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Parkend
Parkend was once an important industrial centre in the Forest of Dean and the railway reached it in 1868. By the time the station was built in 1873, the railway had quite a sizeable presence in the village, with several sidings including what would become "Marsh Siding". To the north of the station was Coleford Junction, where the Coleford branch met the main line.
With the doubling of the line between Parkend and Whitecroft came further modifications to the station layout. However, this could not save the passenger services and they were withdrawn in 1929. A proposal to restore a passenger service on Saturdays to Parkend in the early 30's came to nothing and like most of the S&W stations, Parkend became freight only.
As more and more of the S&W was closed, Parkend and especially Marsh Sidings became more and more important (Parkend itself was the original home to the DFR, before it moved to Norchard). However, by the mid 1970's, the Forest of Dean's rail freight users had either closed down or moved to road transport, and thus the freight trains finally stopped. The railway south of Parkend was left in place as the DFR secured it for their use.
The DFR restored regular passenger services to Parkend in March 2006, nearly 80 years after they ceased, and the station is the current northern terminus of the line. The extension was officially opened by HRH Princess Anne on the 19th May 2006. The station is probably the best representation of the original state of all the stations on the line.
Parkend is currently best accessed by foot or by public transport, as there is very little parking available in the area of the station.