Saltford railway station

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Saltford railway station was a small station on the Great Western Main Line between Bath and Bristol. It served the village of Saltford, which saw much commuter development in the mid 20th century.

The station was opened four months after the main Great Western Railway line opened between Bath and Bristol. It was sited at the eastern end of the village at the foot of Saltford Hill, which forms the A4 road running through Saltford. The main building was on the down platform and there was also a small siding for goods.[1] Much of the main line through Saltford runs in a deep cutting or in tunnel.

The station closed on 5 January 1970 along with St Anne's Park, another station on the main line between Bath and Bristol. The buildings and platforms were demolished. Plans to reinstate a Saltford station have not so far succeeded:access to the previous site from the A4 is awkward, but there are few other suitable sites in the village.

Saltford was also served from 1869 to 1948 by a station at Kelston on the Mangotsfield and Bath Branch Line. The bridge carrying that line across the river Avon also carried a footpath from Saltford.

[edit] References

  1. ^ Oakley, Mike (2002). Somerset Railway Stations. Wimborne: Dovecote Press, p. 104.