The building of the “Railway Bridge Pedestrian subway” in 1957. To find out more
I’m pleased you found the time to highlight this major Stonehouse event.
Since sending my memories I have been talking to some local friends about this event. I have been amazed that no one else remembered it at all. Very strange, as I think about it nearly every time I go over it in a train on my journey Eastward, or when driving under it. Strange how some things just seem to sit in your memory.
My memories are a bit unusual as I remember this event as a railway user. During the 1950s I frequently used the Stonehouse to Gloucester railway, as a passenger. As an apprentice compositor, I had to attend the City of Gloucester College of Art as part of my City and Guilds apprenticeship training course. I seem to remember it cost 1 shilling and 9 pence for a return journey. I think this was the amount I had to be given by my foreman at work, from his petty cash box. This course was attended by boys from all around the area as far as Swindon, all using the “GWR’ route through Stonehouse. The delay caused by the trains slowing down to get over the bridge building works, meant we were all very late in arriving at the college in Brunswick Road. There could be as many of a dozen of us on this train, making a considerable problem to the staff at the college, as the train didn’t arrive at Gloucester until 9.00 am, when it should have been there about twenty minutes earlier.
Around this time I also had a Saturday job, working in a small garage in Gloucester. The delay of this train had an effect on the time I could get there to start my working day.
At this time we had the use of the Railcar running from Brimscombe, Stroud, Cashes Green, and Ebley Halt. This was a very popular service and the delays to our journey were a regular talking point in the pubs and clubs of Stonehouse. Whenever I walk through the pedestrian tunnel I think of how slow the trains had to go, and hoping this wouldn’t be the journey to have an accident.
I hope you get a lot of interesting comment to add colour to this event
Regards, as ever.
Roy C Edwards