Memories of the last days of the Hereford Ross and Gloucester Railway were recalled by Martin Connop Price at the meeting of Kyrle Probus Club on December 3rd, 2015.

Shortly before Dr Beeching wielded his infamous axe to demolish much of the national network in the 1960s, Martin played ‘hookey’ from college and had the foresight to travel down the line and capture the passing of an era on his camera.

The railway had opened on June 1st, 1855 with VIP passengers and much rejoicing. Ross was bedecked with colourful banners, the Ross Town Band headed a procession, dancing continued until dawn and a firework display topped-up the fun.

Although the population of Ross was then a mere 3,500, almost 2,500 children sat down to tea at the station. The revellers consumed a quarter-ton of plum cake, washed down by 180 gallons of tea.

The railway was taken over by the Great Western Railway in 1862.

Martin said the chateau-style main building at Ross Station was widely admired, and copied at Kidderminster on the Severn Valley Railway. The station on the Ashburton Trading Estate, which had a branch line to Monmouth, enjoyed a busy trade in passenger and freight traffic; it featured a 76-lever signal box, a goods yard and water tower, and employed a staff of 36.

The trains were well filled and were particularly popular as the rumoured closure date approached – culminating with a final ‘Enthusiast Special.’

Martin said the reasons for the closure decision remained a mystery. He added later that an over-abundance of bridges and viaducts probably meant the line was economically unviable. But he thought the line could possibly now pay its way if it was restored.