Alveley Halt
The halt in 1963
General information
LocationHighley, Shropshire
England
Coordinates52°27′09″N 2°22′24″W / 52.4524°N 2.3734°W / 52.4524; -2.3734
Grid referenceSO746839
Platforms1
Other information
StatusDisused
History
Original companyGreat Western Railway
Post-groupingGreat Western Railway
Key dates
1944Station opens as Alveley Colliery Sidings
Unknown DateStation renamed Alveley Colliery Halt
by June 1954Station renamed Alveley Halt
9 September 1963Station closes

Alveley Halt was a halt on the original Severn Valley Line, situated between the villages of Highley and Alveley, in the English county of Shropshire. The station, which was not re-opened by the heritage Severn Valley Railway, has been replaced by the adjacent Country Park Halt around one-quarter of a mile (0.4 km) up the line.

History

Mining at the Alveley Colliery began in 1938,[1] and the halt opened around 1944 for the workers at the Colliery.[2]

Ownership of the halt passed from the Great Western Railway to the Western Region of British Railways during the nationalisation of 1948. The Severn Valley Railway between Shrewsbury and Bewdley was closed to passenger and through goods traffic by the British Transport Commission in 1963. However, the southern section of track from the Colliery, which included the halt, remained open for coal traffic until the Colliery closed in January 1969.[3]

The site today

In summer 1973, the halt was demolished as the platform-face was collapsing towards the track. At the time, preparations were underway for the 1974 re-opening of the line by the Severn Valley Railway between Hampton Loade and Bewdley.[4] Today, the former halt is a grass-covered piece of raised rough-ground, situated on the western side of the line adjacent to a level crossing. A section of GWR bridge rail, presumably a former signpost, still stands upright on the site.

The line passing through the halt is still active, and heritage trains from the Severn Valley Railway travel up it between Hampton Loade and Highley stations.

Preceding station Heritage Railways  Heritage railways Following station
Hampton Loade   Severn Valley Railway
Station replaced by
Country Park Halt 		  Highley

References

  1. ^ Shropshire History, ‘’Alveley Colliery’’ (Retrieved 4 June 2016)
  2. ^ Mitchell, Vic; Smith, Keith (2007). Country Railway Routes, Kidderminster to Shrewsbury. Midhurst: Middleton Press. ISBN 978-1-906008-10-9.
  3. ^ Marshall, John (1989). The Severn Valley Railway. Newton Abbot: David St John Thomas. ISBN 0-946537-45-3.
  4. ^ SVR News Issue 29


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