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 As motor bus services became dominant, the passenger services became unprofitable and they were withdrawn in 1958.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
Dean Forest Act 1861 Dean Forest Act 1861 The Dean Forest Act 1861 (24 & 25 Vict c 40) is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It is a public general Act. It was omitted from the third revised edition of the statutes because of its local and personal nature. This Act was partly in force in Great Britain at the end of 2010. The preamble and sections 2 and 5 and 6 and 17 and 22 and 27 were repealed by section 1 of, and Part VII of the Schedule to, the Statute Law (Repeals) Act 1969. These provisions had