The Two Tunnels Greenway in Bath.
These photographs continue our coverage of the new multi-use trail
opened along the Somerset & Dorset Railway between Bath (Lower
Bristol Road) and Midford. It is one mightily engineered railway path!
In passing, we are pleased to report that the local authorities are
currently looking at creating a link, in Bath, between the Bristol
to Bath Railway Path and the Two Tunnels Greenway; at the Bath end,
they pass within 400-500 yards of each other, so a safe link between
the two is the obvious next step. |
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Above:
Heading north from Devonshire Tunnel, the first major engineering
feature is this three arch viaduct which links Maple Grove and Chantry
Mead Road. Note the number of users udner the bridge. At the time
this photograph was taken, the new route has been open throughout
for barely an hour. 6th April 2013. (Jeff Vinter) |
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Above:
A view of the replacement bridge installed over Monksdale
Road. This is the smaller of the two new bridges in suburban Bath:
it was constructed as a single span and thus could be craned into
position fairly easily. The original railway bridge was a tiny thing
which spanned a narrow gap in the railway embankment; it was removed
in the 1970s in connection with local road improvements. 6th April
2013. (Jeff Vinter) |
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Above:
The photograph immediately above this one has the effect
of foreshortening the new bridge, whereas this image gives a clear
impression of its size. The railway embankments to the left and right
originally jutted into the road, allowing the S&D to span the
gap with a very small bridge. (Bear in mind that the company was almost
out of capital by the time it got this far north.) The improvements
made by the local authority in the 1970s are clearly visible in the
partial removal and re-grading of the embankments, which had the unfortunate
effect of encouraging an increase in traffic speed. 6th April 2013.
(Jeff Vinter) |
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Above:
This is the larger of the two new bridges in Bath, crossing
the busy Millmead Road. It was quite a logistical problem to install
it because it had to be manufactured in two sections, which were then
joined together on site before the whole thing could be lowered into
position by crane. Jeff Vinter. (6th April 2013) |
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Above:
This photograph of Millmead Road bridge gives a better idea
of its size. As can be seen, the contractors (Hydrock) carried out
a lot of landcsaping here, which will 'green' this scene in years
to come – albeit at the loss of this impressive view. 6th April
2013. (Jeff Vinter) |
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Above:
A pleasing side-effect of the installation of these new bridges
is that trail users can enjoy the kind of views that railway passengers
had from their carriage windows in years gone by. This is the view
north from the Millmead Road bridge: Bath's famous Royal Crescent
can be seen clearly in the distance – look about one-third down
from the top. 8th June 2013. (Jeff Vinter) |
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Above:
The railway path currently deposits trail users on the Lower
Bristol Road in Bath, just west of the Royal Oak public house. The
S&D's line continued on the north side of the Lower Bristol Road
to Bath Green Park, and it is worth walking into the city on the north
side of this road to trace its remains. Sections of embankment and
some bridge abutments survive, but recently this Stothert & Pitt
steam crane – manufactured at the company's nearby factory –
has been installed, complete with a short panel of track. Stothert
& Pitt was sold to Robert Maxwell's Hollis Group in 1986, but
did not survive the collapse of this failed tycoon's business empire.
The company re-located from Bath to Bristol in summer 2008, by which
time all manufacturing operations had ceased in favour of consultancy
work. 6th April 2013. (Jeff Vinter) |
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Above:
What the driver saw. (Well, almost.) This is the modern day
equivalent of the engine driver's view approaching Bath Green Park
station. Sainsbury's were instrumental in reviving the site, which
was ruinous for decades after the railway's closure in 1966. However,
soon the site is to be re-developed again. Sainsbury's are off: they
are moving their supermartket into the nearby Homebase premises, and
the station area is to be re-developed for small retail units –
which is what has happened inside the trainshed already, to good effect.
6th April 2013. (Jeff Vinter) |