Bewdley train line station serves the city of Bewdley in Worcestershire, Britain . It's the executive HQ of the Severn Valley Railway, and is the principal intermediate station on the line.Bewdley station background:- In geological terms, the Stream Severn is amazingly young, forming 25,000 years back in the last glacial period.
Crossing the river:- The earliest bridge was built in 1336, though today's structure is a Thomas Telford design, dated 1798. The opening of the Staffordshire and Worcestershire canal in 1772 was to prove a crippling blow to the cities 4,000 inhabitants because of the loss of trade downstream to Stourport and it shortly became clear that without action the situation would continue to get worse.
Signalling Systems:- Originally, all movements were controlled by single needle telegram equipment. By 1872 year, the line to Tenbury Wells had been upgraded to the 'Staff and Ticket' system, whereby a train entering a section must take a staff in with it.
If 2 trains were due to go in the same direction, the 1st would carry a ticket instead, though the driver still required to see the staff before he set off. This system can be limiting, which is maybe why the a lot less fail safe telegram system was installed for the Kidderminster Loop in 1877. In the same year, the 'Absolute Block system was installed for the 2 main lines between the new north and south signal boxes.
It wasn't till 1891 that Staff and Ticket working or downright Block was eventually introduced for almost all of the Severn Valley Train line , with Bewdley 'Back Road' ( Platform three ) being worked by the Electrical Staff system by 1894. The locking frame in Bewdley South Signal Box got replaced in 1909 though no changes to the working practice were effected, it was simply worn out.
Track layout:- The track layout of Bewdley station has been amended many times. In 1919, the entire route was upgraded. Great Western engines were given a color disk which indicated which routes they could be used on, since branch lines and smaller routes were supply with weaker bridges. The changed route classification permitted 'yellow' engines ( spindle loading of sixteen tons or less ) complete access and 'blue' engines ( Up to seventeen tons twelve hundredweight ) access subject to a 25mph speed limitation.
At Bewdley stations layout at the south of the station was changed, getting shot of the scissors crossover arrangement fitted on opening of the Kidderminster line which had seriously limited the engines using the route. This arrangement was like that used today, though slight changes were made in 1932. Both the Kidderminster and Stourport lines were re-laid to 'dotted red' permitting all GWR engines apart from the 'King' and 47xx classes to utilise them.The section from Hartlebury to Kidderminster made up the 3rd side of a triangle, which would have enabled the bigger allowed engines to be turned round, though whether or not this occurred often is not known.