Burbage Wharf goods siding

[timatheronwood]

Burbage Wharf was a goods siding/station on the Berks and Hants line between Bedwyn and Pewsey.
From the ordnance survey maps I can see that it persisted in to the twentieth century. They also show that there was a goods shed and a coal yard there My attempts to find a photograph of it have failed so far.
I would like to build a diorama based on Burbage Wharf in broad gauge days but information about the buildings there are very scant. Can anyone enlighten me on a published source of pictures?
TIA

 

[Gloster]

A Historical Survey of Selected Great Western Stations, Volume One by R.H.Clark (OPC, 1976) has a simplified scale plan from single line days, a drawing of the layout including signals and a photo looking from the bridge to the east. It gives Railway Magazine 1958, pp. 75-81, 97 as having historical information, photo(s) and map(s). I have seen another photo somewhere, but I don’t know if it was the same as in the Railway Magazine photo.

Burbage Siding box was a GWR Type 2 that was open from before 1884 to 1948, but not a block post until circa 1900. It probably was fairly small.

Rmweb seems to have some information: I leave you to search that site. (I trust it is not a traitorous deed to recommend that site.)

 

[Wychwood93]

Attached a link to the NLS site from single line days. A 25"/mile map.

Georeferenced Maps - Map images - National Library of Scotland

 

[Gloster]

When the line was doubled, the additional line was on the south side and the box was moved a few yards south. At the west end the layout was altered so that the connection from the siding connected to the new Down line and there was a slip connection from the Up to the Down using the siding connection. A crane was installed just east of the goods shed at sometime before grouping. It is not clear when a loading-gauge was installed: it may have been on the west end of the goods shed or it may have freestanding close to the shed’s west end. There may have been an end ramp at the end of the west spur siding.

 

[John Webb]

Original buildings at the wharf still seem to be there (click on photo to go to the larger original):
Burbage Wharf, seen from the road bridge

© Copyright David Martin and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence.

There are other photos of the wharf on the Geograph website.

It may also be useful to contact the Kennet and Avon Canal Trust who may have some information.

 

[Gloster]

Original buildings at the wharf still seem to be there (click on photo to go to the larger original):
Burbage Wharf, seen from the road bridge

© Copyright David Martin and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence.

There are other photos of the wharf on the Geograph website.

It may also be useful to contact the Kennet and Avon Canal Trust who may have some information.

I think that will be the canal wharf, which was on the north side of the canal. The railway wharf was almost opposite on the south side: I don’t think that there is much there now. Reportedly, goods to be transshipped were usually unloaded on one side and taken across the canal by the bridge (out of shot to the right) to the other.

 

[John Webb]

I think that will be the canal wharf, which was on the north side of the canal. The railway wharf was almost opposite on the south side: I don’t think that there is much there now. Reportedly, goods to be transshipped were usually unloaded on one side and taken across the canal by the bridge (out of shot to the right) to the other.

It is the canal wharf, but would make a good backdrop to a diorama of the railway.

 

[timatheronwood]

Thank you Gloster and John Webb. I did already have the map image from single line days. In the 1873-1888 date range the wharf siding is shown to have a Goods shed which covers the trackand a coal yard. There is no signal box that I can see but there are signal posts at each end of the loop.

 

[John Webb]

Thank you Gloster and John Webb. I did already have the map image from single line days. In the 1873-1888 date range the wharf siding is shown to have a Goods shed which covers the trackand a coal yard. There is no signal box that I can see but there are signal posts at each end of the loop.

On the map linked to by Wychwood93 in post #3, there is a small red rectangle on the south side of the single line almost opposite the west end of the goods shed; I suspect this was the signal box as it's pretty well equidistant from the two loop points.

 

[Gloster]

The box is listed as having opened around 1877, although it wasn’t a block post until circa 1900. It looks as if the frame originally had 10 levers, but I think that it must have been extended later as, even with selection, I think you would need a minimum of 12 to cover the double-track layout. On the nls map above the box was very probably the red building on the opposite side of the single line and slightly west of the goods shed.