of the new Portbury shipyard towards the end of World War 1. In 1920 she was moved to Avonmouth Docks where she worked on the internal railway system.  She was later joined by &#8216;Henbury&#8217;, built at Bristol company Peckett &amp; Sons in 1937. A more powerful engine, &#8216;Henbury&#8217; augmented a growing fleet of 40 engines at work in the docks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When diesel engines took over in the 1960&#8217;s both engines were selected for the museum. After some years in storage &#8216;Henbury&#8217; was overhauled and took part in the opening ceremony of Bristol Industrial Museum in 1978. In 1981, &#8216;Henbury&#8217; made railway history as the first preserved steam locomotive to pull scheduled freight on the main line railway.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/therailwaydog.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/img_3540-1024x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1339\" srcset=\"https:\/\/therailwaydog.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/img_3540-1024x1024.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/therailwaydog.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/img_3540-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/therailwaydog.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/img_3540-150x150.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption>&#8216;Henbury&#8217;<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8216;Henbury&#8217; has pulled hundreds of thousands of visitors on trips on Bristol Harbour Railway since 1978 and was joined in 1988 by &#8216;Portbury&#8217;. Now in its 150th Anniversary year, we hope the railway continues to give enjoyment for many years to come. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Click on our short video from 14th May 2022 below, and also watch from the archive with the Bristol Harbour Railway in operation in the 1990&#8217;s:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"MShed Bristol   14052022\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/jThqmV9zd6s?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><figcaption>The Bristol Harbour Railway in May 2022<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Bristol Harbour Railway   1990&#039;s\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/WClfs6NWLHM?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><figcaption>The Bristol Harbour Railway as seen on two visits in the 1990&#8217;s <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>A quiet week for &#8220;out of the normal&#8221; trains locally following the excitement of the Swanage Railway diesel gala ( see last weeks blog entry ), however following the timetable changes which took place from May 15th 2022, South Western Railway has reinstated a &#8220;full service&#8221; to and from Weymouth for the first time since the coronavirus pandemic hit. Two trains an hour will now run to London, with a later evening return service from Dorset.\u00a0Journey times will be reduced and improvements have been made to Weymouth station, focusing on new bus stop facilities and platform refurbishments. We&#8217;ll have to check them out! <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Finally, a brief visit to Bristol Temple Meads 1988 style from the same vista as the 2022 video linked above.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Bristol Temple Meads 1988\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/HcX1kPjQif4?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><figcaption>Bristol Temple Meads departures &#8211; 1988<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>We&#8217;ll certainly be hopping in our archive time machine and visiting Bristol again in future weeks, but for now, that&#8217;s all for this entry. As always, thank you for reading and all comments welcome. May your dog go with you.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>At the weekend, Yoshi visited Bristol by train from Dorset. He was a very good boy on the trains to and from the city. It was perhaps a little too hot for him during the day, but we made sure he had lots of water and opportunity to rest in the shade. He also enjoyed [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[96,97,34,60,3,5,33],"tags":[98,35,24,6,7,14,15,13],"class_list":["post-1334","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-bristol-harbour-railway","category-bristol-temple-meads","category-cockapoo","category-dorset-trains","category-railways","category-steam-locomotives","category-yoshi","tag-bristol","tag-cockapoo","tag-heritage-railways","tag-railways","tag-steam-locomotives","tag-uk-railways","tag-uk-steam","tag-uk-trains"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/therailwaydog.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1334","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/therailwaydog.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/therailwaydog.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/therailwaydog.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/therailwaydog.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1334"}],"version-history":[{"count":44,"href":"https:\/\/therailwaydog.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1334\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1386,"href":"https:\/\/therailwaydog.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1334\/revisions\/1386"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/therailwaydog.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1334"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/therailwaydog.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1334"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/therailwaydog.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1334"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}