By Train To Brabazon?
Currently there is a railway service from Bristol Temple Meads serving suburban stops in Bristol and then extending to the "oddity" of Severn Beach. It used to have quite a natty little station
Pilning station has an extremely sparse service - currently only two trains, on Saturdays only and only in the eastbound direction.
There is no service whatsoever westbound towards Wales. Customers wishing to travel westbound will first need to take either of these two services eastbound and change at Filton Abbey Wood. Customers wishing to alight here travelling from the east will need to travel through to Newport (South Wales) and then travel back.
So says Great Western Railway (run by First)!
Severn Beach offers a much better service. Probably!
.When fbb was compiling this blog, the GWR on-line timetables resolutely refused to appear - but this remote and very basic station ...
... offers a train every 30 minutes! fbb has visited the station, sadly by road, and he was underwhelmed.
Travelling south from Severn Beach you soon find yourself amongst the industrial cloggage that is Avonmouth. There, almost hidden by stuff is St Andrews Road station.
It is easy to spot from the air NOT ...
... and quite hard to find at road level.
It must get the prize for the most ugly and unappetising stations on the national network. But jiggle back a bit to the north and a line comes in from the east.
You can Streetview it from the road shown right on the above Google Earth picture.
That road is called, appropriately, Smoke Lane. The line joining the Avonmouth line is called either the Filton to Avonmouth Line or, in less cumbersome terms, the Henbury loop line.
... And Henbury but not Hallen Halt.
Older pictures exist of Charlton ...
... and North Filton, previously Filton Halt.
The train service was always sparse ...
... but plans exist to re-open the line as part of the long proposed Bristol Metro.
The junction is named Hallen Marsh.
Travelling from Avonmouth, a rail tour spotted the remains of Chittening Platform ...
And North Filton Platform was very close to those Brabazon hangars.
And there they are with the track to the north.
And here is an artist's impression of the brand new Brabazon station.
The station at Brabazon – currently known as Filton North – will connect this thriving new neighbourhood and YTL Arena Bristol to Bristol Temple Meads in less than 15 minutes once it is completed as part of MetroWest Phase 2.
The completion of the station is subject to approval of the planning application which is being submitted this month.
YTL Developments is contributing over £1million to the cost of the railway station, which forms part of an integrated travel plan for the new neighbourhood.
This approach is designed to ensure that the necessary transport infrastructure is in place from the outset of the transformation of the former Filton Airfield. The new rail station will connect with the MetroBus as it passes through Brabazon, allowing seamless journeys across North Bristol by public transport. The station will also link to the network of walking routes and cycle paths that will criss-cross this new neighbourhood, encouraging active travel.
Network Rail will be submitting the detailed planning application for the station in August 2021. Subject to approval, Network Rail are then expected to begin construction in 2022, with the station then scheduled to be operational in 2023. YTL Arena Bristol is then scheduled to open its doors for the first time in 2024.
It is the Panto season, so we can all now chorus ...
"Oh, no it won't!"
A planned train station by the new arena in Filton will not open until 2026 after delays were blamed on several design changes. The station was initially due to open next year, before the YTL Arena opens in 2024, as a key part of the transport plan to get people to concerts.
North Filton station is one of three new stations opening over the next few years, with services running from Bristol Temple Meads to Ashley Down, the arena, and Henbury. The project, part of MetroWest phase 2, is reopening an old railway line with newly built stations.
Well, at least we have a new MetroBus to look forward to. It will serve the hangars.
Or will it?
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Advent Calendar Day 13
Mentioning the Messiah
How is your Hebrew. This is "messiah" in a modern Hebrew font.
It means "anointed one" and could refer to any person who was given a specific role to perform by anointing. In the UK, the monarch is anointed at his/her coronation. The ceremony is very private and hidden from all except the ABC and HMQ or K.
For the monarch the ceremonial signifies anointing by God to reign over the nation.So various prophets had a stab about what God would do to sort out the world.
He would "anoint" his chosen Messiah ...
... for a specific purpose - Salvation of the World
His "man" would be a servant who suffered
His "man would be descended humanly from King David
His "man" would be emmanuel - God on Earth
etc. etc.
One of the most powerful descriptions of "the baby who grew up" is to be found is the Book of Isaiah, and written about 650 years before it happened.
A child is born to us!
A son is given to us!
And he will be our ruler.
He will be called, “Wonderful[", "Counsellor,”
“Mighty God,” “Eternal Father,”
“Prince of Peace.”
His royal power will continue to grow;
His kingdom will always be at peace.
He will rule as King David's successor,
basing his power on right and justice,
from now until the end of time.
Knockers of Christianity are often very quick to shout out the word "coincidence"; suggesting that Christians have discovered these words about some other "chosen one" and used them to justify Jesus.
Were there only one or two messianic texts, this view might be justified - but there are dozens - and all of them pointing firmly towards the events of the first CHRISTmas and Jesus subsequent life.
By the way, she would have never worn blue - that was a luxury cloth only the very wealthy could afford. Likewise white!
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Next Brabazon blog : Wednesday 14th December
Your picture to represent Charlton Hall is actually of Charlton Kings on the outskirts of Cheltenham on the long closed line from Kingham. It was one of seven stations that Cheltenham could claim to be served by. I remember using it about 1960 on a journey from Paddington (having changed at Kingham) when being taken to stay with my grandparents.
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