Author: P.D. Rendall
Publisher: Crowood Press
ISBN: 9781785007378
Price: RRP £20 but available at a lower price
Publication: 21st September 2020
Number of pages: 157
Format: Paperback
How Obtained: Purchased
Throughout history junctions have been pivotal, frequently providing a spur for social and economic development. Until relatively recently, however, the junctions were those of rivers and roads. But in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries railways provided an extra dimension.
P.D. Rendall provides a detailed study of one of these in Severn Tunnel Junction published by Crowood Press in September 2020. An introductory chapter features an essay to staff written by Diesel Depot Roster Clerk William Winton at the closure of the junction yards in 1987. A brief historical account follows of the development of the Severn Tunnel itself before an examination of the junction passenger station. After that, three chapters outline the history of the goods marshalling yards over their 101 year history.
Five chapters cover specific aspects of the junction such as signalling and working methods, along with one on the short branchlines to Caerwent and Sudbrook. Rendall rounds off the story with a look at the winding down and closure of the yards and future plans for the area.
Severn Tunnel Junction: Not Just a Railway Operation
The junction started as just a few sidings immediately following the opening of the Severn Tunnel in 1886. Subsequently, it grew to become the largest freight marshalling yard in the Western Region of British Railways. As mentioned, one feature of a junction is the potential to generate significant local economic and social activity. Rendall shows just how this happened at Severn Tunnel.
However, in contrast to earlier road and river driven development, the rate of growth and ultimate sudden decline was greatly accelerated. Drawing on his social history background, Rendall emphasises the community spirit which pervaded the junction, though a very specialized community of railway workers and their families.
‘Hump’ shunting and a microcosm of the entire railway system
A fascinating part of the book is the explanation of ‘hump shunting’ in the yards. This idea, adopted from European practice involves a loco pushing wagons to the summit of the hump then letting them roll under gravity into one of a fan of sidings. The operation, which sort wagons into new trains for onward departure, involves some deft point and brake work.
One striking aspect of Severn Tunnel Junction is the fact that it encapsulates many of the features of railway development in general. For example, the expansion in locomotive stabling and maintenance requirements as traffic expanded must have been replicated in some form throughout the system.
A feature, however which would benefit the book is a regional map placing the Junction in the context of South West England and South Wales. Only a sketch map is included of the local area along the banks of the River Severn covered by the text. On the other hand, a much larger scale map would help the reader understand just why the Junction grew to be such a strategic location for the exchange of goods traffic.
In Summary
A very well researched book which gives fascinating details of the operation of a critical and extremely busy rail intersection. Listing the names of the men and women staffing the junction is a reminder that it’s success was at heart a community endeavour.
The Good
- A wealth of diagrams from many sources
- Clear and detailed description of the 100 year evolution of the yards
- A focus on the people operating a complex logistical system.
The Not So Good
- Would benefit from a regional map placing the Junction in strategic context.
Outline Contents
- The Beginnings
- Severn Tunnel Junction Station
- Severn Tunnel Junction Yards 1886-1936
- World War II
- Severn Tunnel Junction Yards 1945-1987
- Methods of Working at Severn Tunnel Junction
- Repair and Maintenance
- Severn Tunnel Junction Loco Sheds
- The Caerwent and Sudbrook Branch Lines
- Signalling
- Railway Housing
- Reductions, Closure and the Future
About the Author: P.D. Rendall
P D Rendall became a Mechanical Engineering apprentice for British Rail Engineering’s Swindon works at the age of sixteen. After nine years in engineering he worked as a Signalman, rising to become Supervisor of the Bristol Panel signal box. He has an Honours degree in Social and Community History, and divides his time between work as a social historian and in the mental health sector. He is a published author on many subjects, from the 1970 Bristol resignalling to the North Somerset coalfield, and has appeared on local TV and radio.
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