Forest of Dean Railway on a contiguous line built by the GWR. Newnham was the main line junction station, although some branch trains ran through to Gloucester. As motor bus services became dominant, the passenger services became unprofitable and they were withdrawn in 1958. The network was closed completely in 1967 as mineral traffic ceased. The Forest of Dean Coalfield had long been a source of mineral working, for iron ore and coal. Free Miners had statutory rights in the Forest, which protected them from external competition. However this limited the extent to which large scale operations could be undertaken. A number of short
Forest of Dean Radio point an independent survey commissioned by Ofcom came up with a FOD Radio listenership of almost 10%, with BBC Local radio at around 8%, this was quite an achievement.(RD 25/10/13) In 2002, Forest of Dean Radio was awarded an Access Radio Licence which allowed the station to broadcast 7 days a week on a fixed Medium Wave frequency. Then in 2005, the station became the first ever fully licensed Community Radio Station in the UK. Shows included the "Really popular Sunday afternoon" show "Fresh Hits" with Ryan Davies & Justin, "The Verdict", a sports show with Jamie Harris and Tom