I have spent some time at the beginning of 2023 finding out as much as I can about the railways which served collieries either side of the River Severn south of Bridgnorth and which were served by the Severn Valley Railway. Years before the Severn Valley Railway was constructed, tramroads brought coal and othe mine arisings down the the river for distribution around the country. The Tramroad served wharves on the river and Severn Trows took the load downstream. This first article is about the Billingsley Plateway. ..... http://rogerfarnworth.com/2023/02/11/railways-around-bridgenorth-part-1
Somehow I had never heard this style of construction noted as being a "plateway". I do really like the appearance of that cast iron arch bridge!
Plateways were popular for a short while in the period before railways were steam powered. Very few survived the transition from horse power to steam power. Edge rails (the normal ones now) required flanged wheels which could not be used on the roads of the day. Plateways allow any cart of waggon of the correct gauge to use the plateway and transfer to road use if required.
Railways Around Bridgnorth again. ..... South of Bridgnorth in the valley of the River Severn were a series of collieries and associated sidings: Alveley Sidings and Alveley Colliery with a private railway/aerial ropeway; Highley Station; Highley Colliery & Sidings; The Billingsley Railway & Collery; and Kinlet Colliery and Sidings. These locations were all within the Wyre Forest Coalfield. All were connected to the GWR Severn Valley Railway (SVR). This next article looks at each of these locations in turn: http://rogerfarnworth.com/2023/02/13/railways-around-bridgenorth-part-2
It is the end of the line leading to Billingsley Colliery in the 1920s. The screens were at this location with coal brought down an incline from the pithead.
