60007 Hallen Moor 5th November 1997.
With my notes now located I can confirm Loadhaul liveried 60007 is approaching the site of the temporary Hallen Moor signal cabin with 7Z93, the 09:23 Avonmouth Rockingham Road to Merehead stone empties on 5th November 1997. The photo is taken from a ridge behind a row of houses at Hill End Drive, Henbury, Bristol and was a popular spot for many years. Growth on the trackside has curtailed the view 23 years on but I'm guessing some sort of shot is still available. The current vista now includes wind turbines and the impressive Suez waste facility/power station at Severnside. The bridge in the shot is the Second Severn Crossing road bridge.
In 1997 Honda had bought a large piece of land next to the railway to store new cars built at their Swindon plant before they were exported via Portbury Docks. To build the huge car park a vast amount of base stone (type 1) was railed in from Merehead Quarry and unloaded from the running lines at Hallen Marsh (Rockingham Bridge). From memory 3 trains a day ran for 6-7 months. Sadly a rail siding was never in the plans although a new rail link was built to serve the Honda factory at Swindon. All the cars of which there was hundreds of thousands over the years never arrived or departed to the Avonmouth site by rail.
Pentax 6 x 7 Slide Scan
60007 Hallen Moor 5th November 1997.
With my notes now located I can confirm Loadhaul liveried 60007 is approaching the site of the temporary Hallen Moor signal cabin with 7Z93, the 09:23 Avonmouth Rockingham Road to Merehead stone empties on 5th November 1997. The photo is taken from a ridge behind a row of houses at Hill End Drive, Henbury, Bristol and was a popular spot for many years. Growth on the trackside has curtailed the view 23 years on but I'm guessing some sort of shot is still available. The current vista now includes wind turbines and the impressive Suez waste facility/power station at Severnside. The bridge in the shot is the Second Severn Crossing road bridge.
In 1997 Honda had bought a large piece of land next to the railway to store new cars built at their Swindon plant before they were exported via Portbury Docks. To build the huge car park a vast amount of base stone (type 1) was railed in from Merehead Quarry and unloaded from the running lines at Hallen Marsh (Rockingham Bridge). From memory 3 trains a day ran for 6-7 months. Sadly a rail siding was never in the plans although a new rail link was built to serve the Honda factory at Swindon. All the cars of which there was hundreds of thousands over the years never arrived or departed to the Avonmouth site by rail.
Pentax 6 x 7 Slide Scan