The Framlingham branch was a six-mile (9.7 km) single-track branch railway line from Wickham Market railway station on the East Suffolk Line to , with three intermediate stations, , , and . Opening The Framlingham branch was authorised in 1854 and built with several other railway lines by the East Suffolk Railway, including those from to (now part of the East Suffolk line), to and the Snape branch line. Construction was straightforward as the countryside of East Suffolk is relatively flat. Flooding at Parham meant the river had to be diverted to protect the line of the railway. The Framlingham branch started from a junction at Wickham Market station and was officially opened on 1 June 1859. However, the East Suffolk Railway was promptly incorporated into the Eastern Counties Railway, the dominant railway company on East Anglia. Before the opening, a special train was recorded as running in February 1859 from Woodbridge. The line south of Woodbridge was still being built by the Eastern Union Railway. The Ipswich Journal of 4 June 1859 reported on the opening on the official opening day: "The bells rang merrily throughout the day, a cricket match was played, and tea was provided by Mr. John Pipe of the Crown Inn, in his usual style, of which 40 of the gentry and inhabitants of the town partook; appropriate speeches were made, songs sung, and a merry and convivial evening spent." Unfortunately an evening concert at the Corn Exchange was cancelled as the band leader Edward Plantin was involved in a serious accident at the station and died of his injuries a few days later. Early traffic The service began with five daily passenger trains and a goods train. So successful was the coming of the railway to Framlingham that within months the latter had doubled to two goods trains a day. Passenger business came from trips to the developing seaside resorts, not just easy access to Ipswich and London. For instance in June 1865, a schools excursion was run from Framlingham to Aldeburgh at a cost of six shillings (£0.30). From the outset, Framlingham College made use of the railway both for college outings and at the beginning and end of terms. These trains continued running until March 1954. As can be expected, most of the goods traffic was agricultural in nature, although photographs indicate some inward domestic coal. Later history The branch became part