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Location notes
A bridge over the Great Western Main Line on the outskirts of Chipping Sodbury in South Gloucestershire, around half a mile west of Sodbury Tunnel.
Railway type and traffic
Mostly HSTs on Paddington - Bristol/South Wales services. Great for the HSTs as linespeed is 120mph here.
Some freight to and from Avonmouth and Newport/Cardiff. There is an upside freight loop and on-track plant siding.
Some freight to and from Avonmouth and Newport/Cardiff. There is an upside freight loop and on-track plant siding.
Environment
A rural over bridge overlooking the former Chipping Sodbury Station. A quiet area of common land, open fields and a few former railway houses.
Road directions
From M4, Junction 18 for Bath:
Take the northbound A46. At the first set of lights turn left on the A432 towards Chipping Sodbury. After passing through the village of Old Sodbury, look for an area of common land on your left. Turn left off the main road just after passing the bus stop and drive up the track to the bridge. The track has a few potholes so be careful.
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Railway Cottages, Chipping Sodbury map co-ordinates
Take the northbound A46. At the first set of lights turn left on the A432 towards Chipping Sodbury. After passing through the village of Old Sodbury, look for an area of common land on your left. Turn left off the main road just after passing the bus stop and drive up the track to the bridge. The track has a few potholes so be careful.
Click here to set up your location for directions to this location
Railway Cottages, Chipping Sodbury map co-ordinates
Parking
Plenty of parking right next to the bridge, though if coming here after wet weather you will not want to venture off the gravel!
Public transport
Nearby Yate has a railway station (on the Bristol - Birmingham line), but you may have to change at Bristol or Gloucester as only local services stop there. Then you would have to use an infrequent bus.
Click here to set up your location for directions to this location
Click here to set up your location for directions to this location
Amenities
There is a pleasant-looking pub, The Dog, and a garage/shop in Old Sodbury. Yate and Chipping Sodbury have anything else you are likely to need including supermarkets.
Accommodation
There is a Premier Travel Inn on the nearby Bristol ring road. The local area is quite 'touristy' so should be some B&Bs available.
Sun Compass
Sun Compass using Suncalc by brought to you by Vladimir Agafonkin:
It might be necessary to adjust the time to suit your visit, this link should open with the current day.
Railway Cottages, Chipping Sodbury
Streetmap links
Railway Cottages, Chipping Sodbury general view map
Railway Cottages, Chipping Sodbury close up map
Windows Local Live Link - image quality may vary
Railway Cottages, Chipping Sodbury
It might be necessary to adjust the time to suit your visit, this link should open with the current day.
Railway Cottages, Chipping Sodbury
Googly map
Railway Cottages, Chipping Sodbury general view map
Railway Cottages, Chipping Sodbury close up map
Windows Local Live Link - image quality may vary
Railway Cottages, Chipping Sodbury
Who likes this location on facebook
Railway Gen Group
Photographic notes
The line runs east-west, so you can find a good angle at most times of day. Good clear view in both directions, especially given recent tree clearance. There are several other bridges in the area so you could move between them to vary your shots.
General views - All photographs © Matt Weston unless otherwise stated
Fig 1 - Looking east
Fig 2 - Looking east
Disclaimer
All information contained within this is site is © Trainspots. The images used on this site remain the property of the original photographer, as credited at the top of the page, and are used with their kind permission.
The information on these pages is supplied for the benefit of railway enthusiasts who carry out a harmless hobby, and through the medium of photography and video, actually promote the railway industry. Railway enthusiasts can also act as eyes and ears against railway vandalism, and as such should surely be encouraged to do so by the supply of adequate information such as is found on this website.
This site has been created to assist railway photographers in their travels around the country. It is based on the personal knowledge and experience. No liability can be held against the web site or its contributions for incorrect information. Trainspots will endeavour to check all information and corrections will be accepted and posted accordingly.
Advice as to the locations general environment is given as a guide on each page. This information is a GUIDE only. ALWAYS be careful with your equipment, Trainspots can not be held responsible for your personal security. Avoid leaving your property on display for all to see, be aware of your surroundings at all times. There are, sadly, people who will not think twice about trying to steal your equipment.
Trainspots DOES NOT condone trespass and none of the information on this site should be taken as a right to trespass on either railway or private land. To the best of our knowledge all locations are publicly accessible areas, where they are not contact information will be given to the appropriate authority for permission to be obtained.
The content of this site is created and intended for all age ranges but the content of sites linked from this site are not subject to the same intentions. Trainspots will attempt to check links for validity but as time passes and the site grows this will not always be possible. Broken, or indeed updates to, links should be submitted to the editor for inclusion in the updates. All links external to the Trainspots site are opened in a new browser window. Trainspots has been running now for over 10 years and there are imitation sites and guides to railfotspots. But we are a free site and we continue on the path we started out on over a decade ago to provide a useful guide to UK Railway Photographic Locations.
The information on these pages is supplied for the benefit of railway enthusiasts who carry out a harmless hobby, and through the medium of photography and video, actually promote the railway industry. Railway enthusiasts can also act as eyes and ears against railway vandalism, and as such should surely be encouraged to do so by the supply of adequate information such as is found on this website.
This site has been created to assist railway photographers in their travels around the country. It is based on the personal knowledge and experience. No liability can be held against the web site or its contributions for incorrect information. Trainspots will endeavour to check all information and corrections will be accepted and posted accordingly.
Advice as to the locations general environment is given as a guide on each page. This information is a GUIDE only. ALWAYS be careful with your equipment, Trainspots can not be held responsible for your personal security. Avoid leaving your property on display for all to see, be aware of your surroundings at all times. There are, sadly, people who will not think twice about trying to steal your equipment.
Trainspots DOES NOT condone trespass and none of the information on this site should be taken as a right to trespass on either railway or private land. To the best of our knowledge all locations are publicly accessible areas, where they are not contact information will be given to the appropriate authority for permission to be obtained.
The content of this site is created and intended for all age ranges but the content of sites linked from this site are not subject to the same intentions. Trainspots will attempt to check links for validity but as time passes and the site grows this will not always be possible. Broken, or indeed updates to, links should be submitted to the editor for inclusion in the updates. All links external to the Trainspots site are opened in a new browser window. Trainspots has been running now for over 10 years and there are imitation sites and guides to railfotspots. But we are a free site and we continue on the path we started out on over a decade ago to provide a useful guide to UK Railway Photographic Locations.
