View source for Clifton Extension Railway

{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2018}}
{{Use British English|date=February 2018}}
[[File:Bristol RJD 9.jpg|thumb|upright=1.5|Clifton Extension Railway runs along the top of this 1911 Bristol railway map]]
{{Bristol railway map|collapse=yes}}
The '''Clifton Extension Railway''' was a [[joint railway]] in [[Bristol]], owned by the [[Great Western Railway]] (GWR) and the [[Midland Railway]] (MR) companies.

==Description of line==
The railway ran from a junction with the GWR at Narroways Hill, just north of [[Stapleton Road railway station]], to [[Avonmouth Docks]].  The branch was joined at Ashley Hill junction, just beyond Narroways Hill, by a line which left the [[Bristol and Gloucester Railway|Midland main line]] at Kingswood Junction, south-west of [[Fishponds railway station|Fishponds station]]. 

The first section of line through [[Montpelier railway station|Montpelier]] to [[Clifton Down railway station|Clifton Down]] opened on 1 October 1874. The greatest engineering feature of the branch was a mile-long tunnel underneath [[Clifton Down]]. The section through the tunnel from Clifton Down station to [[Sneyd Park]] Junction, where it connected to the [[Bristol Port Railway and Pier|Bristol Port Railway]], opened to goods traffic in 1877 and to passenger trains on 1 September 1885.<ref>Maggs, C. (1981) ''Rail Centres: Bristol'' Ian Allan {{ISBN|0-7110-1153-2}}</ref>

==Legal history==
{{Infobox UK legislation
| short_title           = Great Western and Midland Railway Companies (Clifton and Bristol) Act 1871
| type                  = Act
| parliament            = Parliament of the United Kingdom
| long_title            = An Act for transferring to the Great Western and the Midland Railway Companies the powers of the Bristol Port Railway and Pier Company with reference to a portion of their Clifton Extension, for authorising the construction of new junctions and the abandonment of authorised junctions near Bristol, for conferring powers of user of portions of the undertakings of the three Companies; and for other purposes.
| year                  = 1871
| citation              = [[34 & 35 Vict.]] c. xi
| introduced_commons    = 
| introduced_lords      = 
| territorial_extent    = 
| royal_assent          = 25 May 1871
| commencement          = 
| expiry_date           = 
| repeal_date           = 
| amends                = 
| replaces              = 
| amendments            = 
| repealing_legislation = 
| related_legislation   = 
| status                = 
| legislation_history   = 
| theyworkforyou        = 
| millbankhansard       = 
| original_text         = https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukla/Vict/34-35/11/pdfs/ukla_18710011_en.pdf
| revised_text          = 
| use_new_UK-LEG        = 
| UK-LEG_title          = 
| collapsed             = yes
}}
Originally the railway was promoted by the [[Bristol Port Railway and Pier Company]], incorporated under the [[Bristol Port, Railway and Pier Act 1862]] of 17 June 1862. In 1871 the railway was transferred to the [[Great Western Railway|Great Western]] and [[Midland Railway|Midland]] railway companies jointly, under the '''{{visible anchor|Great Western and Midland Railway Companies (Clifton and Bristol) Act 1871}}''' ([[34 & 35 Vict.]] c. xi) of 25 May 1871, and the [[Midland Railway (Additional Powers) Act 1890]] of 25 July 1890. The line was administered by the Clifton Extension Railway Joint Committee until 1894, and from then the Great Western and Midland Railways Joint Committee.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/catalogue/DisplayCatalogueDetails.asp?CATID=11056&CATLN=3&FullDetails=True |title=Series reference RAIL 81 - Bristol Port Railway and Pier Company (including Clifton Extension Railway) |publisher=[[The National Archives (United Kingdom)|National Archives]] |accessdate=21 April 2011}}</ref>

==Recent history==
{{Severn Beach Line detail|collapse=yes}}
The line from Narroways Hill is now part of the [[Severn Beach Line]].

The connection to the Midland Railway closed in 1965, and the thirteen arch viaduct over the [[River Frome, Bristol|River Frome]] valley was demolished in 1968.<ref>{{cite video |url=https://www.britishpathe.com/video/viaduct-demolished/ |title=Viaduct Demolished |publisher=[[British Pathé]] |date=26 May 1968 |id=3311.14 / UN 4356 C |accessdate= June 5, 2018}}</ref>

==References==
{{Commons category}}
{{Reflist}}

[[Category:Rail transport in Bristol]]
[[Category:British joint railway companies]]
[[Category:Railway lines opened in 1874]]
[[Category:1862 establishments in England]]

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