| Re: Forest of Dean - historic footbridge in Lydney Posted by Chris from Nailsea at 21:38, 3rd September 2025 |     |
Hmm.
I'm reminded of a rather scurrilous suggestion, many years ago: RAIB means, 'Reporting About It, Belatedly'.
"You may very well think that: I couldn't possibly comment."
(That is a comment from me personally, not from the Administrator / Moderator team here on the Coffee Shop forum. CfN.)
| Re: Forest of Dean - historic footbridge in Lydney Posted by grahame at 21:37, 3rd September 2025 | |
Is it just me, or could that paragraph in the RAIB press release have been more helpfully worded?
Not just you - I was disappointed too ...
| Re: Forest of Dean - historic footbridge in Lydney Posted by Ralph Ayres at 21:17, 3rd September 2025 | |
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/collision-with-footbridge-on-the-dean-forest-railway
I did get a little frustrated by this; surprised/impressed by the speed the RAIB had apparently worked at, I eagerly clicked the "preliminary examination" and "safety digest" links to find they just took me to pages telling me what those phrases meant, the actual safety digest itself understandably not likely to be ready for some time yet. Is it just me, or could that paragraph in the RAIB press release have been more helpfully worded?
| Re: Forest of Dean - historic footbridge in Lydney Posted by Chris from Nailsea at 12:59, 3rd September 2025 | |
A collision occurred and part of the footbridge landed on the train, which included a guard’s van carrying railway volunteers. There were no injuries.
Taking into account the amount of metalwork flying about, that was very fortunate.
| Re: Forest of Dean - historic footbridge in Lydney Posted by Oxonhutch at 12:48, 3rd September 2025 | |
..., then it has done its job very well.
If the well of the wagon was a couple of meters below track level, it wouldn't have worked at all.
| Re: Forest of Dean - historic footbridge in Lydney Posted by Red Squirrel at 11:50, 3rd September 2025 | |
...a railway wagon designed for that purpose...
If the wagon was designed for the purpose of ramming backhoes into footbridges, then it has done its job very well.
| Re: Forest of Dean - historic footbridge in Lydney Posted by ChrisB at 08:28, 3rd September 2025 | |
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/collision-with-footbridge-on-the-dean-forest-railway
| Re: Forest of Dean - historic footbridge in Lydney Posted by grahame at 09:45, 2nd September 2025 | |
From the BBC photo, I think I can confidently identify it as a digger arm. I will leave it to the RAIB to identify if it had any role to play in bridge’s demolition.
RAIB write (email)
At 10:55 on Thursday 14 August, a footbridge spanning the Dean Forest Railway at St Mary’s Halt, Lydney, was struck and destroyed by a 360-degree excavator that was being transported on a railway wagon designed for that purpose. The excavator belonged to the railway and had been loaded at Lydney Junction, but with the boom positioned too high to safely pass under the footbridge. A collision occurred and part of the footbridge landed on the train, which included a guard’s van carrying railway volunteers. There were no injuries.
The footbridge connected public footpaths on either side of the railway.
We have undertaken a preliminary examination into the circumstances surrounding this incident. Having assessed the evidence which has been gathered to date, we have decided to publish a safety digest.
The footbridge connected public footpaths on either side of the railway.
We have undertaken a preliminary examination into the circumstances surrounding this incident. Having assessed the evidence which has been gathered to date, we have decided to publish a safety digest.
| Re: Forest of Dean - historic footbridge in Lydney Posted by Oxonhutch at 21:51, 18th August 2025 | |
From the BBC photo, I think I can confidently identify it as a digger arm. I will leave it to the RAIB to identify if it had any role to play in bridge’s demolition.
| Re: Forest of Dean - historic footbridge in Lydney Posted by ChrisB at 21:00, 18th August 2025 | |
Yes, I had noticed that but was waiting for the RAIB to confirm.
| Re: Forest of Dean - historic footbridge in Lydney Posted by Oxonhutch at 20:36, 18th August 2025 | |
There is a rather suspicious yellow digger arm in front of the 08.
| Re: Forest of Dean - historic footbridge in Lydney Posted by Chris from Nailsea at 19:45, 18th August 2025 | |
Thanks for posting those images, grahame.
It enables me to offer a 'before and after' view, from almost the same standpoint:
Oops!
| Re: Forest of Dean - historic footbridge in Lydney Posted by grahame at 17:26, 18th August 2025 | |
Although getting rarer, bridges of this type *are* still around in a few places
| Re: Forest of Dean - historic footbridge in Lydney Posted by grahame at 13:15, 18th August 2025 | |
Some pics from me of the bridge from August of last year (2024)
| Re: Forest of Dean - historic footbridge in Lydney Posted by ChrisB at 12:53, 18th August 2025 | |
Presumably will be covered by insurance - it'll have to be repaired/replaced as it forms part of a recognised public footpath.
| Re: Forest of Dean - historic footbridge in Lydney Posted by Chris from Nailsea at 12:45, 18th August 2025 | |
From the BBC:
Listed iron footbridge is knocked over by train
A Grade II listed footbridge has been damaged after being hit by an engineering train on a heritage line.
The 133-year-old Victorian lattice iron bridge at St Mary's Halt in Lydney, Gloucestershire, was restored only in 2019 – and is said to be the last surviving piece of infrastructure from the historic Severn and Wye Railway.
Dean Forest Railway, which runs steam trains and heritage diesel services on the line, said no one was harmed in the incident, which happened just before 11:00 BST on Thursday.
It said its staff and volunteers were now working with the Office of Rail and Road and the Rail Accident Investigation Branch.
The bridge, north of the A48 and to the west of Lydney Lake, was cordoned off to the public after being knocked over.
Severn and Wye Railway was originally constructed as a tramroad network in the Forest of Dean more than two centuries ago.
The only remaining part of it in use, for heritage trips, spans 4.5 miles (7.2km) from Lydney Junction Station, which is near Lydney Harbour, to Parkend.
Dean Forest Railway said it would be running a reduced service over the weekend.
A Grade II listed footbridge has been damaged after being hit by an engineering train on a heritage line.
The 133-year-old Victorian lattice iron bridge at St Mary's Halt in Lydney, Gloucestershire, was restored only in 2019 – and is said to be the last surviving piece of infrastructure from the historic Severn and Wye Railway.
Dean Forest Railway, which runs steam trains and heritage diesel services on the line, said no one was harmed in the incident, which happened just before 11:00 BST on Thursday.
It said its staff and volunteers were now working with the Office of Rail and Road and the Rail Accident Investigation Branch.
The bridge, north of the A48 and to the west of Lydney Lake, was cordoned off to the public after being knocked over.
Severn and Wye Railway was originally constructed as a tramroad network in the Forest of Dean more than two centuries ago.
The only remaining part of it in use, for heritage trips, spans 4.5 miles (7.2km) from Lydney Junction Station, which is near Lydney Harbour, to Parkend.
Dean Forest Railway said it would be running a reduced service over the weekend.
| Re: Forest of Dean - historic footbridge in Lydney Posted by Chris from Nailsea at 11:53, 18th August 2025 | |
From the Dean Forest Railway website:
| Re: Forest of Dean - historic footbridge in Lydney Posted by Ralph Ayres at 10:40, 18th August 2025 | |
Looks like it's this one https://deanforestrailway.co.uk/st-marys-bridge/; the link still works but it may soon be taken down to minimise embarrassment. Bit of an own goal by the Dean Forest Railway given the effort that went into restoring it.
| Forest of Dean - historic footbridge in Lydney Posted by grahame at 06:00, 18th August 2025 | |
From The Sun - please excuse the spam bait there
A HISTORIC UK bridge has collapsed after an engineering train smashed into it.
The train crashed into the Grade II listed bridge at Lydney, in the Forest of Dean, just before 11am yesterday.
The train crashed into the Grade II listed bridge at Lydney, in the Forest of Dean, just before 11am yesterday.
It would appear that the old bridge at St Mary's Halt in Lydney has "come down" and from what I can read in the story it's not expected / intentional - talk of RAIB taking a look at it, and of an engineering train being involved.
