Railway Department
Board of Trade
Whitehall
31st October 1874
Sir,
I have the honour to report for the information
of the Board of Trade, in obedience to your minute of the 7th Instant
that I have inspected the level crossings at Radstock of the Bristol
and North Somerset and the Somerset and Dorset Railway Companies, of
the turnpike road from Bath to Wells, Shepton Mallet and Weymouth, respecting
which a complaint has been received from Lord [?Carlingford?] of the
obstruction which the road traffic had received at this place owing
to the two level crossings combined with the mode of working of the
railway traffic on the Absolute Block system.
To explain the exact nature of the question
involved in this case, it is necessary to state that the Bristol and
North Somerset Railway Company in the sessions of 1863 and 1868 obtained
powers to make a railway from a junction with the Great Western Railway
at Bristol to join the Radstock Branch of the Wilts, Somerset and Weymouth
section of the same company at Radstock, and by the deposited plans
this turnpike road was then to be lowered 2 feet 6 inches, while the
proposed Railway was to be carried over the turnpike road by an under
bridge. Subsequently in the Spring of 1870 the Bristol and North Somerset
Railway Company obtained further powers to alter certain portions of
the line sanctioned by the first named act, and among other things to
carry the railway across the before mentioned turnpike road on the level
at Radstock, in lieu of crossing by a bridge as originally sanctioned.
In the same way, the Somerset and Dorset
Railway Company, in the session of 1871, obtained parliamentary powers
for making a railway from their line at Evercreech to join the Midland
Railway at Bath, and the deposited plans shewed that this proposed line
was to be made close alongside of the Bristol and North Somerset Line
at Radstock and that it was intended to raise this turnpike road 8 feet
6 inches, and to carry the railway under it by an over bridge. In the
session of 1873, this company obtained an act by which they were authorised
to alter a portion of their line in the vicinity of Radstock, and to
lower the turnpike road 7 feet 6 inches and to cross it on the level
instead of crossing under it by a bridge as originally sanctioned.
Memorials were presented against both these
proposed level crossings in the years 1870 and 1873 respectively signed
by the chairman of the Court of Quarter Sessions for the County of Somerset
and they were reported against by the officer appointed by the Board
of Trade to report under the standing orders of the Houses of Parliament
on the level crossings and inclinations of roads contained in the various
railway bills. Both level crossings were however sanctioned and the
clause authorising the Bristol and North Somerset level crossing provides
“that the road be closed against traffic only during the necessary
passing of trains, each train being allowed to cross the road not more
than once on its through journey” (33 & 34 Vic. Cap 130. Section
5). The acts of Parliament sanctioning these level crossings both incorporate
“The Railway Clauses Consolidation Act 1845 and Part 1 (relating
to construction of a railway) of the Railway Clauses Act 1863 (except
where expressly varied)”
Whether the portion of the clause which
I have cited does or does not repeal a part of the 47th Section of the
Railway Clauses Consolidation Act 1845, relating to the keeping of gates
“constantly closed across the road, except during the time when
horses, cattle, carts or carriages passing along the same shall have
to cross each railway” may properly be questioned, but I suspect
that it does do so in this respect as the act contains an expressed
variation.
The Bristol and North Somerset Railway
approaches the level crossing at Radstock from the direction of Bristol
on a sharp curve, and on a long falling gradient of 1 in 120.
The Somerset and Dorset Railway is on a
steep incline of 1 in 55 running past the level crossing and falling
from the south.
The turnpike road is in each instance now
crossed by a single line of rails, but power is given by the respective
acts to lay a second line of rails across the road as far as the Bristol
and North Somerset Railway is concerned and to do so also as regards
the Somerset and Dorset Railway when that line is doubled. The points
of that portion of double line at the respective two stations are very
close to the level crossing gates – and the adjacent gates for
closing alternately the lines and the road are about 30 yards apart.
The Frome road has been deviated so that
it leaves the turnpike road between the adjacent gates and runs alongside
of a brook between the two railways for some distance eastwards. The
34th Section of the Somerset and Dorset Act of 1873 requires the construction
of a bridge under the railway adjoining the turnpike road of 15 feet
span and 9 feet in height – and a bridge for a subway has accordingly
been constructed, but the height does not comply with the stipulation
in the act as it is not more than 8 feet in height and the curve in
the roadway is so sharp and the approaches (1 in 6) so steep in this
subway as to render it useless in its present condition for road traffic.
The level crossing gates on the Bristol
and North Somerset Railway are kept closed across the railway except
when required for the passage of trains: this being in opposition with
general law on this subject. Lord Carlingford’s agent handed me
the enclosed return showing the time the gates were kept closed across
the two railways on the 19th September – at this time, when there
are only 6 down and 6 up trains daily on the Bristol and North Somerset
Railway and 13 down and 11 up on the Somerset and Dorset Railway, the
situation amounting altogether to 1 1/4 hours
for the Bristol and North Somerset Railway, and 4 hours and 36 minutes
for the Somerset and Dorset Railway between 5:15 am and 10:11 pm.
When the Radstock branch of the Great Western
Railway which is now being prepared for passenger traffic has been authorised
to carry passengers it is probable that the number of trains on the
Bristol and North Somerset Railway will be increased and the detentions
will most likely be augmented at the level crossings, and of course
the number of trains on both lines is certain to be increased as the
traffic increases. A portion of the delay at the level crossing on the
Somerset and Dorset Railway is due to the distance (nearly 4 miles)
at which the next station (Wellow) to the north of Radstock is situated,
as it has been usual to close the gates across the road and to keep
them closed as soon as the train has left Wellow for Radstock. This
delay might be lessened by making use of an intermediate telegraph station
between Radstock and Wellow. It certainly would not be right to allow
the gates to be closed across the railway after a train has left Chilcompton
for Radstock on account of the very steep falling inclines.
Lord Carlingford’s agent also informed
me that there has already been some narrow escapes from accidents on
these level crossings, although the Somerset and Dorset was only opened
on the 20th July, and the question for the serious consideration of
the Board of Trade arises, whether the powers under the 7th section
of the Railway Clauses Act of 1863 by which they are empowered to order
bridges to be constructed in lieu of level crossings, should now be
exercised, or the question be deferred until some serious accident has
taken place at either of these level crossings.
It is my duty to state, that the two together
constitute an exceedingly objectionable and dangerous level crossing
which as far as I know cannot be paralleled as far as its physical construction
is concerned by any level crossings in the United Kingdom; where young
horses standing on the 30 yards between the Bristol and North Somerset,
and the Somerset and Dorset level crossings are very liable to be frightened
by the engines in front of, or behind them, partially shut in between
two separate lines of railway.
I consider that Radstock exhibits a decided
blot in our system of railway regulation which has permitted two separate
lines and two separate stations to be constructed within a few yards
of each other, in so small a place as Radstock, where one joint station
could have answered every purpose to the great convenience of the public
making use of these lines.
The principal objection that was raised,
when the bills were before me, prior to my reporting on the proposed
level crossings in 1870 and 1873, against carrying the turnpike road
across the two railways by an over bridge, was that the approaches to
an over bridge would destroy the market place at Radstock and having
met Lord Carlingford at Radstock on the 14th instant I learnt from him,
that he as representing the owners of the property at Radstock did not
attach any importance to this objection, as the site for another market
could be provided elsewhere in the event of an over bridge being constructed.
I enclose a plan of these two level crossings at Radstock which I have
very recently received and which has been prepared for me at my request
by Mr [?Stephen?] the engineer of the Somerset and Dorset Railway Company.
I have shewn from the proceedings before
Parliament by both the Bristol and North Somerset and the Somerset and
Dorset Railway Companies that level crossing were not originally contemplated
at this place, so there is no inherent difficulty in getting rid of
them; and the simples and least expensive mode of doing this now would
be by carrying the turnpike road over both railways by means of an over
bridge. Lord Carlingford’s agent also stated that the level of
the rails might be lowered by about 5 feet, without subjecting them
to flooding from the brook and if this were done, it would materially
diminish the length of the approaches to the over bridge and sensibly
decrease the interference with the access to [?house?] property.
As the result of my inspection and inquiry,
I have to recommend the Board of Trade to exercise the powers conferred
by the 7th section of the Railway Clauses Act of 1863 and to order the
erection of bridges over these two level crossings for the purpose of
carrying the turnpike road over the Bristol and North Somerset and the
Somerset and Dorset Railways, instead of passing across them on the
level. Both in order to give the two railway companies ample time to
enter into negotiations with each other that may lead to improved arrangements
at Radstock that will benefit both the public and these railway companies,
I submit that they should be allowed 2 years from the date of the order,
to complete these works.
I have the honour to be
Sir
Your most obedient servant
W. Yolland, Colonel
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