Black Rock quarry

On the southern outskirts of Portishead, sidings and a loop were built in 1919 to serve both the Black Rock and Nightingale stone quarries. Nightingale quarry (sometimes now called Black Rock) was situated where the Council recycling centre now is in Valley Road, whereas Black Rock quarry itself was slightly closer to Portishead and nearer to the Clevedon road. The WC&PR sidings were themselves served by 2ft narrow gauge lines to Quarries transfer siding each quarry. See detail map.

In the middle of the loop was a concrete loading platform (see photo). The 2 ft narrow gauge track ran along the top of the platform, the wagons tipping the stone sideways into the standard gauge wagons beneath. The quarry system originally used two Hudswell Clarke 0-6-0 tanks, but these were later replaced with 4-wheeled Motorail Simplex internal combustion engined locos.

More sidings and a stone crushing and grading plant were added adjacent to the sidings in 1931. These quarries created much more freight for the WC&PR than Conygar quarry, as many as 40 wagons a day. Steel lined wagons were used for coated roadstone, and normal wagons for clean crushed stone.

Both quarries have long been closed, Black Rock quarry having closed well before Nightingale quarry.

The loading ramps in the valley were removed a few years ago and the land levelled. See The line today.