Wealden Line

The Wealden Line is a partly abandoned double track railway line in East Sussex and Kent that connected Lewes with Tunbridge Wells, a distance of . The line takes its name from its route through the chalk hills of the North and South Downs of the Weald, England.
The line is essentially composed of three sections: in the south, from Lewes to Uckfield closed on 4 May 1969; in the north, from Eridge to Tunbridge Wells West closed on 6 July 1985; in between, from Uckfield to Eridge remains open as part of the Oxted Line.
The northern section has partly re-opened under the auspices of the Spa Valley Railway, whilst the Lavender Line has revived Isfield Station on the southern section with about one mile of track. There has been a concerted campaign since 1986 led by the Wealden Line Campaign to have the whole line re-opened to passengers, but a 2008 study concluded that it would be "economically unviable".
History.
Authorisation.
Authorisation for the construction of a line from Brighton to Hastings via Lewes was obtained by the Brighton, Uckfield & Tunbridge Wells Railway in 1844, sponsored by the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway (LBSCR), with the passing of the Brighton, Lewes and Hastings Railway Act (7 & 8 Vict. c. xci.). However, no works were commenced and another company, the Lewes and Uckfield Railway Company, was incorporated and secured on 27 July 1856 the passing of an Act to construct a line covering the to Uckfield from a point north of Lewes to be known as "Uckfield Junction", on the LBSCR's Brighton to Hastings line.
Attracted by the prospect of extra patronage on its coastal line, with which Lewes had been linked in 1846, the LBSCR supported the company's proposals and a connection linking Lewes to Uckfield was opened on 11 October 1858 to goods, with passengers one week later. The line, much of it through low-lying meadows, was easy to build and required only three minor cuttings and a number of bridges including one over the Ouse Navigation. The initial service consisted of five trains each way on weekdays and three on Sundays. A four-horse coach service ran between Tunbridge Wells and Uckfield.
Realignment.
The LBSCR absorbed the Lewes and Uckfield Railway Company in 1864 and in the same year obtained authorisation to build a new line long running almost parallel with the East Coastway Line, which enabled the line from Uckfield to obtain independent access to Lewes without passing through the Lewes Tunnel. This struck out at a right angle from the Uckfield line about a quarter of a mile east of Hamsey, and approached Lewes from a northerly direction. Designed by the LBSCR's Chief Engineer Frederick Banister, it was more heavily engineered requiring embankments and bridges before joining the Brighton to Hastings line east of Lewes station. It enabled trains to be heading in the direction for Brighton, and obviated the need for locomotives to be turned. This section opened on 1 October 1868, part of the original connection to Uckfield Junction closing as a consequence.
Extension to Tunbridge Wells West.
The Lewes-Uckfield line was extended north by Banister to Eridge and Tunbridge Wells in 1868, ostensibly to counter a threat by the London, Chatham and Dover Railway, which had proposed a line from Beckenham to Brighton. The rights to construct this line had been granted to the Brighton, Uckfield & Tunbridge Wells Railway in 1861, but were purchased by the LBSCR before completion.
Construction had already commenced in 1863 on the single track from to the new Groombridge Junction, and this was opened on 1 October 1866. The completion of the line south to Uckfield had to wait until 3 August 1868 due to the major structural work involved. Most notably, Banister had to oversee the construction of Rotherfield (later Crowborough) Tunnel () beneath the ridge of the Wealden Heights, and the Sleeches and Greenhurst viaducts between Crowborough and Buxted. The LBSCR's desire to block any possible approach to Brighton even if this meant routing the line through areas with little traffic potential is shown by the provision of only three stations in the between Uckfield and Groombridge.
The "Sussex Advertiser" reported on 5 August 1868 that the first train departed the LBSCR's station at Tunbridge Wells at 6.04 am for Uckfield, Lewes and Brighton with approximately 40 persons having booked tickets.
Doubling and non-electrification.
A single line link to the South Eastern Railway's Tunbridge Wells station was opened to passengers in 1876. The line from Uckfield was double tracked in 1894 and the completion of the Withyham spur between Ashurst and Birchden Junction enabled London services to run through to Uckfield or down the Cuckoo Line without reversing at Groombridge. However, little use was made until 1914. The spur completed what was called the Outer Circle line, which provided an alternative route between Brighton and London via Oxted. The line was also the only subsidiary cross-country double line in East Sussex and, as it did not figure in Southern Railway's electrification programme in the 1930s, it was the last steam-operated line in the area.
Route of the line.
The line left Lewes immediately to the east of the station, curving sharply north for approximately on a short 1:60 gradient, crossing a girder bridge over goods lines and a second bridge over Cliffe High Street. Continuing on an embankment, Lewes Viaduct carried the line over the River Ouse. The river and its tributaries were crossed a further seven times before the line reached Uckfield. The line then turned north-west east of Hamsey village and followed the valley of the river, passing the signalbox at Culver Junction () where the line to Horsted Keynes and East Grinstead (now the Bluebell Railway) branched off, and rose gently to Barcombe Mills (), originally Barcombe. This station was once popular with anglers, who descended in large numbers on the nearby River Ouse during bank holidays.
The line continued to Isfield () before reaching Uckfield (). The LBSCR had once planned to construct a further line through Uckfield, the Ouse Valley Railway, which would have connected Balcombe with Hailsham. The plan was abandoned in 1868 due to a lack of funds.
Departing Uckfield, the line continues to Buxted (10¾ miles) and then passes over Greenhurst Viaduct (10 brick arches, (), followed by Sleeches Viaduct (11 brick arches, ) one mile further on. The line rises sharply on a 1:75 gradient and enters Crowborough Tunnel, which took its present name on 1 May 1897. Reaching Crowborough (Rotherfield until 1880, Crowborough until 1897, then Crowborough & Jarvis Brook) (), the line reaches its highest point, more than 300 ft above sea level. Descending on a 1:75 gradient, it reaches Redgate Mill Junction () and then Eridge (). At Birchden Junction (), it heads east passing Groombridge Junction () and Groombridge (), rising gradually to Tunbridge Wells West ().
The line's heyday.
The line probably enjoyed its best and most popular period in the 1930s when regular services enabled passengers to travel from Brighton to Tonbridge, changing at Eridge for services from Eastbourne, with direct trains to London Bridge and London Victoria via East Croydon. There was also a daily through service linking with Brighton, Maidstone and Chatham in the east and Redhill and Reading in the west.
Reduction of services was necessary during the Second World War, but many extras were run, including special non-stop "workmen's trains" which operated between London, Crowborough and Jarvis Brook and Mayfield.
After the war passenger numbers were still rising, tempted by the frequent services and competitive prices. Even in 1969, travelling by rail was cheaper than going by bus: a return rail ticket from Barcombe Mills to Brighton cost 2 shillings, whilst the bus fare was 11d more expensive.
Decline.
In 1956 the British Railways, Southern Region moved to replace the complicated and inconsistent timetable with a regular hourly service, with additional trains at peak hours. Diesel-electric units appeared on the line in 1962, running to the steam timetable. The through service linking the Medway Towns to Brighton via Maidstone and Tonbridge was reduced to a Tonbridge to Brighton service.
In 1964 a new timetable made travelling difficult by imposing long waits for connections: this policy of closure by stealth was a ploy to reduce passengers as British Railways was keen to close the section from Hurst Green to Lewes.
In its last years of operation, the Uckfield to Lewes line saw an hourly off-peak service on weekdays, two-hourly on Sundays from Oxted to Lewes. During rush hours, the service was supplemented by trains from Victoria to Brighton via Hurst Green.
On Sunday, 23 February 1969, the last day of operation, the last trains left Lewes and Uckfield at 20.46 and 20.42 respectively. There was little public interest and no organised demonstrations took place to mark the occasion.
Closure.
Uckfield – Lewes.
Lewes Relief Road.
The future of the Lewes-Uckfield line was in doubt from 1964 when stage one of the Lewes Relief Road, a scheme to ease congestion in Lewes, was approved by the Conservative Minister of Transport Ernest Marples with a 75% grant towards the £350,000 costs. This involved the construction of the Phoenix Causeway bridge to Cliffe High Street, the path of which was blocked by the embankment carrying the Lewes to Uckfield line. Were the railway to remain open, another road bridge or level crossing would be required at a cost of £135,000; East Sussex County Council was also against bridging the line on the grounds of "design and amenity".
To facilitate the road scheme, the British Railways Board (BRB) applied to Parliament for authorisation to re-route the line to Lewes via the alignment which had been abandoned in 1868, the "Hamsey Loop". Approval was granted by section 4 of the British Railways Act 1966 which permitted:
The new route would cost £95,000 to construct, and a request for funding was submitted to Parliament in 1966. This was turned down and the strategic function of the Uckfield line as a link to the south coast was effectively lost. BRB saw little further use for the line and applied for its abandonment.
BRB 1966 Network for Development Plans.
It was in 1966 that the Network for Development Plans were issued by Barbara Castle, the Labour Minister of Transport, following a study. Lines that were remunerative, such as the main trunk routes and some secondary lines, would be developed. Those that failed to meet the financial criterion but served a social need were to be retained and subsidised under the Transport Act 1968. The problem would be for lines that were not in the above categories, which could be candidates for closure as they did not form part of the basic railway network. The Hurst Green to Lewes line was one of those that fell into this category. It was a line that carried considerable traffic, and perhaps made a small profit, but it did not meet the government's social, economic and commercial criteria for retention.
Closure announcement.
In February 1966, BRB gave notice to Castle under Section 54 of the Transport Act 1962 of its intention to close the line from Hurst Green junction to Lewes. Detailed memoranda were presented relating to the availability of alternative public transport, and statistics as to the usage of the line. The section proposed for closure had figured in the first Beeching Report as an 'unremunerative line', one earning less than £5,000 per annum in revenue.
Pursuant to Section 56 of the Act, the Minister agreed to publication of the Notice for Closure, which was published in September 1966, followed in December by a notice inviting objections. East Sussex County Council responded in February 1967 with a memorandum pointing out that closure would affect an area in which the population was likely to almost double by 1981.
Public enquiry.
The number of objections received was almost 3,000 and triggered the requirement under the Transport Act 1962 to hold a public enquiry, at which the merits of the proposal would be examined by the South Eastern Transport Users' Consultative Committee (TUCC). This was held in April 1967.
At the enquiry objectors against closure successfully employed, for the first time, the Ministry of Transport's own cost-benefit analysis, by which the viability of new motorways was measured by calculating the "income" of the road (i.e. its benefit to users and the rest of the network in terms of saved time, fuel etc.) less the costs of its construction and maintenance, to show that the closure of the line would result in 712,000 wasted travelling hours at a cost of around £570,000 per annum. This figure was in contrast to the loss of £276,000 that British Railways was claiming the railway line was losing.
The TUCC presented its report to Castle in June 1967 and recommended against closure of the line, pointing out the "very severe hardship" which would be suffered by those who used it to travel to London. According to the report, ""these hardships could not be alleviated other than by retaining the lines proposed to be closed...This arises not from lack of alternative bus services, existing or proposed, but from the inherent advantages of the railway to those who use it"."
Reconsideration by the Minister.
The TUCC report prompted the Minister to revisit her decision and she met the BRB to determine whether alternatives existed to the closure of the entire section. They examined whether the necessary savings could be made by operating on a single track, rationalising the service or keeping the line open with the exception of the Lewes to Uckfield connection. The conclusion was reached that although a complete closure would involve "substantial inconvenience" rather than "outright hardship", this was outweighed by the high cost of retaining the service, including the reconstruction of the Hamsey Loop.
Following Castle's departure from office on 6 April 1968, her successor, Richard Marsh, re-examined the proposed closure in the light of the Government's new policy for the organisation and financing of public transport in the London area set out in the July 1968 "White Paper on Transport for London" (Cmd. 3686), which proposed that London commuter area services would be jointly managed as a network by the BRB and the Greater London Council. Under the proposals, no subsidy would be paid by the Minister to BRB where a rail closure was refused: the loss would be taken into consideration when fixing financial objectives and levels of service.
In consultation with the BRB, Marsh decided that the section from Hurst Green junction to Uckfield, and Eridge to Tunbridge Wells, was within the London commuter area and could be kept open. However, the line south of Uckfield would close provided that five additional bus services from Lewes and two from Uckfield were provided, together with an extra school bus from Lewes in the afternoon. As Marsh explained in a letter to BRB dated 16 August 1968, the "hardship" caused by the closure of the line north could be alleviated by the provision of buses. He invited the BRB to apply for an "unremunerative railway grant" for the rest of the line, a new subsidy which would shortly be introduced by Section 39 of the Transport Act 1968.
An unremunerative railway grant was awarded and the Minister formally refused consent to close the section from Hurst Green junction on 1 January 1969, whilst authorising closure of the 10 miles between Uckfield and Lewes and the section between Ashurst Junction and Groombridge Junction.
Extra bus services.
Southdown Motors operated three bus services at the time: no. 19 between Newick and Lewes via Barcombe Cross, and nos. 119 and 122 between Lewes and Uckfield via the A26 with a stop at Barcombe Lane. As a condition of the Minister's consent to closure, additional bus services were laid on from August 1968. No. 122 additionally called at Isfield Station and provided an hourly service to and from Uckfield, but no. 119 departed Uckfield two minutes before the incoming rail service arrived. Barcombe Mills and Isfield stations remained open to sell tickets. However, as the buses were unable to negotiate the narrow winding road to Barcombe Mills, they stopped one mile short of the station: BRB laid on taxis to ferry passengers to the bus stop, but passengers first had to walk to the station to buy their tickets.
The bus company applied for licences to operate the extra services beyond the closure of the line, and their applications were referred to the South East Area Traffic Commissioners whose approval for new bus services was required under the Road Traffic Act 1930.
In the meantime, BRB announced that the last day of service between Uckfield and Lewes would be 6 January 1969 and issued a revised timetable showing the service to Lewes as withdrawn subject to the approval for the bus services. On 11 November 1968, it informed the Ministry that the new timetable would be introduced regardless of the Commissioners' decision.
A public enquiry was held on 27–28 November 1968 and 21 January 1969 at Lewes Town Hall and was chaired by Major General A.J.F. Emslie. The Commissioners were presented with evidence that those currently using the line would, instead of using the new bus services, switch to cars and motorcycles, thereby adding to the congestion problems at Uckfield. It was also suggested that British Rail had drawn up a timetable which was deliberately aimed at showing a loss on the line. Major J.H. Pickering, a member of East Sussex County Council's Roads and Bridges Committee attending the meeting in his personal capacity made the point that "the Minister had ignored the undisputed and rapid growth of population in the area affected by the proposed bus service", the population having increased by 5,000 in three years and was expected to reach 10,000 in the following five years. Crowborough was also expanding at a similar rate.
The grant of new licences was rejected by the Commissioners on the basis of: (i) the lack of services to Barcombe Mills station – passengers were obliged to walk one mile to the bus stop, (ii) the poor off-peak train/bus connections at Uckfield and (iii) traffic congestion at peak times in Tonbridge and Lewes which had a serious effect on bus timings at Uckfield.
The refusal prompted BRB to review its closure plans. Its timetabling announcements had been criticised by the Commissioners as giving the impression that a decision on the line's future had been taken before their enquiry was over. The Commissioners' concerns were nevertheless met, and authorisation for the bus services was given on 31 March 1969. The last day of operation of the Uckfield – Lewes section would be 6 May 1969.
Lewes Viaduct.
Another element in the closure decision was the condition of Lewes Viaduct. The Ministry of Transport had been advised in 1964 by its Divisional Road Engineer that the condition of the viaduct would entail high maintenance costs in the near future. In June 1965, the Engineer reported again that the bridges and viaduct on the line between Barcombe Mills and Lewes were in need of expensive repairs. A speed limit of 10 mph was introduced on the viaduct in September 1967. In March 1968, BRB informed the Ministry that unless the section of line between Lewes and the start of the Hamsey Loop could be eliminated by the end of the year, either by rebuilding the Hamsey Loop or by closing the line, emergency remedial work would be required.
On 13 December 1968, BRB's engineers held a meeting at the viaduct. On 16 December, BRB announced that, for safety reasons and as a short-term measure, only the down line could be used by a shuttle service and a revised timetable was introduced to reflect this. On 23 February 1969, this service ceased and was replaced by an emergency bus service.
Post-closure.
Within weeks of the line closing, an embankment carrying the line was cut through in preparation of the first stage of the Lewes Relief Road. The remaining bridges from Lewes station to Cliffe High Street and the viaduct over the River Ouse were also demolished. Construction of the Phoenix Causeway was completed in summer 1969, but stages two and three of the Lewes Relief Road project were scrapped; the Council chose instead to link up with the town's new bypass by building Cuilfail Tunnel, which opened in November 1980. A 2001 report by the Environment Agency noted the detrimental effect of the Phoenix Causeway on the town by blocking the floodplain, contributing greatly to the floods of October 2000. As the bypass cut across the railway alignment, the Council's County Engineer gave an undertaking on 11 December 1978 to ""pay for the cost of a new bridge and other works over the Uckfield By-pass should the Lewes-Uckfield Railway Line ever be re-opened"."
John Peyton, the Conservative Minister for Transport Industries, confirmed on 5 February 1973 that the powers granted by the British Railways Act 1966 in respect of the Hamsey Loop had expired on 31 December 1972. East Sussex County Council agreed nevertheless to safeguard the trackbed against development. However, the Council declined British Rail's offer to acquire the alignment for £1 in the 1970s and much of the trackbed was consequently disposed of by British Rail in the 1980s for a few thousand pounds.
In 1991, Uckfield station was resited on the eastern side of the level crossing over the High Street. The track across the road was removed by East Sussex County Council despite concerns that this action would create an obstacle to reopening the line in terms of the loss of any grandfather rights.
Eridge to Tunbridge Wells.
Following a lack of investment for decades, by the early 1980s the track and signalling between Eridge and Tunbridge Wells needed to be replaced. British Rail, at the time carrying out an upgrade of the Tonbridge to Hastings Line, decided that the costs of keeping the line from Eridge open and undertaking the resignalling and relaying Grove Junction works did not justify the outlay. It therefore announced the closure of the line (including Groombridge and Tunbridge Wells West stations) from 16 May 1983, subsequently postponed following objections. The Secretary of State for Transport approved the decision with effect for passenger trains from 6 July 1985, although empty stock trains continued to use the section from Tunbridge Wells West to Birchden Junction until 10 August when the depot at West station closed. Since 1971, the line had been served by an hourly off-peak shuttle service between Tonbridge and Eridge with extra services during Monday to Friday peak hours.
Revival.
Lavender Line.
In 1983, Isfield station and a length of trackbed were purchased by an enthusiast who planned to restore and re-open the station. The project could not be finished and the property passed in 1991 to the Lavender Line preservation society, which took over and restored the station. The society has also restored about one mile of track to the north of Isfield.
Spa Valley Railway.
The "Tunbridge Wells and Eridge Railway Preservation Society" was formed shortly after the closure of the section of the line between Tunbridge Wells and Eridge with the intention to re-open the connection. It purchased the line and trains were again running by 1996 on The Spa Valley Railway. The line extends for four miles from Tunbridge Wells West to Birchden Junction, and another mile to Eridge (alongside the National Rail line) opened on 25 March 2011.
Wealden Line Campaign.
Launched in 1986, the Wealden Line Campaign is seeking the full restoration of services between Lewes and Tunbridge Wells, with eventual electrification. The scheme has received the support of the MPs for Lewes and Wealden, Norman Baker and Charles Hendry, who have both made repeated calls in the House of Commons for the re-opening of the line.
Uckfield Line Rail Extensions group.
In June 2009, following a meeting of the Uckfield Railway Line Parishes Committee, an informal association of members from local parishes who meet monthly to press for the line's reinstatement, it was decided to set up a new organisation comprising elected representatives from town and parish councils in Crowborough, Lewes and Buxted. Named the "Uckfield Line Rail Extensions Group" (Ulreg), it will seek to apply political pressure for the reinstatement of the line.
Calls for reopening.
Post-closure.
The merits of the Uckfield-Lewes closure were debated on several occasions in Parliament following closure. In particular, it was argued that the line would have provided a valuable alternative route to the Brighton Main Line when that line was out of action, as was the case on 16 December 1972 when a collision between two passenger trains at Copyhold Junction closed the line for over a month. Lord Teviot referred to this incident when calling for the reinstatement of the line in the House of Lords on 20 May 1974. It was estimated that costs of reinstatement would be in the region of £2 million, together with an additional revenue subsidy of £170,000 per year.
1980s and 1990s.
In February 1987, Network SouthEast agreed to contribute £1.5 million to reinstate the Lewes to Uckfield Line, a quarter of its projected cost. The scheme floundered in the face of a lack of funding from other sources, both the Kent County Council and East Sussex County Council proving to be "uncooperative" on this score.
In 1996, a feasibility study was commissioned by the Kent County Council into the re-opening of the Tunbridge Wells to Eridge section of the line. The report, prepared by Mott Macdonald, found in favour of reopening the line, concluding that "at a reinstatement cost of £20–25 million such a long-term reinstatement facility (which might substitute for more expensive road infrastructure elsewhere) might be considered a relatively cheap option". The project made no progress.
Connex.
Hopes for reopening were raised in 2000 when Connex South Central included the reinstatement of the line in its ultimately unsuccessful bid for the South Central franchise, and later by Railtrack, which not only looked at reopening, but also the electrification of the whole route. In 2002, the Department of Transport on the advice of the Strategic Rail Authority stated that the costs of electrification from Uckfield to Hurst Green "far outweigh the benefits", but the situation would be kept under review.
2008 feasibility study.
Central Rail Corridor Board.
To take the case for reinstatement forward, a "Central Rail Corridor Board" was set up in 2004, with members from regional, county and district levels, local MPs and Southern. The Board, led by East Sussex County Council, oversaw the development of initiatives to explore the feasibility of reinstatement and provide guidance on the political, planning and transport policy framework. A free scoping study was prepared by a consortium of transport and engineering consultants, who recommended in March 2005 that there were sufficient grounds for proceeding to a full feasibility study at a cost of £150,000, the funding for which was provided by numerous local authorities in the area.
On 14 June 2007, members of the Campaign met the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport, Tom Harris, who agreed to consider the results of the feasibility study. As Harris later revealed to Parliament, the Campaign members proposed a public-private partnership, which ""would mean, in essence, that the Department for Transport would not have to put its hand in its pocket for the capital costs or for revenue costs following resumption of services on the line"." The financial viability of the proposals would be tested by the feasibility study, and the Minister indicated that some investment would have to be forthcoming from the Campaign.
Network Rail also pledged to consider the results of the study and ""investigate all possible commercial avenues for the line reopening". The study, which is to be overseen by Network Rail, was due to commence in September, but was delayed until January 2008; the costs of the report, which are estimated to be in the region of £130,000 to £140,000, will be met by the Central Rail Corridor Board.
In March 2008 the Wealden Line Campaign launched "Wealdenlink – Capacity Solutions for Sussex, Kent, Surrey and London"", a presentation outlining the benefits of reinstatement which aims to give new impetus to the project at a critical moment.
Final report.
The reinstatement feasibility study was released on 23 July 2008 accompanied by a press release by East Sussex County Council It said that whilst reinstatement is technically feasible, it would not be economically viable.
The full report disclosed that the minimum cost of reinstatement would be £141.0m for single track. Intermediate stations at Isfield and Barcombe would add £7.4m, and double tracking would add £25.5m, both options together would add £38.8m. It was estimated that between 1,500 and 2,000 trips per day (450,000 to 620,000 trips per annum) would be generated by a variety of routes including London-Uckfield-Eastbourne and London-Uckfield-Newhaven fast services. The majority of trips would, however, be to existing stations on the Uckfield Line and the new routes would encourage only 2% growth for existing lines due to longer journey time to the south coast compared with the Brighton Main Line. The benefit of the reinstated line as a diversionary route was also judged negligible due to the low occurrence of total closures on the Brighton line.
The study concluded that all six routes showed a negative net present value and therefore had a poor business case, but four of the service options would generate a small operating profit. In particular, a service to Lewes without intermediate stops at Barcombe and Isfield would bring in £3.71m annually at a cost of £2.28m, giving an operating cost ratio of 1.63, although this excludes any capital costs.
The report explained that the poor business case was due to the "low level of demand for the reopened route", and increased car ownership since the 1960s. In order to prove a business case there needs to be "a significant increase in the size of the population along the line and/or a fundamental shift in the travelling population of the existing population."
The 2008 report failed to establish a positive business case because the potential stakeholders were not all aligned, actively supporting and promoting the proposal; and because the terms of reference were defined too narrowly, so that the study could not look at all the possible solutions to determine which would be most viable and can be funded soonest.
The Kilbride group.
In autumn 2004, the Kilbride Group, a private company specialising in combining residential development with transport-infrastructure improvements, expressed interest in restoring services. The company, already involved in a similar project to reconnect Bere Alston and Okehampton on the West of England Main Line, believed that the cost of reinstatement could be met by imposing a levy on each house built based on the housing targets for the area (around 4,000 houses). The costs of reinstatement were estimated at £50m, significantly different from the results from the Network Rail analysis. Kilbride's offer was declined by East Sussex County Council.
In November 2008, following the failure to establish a sound business case for reinstatement, Kilbride met members of Uckfield Town Council to confirm that the link could be financed by revenue from the housing projects already planned for the area.
2009.
Crowborough, Lewes and Uckfield councils decided to undertake their own feasibility study and engaged the Jacobs transport consultancy to undertake the work. The Uckfield-Lewes line was identified as a "potential link line" in the 2009 report by the Association of Train Operating Companies entitled . This was reiterated in Network Rail's draft Route Utilisation Strategy for Sussex, published on 26 May 2009, which stated that the line's reinstatement would "provide potential capacity relief to the southern end of the BML."
2013.
On 9 May 2013, the Secretary of State for Transport, Patrick McLoughlin announced that the Department for Transport had asked Network Rail to explore the possible re-opening of the Lewes to Uckfield route. According to the Wealden Line Campaign, Network Rail is buying back the original Uckfield Station land from BRB (Residuary) Limited in order to safeguard the original rail route from Uckfield to Brighton and the Coastway East Line.


Windsor Link Railway

The Windsor Link Railway is a proposed new railway in Windsor, Berkshire, connecting the Great Western and South Western franchise areas and potentially linking both to London Heathrow Airport.
George Bathurst originally proposed the scheme in 2009 as part of David Cameron's "Big Society" initiative with the aim of improved rail services to Windsor which is served by two railway stations, and appears as a very narrow gap in the subregion. Originally the cost estimate was £125 million at the most which included contingency.
Proposed in 2013, the project is promoted by Windsor Link Railway Limited (WLR), led by businessman George Bathurst. The promoter's aim is for the railway to be entirely privately initiated and financed. The enhanced plans' cost was then estimated as £200 million the link would enable direct trains between Clapham Junction, Richmond, Twickenham, Staines-upon-Thames to the east to and from Slough to the north. Further cost would accrue as to roads and buildings.
The initial plan was this short tunnel through central Windsor. A proof-of-concept was supported by a major rail infrastructure company.
Approval process.
In June 2013, the company announced that Network Rail had approved the next phase of development which entailed seeking private investment. Network Rail stated that was wholly misleading; it did as yet not support or reject the scheme.
On 11 December 2013, the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead (the Borough) received 1,423 signatures in support of the project. This resulted in the project being discussed at full council on 25 February 2014. A unanimous motion was passed in support of the project, noting the petition, encouraging WLR to engage in the planning process and looking forward to further submissions.
In August 2014, WLR announced that it had retained Turner & Townsend to run a competition to select an investment partner. As of August 2019, no investment partner had been identified for the project
In November 2014, a working group of the Borough, recommended support of the proposals in its local plan if the national heritage body could confirm no substantial harm to heritage assets would occur. This was confirmed by the borough's cabinet on 26 February 2015.
The Borough passed a unanimous motion encouraging plans to come forward.
Also, the local neighbourhood plan included the associated regeneration of the Windsor riverside area in its 'vision day'. The "Windsor Observer" reported on 31 July 2015 that plans for a public consultation on the Windsor Link Railway have been delayed. This is to allow the rail link to be considered in the wider context of a "Windsor regeneration project".
In 2016 "BBC News" reported that the company had released a 'master plan' for the Windsor Riverside area.
This has been followed, in 2017, by the company also announcing that it had completed a "GRIP 2"-style feasibility report and submitted it to Network Rail. In response the council has announced that it was interested in the proposals for improving the riverside area and was appointing its own consultants GL Hearn.
In a post on the Thamesweb forum on 13 December 2012, Bathurst stated "no houses in Windsor or Datchet are necessary to be demolished to provide either the new tunnel in Windsor or the road underpass in Datchet" which was changed later on in the planning process impacting a number of houses in Bridgewater Terrace.
There were multiple local concerns to be addressed, including improving and protecting the riverside environment, views, those raised by Cllr Colin Rayner on technical challenges and disruption during construction. The local concerns include the fact that the link railway track and new station complex and roadways, with its additional commercial offices and related facilities, is planned to be constructed on National Trust land. The construction will be funded by building residential properties along much of the riverside area that overlooks ancient Eton College flood meadows.
Proposals for both phases of the project were submitted to the government on 31 July 2018.
It was rejected by the government in December 2018.
However, in February 2019, two months after being rejected, a letter was sent to the promoters from the Department for Transport stating they had reassessed the case for Phase 1 of the scheme (Slough-Staines via a new station at Windsor Royal) and stated this could have big benefits. This section of the project could be running in five years. This letter has not been publicly shared or published to verify the claims of the promoter of the scheme.
In March 2019, an independent political party set out its policies in a document called "the BOROUGH first" where it said that it will oppose the Windsor link railway and "For many years Windsor has endured the threat of the Windsor Link Railway" which were clear statements against the project
Route.
Phase 1.
Phase 1 of the scheme would run from Slough to Staines, via Chalvey, Windsor, Datchet, Wraysbury and Sunnymeads. A new all-in-one station in the Windsor Goswells would replace the existing two nearby stations (Riverside and Central).
Phase 2.
Phase 2 of the project involves linking to Heathrow Airport. As the Heathrow Airtrack scheme has been dropped by Heathrow Airport Holdings, the proponents say a much cheaper method of connecting Heathrow to the north west, west and south would be via a bridge over the M25. This would also have benefits for the proposed intermodal freight depot at Colnbrook.
Possible links.
Eventually it was hoped to spur reconnecting the Great Western railway to Bedford via High Wycombe, Aylesbury and Bletchley, by reopening the link from Bourne End station (achieveable by extending the Bourne End branch line a few miles). Other direct services to Heathrow would be enabled from Oxford and from Reading (and the rest of the Great Western routes).
To the south, alternating services from Basingstoke could go to Heathrow and Slough via Frimley (via a re-opened chord), Camberley, Ascot and Virginia Water. This would give most of Hampshire's railway towns a direct connection to Heathrow as well as possibly Dorset's south coast.
By contrast only enabling Heathrow to be directly accessed from London Paddington or London's Piccadilly line and minor stop Hayes & Harlington fetters rail competition and makes for long rail journey times.
"Railnews" sees any such link as a step towards a railway round most of London and notes south-central England's East West Rail (Varsity Line) gives another sector renewed connectivity.
Planning process.
WLR announced in the presentation to the Windsor Neighbourhood Plan, on 16 September 2014, its expected planning process, as follows:
Despite the fact that 9 years have passed since the original idea was proposed no planning application has been made, and the plans have been rejected by the Government and a local meeting held in December 2018 showed significant opposition to the plans
Background.
The project is promoted by the Windsor Link Railway Limited, led by businessman George Bathurst. When initially proposed, one resident described the proposal as a "fantasy". Some local politicians have supported the proposal: Councillor Mohammed Rasib, for Chalvey ward and leader of the opposition Conservative group, expressed strong support. Fiona Mactaggart (Member of Parliament for Slough, 1997–2017) said, "Any proposal to bring better rail links is welcomed, although this plan looks a long way from being realised."
"Ministers welcome the proposals for the Windsor Link Railway and look forward to further work on the business case to confirm whether the scheme is viable."
Chris Grayling, Secretary of State for Transport, had called for 'new ways of working, new ways of funding improvements'.
The Hansford Review, published on 31 July 2017, included the Windsor Link Railway as a case study and called for funding for 'market led schemes' and for pathfinder projects to progress.
In November 2017, the scheme was featured in the "Spectator". Charles Moore wrote,
Windsor has always had two stations — Central and Riverside — a fact which causes multiple inconveniences. Considering that it is the most visited tourist site outside London, it is absurdly badly connected… [the] Windsor Link Railway scheme would create a single Windsor station (putting the historic buildings of the old ones to other uses). Its first phase would link the Great Western region with the South Western, going from Slough, via Windsor, into Waterloo.
The scheme was also featured in "The Daily Telegraph" on 7 December 2017 'More privatisation could be the best way to save the rail industry'.
In December 2017, the government announced its Strategic Vision for Rail, calling for more private investment in the rail as a way of opening more lines.
"New Civil Engineer" on 7 December 2018 reported that "The Department for Transport (DfT) told Bathurst that it did not think that the scheme’s expected fare revenue matched the capital cost of building the line".
In February 2019, "New Civil Engineer" reported that the DfT had changed its position and demurred on whether it had carried out an economic assessment. The DfT confirmed the scheme proposed had been rejected, quoting "Government’s call for ideas for privately funded railways will hit the buffers because acceptance criteria keep changing, the boss of the rejected Windsor Link Railway (WLR) scheme has claimed".
That same month the "Windsor Observer" reported on a letter to the proponent that had given the scheme a 'surprise boost'. The letter, balanced with risks, said the scheme "'creates the potential for town development by removing the rail corridor from the surface', adding that 'this could generate significant local benefit'".


Deerness Valley Railway

The Deerness Valley Railway was an 8-mile long single track branch railway line that ran along the valley of the River Deerness in County Durham, England. Built by the North Eastern Railway, it ran from Deerness Valley Junction, on the Durham to Bishop Auckland line, to the coal mines along the valley via two intermediate stations, Waterhouses, and .
History.
The line was primarily built to serve the collieries at Ushaw Moor, Waterhouses, Hamsteels, Esh, Cornsay, New Brancepeth and East Hedley Hope, and was opened to passengers only as an afterthought.
Opening.
Authorised in 1855, the line opened to goods on New Year's Day 1858, but it was not until 1 November 1877 that the first passenger station, Waterhouses near Esh Winning, was opened. A second station was opened on 1 September 1884 at .
Industries served.
Beyond the East Hedley Hope junction, the line was known as Stockton and Darlington Railway Deerness Valley Branch, with the rope worked Stanley Inclines giving access to Stanley Drifts and Wooley Colliery. It then accessed Bank Foot Coke Works and Chemical Plant at , where it junctioned with both the Weardale Extension Railway and the Stanhope and Tyne Railway. This section was built for Joseph Pease and Partners, the owners of Waterhouses Colliery who also owned the industrial complex at Bank Foot.
Closure.
The entire line closed to passengers on 29 October 1951, and to freight on 28 December 1964.
The site today.
The trackbed became part of the Durham Railway Paths network in 1975.


Toadmoor Tunnel

Toadmoor Tunnel (originally called Hag Wood Tunnel) was built at Ambergate as part of the North Midland Railway, which opened in 1840.
128 yards long, it was cut through an unstable hillside on a notoriously difficult line of route. What had initially been expected to be acceptably strong coal-bearing rock turned out to be wet shale. On beginning excavation a landslide occurred, the effects of which can still be seen further up the bank in Thatcher's Wood.
The engineer Frederick Swanwick decided to proceed using the cut-and- cover method, with stone retaining walls and invert, and a brick-built masonry arch over the top, which gives it its unusual elliptical shape. Because of this, it took 15 months to build, instead of the planned two.
It is thought that a second landslip may have occurred sometime later, so that it was braced with steel hoops at its southern end.
Because of the tunnel cross section the depth of ballast under the track is adequate in the centre but almost nothing close to the walls, which produces settlement in the middle and crushed ballast at the edges.
Other problems arise with a need for increased line speed and the arrival of electrification, not least because it is grade 2 listed and part of the Derwent Valley World Heritage site.


Kent Coast line

The Kent Coast Line is the railway line that runs from Minster East Jn to Buckland Jn connecting Ramsgate and Dover Priory in the English county of Kent.
It was electrified (750 V DC third rail) by BR under the 1955 Modernisation Plan.
Services.
, the off-peak service is hourly each way between and , with trains at both ends continuing towards London St. Pancras via and respectively. Services are operated by Southeastern using class 395 units.
During the morning peak trains additionally run from to Dover and then onto the South Eastern Main Line to Charing Cross or Cannon Street, returning in the evening peak. A small number of the peak services run to on the Ashford to Ramsgate line before reversing back onto the coast line as a school service, running Ramsgate-Minster-Sandwich-Deal in the mornings and the reverse in the evenings.
History.
The South Eastern Railway's (SER) first main line went to Dover via Folkestone and Ashford. The SER Ashford to Margate Broadstairs and Ramsgate (via Canterbury West) line was then extended south to Deal. This was linked up by the "Dover & Deal Joint Railway" with their bitter rival the London, Chatham and Dover Railway (LCDR).
Upon the joint management of the SER and LCDR in 1899 the track layout at Ashford rationalised, with Thanet receiving similar treatment (by Southern) in the 1920s.
The line was electrified under the BR 1955 Modernisation Plan, in "Kent Coast Electrification (Stage 2)" opening January 1961.
The building of the railway was significant in the development of seaside resorts like Broadstairs.
Dover track layout.
The Railway Clearing House produced a map that shows the complex layout of this area. This shows the separate connection to the pier where trains used to board ferries.


Leicester Central railway station

Leicester Central was a railway station in Leicester, England. It was situated to the west of the city centre, on Great Central Street which is today just off the inner ring road. It was closed in 1969.
History.
Construction.
Opened on 15 March 1899, the station was part of the Great Central Railway's London Extension linking Nottingham with Marylebone in London. The railway crossed built-up Leicester on a Staffordshire blue brick viaduct, incorporating a series of fine girder bridges. In a detail typical of the high standards to which the London Extension was built, the abutments of the girder bridges that crossed public roads were lined in white-glazed tiles to increase the level of light under the bridges. In total the viaduct was in excess of a mile and a half in length and it was upon this that Leicester Central station would be constructed. At the time of construction, the station was the largest single building to be erected in Leicester.
The viaduct's construction required a large area of land to be acquired by compulsory purchase with the GCR agreeing to re-house at its own expense the inhabitants of around 300 houses which had to be demolished; the area principally affected by the works was the working class Blackfriars district (near modern-day Frog Island), where the slums in Sycamore Lane, Charlotte Street and Friars Road were entirely swept from the map, to be replaced by Great Central Street. Around 250 houses were constructed in Newfoundpool to the west of Leicester.
Layout.
The station was comprised within a south-west facing rectangle, bordered on the one side by Blackfriars Street and Jarvis Street, and on the other side by the new Great Central Street. The tracks ran north-east to south-west, crossing the A50 Northgate Street on a "bowstring" girder bridge before splaying out on either side of a large 1,245 ft H-shaped island-style platform upon which the station was built. Six running lines flanked either side of the station – the Up lines on one side and the Down lines on the other, with bays at either end to accommodate local workings to Nottingham and Rugby. A parcels office and stabling point for locomotives were also incorporated into the site.
The southern end of the new station and its viaduct required building over Jewry Wall Street and some of the houses that stood on it. In 1832 at one of these houses, number 53, a well-preserved and high-quality Roman mosaic floor was uncovered during enlargement of the cellar. The floor was preserved and the owner allowed public access to view the mosaic on request. Although number 53 was demolished the Great Central undertook to preserve the Roman floor within the structure of the southern northbound platform that was built around it. The mosaic was encased in a brick vault topped by a glass ceiling let into the platform so it could be viewed from above. A locked doorway at street level provided access to the vault and a local shopkeeper was entrusted with the key to continue to provide access to the public upon request. The main station entrance was on Great Central Street where a large ornate terracota-lined archway crowned by an ornate clocktower led through to the entrance hall and cab waiting area; the station frontage itself had a red brick and terracota facade, to the left of which was the entrance to the parcels office. A second entrance was in Jarvis Street where a subway 20 ft below the platforms led through to the main booking hall, a light and airy space topped by a glazed roof. Stairs led up to the platforms, whilst a hydraulic lift was used to transport luggage from the booking hall.
Decline.
Upon nationalisation of the railways in 1947 the Great Central passed from the control of the London & North Eastern Railway into the newly created Eastern Region of British Railways, and then to the London Midland Region in 1958. The line was regarded by its new operators as an unnecessary duplication of existing North-South routes, and services began gradually to be run down. The Leicester Central engine shed played host to increasingly old and worn-out locomotives; in 1958 the engine stud was made up of 11 LMS Stanier Class 5 4-6-0s, 3 LMS Stanier Class 4 2-6-4s, 2 BR Class 5 4-6-0s and 1 0-6-0 diesel shunter.
The publication of the Beeching Report in 1963 saw the Great Central identified as an unremunerative line earning less than £5,000 per week in revenue and it was proposed to withdraw passenger services from the line as far as Banbury. So began "several years of deliberate neglect and decline and retrenchment" designed to reduce the former busy trunk route into a state whereby closure could be easily achieved. It was announced that as from March 1964 12 stations on the Great Central Main Line (including Leicester Central) would close on Sundays which would allegedly save £250,000; 200 objections were lodged against the proposal and representations were made by local authorities to members of parliament.
The engine shed closed in 1964, and freight services were withdrawn from the line in June 1965. On 3 September 1966 the line ceased to be a trunk route with the withdrawal of services to Sheffield and Marylebone, leaving Leicester Central operating a sparse DMU local service to Nottingham and Rugby. The line north of Nottingham would be closed and the track lifted, as would for most of the track between Rugby and Calvert. In the last few months before its own closure on 5 May 1969 the station was little but an unstaffed halt.
Post-closure.
During 1970 Leicester Central's platform buildings, canopies and platforms were demolished and replaced by industrial premises; the signalboxes were removed and the site of the turntable became a car park. The former booking offices were reused as part of a business; the station's clocktower had previously been removed by British Rail. Much of the Great Central's viaduct through Leicester had been demolished by the beginning of the 1980s and the bowstring bridge over Northgate Street was dismantled in 1981. The Roman pavement was removed from the site in 1976 and is now on display in the close-by Old Jewry Wall Museum, about 100 metres (110 yards) from its original location.
Present day.
The station buildings remained largely intact until the 2000s, but are now scheduled to be restored as part of the regeneration of the waterside area. The arches will be made into shops. The front taxi waiting area still stands and has its original lights and glass roof. The booking office with ticket windows is intact and old timetables and signs are still on the wall. There is a sign above the entrance to the parcels office.


Eaton Branch Railway

The Eaton Branch Railway was a standard gauge industrial railway built to serve ironstone quarries around the village of Eaton in Leicestershire. It operated from 1884 until 1965.
History.
Iron ore quarrying flourished throughout the East Midlands ore field throughout the 1860s and 1870s. By the early 1880s, a thriving quarrying industry had established itself in northern Leicestershire, working an outcropping of Marlstone that ran north-east from the village of Holwell to the edge of Belvoir Castle. The companies working these ore fields needed better freight transport to take ore to their customers around the United Kingdom. In 1882, the Great Northern Railway (GNR) applied to parliament to build a branch line from their Waltham Branch immediately south of Waltham-on-the-Wolds railway station northwards towards Eaton.
In November 1883, the GNR applied for a second act, extending the Eaton Branch to "...a field belonging to, or reputed to belong to, His Grace the Duke of Rutland... adjoining the road leading from Belvoir to Eastwell, at a point about 220 yards measured in a north-westerly direction from Shelton's Barn.". The branch was under construction in 1883, and opened sometime in 1884.
The branch served a series of quarries along its short route. The Holwell Iron Company was quarrying the ore fields to the south and west of Eaton village, while the Waltham Iron Ore Company worked fields that stretched to the west and north of the branch's northern terminus.
The branch had no passenger stations and carried no passenger traffic throughout its life: it operated purely as an industrial railway.
The branch became part of the London and North Eastern Railway in the railway grouping of 1923. It then became part of British Railways in 1948. It continued in operation until closure and lifting in 1965.
Route.
The Eaton Branch Railway began at "Eaton Junction", immediately to the south of Waltham-on-the-Wolds station. It curved leftwards to run north-west on an embankment, gaining height above the surrounding fields. It then crossed Green Lane on an overbridge. North of this bridge, the line curved to the north, still on an embankment. The Eastwell Branch left the line at the start of this curve, just north of Green Lane. It is probable that this was never used apart from a short section near to the junction used as a siding. Certainly by 1903 a narrow gauge line had been built on its formation by the Eastwell Iron Ore Company. The standard gauge siding was used to supply equipment to the quarrying company, whose narrow gauge line was extended to serve quarries at Eaton and Branston. All the ore from those quarries and those at Eastwell was taken via the narrow gauge line including a cable operated incline to sidings at the Great Northern and London and North Western Joint Line near Harby.
North of this siding there was a timber viaduct on the Eaton Branch, which was filled in in 1955 with slag from Holwell Iron Works to form an embankment which can still be seen.
The line then entered a cutting and passed under the Eaton to Stathern road, immediately on the west side of Eaton village. Just past the road bridge, was a loading stage for the tramways of the Holwell Iron Ore Company's tramway. There were pits on both sides of the line as it headed nearly due north. Once more entering a cutting, the railway passed under the Belvoir Road at the junction with Toft's Lane, and terminated in a run-round loop and sidings serving the loading stage of the Waltham Iron Ore Tramway.


Black Lake Tunnel

Black Lake Tunnel is a 412-yard railway tunnel on the West Bromwich and Wednesbury border, in England.
Past.
The tunnel was built by the Great Western Railway for trains travelling between Snow Hill station in Birmingham and Low Level station in Wolverhampton, and was one of two tunnels on that route, the other being Hockley Tunnel.
The next stops after the Black Lake tunnel northbound was Wednesbury and Southbound was Swan Village, West Bromwich Central.
It fell out of use with the closure of the line in March 1972.
Present.
In 1999, the line to Wolverhampton was re-opened as a light-rail (tram) line, the Midland Metro, with the addition of overhead electrification. There are tram stops at either end of the pair of tunnels
The Metro side of the tunnel is illuminated, to enable tram drivers to see the track ahead. The next stop northbound is Wednesbury Great Western Street tram stop, this used to be GWR Wednesbury Central Station. Southbound is Black Lake tram stop.
Location.
The tunnel runs under open ground, and Hawthorn New Street, near its junction with the appropriately named Tunnel Street.


Plodder Lane engine shed

Plodder Lane engine shed was built by the LNWR to coincide with expanding its operations in the Bolton area in the 1870s and in particular the opening of a direct route from Bolton Great Moor Street station to Manchester via Walkden in 1875.
History.
The shed was built on a plot north of Plodder Lane (now the B6199) and Plodder Lane station. The engine shed, turntable, coaling and watering facilities were on the western side of the line, with a goods shed and yard on the eastern side. The shed was built in Ramsbottom's hipped-roof style and could accommodate twelve locomotives.
In 1890 work started to enlarge the shed's facilities. A six road shed in the standard northlight style was built adjoining the original engine shed, more than doubling the covered storage capacity. The turntable was moved to accommodate it and its tracks and the coaling and watering plant were replaced by a larger version. Minor adjustments were made in later years, but the basic facilities put in place in the 1890s hardly changed until closure in 1954.
In the 1930s the roof and one wall of the original shed were demolished as life expired and not replaced. The hand-operated 42-foot turntable was replaced by a 60-foot vacuum-operated version in 1938. During World War II an air raid shelter was dug and a distinctive aircraft spotter's hut was erected on top of the water tank.
Passenger services were reduced during the Second World War and thereafter. The Great Moor St to Manchester service took more than twice as long as the service from Bolton Trinity Street and intermediate traffic was slight, some with rail alternatives available such as at Walkden. The route to Kenyon Junction served small communities which either had other rail routes nearby or had more frequent and convenient buses. Bolton Great Moor St closed to regular passenger services in March 1954. Freight traffic was undergoing gradual decline and combined with the end of passenger workings left Plodder Lane shed with no role which could not be filled by other sheds such as Patricroft. Plodder Lane shed closed in October 1954.
The shed buildings and Plodder Lane station were demolished although the shed's water tank - minus lookout post - survived until the 1960s. The goods facilities on the other side of the tracks remained open until 30 January 1965.
All former LNWR lines in the Bolton area north of Howe Bridge and Atherton were closed by 6 January 1969.


Epsom Downs Branch

The Epsom Downs Branch is a railway line in the United Kingdom. The line runs from Sutton to Epsom Downs and is about long. The line starts at Sutton in the London Borough of Sutton. It is double track for about until it reaches the approach to Belmont where it becomes single track. The line continues from Belmont through Banstead and terminates at Epsom Downs in Surrey. The "Downs" referred to in the name are part of the North Downs.
History.
The line was proposed in 1863 by the Banstead and Epsom Downs Railway, which became incorporated into the London Brighton and South Coast Railway in July 1864. It was opened for traffic on 22 May 1865.
Infrastructure.
The line was electrified at 660 V using the third rail system in 1928, with electric services starting on 17 June.
The line was reduced to single track in 1982 when all signalling was controlled from Victoria Signalling Centre.
The line was shortened by when a new station was built at Epsom Downs. This opened on 13 December 1989.
Services.
There are four stops on the line:
All services on the line are currently operated by Southern, and form part of the Sutton & Mole Valley Line services. From January 2006 all stations are included in the Transport for London zonal pricing scheme, including those beyond the Greater London boundary.
From May 2018, the typical off-peak service calls at all stations on the line every 30 minutes from London Victoria via and Norbury. A historic step change has been delivered to services on this line and there are now two trains an hour from Epsom Downs to London Victoria via Sutton and West Croydon on Sundays.


Tramways in Exeter

Tramways in Exeter were operated between 1882 and 1931. The first horse-drawn trams were operated by the Exeter Tramway Company but in 1904 the Exeter Corporation took over. They closed the old network and replaced it with a new one powered by electricity.
History.
Horse era.
An Act of Parliament was made in 1881 "for making tramways in the county of Devon to be called Exeter Tramways". Under this the council gave 21 years of running powers over Exeter's streets. The rights were assigned to a commercial company, The Exeter Tramway Company. This company was launched in 1881 when its prospectus was published in The Times. The directors were William Leigh Bernard, W. Standing, and WM Wood. The Manager and Inspector was SH Culley and the Secretary was J. Lord. The Exeter Tramway Company was formed at a meeting at the Black Horse Inn on Longbrook Street on 15 November 1881. Construction of the tramway began on 3 January 1882 and it started horse-drawn tramway services in Exeter on 6 April 1882.
Although the routes along Sidwell Street and Heavitree Road proved to be popular, the company's failure to get permission for a line along Queen Street and High Street in the heart of the town made it difficult for the company to make a large operating surplus. This meant they were unable to expand the system or even keep the trams well maintained. As early as 1883 the company had difficulty in paying its mortgage and other debts. The company continued have financial difficulties and faced liquidation in 1888. The Company was subject to a Compulsory Winding Up Order dated 10 March 1888 and attempts by the Liquidator to find a buyer were unsuccessful. The Company was dissolved by the High Court on 7 August 1889. In 1892 it was taken over by the Tramway Purchase Syndicate and leased to Frederick Burt and Company. However, even under the new ownership, problems were ongoing. In 1893 Sunday services were suspended through the spring, and the route up the steep hill from Exeter St David's into town was abandoned.
By the start of the twentieth century, the 21 year life of the act which set up the system was coming to its end and the corporation had a right to purchase the business. In 1903 the Exeter Corporation Bill was passed in Parliament which gave the corporation the right to buy out the Exeter Tramway Company and construct a new system. The company and stock of the tramway was purchased by Exeter Corporation on 1 February 1904 for £6,749. Exeter Corporation Tramways built a new system of electric trams. The last horse-drawn tram ran on 4 April 1905. Going in front of the first electric tram service it travelled from the Guildhall and then along the High Street, down New North Road, to the tram shed and into retirement.
Electric era.
From 1882 the Exeter Tramway Company had been operating a horse-drawn tramway service. The authority to run this service had been granted under a 21-year act, and so by 1900 the act was coming up for renewal. Two private companies approached the city council to seek permission to replace the horse trams with electric trams. However, the city council decided to investigate the possibility of running the trams services themselves. Members of the Tramways Committee went to visit other tram systems, including ones in London, Birmingham, Southampton and even going to France to visit systems in Paris, Rouen and Le Havre. The report prepared by the city surveyor and its electrical engineer supported the adoption of an overhead trolley system.
In December 1902 a poll of residents was taken on two questions - whether to present a Parliamentary Bill for the right to run the trams and whether the trams should run along the High Street. The first questions was approved with a 79% majority and the second with a majority of 75%. The previous horse tram system had been refused permission to run along the High Street. This was despite opposition from some local business leaders such as Charles Josiah Ross (owner of a local draper and outfitters shop) and other firms such as Hinton Lake the chemists and W.R. Lisle, jewellers.
In 1903 a Bill was passed in Parliament for the right to buy out the Exeter Tramways Company and for the city to build and run a new system. The cost of setting up the electric tramways was £65,200. The cost included £6,800 to buy out the previous company and all the track, stock and horses. Construction of the tramways involved considerable disruption to the High Street with the road being dug up and a number of properties being demolished to make way for the trams. This led to St Petrocks Church being on the street frontage (having previously been hidden) and the demolition of its porch.
The first test of the new electric trams took place on 24 March 1905 from the new depot at the end of Paris Street. The tram had just set off towards Livery Dole when all its lights went out. Fortunately this was found to simply be a minor problem with the engagement of the trolley arm and The Board of Trade Inspector approved the system.
The official opening was on 4 April 1905 at 12.30. Five Trams were lined up outside the Guildhall, including the only horse tram ever to travel down the High Street. The first electric tram was driven by the Mayor who was presented with a silver tram handle. Once the tram had travelled to Livery Dole and back, the Mayor gave a speech from the top deck of the first tram. By June 1905 the trams were already carrying 80,000 passengers per week. Special fares for workers were offered with cheaper fares for early morning and early evening travel.
The first services only operated from the Guildhall to Mount Pleasant Inn and from St David's to Livery Dole. By September 1906 however, the route crossing the bridge across the River Exe opened with a line out to Stone Lane in Alphington.
There was considerable debate about whether to carrying advertising on the trams. Adverts on tickets was introduced from start but many members of council felt that it was not appropriate for a corporation owned service. It was only in 1920 that advertising was carried routinely on the trams.
Although the trams continued to run during World War I, they faced severe difficulties. Almost 80% of the staff were involved with war service of some sort with 60% going to war overseas. Women were employed as conductresses but being a motorman (driver) was still seen as a man's job. Due to lack of trained staff, the trams often did not run the full length of the line, leaving passengers to walk to their destinations. The frequency of the trams was reduced in January 1918 from one every eight minutes to one every nine minutes but the trams were still often late and overcrowded. Maintenance also became an issue both from lack of materials and money to pay for them. This lack of maintenance may have contributed to the only fatal accident that ever occurred on the trams. On 6 March 1917 a tramcar got out of control on Fore Street Hill. It collided with a lorry belonging to the London and South Western Railway. A Mrs. Mary Findlay was killed when the car left the rails and overturned.
Closure.
By the late 1920s, traffic in the centre of Exeter was becoming an increasing problem - especially during the summer. The High Street was a major bottleneck as almost all the through traffic had to pass along it. All vehicles coming from Bath or Honiton and going towards Plymouth, Torquay or Okehampton had to go through the centre of town and across the Exe Bridge. Between 1920 and 1930 the number of motor vehicles travelling along the High Street each day increased from 1,314 to 5,901. Although some bypass road were built such as Prince of Wales Road and the Hill Barton bypass to Countess Wear, this did little to solve the problems. Part of the problem was perceived to be due to the trams - especially so, given the narrow streets of parts of Exeter and the large proportion of the system which was single track.
The tramways committee first introduced bus services in 1928 to serve areas which the trams did not go to. These motor buses were single deckers; Maudslay, Leyland and Bristols. The Maudslay ML3 no 5 (FJ6154)of this period is now preserved. After testing several different buses they eventually chose AEC Regent and Leyland TD2 double deckers (delivered in 1931).
As the councillors could not decide whether to replace the trams completely with buses, they commissioned a report from an independent expert whose report was completed in April 1929. He found that there was a backlog of track renewals and other repairs, that the narrow streets were not suitable for trams and that at an average speed of 6.5 miles per hour (compared to 9.5 mph in London) the trams were slower than in any of 11 other cities. In council elections in November 1929, the Labour Party campaigned on a platform of keeping the trams but their vote declined. In 1930 the council finally decide to replace the trams with double-decker buses.
In January 1931 the service along Alphington Road ended and the final trams ran on 19 August 1931. The last every tram was driven by Mr E.C. Perry who as mayor, had driven the first tram. The last tram, car 14, was followed by a double decker bus to usher in the new age. Mr E.C. Perry was presented with a silver-plated control handle and Mr Bradley, Chairman of the Transport Committee was presented the reverse lever which was also silver-plated and inscribed. One of the tramcars (No. 19) survived and was restored on the Seaton Tramway but as a single deck tram.
Routes.
Horse services.
The system had 3 main routes radiating from just outside the East gate of the city. The first trams in 1882, ran from the Bude Hotel in London Inn Square to a stop on Heavitree Road near St Luke's College and was extended to Livery Dole in May 1893. Two additional routes were introduced in 1893: one ran along New North Road, and then down St David's Hill to the Railway station; th third route went to the end of Mount Pleasant Road via Sidwell Street and Blackboy Road. However, a plan to run trams along Queen Street and High Street then on to Barnfield was prevented by the opposition of shop owners on these streets and also by residents. A planned branch along Queen Street as far the Royal Albert Memorial Museum was never built. The depot was in a shed off New North Road.
The company also ran connecting horse-bus services which went to Alphington and Kennford, Pinhoe and Broadclyst, Topsham and to the end of Union Road.
There was a flat fare of 1d for a single journey, and 3d for a through journey which via London Inn Square.
Electric services.
The electric trams expanded considerably the routes of the former horse tram. The most significant new route was the one which ran along the High Street, over the River Exe, on the bridge completed in 1905, and then divided into two with one branch which ran along Alphington Road as far as Stone Lane, and a second branch went to the top of Cowick Street. The route down Pinhoe Road now went to Abbey Road and that along Heavitree Road was extended through Heavitree (then outside the city boundary) to Cross Park. The section of the horse tram route along New North Road was not included in the new system.
Once completed the system operated three routes:
Proposed extensions.
Several further extensions were proposed but none of them were ever built. The original agreed plans included the following additional routes: down Eastgate to Southernhay; down Longbrook Street and up to Pennsylvania Road; along Bonhay from Fore Street to St David's station; along Denmark Road from Magdalen Street and one down South Street. To ensure the service remained profitable none of these were built. Later proposal for extensions included extensions of the Heavitee line and an extension from Pinhoe road to Whipton. The later proposal got approval for a loan from the Ministry of Transport but was never built.
Tram cars.
The horse trams were built to gauge and the first ones were single deckers. Three trams were purchased from the Bristol Wagon & Carriage Works' for the opening in 1882. The trams seated sixteen passengers on the inside with four more on the rear platform. The trams were yellow with chocolate brown lettering. Three more trams were bought 1883, when the complete network was opened and then two more in 1884. Around the mid-1890s, the company bought its first double decker trams, again from the "Bristol Wagon and Carriage Work Company". A minimum of 6 of these were purchased along with a final single decker tram in a 'toast-rack' style. When the company was bought out, there were four remaining double decker trams and one single decker.
Each tram was pulled by a team of two horses. They would be trained by local farmers, first by pulling carts and then moving on to the trams. After they were no longer able to pull the trams, they would be sold back to the farms for lighter work. There were several convictions of tram drivers for cruelty to the horses. At the end of horse-drawn tram services, there were twenty-two horses owned by the company which were sold off by Exeter Corporation for about £15 each.
Over the whole of its existence, Exeter Corporation Tramways bought a total of 37 trams. These were numbered 1-24 (without a number 13) in the first series and 1-4 in the second series. All were open top double deck trams with four wheels. Trams 1-21 were purchased between April 1905 and August 1906 from Dick, Kerr & Co. of Preston. They had two motors and had 42 seats, 20 on the lower and 22 on the upper deck. Nos 22-25, bought in December 1914 were the first purchased from Brush (as were all the later trams) and had two motors and seated 44. After World War I two new cars were purchased (26 and 27). These had seats for 54 passengers. Car 27 was the first to be fitted with an enclosed cab. Nos 28-30 were bought in 1925 and were followed by the last of the first series - no 31-34 in 1926. The last trams were purchased in 1929 (1-4 of the new series) and were initially intended for the planned extension to Whipton. They had two General Electric motors and could seat 53 people. They were delivered only months before the decision was made to bring an end to the tram services. In 1931 these four tramcars were sold to Halifax Corporation for £200 each. They ran there for a further 7 years until finally being withdrawn in November 1938.
The livery of the trams was dark green and cream with gold lettering and a dark maroon under carriage.
Accidents.
On 26 September 1885 the worst accident of the horse-tram era occurred when the brakes failed while a tram was going down St David's Hill and it overturned. The horses and four passengers were injured.
There was one fatal accident on the system on 17 March 1917 after a tram ran out of control down the steep hill of Fore Street, picking up speed and eventually overturning on Exe Bridge.
Power supplies.
The power for the trams was provided by the newly municipalised City of Exeter Electricity Company who in 1904 had built a new power station at Haven Banks. The trams had the benefit for the company of providing a load during the daytime. The new power station was coal fired with generators made by British Westinghouse and with cabling installed in stone lined conduits by Siemens Brothers of London. It generated a total power of 1,300 kW AC output which was converted to DC at 500-550 V for the trams. The trams were supplied their power through a trolley system and most of the traction poles had side brackets included the ones which were part of the design of the Exe Bridge built in 1905. Some of the pole were also used for street lighting and it is still possible to see some of the bases of the poles, for example among the railings on Hele Road. The system was split into sections which could be isolated and were powered independently. So that problems could be reported quickly, each of the section pillars which provided the supply also had a telephone to the power station and the depot.


Morecambe branch line

The Morecambe branch line is a railway line in Lancashire, England, from Lancaster to Morecambe and Heysham, where trains connect with ferries to Douglas, Isle of Man. To reach Heysham, trains must reverse at Morecambe.
Almost all passenger services are operated by Northern. Most are shuttles between Lancaster and Morecambe, with only a limited service through to Heysham to connect with the ferries, primarily using Class 142, Class 153 or Class 156 diesel multiple units . A few services continue beyond Lancaster to Skipton and Leeds (see Leeds–Morecambe line), and generally use Class 144, Class 150 and (since December 2019) Class 158 units.
Since 1994 the two tracks between Bare Lane and Morecambe have been operated as two independent single lines, with no connection between them beyond Bare Lane. Only the southern line is connected to the Heysham branch.
The line also sees freight trains operated by Direct Rail Services, which serve Heysham nuclear power station.
History.
Early years.
The route is a fusion of lines opened by the London and North Western Railway (LNWR), the "little" North Western Railway (NWR) and the Midland Railway, which built the branch to Heysham Harbour and Morecambe Promenade terminus after it took over the NWR in 1874.
The first proposals for a branch from Morecambe to the Lancaster and Carlisle Railway (L&C) at Hest Bank were put forward by the Morecambe Harbour and Railway Company (a constituent company of the NWR) in 1846 but these were soon dropped on cost grounds. The L&C revived the scheme in 1858, with the intention of using the NWR's harbour facilities (suitably expanded) to export coke & iron ore from the North East, brought in via the South Durham & Lancashire Union Railway and the L&C main line. The NWR opposed the plans as it would lose its monopoly on traffic into the town, but its shaky finances eventually led it to reach an agreement with the L&C that would allow the latter to build its line but not require the associated harbour improvements to be carried out. The three-mile branch, including a link to the NWR station at Northumberland Street, was opened in August 1864. The hoped-for mineral traffic did not materialise and the route remained a modest branch, although the LNWR did have to provide its own station at Poulton Lane from November 1870 because of increasing congestion at Northumberland Street. This was replaced by a rather more substantial terminus at nearby Euston Road in 1886 as part of an improvement scheme that also saw the construction of a west-to-south curve from Bare Lane to join the WCML at Morecambe South Junction (opened in 1888), which permitted through running to without the need for a reversal, and hence gave access for longer-distance trains to places such as Manchester, Liverpool and London. The branch was also doubled (apart from the Hest Bank to Bare Lane curve) and a regular local service introduced between Euston Road and Lancaster Castle to complement that to/from Hest Bank. Despite these improvements and a journey time similar to the older route, the Midland line continued to carry most of the traffic to and from the town, especially after it was electrified in 1908 (see below).
The branch became more important after the 1923 Grouping, with a London Euston to Heysham boat train commencing in 1928 – this ran to Promenade station, where it reversed for its journey to Heysham to meet the Belfast boat. Euston Road remained much quieter than Promenade for most of the year, though it did come into its own in the summer months when the regular local trains to Lancaster, and were supplemented by a large number of seasonal through trains to destinations such as , , Birmingham New Street, Manchester Victoria and London Euston.
Electrification.
The Midland line was used for an early trial of electrification, opened between 13 April and 14 September 1908 using 6600 V AC at 25 Hz. In 1953, it was converted to 50 Hz as a trial, and this experiment led to the 25 kV, 50 Hz system becoming standard for new electrification. Latterly, former LNWR Euston to Watford EMU's ran on the Morecambe and Heysham line, converted to AC overhead operation. The branch remained electrified until it closed in 1966.
Decline.
Though Morecambe remained a popular resort after the nationalisation of the railway system in 1948, post-war road competition began to take its toll on traffic levels and by the late 1950s British Railways decided to concentrate services at the former Midland station. Scheduled trains were diverted to Promenade from 15 September 1958, but Euston Road remained in seasonal use (summer months only) for several more years – the 1959 Saturday timetable from there listed no fewer than 26 arrivals and 23 departures, including trains to Glasgow, Birmingham New Street, Preston, , , and . This was in addition to the usual scheduled services to/from Promenade. The station eventually closed to passengers at the end of the 1962 summer season (on 8 September), although it was still listed in the 1963 summer timetable (but not actually served in practice) and continued to be used for parcels traffic & carriage stabling until 1965. The neighbouring goods yard remained open for traffic until October 1972.
The biggest changes to the route occurred soon after, as the 1963 Beeching Report recommended that it should be kept open rather than the Midland line to , even though the latter was electrified. This proposal was ratified by the Ministry of Transport in August 1965 and on 3 January 1966 the Midland line closed to passenger traffic. An enhanced DMU shuttle to and from Lancaster Castle was introduced over the branch on the same day to replace the withdrawn services via Green Ayre. Trains from Leeds and were also diverted over the line from this date, using the former Furness and Midland Joint Railway to , the WCML to Hest Bank and then the original 1864 north curve to Bare Lane en route to Morecambe. The only ex-Midland facilities to survive were the terminus at Promenade and the 1904 Heysham branch, which was retained to serve the ferry terminal & adjacent nuclear power plant. This lost its passenger trains in October 1975, following the withdrawal of Belfast sailings earlier that year.
Recent changes.
In May 1987, services from Leeds were diverted to run via Lancaster (with a reversal) rather than directly via Hest Bank, and the Heysham branch was reopened to passengers in connection with the daily sailing to the Isle of Man. Promenade was replaced by a smaller station closer to the town centre in May 1994 and the Heysham line singled under the control of the signal box at Bare Lane. Following signalling renewal work in late 2012, the entire line is now supervised from the PSB at Preston.
Services.
Almost all passenger services are operated by Northern, which runs trains slightly more than once per hour in each direction. Most are shuttles between Lancaster and Morecambe, with just one train a day continuing to Heysham to connect with ferries, primarily using Class 142, Class 153 or Class 156 diesel multiple units . A few services continue beyond Lancaster to Skipton and Leeds (see Leeds–Morecambe line), and generally use Class 144, Class 150 or occasionally Class 158 units.
The first train each weekday was formerly service from Lancaster (though in the past it started back from Barrow) to Windermere which leaves the West Coast Main Line (WCML) at Hest Bank South Junction, calls at and reverses at , calls at Bare Lane again and rejoins the WCML at Hest Bank North Junction and continues to Windmere. It provided a token "parliamentary service" over the Bare Lane to Hest Bank curve and until April 2016 was operated by TransPennine Express. Prior to the December 2008 timetable change it ran Windermere – Lancaster – Morecambe – Barrow in the late evening. One Monday to Saturday and three Sunday afternoon trains from Morecambe to Leeds were also scheduled to use the curve. Since the May 2019 timetable change, this is now provided by a solitary Mon-Sat early morning train between Lancaster and Morecambe via Carnforth.