Mangotsfield railway station

Mangotsfield
Mangotsfield railway station in 1973
Location
Place	Mangotsfield
Area	South Gloucestershire
Grid reference	ST665753
Operations
Pre-grouping	Midland Railway
Post-grouping	London, Midland and Scottish Railway London Midland Region of British Railways
Platforms	6
History
1 May 1845	Opened
4 August 1869	Rebuilt 805m south
7 March 1966	Closed
Disused railway stations in the United Kingdom
Closed railway stations in Britain A B C D–F G H–J K–L M–O P–R S T–V W–Z
UK Railways portal

Taken from the station today, looking towards Bristol on The Bristol & Bath Railway Path

Bristol Area Railway Map
Legend
Cross Country Route Thornbury Branch Line Yate South Wales Main Line New Passage Pier Westerleigh Junction New Passage Halt Cross Hands Halt South Wales Main Line Pilning Severn Beach Coalpit Heath Severn View Industrial Park Winterbourne Chittening Industrial Estate Bristol Parkway Patchway Smoke Lane Industrial Estate Ram Hill Colliery Chittening Platform Hallen Halt Avonmouth Docks Henbury St Andrews Road Charlton Halt Avonmouth (BPRP) North Filton Platform Filton Triangle Depot Avonmouth (Royal Edward) Westerleigh Goods Depot Avonmouth Docks Avonmouth Filton Junction Avonmouth Light Railway Filton Avonmouth Docks Filton Abbey Wood Shirehampton Horfield Sea Mills Ashley Hill Clifton Down Tunnel Mangotsfield(1845–1869) Clifton Down Mangotsfield(1869–1966) Redland Staple Hill Montpelier Fishponds Hotwells Halt Hotwells Narroways Hill Junction Stapleton Road sidings Grey line represents Stapleton Road boundary of Bristol Warmley unitary authority area Lawrence Hill Waste depot Oldland Common Bristol St Philip's Barton Hill Depot St Mary Redcliffe tunnel Bristol Temple Meads Bristol Temple Meads Bristol Harbour Railway St Philips Marsh T&RSMD Bedminster Parson Street Bristol Docks (North) Bristol Docks (South) South Liberty Lane Depot East Depot Bitton Ashton Gate St Anne's Park Clifton Bridge Brislington Nightingale Valley Halt Long Ashton Ham Green Halt Avon Riverside Pill Keynsham Portbury shipyard Whitchurch Halt Royal Portbury Dock Kelston Portbury Shipyard Saltford Portbury Mangotsfield Branch Line (1954–1964)Portishead Great Western Main Line Weston, Clevedon and Portishead Light Railway Bristol & North Somerset Rly (1879–1954)Portishead Bristol to Exeter Line Portishead Pier

Bristol and Gloucester Railway
Legend
Gloucester to Newport Line (SWR) to Newport Gloucester Birmingham & Gloucester Rly (MR) to Birmingham (1854-1965)Haresfield Golden Valley Line (GWR) to Swindon Stonehouse (Bristol Road) (Closed 1965) Stonehouse & Nailsworth Rly (MR) to Nailsworth/Stroud Stroudwater Navigation (Closed 1961)Frocester Cam and Dursley(Opened 1994) (1856-1965)Coaley Junction Dursley & Midland Junction Rly (MR) to Dursley Berkeley Road(Closed 1965) Sharpness Branch Line (MR) to Sharpness (Closed 1965)Charfield Wickwar(Closed 1965) Wickwar tunnel Yate to Thornbury Branch Line (MR) to Thornbury Yate( Closed 1965 Reopened 1989 ) Westerleigh Junction South Wales Main Line (GWR) to London Paddington Coalpit Heath Sidings Ram Hill Colliery Westerleigh Goods Depot x20px Bristol Parkway Mangotsfield & Bath Branch Line (MR) to Bath South Wales Main Line (GWR) to Swansea Mangotsfield(1845-1966) Goods line to Avonmouth docks Staple Hill(1888-1966) Staple Hill Tunnel Filton Abbey Wood Fishponds(1866-1966) Avonside Locomotive Works Clifton Extension Rly (GWR & MR) to Avonmouth Kingswood Junction River Frome Atlas Locomotive Works and collieries Stapleton Road Lawrence Hill Waste Depot Goods Depots ( Terminus 1870-1953 )Bristol St Philips Bristol Harbour River Avon (from Bath) (GWR) Temple Meads Goods Depot Great Western Main Line to London Paddington Bristol Temple Meads Bridge over Victoria Street Tunnel under St Mary Redcliffe churchyard Bristol Harbour Railway St Philips Marsh TMD River Avon (to the sea) Bristol & North Somerset Rly (GWR) Bristol and Exeter Railway (GWR) to Taunton and Exeter

Mangotsfield railway station was a station on the Midland Railway Bristol and Gloucester main line and was situated about five miles to the north east of Bristol in what is now the suburb of Mangotsfield.

The station was the junction for the Mangotsfield and Bath Branch Line that led to Bath Green Park railway station and on southwards over the Somerset and Dorset Joint Railway to Bournemouth. It had six platforms, including a bay platform used by the passenger service to Clifton Down using the Clifton Extension Railway. The latter services were discontinued in 1940 following the outbreak of war and were never reinstated. Part of the line to Bath now forms the Avon Valley Railway, which has its headquarters at Bitton.

The line to Bath was strengthened in the 1930s so as to take heavier locomotives and the station was very busy until the 1960s, when the Beeching Report recommended closure. The station closed in 1966 when services between Bristol and Bath on the line were withdrawn; stopping services between Bristol and Gloucester on the Midland line had been withdrawn in 1965. The last regular through passenger trains to use the third side of the triangle, which connected Bath and Gloucester but bypassed the station itself was the Pines Express in 1962. Fast trains continued to pass through the station ended in 1969 with the re-routing of the Bristol to Gloucester services via Filton.

Carson's chocolate factory occupied the centre of the triangle (along with its own cricket pitch) and had its own siding which saw chocolate trains until the early 1960s. The station also handled a lot of racing pigeon traffic, the birds being loaded into special vans. The mail train, which in the days of the Travelling Post Office always had to have the mail catcher on the left, was turned every day on the triangle until the mid-1960s.

The station was the inspiration behind Arnold Ridley's play The Ghost Train after Ridley found himself stranded there one evening. The sound of a train on the curve bypassing the station (used by non-stopping trains between Bath and Gloucester) gave the impression of a train approaching, passing and departing but not being seen.

The station is now on the route of the Bristol & Bath Railway Path, part of National Cycle Route 4.

Services

Preceding station	Disused railways			Following station
Staple Hill Line and station closed		Bristol and Gloucester Railway Midland Railway		Yate Line closed
Terminus		Mangotsfield and Bath Branch Line Midland Railway		Warmley Line and station closed

External links

• Pictures of Mangotsfield
• History of the Avon Valley Railway