IMAGES TAKEN NEAR TO
Railway Drive, COLEFORD, GL16 8RH

A modern building on the former goods yard, presumably housing some rolling stock. The miniature railway around the site has a door of its own!

"The Great Western Railway Museum is housed in one of the last remaining permanent railway buildings in the Forest of Dean on the site of Coleford's railway yard". www.gwrmuseumcoleford.co.uk

The Great Western Railway Museum in Coleford.

On the site of the former Coleford station and goods yard.

A former crossing gate, not in its original location, marks the entrance to Coleford railway museum. No parking refers to the area to the right which is now a car park.

"The Great Western Railway Museum is housed in one of the last remaining permanent railway buildings in the Forest of Dean on the site of Coleford's railway yard". www.gwrmuseumcoleford.co.uk

"The Great Western Railway Museum is housed in one of the last remaining permanent railway buildings in the Forest of Dean on the site of Coleford's railway yard". www.gwrmuseumcoleford.co.uk

Based in the former Great Western Railway goods shed, which was on the point of falling down in the mid 1970s until rescued by a local railwayman called Mike Rees, who opened the railway museum here. At one time, Coleford featured two railway stations, the GWR station on the line from Monmouth (closed in 1917, apart from a short stub from Whitecliff Quarry, which remained until 1967) and the Severn & Wye Joint Railway terminus on the line from Parkend, which lost its passenger service in 1929. The two were not connected directly until 1951, despite the GWR being part owners of the S&WJR, and despite the S&WJR line being used from 1917 by the GWR for access to Coleford and Whitecliff Quarry. This is by far the most important railway building remaining in the Forest of Dean, and is the only railway remnant on the site of Coleford's two stations. It's marooned in a sea of car parks and modern parades of shops these days, but is still worth a visit for any rail enthusiasts.

Another view of the former GWR goods shed in Coleford, which now houses a small railway museum. The signal box is not in its original location but has been moved here for preservation from somewhere in Somerset, I think. Back in the days when the railway was operational, the goods shed was situated in a lovely rural setting: nowadays, it's marooned in the middle of a massive car park and surrounded by modern shopping precincts.