Forest of Dean areas but the focus has been to capitalise on the scenery and to create jobs from tourist attractions and the leisure sector. Significant numbers of residents work outside the area, commuting to Gloucester, Cheltenham, Bristol, Newport and Cardiff. For hundreds of years, mining in the Forest of Dean Coalfield has been regulated through a system of freemining. This, and other forms of self-governance, coupled with the Forest's geographic isolation between the rivers Severn and Wye, has given rise to a strong sense of cultural identity in those from the area, who are collectively known as 'Foresters'. The ancient rights were
Mitcheldean Road & Forest of Dean Junction Railway were provided north of the halt to protect the auto-train from runaways. At the quarries, two sidings were provided on the down side, looped to the running line. The section from Whimsey goods to Whimsey Junction was originally part of the Bullo Pill Railway, later the forest of Dean Railway. Cooke describes the section as the "Cinderford Branch". Mitcheldean Road & Forest of Dean Junction Railway The Mitcheldean Road and Forest of Dean Junction Railway was an independent railway company incorporated in 1871, to provide a northerly outlet for iron ore and coal products from the Cinderford and Whimsey area