CRANES, BOATS AND TRAINS AT BRISTOL HARBOUR RAILWAY 150TH ANNIVERSARY
The Bristol Harbour Railway dates back to 1866, when the Bristol & North Somerset Railway Company obtained an Act of Parliament for the construction of a line from Temple Meads to the Floating Harbour near where M Shed is today. On October 8, 1863, Mrs Sholto Vere Hare, the wife of the Mayor of Bristol, laid the first rail for the Bristol Harbour Tramway. However, financial difficulties led to the project being sold and then given Royal Assent on June 28, 1866, for another scheme.
It was built by the Bristol & Exeter Railway and GWR in partnership with Bristol Corporation, which constructed the wharf itself with the intention of alleviating heavy road traffic through the overcrowded city streets.
The line was opened to Wapping Wharf in 1872 for freight only and had no stations, becoming an immediate success – so much so that additional wharves were built over time. In 1906, the GWR added several extensions, one making it a through route with parts of it double-track to Ashton Junction, easing the pressure of unloading. Furthermore, the GWR had birthing rights at Wapping for grain and other produce.
Traffic was on the increase, so more warehouses were built at Wapping Wharf in 1929, with additional sidings laid the following year.
The Midland Railway had a presence in the docks as well. At St Phillip’s, it had its own depot, from which barges worked to the city docks.
Passenger trains did eventually put in an appearance on the harbour railway
