The Kelso and Jedburgh railway branch lines

The Railway of Kelso and Jedburgh branch lines were three distinct railways serving Kelso in the borders of Scotland.
The first to open was a branch line of the Newcastle and Berwick Railway from Tweedmouth near Berwick, to Sprouston. It opened in 1849.
The next was a branch from the North British Railway Hawick branch line at St Boswells, to a temporary station just outside Kelso. As the St Boswells to Kelso branch line, it opened in 1850.
The gap between the two lines was closed, and a permanent station at Kelso was opened, in 1851. Finally the independent Jedburgh Railway opened its line from Roxburgh in 1856.
Although woollen manufacture was an important industry locally, the economy was largely agricultural. The two lines reaching Kelso directly were under competing managements, and they failed to develop a through service over the line.
With the rise of reliable road transport and improved roads, goods and passenger carryings on the lines declined from the 1930s. The Jedburgh line passenger service closed in 1948, and the passenger service on the other lines was heavily reduced in 1955 and withdrawn in 1964.
History.
Background.
Kelso's industry was a little different to that of the other famous woollen towns of the borders; a writer in 1825 said:
Kelso, though not entitled to rank among the commercial towns of Scotland, has nevertheless a considerable trade... The first and principal branch is the dressing of lamb and sheep skins, the tanning of hides and the currying of leather, all which are carried on to a vast extent ... Pork is here cured to a great extent, which finds a ready sale in the English market. The manufacture of flannel is pretty extensive, as is also that of different kinds of linen. Woollen cloth is likewise made here but not in any great quantity... Boot and shoe-making is carried on upon a very large scale... disposing of immense quantities at the different fairs and markets in the north of England.
Jedburgh, with a population of 5,251 in 1821, was predominantly engaged in agriculture, although the manufacture of blankets and carpets was also significant, as well as there being an iron foundry and a manufacturer of printing presses.
The location of the towns, remote from navigable water, made transport of products and raw materials difficult.
First railway authorisation.
A railway to Kelso was first projected in 1809, to run from Berwick, where the harbour would give access to coastal shipping. The line, "The Berwick and Kelso Railway" obtained Parliamentary authorisation on 31 May 1811. It was the first railway in Northumberland to obtain an Act of authorisation (and the first anywhere to refer to the conveyance of passengers in its Act). It was to start from Spittal, near Tweedmouth, which at that time was in County Durham, which then had a detached portion there; it is in Northumberland now. The scheme was not proceeded with, and was formally abandoned in 1827, but local promoters revived the scheme in 1836 and had the estimates for construction updated: they amounted to £100,000 for a 22 mile line. This too came to nothing, and the Berwick and Kelso Railway Company was dissolved in January 1838.
Main line railways.
The Edinburgh and Glasgow Railway opened its main line in 1842, showing that a general railway could be successful, where in the past practically all railways had been involved with bringing coal or another mineral from its source. At the same time as the E&GR was being built, the English network seemed to be taking shape, and it was considered urgently necessary to determine the route that a line from central Scotland to England might take. For some time it was assumed that only a single railway route could be commercially viable, and great consideration was given to the route it might take. This was particularly significant because of the barrier of the Southern Uplands and the Cheviot Hills, both considered passable only with great difficulty.
A route put forward by G Remington was proposed to run from Edinburgh through Lauder, Kelso, Wooler and Morpeth to Newcastle; the line was to use the Edinburgh and Dalkeith Railway, a horse-drawn line using stone block sleepers, for access to Edinburgh. A Government commission, the so-called Smith-Barlow Commission, examined this and numerous other routes, but Remington had not prepared estimates of cost for his line; it was said to require works of a most formidable character, and would cost so much that it could not conceivably pay. His scheme fell by the wayside.
In fact the first main line between central Scotland and England was the North British Railway route, running from Edinburgh through Dunbar to Berwick, where it met the Newcastle and Berwick Railway. At first the line was not carried over the River Tweed and through passengers had to walk, or be conveyed by coach, across the road bridge.
While the North British Railway was building its main line, the Newcastle and Berwick Railway, authorised by Act of 13 July 1845, with capital of £1,400,000, was building its line. Its prime objective was to further the chain of railways that was to form the East Coast route from London to Scotland; its main line was to be 65 miles in length, but there were to be several branches, for which powers were obtained in 1846, including a branch from Tweedmouth to Kelso. The Newcastle and Berwick Railway merged with the York and Newcastle Railway, becoming the York, Newcastle and Berwick Railway on 9 August 1847.
The Newcastle and Berwick Railway completed its line between Tweedmouth and Newcastle on 1 July 1847.
Tweedmouth to Sprouston.
Construction of the branch from Tweeedmouth to Sprouston followed, and it opened as a double track on 27 July 1849. Goods train operation seems to have started earlier.
The line followed the southern bank of the River Tweed as far as Sprouston. It had been intended to reach Kelso, another two miles, but hostility from the Duke of Roxburghe prevented this for the time being, so Sprouston became the station for Kelso.
The Berwick and Kelso Railway: This railway, a branch of the York, Newcastle and Berwick line was on Monday last (23 July 1849) examined by Capt. Wynne, the Inspector-General of Railways... The whole length of the line is 20¼ miles from Tweedmouth to the village of Sprouston, which is the Kelso terminus of the railway, though at a distance of between two and three miles from the town of Kelso. There are stations at Velvet Hall, Norham, Cornhill, Carham and Sprouston, from whence omnibuses are to run to Kelso in connection with each train... Goods trains have for several weeks been running between Tweedmouth and Sprouston, but the line is to be opened tomorrow [27 July 1849].
At this stage the Royal Border Bridge crossing the River Tweed and connecting Berwick and Tweedmouth had not yet opened; it did so on 29 July 1850, to goods trains only at first. The junction at Tweedmouth faced the south, so that through trains from Berwick had to reverse there. Sprouston was regarded as a permanent terminus, and all facilities including an engine shed and turntable were provided there.
The initial train service was three trains daily each way, two on Sunday.
The Y&NBR stations at Carham and Sprouston and 3½ miles of track in their vicinity "were the only conquests ever made by an English company on Scottish soil".
St Boswells to Kelso.
By the end of 1844, with their main line not yet open, the North British Railway were planning a branch line to Carlisle. This prodigious scheme was portrayed at first as simply a branch from near Edinburgh to Hawick, in itself a huge project, and a branch to Kelso was being discussed. The plans took shape and at a Shareholders' Meeting on 9 February 1846 a large collection of branches were approved, including a group from the Hawick line to Kelso, Jedburgh, Selkirk and Peebles, with share capital of £770,000. The Act was secured on 26 June 1846. Tenders were accepted in early 1847.
The Kelso branch route was 12½ miles long from Kelso Junction at St Boswells; it ran for eight miles down the Tweed Valley before crossing the River Teviot on a high stone arch viaduct (Roxburgh Viaduct).
The line from St Boswells to Kelso opened on 17 June 1850, but at first this was only to a temporary station at Wallace Nick, (often spelt Wallacenick, ) about a mile west of Kelso. This too was due to the objections of the Duke of Roxburghe.
Closing the gap.
Two railways had tried to reach Kelso but were obliged to stop short: the York, Newcastle and Berwick Railway branch from Tweedmouth at Sprouston, and the North British Railway branch from St Boswells at Wallace Nick.
An accommodation with the Duke of Roxburghe seems to have been made, and the two railways worked together to close the gap. In fact they met half way, by an end-on junction at Mellendean Farm, east of Kelso. There was no station or other facility there. The North British built the new Kelso station, but this was in a district of Kelso called Maxwellheugh, inconveniently located south of the River Tweed. The new railway opened between Wallace Nick and Sprouston on 1 June 1851, and Wallace Nick station closed.
In building a portion of line beyond Kelso, the North British Railway clearly had expectations of running through to Berwick. The YN&BR trains used the NBR Kelso station. For a short time in 1854 a through passenger service was operated, but relations between the NBR and the North Eastern Railway (successor to the YN&BR) became strained over negotiations for through running between Berwick and Edinburgh, and from the Border Counties Railway to Newcastle upon Tyne, and as a result of the antagonism the service at Kelso was stopped from running through. Punctuality leaving Tweedmouth was heavily dependent on the timekeeping of main line trains from the south, and for local passengers from Kelso westward this made the service hopelessly unreliable. By 1859 through tickets were not available; passengers had to rebook at Kelso., and in fact the timetables were not co-ordinated to give useful connections there. Many references use the term Maxwellheugh for Kelso station.
Jedburgh branch.
Construction of the Jedburgh branch was authorised in the North British Railway Act of 26 June 1846, along with the Kelso line and other branches. However the Jedburgh line was not proceeded with, and an independent company, the "Jedburgh Railway Company" obtained its own authorising Act on 25 July 1855; capital was £35,000. It opened its line on 17 July 1856, and the line was worked by the North British Railway. The Jedburgh Railway Company was absorbed by the North British Railway by Act of 3 July 1860, effective from 31 July 1860, and from that time the line was simply a branch of the North British.
The line was seven miles long, and kept to the west bank of the River Teviot as far as Nisbet; it then crossed to the south bank following the Jed Water into Jedburgh. Stations were (at first) Old Ormiston, Nisbet, Jedfoot and Jedburgh. Jedburgh station had an overall roof, but the location of the station at ¾ mile from the market place was awkward, and an omnibus connection was operated for some years.
Passenger trains generally ran to Kelso, reversing at Roxburgh.
Alnwick branch.
In 1887 the North Eastern Railway built a branch line from Alnwick to Coldstream, on the Kelso line; it opened on 5 September 1887. It was never heavily used, and the Alnwick line closed to passengers in September 1930, but goods trains continued to serve Wooler until 29 July 1965.
Train service in 1895.
The passenger train service in 1895 consisted of five trains each way on weekdays between Berwick and Kelso, with an additional short working from Berwick to Coldstream, in connection with the Alnwick branch there. There were two trains each way throughout on Sundays. On the Kelso to St Boswells and Jedburgh section there were five trains each way weekdays, two on Sundays, making connections at Roxburgh for the Jedburgh line which had a similar service, running from Kelso to Jedburgh. There seems to have been no attempt to arrange good connections at Kelso.
The twentieth century.
Shunting at Kelso.
There was a celebrated horse at Kelso in the early years of the twentieth century, employed in shunting. The curves in the yard were exceptionally severe and a steam locomotive was unable to negotiate them. However in 1921 the North British acquired a petrol shunting locomotive of extremely short wheelbase, such that the driver sat athwart the vehicle. This replaced the horse shunting and reduced the annual cost from £1,180 to £904, although the company spent £121 on easing the curves in addition.
Darsley and Lovett have it arriving a little later: Petrol engine no 1 arrived at Kelso in September 1923; it cost £1200. It was sent to Cowlairs works and fitted with a much larger cab, and returned to Kelso in December 1927. The LNER classified it as class Z6 no 8431. In July 1930 it was transferred to Ware, on the Great Eastern section. It was the North British Railway's only non-steam motive power.
A Sentinel shunting locomotive class Y1 no 7134 was based at Kelso from 1928 to 1955; it was the only Sentinel locomotive in Scotland. After 1955 it was moved to Ayr, where it worked until 1959.
1920 traffic.
The year 1920 was a peak year for the towns in the area; the Jedburgh branch in particular took £21,126 in the year, and Kirkbank station dispatched 11,748 head of cattle.
The passenger train service had declined, however, with three trains plus two short workings between Berwick and Kelso weekdays, two on Sundays; and six westbound, five eastbound on the Kelso to St Boswells section; one eastbound train is noted as through to Berwick. The Jedburgh line had six trains each way weekdays, not so carefully arranged to connect from Jedburgh to St Boswells at Roxburgh. There was no Sunday service west of Kelso.
Grouping of the railways.
In 1923 the railways of Great Britain were "grouped" under the Railways Act 1921. Both the North Eastern Railway and the North British Railway were constituents of the new London and North Eastern Railway (LNER). The combined management of the railways west and east of Kelso did not result in any improved co-ordination of the passenger services through the town.
Singling.
In 1933 the St Boswells (Kelso Junction) to Kelso section was reduced from double track to single: Kelso Junction to Roxburgh Junction was singled on 5 November whilst Roxburgh Junction to Kelso was singled on 10 December.
After closure to freight traffic from Tweedmouth to Kelso in 1965 by NERegion/ScRegion, only one track of this double track section was removed, and, for a few years, a single, but out-of-use line remained between Kelso and Tweedmouth.
After withdrawal of the ScRegion freight service to Kelso (now utilising a 350hp 0-6-0 shunter based at Galashiels) in 1968, lifting of the complete branch started at the Kelso Junction in 1969, the contractors working eastwards to Tweedmouth.
1938 train service.
In 1938 the passenger train service was under unified command under the LNER, but there was still limited evidence of co-ordination of the two lines at Kelso. The Berwick line had four trains plus a short working to Coldstream on weekdays, with an additional Saturday train. The St Boswells line had seven daily trains with two extra Saturday trains; several had through carriages to or from Edinburgh via St Boswells and one ran through to and from Berwick. None of the other connections at Kelso were practical.
However there was a Sunday through train from Newcastle to Edinburgh via Tweedmouth, Kelso and St Boswells, with a buffet car. It left Newcastle at 10:30 a.m. and called at Morpeth, Alnmouth, Tweedmouth 11:58 - 12:05, Norham, Coldstream, Kelso 12:39, St Boswells 1:04 to 1:09 p.m., Melrose, Galashiels, Portobello, and arrived at Edinburgh at 2:15 p.m. The return journey left Edinburgh at 5:45 p.m., Portobello, Galashiels, Melrose, St Boswells 6:58, Kelso 7:20, Coldstream, Norham, Tweedmouth 8:00 to 8.07, Alnmouth, Morpeth and arrived at Newcastle 8:57. This service ran from 1933 to 1939.
The Jedburgh branch had 6 trains each way on weekdays, with two additional trains on Saturdays.
Nationalisation.
In 1948 the main line railways of Great Britain were nationalised, and the lines in the area came under the control of British Railways (BR). The BR Scottish Region controlled the lines from Carham westward, and the BR North Eastern Region the lines eastward from Carham boundary marker.
1948 floods.
During the autumn of 1948, the Borders area and the east coast of Berwickshire experienced exceptional rainfall, which reached a peak on 12 August 1948. This resulted in the breaching of the main line between Berwick and Dunbar in several places, as well as the Jedburgh branch. The Jedburgh branch service was suspended temporarily on 13 August, and for some time, through main line passenger and goods trains were diverted over the Kelso line, from Tweedmouth to St Boswells, and then over the Waverley Route to Edinburgh. The decision was made not to resume the Jedburgh line passenger service, partly due to the increased movement of trains between Roxburgh and Kelso, a section of track that most of the branch trains also used.
Line closures.
Although the Jedburgh branch passenger service never recommenced, goods services were reinstated. They were discontinued from 10 August 1964. For many years after the closure to passengers, there was an annual Church excursion from Jedburgh to Spittal Beach at Tweedmouth. A thousand passengers were the norm on these trains, which continued until June 1964.
The Tweedmouth to St Boswells passenger service was threatened with closure in 1955, but the train service was cut considerably instead:
Five stations to be closed on Tweedmouth - St Boswellls Line. British Railways estimate that they will save £7,744 in a year as a result of economies which are to be introduced on the Berwick to St Boswells Branch line. Five stations—Velvet Hall, Twizell, Sunilaws, Sprouston and Carham are to be closed, and the number of trains each day will be slashed by half ... The British Railways authorities had considered the withdrawal of all trains running between St Boswells and Berwick ... but because of the heavy parcels traffic, consisting mainly of fresh meat, game and poultry, it was decided not to enforce a complete closure ...
It was reported that revenue from Sunilaws in a year amounted to £217, Twizell £66, and Velvet Hall £125, and the number of passengers travelling daily in an October census were four, six and two respectively.
The forecast of a reduced service was correct:
Border Railway line cuts begin on July 4: July 4 [1955] is the date fixed for the reduced rail services on the St Boswells - Tweedmouth branch line. From that date only two trains will run in each direction per day, instead of four each day as at present ... The cut in the number of trains has been enforced as an economy measure ... As a result the stations of Twizell, Sunnilaws, Velvet Hall, Sprouston and Carham will be closed to passengers, and the trains will stop only at Kelso, Coldstream, Norham and Tweedmouth.
The stations between Kelso and St Boswells were not affected at that stage, but the skeleton service continued to lose money. The line between St Boswells and Tweedmouth closed to passengers on 15 June 1964, and to all trains on 1 April 1968.
Railway replacement.
In 1998–1999 the footbridge attached to the Roxburgh Viaduct was being repaired. By then it had become the responsibility of the British Railway Board Residuary Body, responsible for former British Railways liabilities that had not been disposed of. The viaduct was legitimately used as a footpath, but it had to be closed during the works, and the alternative walking route for schoolchildren in Heiton attending Roxburgh school was unreasonably long and circuitous. The BRB residuary body arranged a replacement school bus during the work.
Topography.
Tweedmouth to Kelso.
Built as double track. The line opened from Tweedmouth to Sprouston on 27 July 1849 and closed to passengers on 15 June 1964.
Stations were at:
Carham village was in England but the station was in Scotland; Carham and Sprouston are the only Scottish railway stations belonging to an English railway company.
Gradients: from the zero mile post at Tweedmouth the line undulated then climbing at 1 in 140 for much of the way to Velvet Hall; further undulations followed, though generally falling as far as Twizell then climbing at 1 in 167 towards Coldstream. From there a three mile climb at 1 in 330 followed to past Sunilaws, with further undulations ending with a 1 in 72 climb into Kelso station.
Kelso to St Boswells.
Built as double track; opened from Wallace Nick to Kelso Junction on 17 June 1850; closed to passengers on 15 June 1964. The line was singled in stages in 1933.
Gradients: from the zero milepost at Kelso Junction, the line fell at 1 in 100 to Maxton, rising gently to Rutherford and then descending again at a ruling gradient of 1 in 100 to Roxburgh; from there it climbed at 1 in 135 for 1½ miles before descending at 1 in 72 to Kelso station.
Jedburgh branch.
The line was opened on 17 July 1856, and closed to ordinary passenger trains on 13 August 1948. It was a single line.
The line fell with gradients at 1 in 110 and level sections to beyond the 2 milepost (zero was at Roxburgh Junction); there was then a mile of level and further falls to beyond Nisbet, where the line climbed again from the 5 milepost to Jedburgh at a ruling gradient of 1 in 147.


Brandon railway station

Brandon railway station is on the Breckland Line in the East of England, serving the town of Brandon, Suffolk, although the station is actually situated across the county boundary in Norfolk. The line runs between in the west and in the east.
Brandon is from London Liverpool Street via . It is managed by Greater Anglia, which operates most of the services. The station building was designed by the sculptor John Thomas and completed in 1845. The station is Grade II listed.
History.
Early years (1844-1862).
The bill for the Norwich & Brandon Railway (N&BR) received Royal Assent on 10 May 1844. The line was to link with an Eastern Counties Railway (ECR) project of a line from Newport in Essex to Brandon in Norfolk. Once complete the line would enable trains to travel from Norwich to London. Work started on the line in 1844.
One month before the N&BR opened a Bill authorising the amalgamation of the Yarmouth & Norwich Railway with the N&BR came into effect and so, the soon to open, Brandon station became a Norfolk Railway asset. The station building was designed by the sculptor John Thomas, some of whose other rail stations are Grade II listed. To blend it with the local vernacular, Thomas designed it to be built with Brandon flint.
The line opened on 30 July 1845 at the same time as the ECR's Brandon to Newport (Essex) line which served Cambridge and Ely. However, the line only got to Trowse, in the suburbs of Norwich, as the contractors were having to build a swing bridge to cross the navigable River Wensum. This was finished in December and on 15 December services started running through to .
Generous provision was made for the maintenance of locomotives at Brandon with a six-road engine house being provided, although once the ECR took over the NR in 1848, the shed's role was diminished. Although it was reported in the "Locomotive Magazine" during 1901 that stabling was being undertaken there. A picture of 1911 shows goods stock stabled outside the shed buildings.
The ECR and its rival the Eastern Union Railway (EUR) were both sizing up the NR to acquire and expand their railway empire. The ECR trumped the EUR by taking over the NR, including Brandon station, on 8 May 1848.
In September 1853, a freight train came to a halt near Brandon, due to a defect on the locomotive. The driver of a second freight train ignored a red signal and consequently his train was in a rear-end collision with the first. Time interval working was in force at the time.
Great Eastern Railway (1862-1922).
By the 1860s the railways in East Anglia were in financial trouble, and most were leased to the Eastern Counties Railway, which wished to amalgamate formally but could not obtain government agreement for this until an Act of Parliament on 7 August 1862, when the Great Eastern Railway (GER) was formed by the amalgamation. Actually, Brandon became a GER station on 1 July 1862 when the GER took over the ECR and the EUR before the Bill received the Royal Assent.
The system settled down for the next six decades, apart from the disruption of World War I. The difficult economic circumstances after the war led the Government to pass the Railways Act 1921 which led to the creation of the Big Four. The GER amalgamated with several other companies to create the London and North Eastern Railway (LNER). Brandon became an LNER station on 1 January 1923.
London and North Eastern Railway (1923-1947).
Six months into LNER ownership it was decided to rename the station as Brandon (Norfolk) (1 July 1923). It is uncertain as to why as, according to Butt, there were other stations called Brandon, but none had the suffix-less title "Brandon". The renaming was seen as unnecessary and on 1 March 1925 the station reverted to its original name.
British Railways (1948-1994).
On nationalisation in 1948 the station and its services came under the auspices of the Eastern Region of British Railways.
In 1978 Brandon became an unstaffed station.
The privatisation era (1994-present day).
On privatisation, Anglia Railways took over the management of the station and most of its services on 5 January 1997. Services to the Midlands were operated by Central Trains.
On 1 April 2004 management of the station and the bulk of its services came under National Express East Anglia, then known as "one".
On 11 November 2007 services between Liverpool and Norwich were transferred to East Midlands Trains upon the breakup of the Central Trains franchise.
Until spring 2009, an original telegraph pole route remained in situ from here to ; this was one of the last remaining in the country.
The station and most of its services were transferred to Abellio Greater Anglia on 5 February 2012.
On 18 August 2019, all services operated by East Midlands Trains transferred to East Midlands Railway upon the expiry of the former's franchise.
Proposed demolition.
In 2020, Greater Anglia planned to demolish the historic 1840s station building to enlarge the car park. On 6 May 2020 Greater Anglia confirmed that it had been granted permission to carry out the work. The project was expected to begin by the end of 2020.
Greater Anglia's plan was to replace it with a car park and "anti-vandal waiting shelters". In spite of objections by the local parish council and others, Breckland District Council said, "The only issues of consideration ... are the method of demolition and site restoration. The purpose of this application is not to assess the historical merit of the building and potential restoration of the building."
However, according to Historic England, railway stations of such an early date are considered to be "of international significance as being among the earliest railway structures in the world, and even partial survivals need to be assessed carefully". Nevertheless, the Railway Heritage Trust (sponsored by Network Rail and Highways England) did not support the objectors' cause. However SAVE arranged for plans to be drawn up for an office conversion, in another attempt to preserve the building.
In August 2020 the planned demolition was put on hold following campaign group SAVE Britain’s Heritage launching judicial proceedings. At the end of August the station was granted Grade II listed status.
Services.
A regular hourly service calling at Brandon was introduced in 2007. This resulted in a significant increase in the number of passengers using the station.
 there is typically one train per hour to and one to via , operated by Greater Anglia.
East Midlands Railway operates a single morning service to Norwich, Monday to Saturday only, on its route from .
In popular culture.
The station was used as a location in an episode of the BBC television series "Dad's Army".


Surrey Iron Railway

The Surrey Iron Railway (SIR) was a horse-drawn plateway that linked Wandsworth and Croydon via Mitcham, all then in Surrey but now suburbs of south London, in England. It was established by Act of Parliament in 1801, and opened partly in 1802 and partly in 1803. It was a toll railway on which carriers used horse traction. The chief goods transported were coal, building materials, lime, manure, corn and seeds. The first to Croydon opened on 26 July 1803, with a branch line off from Mitcham to Hackbridge.
The Croydon, Merstham and Godstone Railway was built as an extension of the railway but by a separate company. It opened in 1805 and closed in 1838.
The Surrey Iron Railway was commercially successful only briefly, until shortly after the opening of the canal between Croydon and London in 1809. It closed in 1846.
Origins.
By the end of the eighteenth century, a number of short plateways, such as those to the Caldon Low quarries and the Little Eaton Gangway, had been built. Their purpose was to convey a mineral to a nearby canal for onward transport.
The original plan for a transport connection between Wandsworth, on the River Thames, and the industries of the Wandle Valley had been a canal scheme, put forward in 1799, but doubts about the availability of water led to the adoption of a plateway. Contrary to popular belief, it was not the world's first railway authorised by Parliament independently of a canal: that was the Middleton Railway (1758). Nor was it the first public railway or the first railway company: both of those honours go to the Lake Lock Railway near Wakefield, Yorkshire.
It received the Royal Assent on 21 May 1801, and work commenced immediately with William Jessop as engineer, George Leather as resident engineer, and joint contractor with Benjamin Outram. The line started at a wharf on the Thames at Wandsworth, and ascended gently through Tooting and Mitcham to Pitlake Mead in Croydon. There was a branch from near the site of the Mitcham Junction to oil-cake mills at Hackbridge, and a number of spurs to mills and works.
The initial share capital was £50,000 to which a further £10,000 was added in 1805–1806. The final cost, including the dock at Wandsworth, was between £54,700 and £60,000. The main traffic was coal, building materials, lime, manure, corn and seeds. Horses were the motive power, and passengers were never contemplated.
The railway was only briefly successful financially. It lost much traffic after the Croydon Canal opened in 1809, though the full effect was not felt until the canal acquired a rail link to the two railways in 1811. Later it suffered from the closure of the underground stone quarries at Merstham in the 1820s. It covered its costs, but was unable to update its technology or to keep the track in good repair. It closed on 31 August 1846.
Operation.
It was a public toll railway, providing a track for independent goods hauliers to use their own horses and wagons. The company did not operate its own trains. Sometimes it leased out the track and the dock, and sometimes it collected tolls and kept the line in repair itself.
It was double-track plateway with a spacing of about five feet between the centres of the stone blocks. The gauge was recorded as , the same as on the Croydon, Merstham and Godstone Railway.
The rails were of the Outram pattern long, on the tread except for at the ends where they were thicker.
Route.
The nine-mile route followed the shallow valley of the River Wandle, then heavily industrialised with numerous factories and mills, from the River Thames at Wandsworth southwards to Croydon, at what is now Reeves Corner. A short branch ran from Mitcham to Hackbridge and Carshalton. The railway was extended by a separate company as the Croydon, Merstham and Godstone Railway through Purley and Coulsdon to quarries near Merstham, opened in 1805 and closed in 1838.
History.
The advent of faster and more powerful steam locomotives spelled the end for horse-drawn railways. In 1823, William James, a shareholder in the railway, tried to persuade George Stephenson to supply a locomotive. Stephenson realised that the cast-iron plateway could not support the weight of a locomotive and declined.
In 1844 the proprietors sold the railway to the L&SWR, which sold it to the London and Brighton Railway so that the L&BR could use the trackbed to extend from Croydon to Earlsfield and then join the L&SWR line into Nine Elms and eventually Waterloo. However, the sale did not proceed, and on 3 August 1846 the Surrey Iron Railway obtained an Act of Parliament authorising its closure, which took place on 31 August 1846. Part of the route was used for part of the West Croydon to Wimbledon Line, part of the LB&SCR from 1856, and some of the route is in use by London Tramlink: routes 3 & 4 between Wandle Park & Waddon Marsh, and route 3 at Mitcham.
Croydon, Merstham and Godstone Railway.
Before the railway was completed, it was proposed to extend it to Merstham and Godstone, and an Act for the purpose was obtained on 17 May 1803. The railway's directors were directors of the CM&GR, supplemented by Colonel Hylton Joliffe and Rev William John Joliffe, who had land and mineral interests on its route.
Work started quickly and it opened to Merstham on 24 July 1805 – it never reached Godstone. In 1809 or 1811 a short branch was built at Pitlake to the south side of the Croydon Canal basin. The track gauge was .


Chatham and District Light Railways Company

The Chatham and District Light Railways Company was the originator and first operator of the electric tramway system that served Chatham and Gillingham, and was later extended into Rochester, Strood and Rainham. The system was in operation from 17 June 1902 to 30 September 1930, when it was superseded by the motorbuses of the Chatham and District Traction Company.
Principal routes.
At its inauguration the tramway had the following routes:
The network expanded for several years, and by 1908 there were eight operational routes:
Depot.
Grid reference
The system's depot, which included a shed with a capacity of fifty tramcars, a boiler house and generating house, and an office building, was located to the south of Luton High Street opposite Christchurch.
After the closure of the tramway system the depot, with its original sheds and workshops, was used for buses until November 1995. In 1998–99 the depot was demolished, and the site redeveloped for housing. Its role in the C&DLRCo is commemorated by the name of its access road, "Tramways".
Tramcars.
Tramcars had a Light Green and Ivory livery, and there were changes to the detailing of the paint scheme over the life of the tram system.
In earlier years the name of the "Chatham & District Light Railways Co" was written in large ornate letters along the full length of the ivory side panel.
The tram model shows the scheme as it was in later years. The ornate lettering had gone.
When the system closed all the tramcars were driven to a section of track opposite the Star Hotel in Gillingham to await their fate. The Chatham Observer newspaper recorded at the time that although most of the fleet was scrapped, some went on to live a few more years as static facilities in various Kent locations:


Grantham and Lincoln railway line

The Grantham and Lincoln railway line was a line in Lincolnshire, built by the Great Northern Railway to shorten the distance between those two places. It had already formed a network in Lincolnshire, but the route from London and points south and west of Grantham was very indirect.
The line opened 1867, and was 18 miles in length, from Honington, near Grantham to Pelham Street Junction in Lincoln. Running through rural terrain, it was never heavily developed, and after nationalisation, through traffic was concentrated on a better alternative route via Newark. All local stations except Leadenham closed in 1962, and the line from Honington to Lincoln closed completely in 1965.
Origins.
In 1848 the Great Northern Railway opened part of its authorised network, from Peterborough to Lincoln via Spalding and Boston in 1848. The GNR called this the Loop Line, or the Lincolnshire Loop. In due course it opened its Towns Line, which eventually became part of the East Coast Main Line.
The Boston, Sleaford and Midland Counties Railway opened a railway line between Grantham and Boston, through Sleaford, providing an east-west line. It opened in two stages, in 1857 and 1859, and was worked by the GNR.
It became evident that the route from the south to Lincoln by way of Boston was rather roundabout, and the GNR gave thought to a shorter route. They were also concerned that the rival Great Eastern Railway sought to penetrate the area of Lincolnshire that the GNR dominated.
Authorisation.
A Bill in the 1864 Parliamentary session was for the railway, in which the GNR sought powers for a line from a triangular junction at Honington to Lincoln, another from Sleaford to Bourn, and for absorption of the Boston, Sleaford and Midland Counties Railway, and the Bourne and Essendine Railway. The Sleaford--Bourn part of the proposal was rejected, but the remainder of the Bill became an Act on 25 July 1864, with new capital at £310,000 for the GNR.
Opening.
The line between Honington and Lincoln was opened by the GNR on 15 April 1867. It was 18 miles 2 chains in extent and was constructed by Kirk & Parry for £121,533. There were stations at Caythorpe, Leadenham, Navenby, Harmston and Waddington, and the line joined the Lincolnshire Loop at Pelham Street junction, Lincoln. Board of Trade sanction was given for passenger opening, provided that a 5 mph speed limit was observed over Fulbeck bank where a slip was giving trouble, and on condition that all trains over Pelham Street crossing had a pilotman. Captain Tyler withdrew this condition on 2 August, as a satisfactory signalling and locking system had been installed there.
George Hussey Packe was chairman of the GNR and lived at Caythorpe Hall; he had the right to have any train stopped at Caythorpe. Construction of this branch involved provision of a new station at Honington, built slightly to the west of the old BS&MCR one, and with a refreshment room.
Honington east curve.
An east-to-north curve at Honington, for direct Sleaford-Lincoln running, was partly constructed. It appears doubtful if it was ever completed or used, and it was removed about 1882.
Train service.
The passenger train service consisted of five trains each way on weekdays between Grantham and Lincoln and two on Sundays.
The new route cut three quarters of an hour off the journey time between Lincoln and London. By 1887 the train service had increased to nine each way, but only one each way on Sundays. In 1914 there were six weekday trains from Lincoln to Grantham, of which two, the 11.22 am and the 1.50 pm conveyed through carriages to London. From London through carriages ran on the 12.30 and 4.0 pm trains. In 1938 seven trains each way were normally run but only one conveyed through carriages to London. This was the 10.28 am from Lincoln to Grantham, where it was attached to the express from Newcastle due into Kings Cross at 1.15 pm. Return was by the 5.50 pm London to Yorkshire express, reaching Grantham at 7.55 pm. It left Grantham at 8.3 pm, called at Leadenham on request to set down passengers from London only, and was due into Lincoln at 8.37 pm. Not all trains stopped at all stations; usually one or two each way were Lincoln-Grantham direct to connect with main-line services. Most timetables show that if no scheduled stop was made at Leadenham, then some would stop to pick up or set down there if required.
Block system.
Preparations were made in 1878 for the block system of signalling on the Honington to Lincoln line. Temporary cabins were erected at the stations, later replaced by permanent boxes between 1880 and 1883. As part of the work, ironstone sidings and a signal box were brought into use at Frieston.
Automatic train control system trial.
In 1897 the line was used for an experiment with an early form of semi-automatic train control invented by Mr Wynford Brierly. A two-lever trip connected to a bell was placed beside the cab footstep on Stirling 2-2-2 no 6 and this contacted a rocker actuated by signal wire near the signals. When at danger the signal rocker engaged the lever on the locomotive, ringing a bell in the cab and displaying a red disc below it. Although the trial proved to be successful the system was never installed on the GNR.
Bracebridge Gasworks Accident.
There was a serious accident on the line on 25 January 1963, in which two drivers were killed. It took place at Bracebridge Gas Works, not far south of Lincoln. A steam locomotive carrying out shunting was standing on the down main line to allow an up train to pass. The signalman forgot about the engine and cleared his signals for a down train, which struck the engine at about 40 mph.
Diesel trains.
In the mid-1950s steam-hauled passenger trains were replaced with diesel multiple units on the line; it was one of the first routes on which this happened. Steam services were restored on some trains for a time in 1963 when Lincoln multiple units were taken temporarily to dieselise the Grantham to Nottingham service. The local goods trains remained steam hauled to the end.
Decline and closure.
In the 1960s the decline in local traffic could not be ignored, and all the stations on the line except Leadenham were closed to passenger traffic. Some retained their goods facilities for the time being, although Harmston closed completely. Two years later, on 15 June 1964, all stations lost their goods services other than for coal, at the time still an important resource. In 1965 Leadenham yard looked busier than it had done for many years when truckloads of steel were delivered for the construction of electricity pylons in the area.
However complete closure was inevitable, and on 1 November 1965 the line closed completely between Honington and Lincoln, and through trains were diverted via Newark. For a short time afterwards, one mile of track was retained northwards from Honington Junction and used for redundant wagon storage, and until 7 December 1970 the short section from Lincoln to the Gas Works was in use.
See also.
Lincolnshire lines of the Great Northern Railway


Great Grimsby and Sheffield Junction Railway

The Great Grimsby and Sheffield Junction Railway was an early British railway company which existed between 1845 and 1847 with the intention of providing rail services between Grimsby, New Holland and Gainsborough in the county of Lincolnshire. It amalgamated with the Sheffield, Ashton-Under-Lyne and Manchester Railway and the Sheffield and Lincolnshire Junction Railway, the three being renamed the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway in 1847.
History.
The company.
As a company, it was the oldest of the three, having begun in 1796 as the Grimsby Haven Company, when the harbour was enlarged. When new fishing grounds were discovered on the Dogger Bank trade increased and in 1845 the Grimsby Haven became part of the Grimsby Docks Company. Five of its directors were also on the board of the proposed Great Grimsby & Sheffield Junction Railway, intended to connect with the proposed Sheffield and Lincolnshire line. The decision was taken to amalgamate the two undertakings.
Both the SA&MR and the S&LJR were well represented on the board and it was the latter's engineer who had carried out the survey in 1844. He offered three alternatives, via Brigg, via Caistor or via Market Rasen. Of the three, the first was chosen, with a branch from Brigg to Market Rasen. The line received the Royal Assent at the same time as the Grimsby Docks Company was approved in 1845. The ferries on the Humber were also purchased and a branch would be built to New Holland. In 1846 permission was gained for line from Market Rasen to Lincoln.
Lines and stations.
The first board meeting of the amalgamated Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway took place on 6 January 1847. Work concentrated on the section between Grimsby and New Holland Pier, which opened on 1 March 1848 concurrently the East Lincolnshire Railway from Grimsby to Louth (now part of the Great Northern). There were stations at Goxhill, Ulceby, Habrough, Stallingborough, Healing and Great Coates. The station at Thornton Abbey was built in 1849 replacing one at Thornton Curtis. The line from Ulceby to Brigg opened a few months later, followed by that to Market Rasen and thence to Lincoln. The first included stations at Brocklesby and Barnetby. The latter had stations at Moortown, Holton Le Moor, Usselby, Wickenby, Langworth and Reepham. The section between Brigg and Gainsborough opened in 1849, with stations at Scawby and Hibaldstow, Kirton Lindsey, Northorpe and Blyton.


Wells and Fakenham Railway

The Wells & Fakenham Railway, was the northern part of the Wymondham to Wells branch in Norfolk, England. It connected the market town of Fakenham to the coast at Wells-next-the-Sea. It closed to passenger traffic in 1964 and to goods traffic in the 1980s.
Construction.
The Norfolk Railway opened a line from Wymondham to Dereham, on the Norwich to Thetford mainline, in 1847, and a line from Dereham to Fakenham in 1849. The Wells and Fakenham Railway, incorporated in 1854, was formed by local landowners and some directors of the Norfolk Railway. The Fakenham to Wells line opened in 1857 and a short branch to Wells Harbour was built in 1859. The line became part of the Great Eastern Railway in 1862.
The line used diesel multiple units for passenger traffic from 1955. It was listed for closure in the Beeching Report and closed to passengers on 5 October 1964. Goods services continued until the 1980s.
The route today.
Part of the route has been reopened as the Wells and Walsingham Light Railway. A section of trackbed from Walsingham railway station southwards to the village of Houghton Saint Giles is used as a public footpath called the Pilgrims' Way.


Rotherham Tramway

The Rotherham Tramway was a tramway system serving the West Riding town of Rotherham. Service began on 31 January 1903 and ended on 13 November 1949.
The network of six lines spread across the town and was linked to the tramway networks of Sheffield and Mexborough & Swinton.
Rotherham tramways ran on six lines joining in the town's centre and serving Thrybergh, Silverwood Colliery and Broom Road to the East, Canklow and Sheffield to the South, Kimberworth to the West and Rawmarsh to the North.
The line to Sheffield was Rotherham's busiest as it served the main steel producing area of Great Britain. It required an almost constant flow of tramcars to meet demand. Track was re-laid in 1933 as well as single-ended double-decker tramcars purchased to serve on this particular line. Indeed, the line was built with loop termini. The tramcars used for the Sheffield-Rotherham service were equipped with only one entrance and staircase and like on traditional double-decker buses, seats were made to be comfortable. Tram service ended on this route in 1948 and Sheffield trams ended at Tinsley (where the change of owner occurred until 1926 when the Sheffield Corporation purchased the line up to Vulcan Road).
An extension of the line to Broom Top to Maltby was opened for trolleybuses in 1912, this being the third trolleybus line in Great Britain. Trolleybuses were permitted to reach the town centre in 1924 along with trams. Tram routes to Rawmarsh Road, Broom Road, Kimberworth and Thrybergh were converted to trolleybuses in 1929 and 1931. The line to Canklow was converted to motorbuses in 1934.
Double-decker trolleybuses were built from the single-deck fleet from 1955. Twenty-three of these were sold in Spain with the last trolleybus running in 1965.
Trams returned to Rotherham in October 2018 when the Sheffield Supertram was extended to Rotherham Parkgate.


Hertford loop line

The Hertford Line (also known colloquially as the Hertford Loop) is a branch of the East Coast Main Line, part of the Northern City Line commuter route to London for Hertford and other Hertfordshire towns and an occasional diversion route for the main line. The line is part of the Network Rail Strategic Route 8, SRS 08.03 and is classified as a London and South East Commuter line.
History.
The line was opened in three stages between 1871 and 1924. The first section called the Enfield Branch Railway was developed by the London and York Railway and went from Wood Green to Enfield. In 1898, a plan was approved to extend the line north to Hertford and Stevenage, in order to relieve congestion on the main line without having to widen the Welwyn Viaduct. Work started in 1905 and Cuffley was reached on 4 April 1910. The construction of two major viaducts and the Ponsbourne Tunnel (at , the longest in the eastern counties of England and the last to be built by traditional methods), combined with World War I shortages of men and materials, delayed the opening of the route to Stevenage until 4 March 1918. Then it was single track and for goods services only. The line finally opened to passengers on 2 June 1924 when a new Hertford North Station was opened. The line was electrified in 1977.
The line was also used frequently during the Second World War as the Welwyn/Digswell viaduct was at high risk from bombs
Route and settlements served.
The Hertford Line leaves the East Coast Main Line at Langley junction, just south of Stevenage.
It rejoins the East Coast Main Line at Wood Green South junction, north of Alexandra Palace railway station.
Operations.
Great Northern operates suburban services along the Hertford Line between London King's Cross or Moorgate, and Stevenage, Watton-at-Stone or Hertford North. Occasionally, London North Eastern Railway, Hull Trains, Grand Central and other faster Great Northern services operate non-stop along the route when diverted off the main section of the East Coast Main Line, due to engineering work. There is a reversing siding to the north of Bowes Park which is occasionally used to reverse London North Eastern Railway trains heading for the Bounds Green Depot. There are also bay platforms at Hertford North, Stevenage, and Gordon Hill, the latter acting as a terminus during peak hours and night only.
Infrastructure.
The line is about long, is double track throughout and is electrified at 25 kV AC using overhead line equipment. It has a loading gauge of W9 and a maximum line speed of .
Grade-separated junctions connect each end of the northbound track with the main line. All stations are long enough to accept two, three-car (20m) EMUs. Not all stations are long enough for newly-introduced 6-car EMUs, but their walk-through design allows for access.
Tunnels and viaducts.
Major civil engineering structures on the Hertford Line include the following.
ERTMS trials on the Hertford loop line.
Network Rail is using Beacon Rail owned Class 313 unit 313121 as a test vehicle for ERTMS on the Hertford Line. The plan involved resignalling a section of the double track route to allow existing passenger and freight services to work bi-directionally over the up Hertford loop line, freeing the down line for ERTMS tests and evaluation.
References.
Hornby, Frank (1995) "London Commuter Lines. Volume 1: Main lines north of the Thames". Kettering: Silver Link Publishing Ltd.


Trelill Tunnel

The Trelill Railway Tunnel was built in 1895 and formed part of the North Cornwall Railway network, which ran the Atlantic Coast Express to London, between Wadebridge and Camelford. It is the only tunnel along this route.
The tunnel length is and is built as a curve and a decline down to St Kew Highway and runs right under the village of Trelill. The tunnel served to take the line below the village of Trelill, so allowing a more direct route between Halwill in Devon and Padstow in Cornwall. The line closed on 3 October 1966 as part of Dr Beeching's railway cuts.


Tees Valley line

The Tees Valley Line is a railway line located in the north of England, and follows, in part, the original route of the Stockton & Darlington Railway, dating back to 1825.
The line covers a distance of , and links Bishop Auckland and Darlington with Middlesbrough, the Tees Valley and Saltburn.
The section of line between Darlington and Bishop Auckland has been re-branded "The Bishop Line", and is supported by the Bishop Line Community Rail Partnership.
Beyond Bishop Auckland, heritage services serve a line of around towards Frosterley and Stanhope, as part of the Weardale Railway.
Service.
Services on the Tees Valley Line are operated by Northern Trains, with an hourly service running between Saltburn and Bishop Auckland, and half-hourly trains to Darlington.
Additional Northern Trains services operate along the Tees Valley Line during the morning peak, with some journeys between Middlesbrough and Newcastle running along the East Coast Main Line, rather than the Durham Coast Line.
TransPennine Express also operate along part of the Tees Valley Line, with hourly services from Redcar Central and Middlesbrough to York, Leeds and Manchester Airport.
Predominantly, rolling stock on the Tees Valley Line consists of Class 156 and Class 158 diesel multiple units operated by Northern Trains, as well Class 185 diesel multiple units operated by TransPennine Express.
The Class 156 and 158 units operating on the Tees Valley Line are currently in the process of being refurbished, with upgrades including free WiFi, power sockets, on-board passenger information displays, and an interior refresh.
Class 185 units operated by TransPennine Express were refurbished as part of a £32 million investment, with the work being completed in 2018.
Class 142 'Pacer' trains also served the line on Northern services, until the turn of the new decade, when they were withdrawn from passenger service.
The route serves the following stations: Bishop Auckland, Shildon, Newton Aycliffe, Heighington, North Road (Darlington), Darlington, Dinsdale, Teesside Airport, Allens West, Eaglescliffe, Thornaby, Middlesbrough, South Bank, Redcar Central, Redcar East, Longbeck, Marske and Saltburn.
History.
The section of line between Bishop Auckland and Darlington (prior to joining the East Coast Main Line), as well as the section between Dinsdale (near Middleton St. George) and Eaglescliffe, follow the original route of the Stockton & Darlington Railway, which dates back to 1825.
The line from Middlesbrough to Saltburn, as well as the freight only line to Boulby Mine, were part of the Whitby, Redcar & Middlesbrough Union Railway, until the line's closure on 5 May 1958.
In March 2015, a section of electrified track was laid to the west of the Tees Valley Line, south of Heighington. This is to allow low-speed testing of the Class 800 ,801,805,807,810 and class 385 being built at Hitachi, which is located near to Newton Aycliffe.
Least-used stations.
Prior to the suspension of services to Redcar British Steel in 2019, the Tees Valley Line was home to two of the country's least-used rail stations.
Redcar British Steel.
In 2017-18, Redcar British Steel was the least-used station in Britain, with an estimated 40 passenger journeys made.
Prior to service suspension in December 2019, Redcar British Steel was served by two trains during the morning peak (07:57 to Bishop Auckland & 08:25 to Saltburn), and two during the evening peak (16:58 to Middlesbrough & 18:17 to Saltburn).
Teesside Airport.
In 2012-13 and 2013-14, Teesside Airport was the least-used station in the country, with just 8 passenger journeys made per year, in both periods.
As of the December 2019 timetable change, Teesside Airport is currently served by a once-weekly parliamentary service. Currently, the single Sunday service, commencing at Hartlepool, is timetabled to call at Teesside Airport at 14:54, before continuing through to Darlington.


Maldon East and Heybridge railway station

Maldon East and Heybridge railway station served the town of Maldon, Essex. It was opened in 1848 by the Maldon, Witham & Braintree Railway (MWBR) on a branch line from to Maldon. It was originally named Maldon but was renamed Maldon East in 1889 and then Maldon East and Heybridge in 1907.
It was a terminus station located at the end of two branch lines from Witham and Woodham Ferrers. A plan dated 1920 shows that the station had a goods shed and a two-road engine shed. A turntable was situated adjacent to the station building and there were sidings that served the Blackwater Canal and the river wharf.
The line and the station closed to passenger services in 1964 as part of the Beeching closures.
Description.
The station building at Maldon is an impressive example of Victorian railway architecture. The reason behind this is during the 1847 election the potential MP (David Waddington a vice-chair of the Eastern Counties Railway) was looking to woo his constituents. A lot of local people found employment on the construction of the railway and it was reported in an investigation into the election afterwards that some of these were not actually fit to do the work they were paid for.
The station building was built in the Jacobean style, with a large booking hall, waiting rooms and ticket office on the ground floor. The upper floor contained the station master's apartments which were reached by a winding staircase from the booking hall. Originally the single platform was partly covered by a glass roof but this was removed after an explosion of an engine boiler caused significant damage.
A second bay platform was added in 1889.
History.
The branch from Witham was part of a scheme to link Braintree ("the granary of Essex") with its traditional port at Maldon. The scheme started in 1845 as a direct link from Braintree rather than the two branches that were actually built. It soon ran into financial trouble and was taken over by the Eastern Counties Railway keen to ensure there was no competition for its own interests. And this was before work actually started
Construction started in March 1847 and the first goods trains ran in August 1848 followed by the opening to passenger trains on 2 October of the same year.
In 1862 the Eastern Counties Railway was taken over by the Great Eastern Railway (GER).
The station was originally named Maldon, but after the opening of the Maldon West line on 1 October 1889, the station was renamed to Maldon East. The 50 foot diameter turntable (manufactured by Ransomes & Rapier of Ipswich was installed at this time and a second platform was added to the west of the station building at this time.
In 1907 the station was further renamed to Maldon East and Heybridge as its actual position is halfway between the two villages.
At the beginning of 1923 operation of the station became part of the London & North Eastern Railway as a result of the Railway grouping.
In 1939 traffic was withdrawn from the Woodham Ferrers line as a wartime economy measure. The branch saw heavy usage in World War 2 with additional freight traffic.
Following nationalisation of the railways in 1948 the station became part of British Railways Eastern Region.
In 1953 the Woodham Ferrers branch was closed - it had been operating one goods service per weekday for many years. However between 31 January 1957 and 31 January 1959 the line did re-open for freight as far as Maldon West with trains reversing at Maldon East and Heybridge station.
In 1958 Railbuses started operating the line to Witham with an improved schedule and in 1959 more frequent services were introduced. It was however too late as the rise of road transport and cheaper competing bus services saw the Witham branch carrying just 400 passengers per day. It is thought by 1959 the engine shed had closed (precise date unknown ) as no steam locomotives were using the branch.
The line was slated for closure in the Beeching Report and despite the efforts of local campaigners the last passenger train ran on 6 September 1964. Freight lingered on with gravel and fruit traffic until 15 April 1966.
Locomotives.
Ex Norfolk Railway 2-4-0 locomotives worked early trains on the branch.
From GER days until 1958 the passenger service was generally in the hands of a GER Class M15 (LNE class F4 2-4-2T engine hauling two GER corridor coaches (three in summer). Occasionally GER Class Y14 (LNE class J15) 0-6-0 locomotives worked passenger services as did a T26 (LNE Class E4 2-4-0) for one summer.
Other GER tank engines occasionally worked passenger services and 0-6-0T engines from the R24 (LNE class J67) and C72 (LNE class J68) classes worked goods traffic until succumbing to dieselisation.
From 1958 the station was operated by the first generation of BR Railbuses numbers E79960-E79964 which were based at Cambridge and which also worked a number of lightly used East Anglian branch lines. The Class 15 locomotives took over freight workings as weight restrictions on the timber bridges on the branch meant nothing heavier could work as far as Maldon. A member of this class operated the last goods train in April 1966.
Maldon engine shed.
This was a substantial two track building. Until the Maldon West branch opened in 1889 there was no turntable located at Maldon so any tender engines working the branch would have had to have worked one direction tender first. In organisational terms Maldon was a sub-shed of Colchester and any locomotives needing heavy repair were sent there.
In GER days the shed had two drivers, two acting drivers, four firemen and a boiler washer (who probably did most of the odd jobs around the shed as well).
On 1 January 1922 the shed had an allocation of four GER Class C32 2-4-2T locomotive (later LNER Class F3) and a single GER Class Y65 2-4-2T locomotive (later LNER Class F7 and nicknamed Crystal Palace tanks).
The shed closed sometime after dieselisation c 1959.
Goods traffic.
The sidings to the River Blackwater and Blackwater Canal provided additional traffic. As well as agricultural produce there was significant coal traffic in the early years of the railway.
Train services.
In 1847 there were five trains each way to Witham.
Between 1874 and 1883 there were nine services per day to Witham, but ten years later this had reduced to seven. Bradshaw's Timetable Guide for 1910 shows seven trains per day with two additional services on a Wednesday (market day?). By 1939 there were nine services per day but it was not until 1958 and the introduction of Diesel Multiple Units that the branch enjoyed a service of 17 trains per day.
On opening the Woodham Ferrers branch was served by five trains per day and this struggled for traffic throughout its life. By 1914 there were six trains per day although this reduced during the First World War. In 1939 traffic was withdrawn from the Woodham Ferrers line as a wartime economy measure and never restarted.
Since closure.
The station building has survived and was for many years a restaurant. As of August 2013 it is largely surrounded by an industrial estate although its impressive frontage can still be viewed from Station Road.
The original large goods shed stood until May 2008 when it was illegally demolished to make way for development.
Former Services


Mangotsfield and Bath branch line

The Mangotsfield and Bath branch line was a railway line opened by the Midland Railway Company in 1869 to connect Bath to its network at Mangotsfield, on its line between Bristol and Birmingham. It was usually referred to as "the Bath branch" of the Midland Railway.
The line never achieved great importance, but for many years it carried heavy summer holiday traffic from Midlands cities to Bournemouth over the Somerset and Dorset line, which connected to it at Bath. In the 1960s these trains, and the daily "Pines Express", became famous among railway enthusiasts, as did the station at Bath, by then named "Green Park".
The line closed in 1966 except for a minimal coal delivery to Bath which continued until 1971.
Much of the route now forms the Bristol and Bath Railway Path, and the Avon Valley Railway operates a heritage steam railway activity at Bitton.
Beginnings.
The Midland Railway, based in Derby, had operated a main line linking Bristol to Birmingham since 1845. (The section between Bristol and Gloucester had had complicated origins, starting as a simple mineral line serving the South Gloucestershire coalfield, and becoming the Bristol and Gloucester Railway, absorbed by the Midland company in 1845.). Bath was a significant destination for visitors and as a city of considerable size, was a source of demand for inwards manufactured goods from the Midlands, and a route to Bath would also capture some of the colliery traffic.
In July 1864 the Midland Railway obtained parliamentary authority to construct a branch line to Bath, and the line was duly opened on 4 August 1869. At first the Bath station was a temporary building west of the River Avon, but in 1870 the extension was opened to the splendid terminus at Queen Square in the city; the Great Western Railway had opened its main line between London and Bristol in 1840, and had its own Bath station on the other side of the city.
The branch connected with the Bristol to Gloucester line at Mangotsfield by a triangular junction allowing through running direct from the north towards Bath.
The route.
Mangotsfield lies high in the hills north-east of Bristol, about seven miles distant. The Bristol to Gloucester line ran north-easterly, with a Mangotsfield station on the Shortwood Road. The Bath line formed a junction about a mile nearer Bristol, and facing Bristol; a new Mangotsfield station was opened when the Bath branch opened, replacing the earlier station. The station was very extensive with four wide platforms and large canopies, to cater for considerable passenger interchange volumes.
From Mangotsfield the line descended with a ruling gradient of 1 in 121, east and then south-eastwards with stations at Warmley, Oldland Common and Bitton; all of those settlements were in those days remote from the suburban areas of Bristol. From Bitton the line followed the valley of the River Avon south-easterly into Bath on flatter gradients, but the Great Western Railway main line already occupied the easiest route, and the new Midland alignment ran further north, crossing the River Avon five times. Although the line skirted the northern margin of the town of Saltford, there was no station there, but there was one at Kelston, across the river. Some tickets were printed "Kelston for Saltford"; there was a ferry there. Next station was Weston, then Bath. The goods yard and engine shed at Bath were west of the final river crossing, and the station was east of it.
The line was double track from the start; the station at Bath had a large all-over roof, covering two platforms in the then-traditional format of a departure platform and an arrival platform, with two carriage sidings between them. (In later years the platforms were used for both arrivals and departures, and one of the carriage sidings was altered to become an engine-release road.) The station at Bath was called simply "Bath" although timetables sometimes indicated "Queen Square -- about 1 mile to G.W. station". It seems that the description Queen Square was never formally used by the railway. After nationalisation of the railways in 1948, it was no longer appropriate to refer to "Midland station" and the title Bath Green Park was applied from 18 June 1951.
An east chord line, forming a triangle, was made at Mangotsfield, enabling trains to run direct between Bath and Gloucester; this opened in 1873.
Weston station was renamed Weston (Bath) on 1 October 1934 because of confusion with Weston-super-Mare.
Train services.
The line had a service of nine passenger trains daily at first, all to Bristol (St Philips). On the opening of the connection to the Avonmouth line, some trains ran there from Bath.
In 1895 there were 14 departures from Bath, of which most ran to Bristol St Philips. Several connections at Mangotsfield to Avonmouth are shown; it is impossible to tell from Bradshaw whether these were through carriages.
The Somerset and Dorset line arrives.
Two local railways, the Somerset Central Railway (opened 1854) and the Dorset Central Railway (opened 1860) had been built as purely coal concerns; they had combined in 1862 as the Somerset and Dorset Railway, forming a route from the English Channel at Poole to the Bristol Channel at Burnham-on-Sea. They soon directed their ambitions to a more northerly connection, and extended their line to Bath, joining the Midland Railway's Bath branch just outside the Bath station. This line opened on 20 July 1874; allying itself with the Midland company, the Somerset & Dorset Railway used the Bath passenger station and goods facilities.
However the S&D company's financial resources were exhausted and they were forced to lease their line to a wealthier sponsor, and in August 1875, they leased their line for 999 years jointly to the Midland Railway and the London and South Western Railway (to which they connected further south). Operated jointly by the lessees, the line became known as the Somerset & Dorset Joint Railway.
In consequence the Bath station became much busier, and through trains were operated, reversing at Bath, between Bristol and destinations on the S&D line.
Later years.
In the second half of the twentieth century, the line settled down to providing a basic stopping train service between Bath and Bristol; the St Philips station at Bristol was usually used until its closure in 1953, when the trains transferred to Temple Meads, generally using the original Brunel terminus there. Many of the trains formed through services to and from Templecombe or Bournemouth. The star service was the Pines Express, a through train between Manchester and Bournemouth, and on Friday nights and Saturdays in the summer, a huge volume of trains from Midlands and Yorkshire places to the south coast resorts. There was also a nightly mail and parcels train between Bath and the Midlands.
Considered as effectively an extension of the Somerset and Dorset line, the branch suffered from poor loadings and high operating costs and the report "The Reshaping of British Railways", sometimes referred to as the Beeching Axe, cited the line for closure; this duly took place for passengers on 7 March 1966. Coal workings to Bath gas works continued over the line, which was reduced to a single line, until 1971.
After closure.
The route of the former railway has remained largely intact, although the former rural villages have become absorbed into a developing conurbation incorporating Bath and Bristol.
A footpath and cycleway was formed over much of the route (and continuing into Bristol); it is described at Bristol and Bath Railway Path. A roundabout and part of the carriageway of the A4174 road occupy the alignment near Siston and northwards.
After closure of the Bristol–Yate line in 1970 (trains were diverted via Filton between Bristol and Yate) the Bristol Suburban Railway Society was formed, announcing plans to operate a commuter service over the lines independently, but this failed to attract the necessary resources. Instead, much of the route was converted to use as a footpath and cycle route; this has become the Bristol and Bath Railway Path.
However a railway preservation group, the Avon Valley Railway, based at Bitton, is operating heritage steam trains over part of the route.
At Bath, the passenger station remains intact, and is in use as a retail and exhibition space; a major supermarket and its car park occupy the railway lands immediately to the west of the river bridge.


Southbury Loop

The Southbury Loop (formerly known as the Churchbury loop) is a line linking Edmonton Green, in north-east London, to Cheshunt. It was opened by the Great Eastern Railway in 1891 although initially it was not very successful and was closed to passenger traffic in 1909. Goods trains continued to use the line although in World War I passenger services were reinstated for munitions workers. Once the war finished the line returned to its goods-only role although was occasionally used for diversionary purposes when the West Anglia Main Line was closed south of Cheshunt. Electrification of the line and the reintroduction of passenger services in 1960 saw the line become busy with regular suburban services as part of the Lea Valley Lines network. Since May 2015 passenger services on the line are part of London Overground.
History.
Opening and early years (1891-1923).
The line from Bury Street Junction, north of Lower Edmonton High Level railway station, to Cheshunt was opened by the Great Eastern Railway on 1 October 1891 and known as the Churchbury Loop. It had first been considered by the GER in the 1860s as part of programme of suburban expansion. The opening of the Enfield Town branch had helped Enfield and Tottenham to grow so in its "Additional Powers Act" the GER applied for a branch to leave the Bethnal Green to Edmonton line (now the line via Seven Sisters).and join the main line near Enfield Lock. These proposals were abandoned in 1869 and it wasn't until 1882 that the powers were revived through another act of parliament this time linking to the main line at . The reasoning was that the new line would open up housing development in the area but it was another seven years before construction started in 1889. The contract worth £94,322 was let to contractor Walter Scott and Co of Newcastle-under-Tyne.
Although construction costs were relatively low, the GER provided well built stations in anticipation of the business these stations were expected to generate. The line was 5 miles and 75 chains long with stations at Churchbury, Forty Hall and Theobalds Grove. Goods yards were provided at Churchbury and Forty Hall stations and there was also a siding serving a brick works close to Churchbury.
The district remained predominantly rural, and with the coming of the tram to Waltham Cross, in 1908, the railway was unable to compete and passenger numbers fell by half. The line was not helped by the fact that few trains ran through to Liverpool Street with most terminating at White Hart Lane.
On 4 July 1899, permission was granted by the Board of Trade for a goods yard which was built and opened at Theobalds Grove by the end of that year.
Passenger services were withdrawn on 1 October 1909 and the then president of the Board of trade, Winston Churchill, had to answer a question on the subject in the House of Commons as a railway closure was, at that point, a rare occurrence.
During World War I the Lea Valley was a centre of the munitions industry and the government called on the GER to restore passenger services which served the original stations plus a purpose-built wooden halt called Carterhatch Lane Halt. The service started operating to the original stations on 1 March 1915 and to Carterhatch Lane Halt on 4 July 1916, but once the war finished demand again fell off and services were withdrawn on 1 July 1919.
London and North Eastern Railway (1923-1947).
Following the 1923 grouping the line was operated by the London & North Eastern Railway (LNER).
In the early 1920s house building took place in the area which had been opened up by the building of the A10 road. The LNER board were uninterested in reopening the line to passenger traffic, although it may have been problems with the capacity of the line in the Hackney Downs area that drove this decision.
During this period the down line (from London) was used by goods trains whilst the up line was used for wagon storage.
The line was used for diversionary purposes on a number of occasions, especially during the Second World War, when enemy action made the main line unusable or when the main line was flooded by the River Lea.
On 2 January 1945, Theobalds Grove station was damaged by a V2 rocket which exploded close by.
British Railways (1948-1994).
On nationalisation responsibility for operating the line fell to the Eastern Region of British Railways. Operations continued in much the same vein but with more new housing being built locally plans were put forward to electrify the line and re-open it for passenger services (although this was first mooted as early as 1944). The site of Carterhatch Lane Halt (see above) was used as the electrification depot (for both this line and the wider electrification of the area). The line was resignalled with colour light signaling replacing the older mechanical signalling which largely dated from the opening of the line. The signalling was commissioned on 3 July 1960 with passenger services commencing on 21 November 1960. With the renaming of Churchbury station to Southbury the line became known as the Southbury Loop. The former Forty Hill station was named Turkey Street as part of the re-launch.
The goods yard at Theobalds Grove closed in 1966 and Southbury in 1970.
When sectorisation was introduced in the 1980s, the station was served by Network SouthEast until the privatisation of British Railways.
The privatisation era (1994 - present day).
The Railways Act 1993 split the railway into two parts with Railtrack being responsible for the maintenance of the infrastructure and a series of different companies operating the services.
However, before the franchises were let operation was in the hands of independent business units.
The first of the private sector operators was the West Anglia Great Northern (WAGN) Railway which operated suburban services on the West Anglia Main Line and associated branches. It also operated the suburban services out of Kings Cross and Moorgate stations and its rolling stock was maintained at Hornsey and Ilford depots. It commenced operation in January 1997.
On 3 October 2002 Railtrack was bought by Network Rail who became responsible for the infrastructure on the branch.
WAGN operated the Southbury Loop from January 1997 until 2004 when the UK Strategic Rail Authority made changes to the franchise arrangements and the line became part of the Greater Anglia franchise which covered the whole of East Anglia. The new franchise was named the "one" franchise by successful bidder National Express.
The single franchise was renamed National Express East Anglia and continued operation of the branch until 2012. Operation then passed to the Abellio Greater Anglia franchise. However, on 31 May 2015 the suburban Liverpool Street-Cheshunt service transferred to London Overground; a few peak services run by Abellio Greater Anglia between Liverpool Street-Hertford East/Broxbourne still continue to use the line.
Passenger services.
In the early years the loop had a good service although few trains outside the peak hour operated to Liverpool Street. Most trains terminated at White Hart Lane railway station necessitated a change and this factor probably helped to stifle passenger numbers.
During World War I a shuttle service operated between Lower Edmonton Low Level station and the loop. Passengers had to change to the virtually adjacent high level station (now named Edmonton Green) to continue their journey.
In the May 1964 timetable the loop services worked fast from Liverpool Street to Edmonton Green thence calling all stations to Broxbourne where the trains (formed of two electric Multiple Units) split with one half going to Hertford East and the other to Bishops Stortford (then the limit of electrification on the West Anglia Main Line).
With the opening of the Victoria line in 1968 services started calling at the interchange station at Seven Sisters.
Since then various permutations of the timetable have been tried, but the May 2015 service (Table 21) which is basically half-hourly calling all stations to Liverpool Street from the bay platform at Cheshunt. In the peak hours the Hertford East services also operate via the loop.
Goods services.
The majority of goods services on the branch would have originated from Temple Mills yard (near Stratford) or Park Yard (adjacent to Northumberland Park railway station) and been routed via Lower Edmonton or South Tottenham. Inward traffic would have included coal and building materials. In the early years market produce was sent out along with bricks and as the area became more industrialised some factories sent out goods via this route. The First World War generated additional munitions traffic between 1915 and 1918.
By 1970 there were no goods facilities on the loop.
In the May 2014 freight working timetable (Book LD01) one service (6X36 1952 Hoo Junction to Whitemoor) is booked to use the branch between Seven Sisters and Bury Street Junction along with a small number of track machine and light engine moves.
Locomotives.
Between the opening in 1891 and the 1909 closure trains would have been operated by small GER tank engines such as the GER Class R24 0-6-0T.
During World War I the auto-train service was worked by Great Eastern Railway Class Y65 (LNER Class F7) 2-4-2T.
Local goods services would have been typically worked by GER Class Y14 (LNER J15) and Class G58 (LNER Class J17) 0-6-0 locomotives in GER, LNER and the early British Railways years. Nearly all the locomotives would have been allocated to Stratford engine shed which covered duties in this area.
Carriages & multiple unit.
During the re-opening in the First World War the line was operated by a two-car autotrain.
After electrification EMU classes that operated the line included:
By the 1980s these units were being withdrawn and replaced by more modern stock. Since then the branch has generally been worked by either British Rail Class 315 or British Rail Class 317 EMUs.


Great Bush Railway

The Great Bush Railway is a private, narrow gauge running round the edge of Tinkers Park, Hadlow Down, Sussex. The railway is operated by the Claude Jessett Trust Company.
The line is 500 meters long and has three stations, Hadlow Down, Bracherlands Junction and Tinkers Lane.
The railway only runs on Tinkers Park events.
History.
The line was laid down by Claude Jessett as an attraction to accompany the yearly steam rallies and as a replacement for an earlier miniature railway that existed around his garden. A heavily converted Motor Rail (later named "Aminal" ["sic."]) was acquired from a nearby brickworks. This, alongside coaches built from brick trolleys, ran for a couple of years.
A volunteer group (named FIDO, not an acronym, but named due to the age of the volunteers) established themselves on the site and ran the line. More locomotives were acquired, putting the very worn Aminal out of use. Later the coaches were retired and a bogie coach built to take their place. Over time the FIDO group left for pastures new and the line has since been run by the Claude Jessett Trust as part of the Tinkers Park site.
The line was extended gradually, with a cutting dug by hand, to allow the line to run along the edge of an adjoining field.
The line today.
The line runs in a U shape around the edge of a field. From Hadlow Down station, there is a straight run alongside the "Great Bush" which gives the railway its name, before reaching the locomotive shed, workshop and various sidings. After passing alongside, the line then reaches Bracherlands junction passing loop. The line then drops into a 1in25 curve situated in a cutting. The cutting being the largest feature on the line, having been dug gradually while the old organ museum halt being the end of the line (removed and replaced by the latter Bracherlands Junction platform.)
After the cutting the line has taken a 180 degree turn running alongside another hedge before crossing over an access road between event fields and ending at Tinkers Lane station.


Portsmouth Street Tramways Company

The Portsmouth Street Tramways Company operated horse tramways in Portsmouth, England. It was started under the terms of a Provisional Order of 1874 and was a wholly owned subsidiary company of The Provincial Tramways Company.
Route Development.
The first route in 1874 ran from Broad Street in Old Portsmouth via the town centre to North End with a depot at each end of the route. The trams from North End depot were yellow while those from the Broad Street depot were green. Further routes were developed during the following years authorised by the passing of Parliamentary Acts and Orders of 1876, 1877, 1879, 1881, 1883, 1887, and 1896. In 1878 two rival companies, the Landport and Southsea Tramways Company and the General Tramways Company of Portsmouth were purchased. this allowed the Portsmouth Street Tramways Company to become the dominant tram operator in Portsmouth.
In 1883 the three tramway companies in Portsmouth together with the Gosport Street Tramways Company were all amalgamated into the Portsmouth Street Tramways Company. This resulted in the Portsmouth Street Tramways Company becoming the dominant tram operator in Portsmouth during the next 17 years. Route extensions continued and in 1881 a new tramway was opened from North End to Cosham and this was the first route to extend beyond the town boundary, although the company had an existing horse bus route to Cosham.
Andrew's Buses.
As part of the long running trading war between the horse buses of Solomon Andrews in Cardiff and the Provincial trams in Cardiff the Andrew's buses were also deployed in Plymouth and Portsmouth to compete with Provincial in its other towns. When this conflict, which started in 1872, was resolved in 1887 the horse bus operations of Solomon Andrews were purchased by Provincial and those in Portsmouth were merged with the horse bus routes operated by the Portsmouth Street Tramways Company.
Municipilisation.
By 1892 the horse tram network had reached a maximum size of 14 miles of tramway operated by 58 tramcars and 249 horses, each individual route had its own distinguishing colour of car. Most of the route mileage was single track with passing loops and only a limited amount of double track in the town centre. In 1895 Portsmouth Corporation started to talk about taking over and electrifying the tramways and after several years of negotiations and disputes the Corporation purchased all of the horse tram network commencing from 1 January 1901. This included the tramway to Cosham which at that time was outside of the town boundaries. The purchase price had to be settled by arbitration at £185,633 which was unfortunate for the company because they had declined an offer from the Corporation of £205,964. The Portsmouth Street Tramways Company was left with its other businesses of horse bus operations and wedding cars and funeral hearses and also the horse tramways in Gosport.
Subsequent to the loss of their tram operation in Portsmouth The Provincial Tramways Company constructed and opened the Portsdown and Horndean Light Railway from Cosham northwards to Horndean but this was under a new company and not the Portsmouth Street Tramways Company.
Gosport and Fareham.
The horse tram routes in Gosport ran from the Portsmouth ferry terminal via Forton Road to Brockhurst with another line running via Stoke Road to Bury Cross. This operation started as a separate company in 1882 but was merged into the Portsmouth Street Tramways Company in 1883. After surviving an attempted takeover by Gosport and Alverstoke Council the company went on to reconstruct and electrify the tramways and extend the Brockhurst branch to Fareham Railway Station in 1905. This tramway continued to operate until closure in 1929 when it was replaced by motor bus routes, in the same year the Portsmouth Street Tramways Company was renamed to the Gosport and Fareham Omnibus Company.
The Gosport and Fareham Omnibus Company was acquired by the National Bus Company in 1970 but as a statutory company under the 1929 act it retained its identity and continued operating buses in Gosport and Fareham until 1983 when its operations were taken over by a new company, the Provincial Bus Company, and thereafter the Gosport and Fareham Omnibus Company remained as a non-trading dormant company until it was dissolved in 1987 by an act of parliament.


Cleator and Workington Junction Railway

The Cleator & Workington Junction Railway (C&WJR) was located in West Cumberland in Northern England, serving the towns of Cleator Moor and Workington and intermediate villages. It was mainly used for coal, limestone and iron ore traffic for the local industries.
History.
The Cleator & Workington Junction Railway was incorporated in 1876 and a Bill presented to Parliament in the same year.
Construction began shortly after and the line between Workington and Cleator Moor was opened in 1879. The line continued northwards from Workington to a junction with the London & North Western Railway at Siddick, approximately two miles away.
The principal station and company headquarters were in Central Square, Workington and the station soon became known as Workington Central. A second main line was built from a junction on the C&WJR main line at Calva Junction to Linefoot Junction, where it joined the Maryport and Carlisle Railway. This section was known as the Northern Extension.
Several branch lines were built including that to Rowrah of which a short 300 yard section remained in use at Rowrah as a backshunt until 1978.
To the people of West Cumberland the line became affectionately known as the "Track of the Ironmasters." The C&WJR never ran its own services on the main lines: this was done on their behalf by the Furness Railway. In later years the C&WJR purchased its own engines to work its branch lines (see below).
At the railway grouping of 1923, the line was incorporated into the London, Midland and Scottish Railway network. The Northern Extension section that served the Broughton Moor Armaments Depot closed on 4 June 1992.
Accidents and incidents.
The 0-6-0ST locomotive was rescued shortly after the incident and was returned to traffic.
Route.
Main line.
 - - - - (Route in Google Maps)
Northern extension.
 - - (Route in Google Maps)
Rowrah line.
The Rowrah Line was branch line that left the mainline south of , accessing the mines and quarries near Rowrah. This branch line crossed over the main line from Workington to Cleator Moor to continue to Rowrah. The Company built a single road engine shed near the junction to house a C&WJR locomotive that worked the line. The much altered building exists today (2017) as an agricultural store.
Cleator & Workington Junction Railway locomotives.
All the nameplates used on this company's locomotives were named after residences of C&WJR company directors. Until recently there was uncertainty about the name of No. 2 but the personal notebook of the Company Accountant shows otherwise. The engine never ran in service with the name "Ennerdale"
Other railways in the Workington area.
Whitehaven, Cleator and Egremont Railway


Stratford Market Depot

Stratford Market Depot is a London Underground depot located in Stratford in the London Borough of Newham, between Stratford and West Ham stations on the Jubilee line. Constructed in the mid 1990s as part of the Jubilee Line Extension, the site is the main depot for stabling and maintaining the line's 1996 Stock trains, although some trains are stabled at Neasden Depot.
History.
Stratford Langthorne Abbey, a Cistercian monastic abbey was founded in 1135 on the site. The abbey survived until the dissolution of the monasteries in 1538. In 1879, the Great Eastern Railway opened a new wholesale fruit and vegetable market at Stratford to rival Spitalfields Market. This market gave its name to the local Stratford Market train station. After 112 years, the wholesale market closed on 13 May 1991, moving to New Spitalfields Market in Leyton. The market buildings were demolished in 1992 to make way for the Jubilee line depot.
Construction of the depot.
The Jubilee Line Extension project required the construction of a new depot to serve the extended Jubilee line, given the increased number of trains could not be accommodated at the existing Neasden Depot site. The site at Stratford Market was chosen instead of sites at Stratford TMD, Thornton Fields and the Greenwich Peninsula, as the land was mostly available with few commercial and industrial occupiers. To commemorate the former use of the site as a fruit and vegetable market, the new facility was named Stratford Market Depot.
Construction began in April 1994, with archaeological excavations uncovering evidence of Stratford Langthorne Abbey, as well as 674 graves. These were reburied at the modern Cistercian Abbey of Mount St Bernard Abbey in Leicestershire. The depot fully opened in March 1998, prior to completion of the extension - allowing for testing and commissioning of the new 1996 Stock trains, as well as the testing of the new extension itself.
Jubilee line depot.
Designed by Chris Wilkinson Architects, the main depot building is parallelogram shaped, and features a wide by long arched roof that covers 11 maintenance roads. Outside, the depot has 33 stabling roads, with the layout of the 11 hectare site designed to mitigate archaeological impacts to the Stratford Langthorne Abbey. The main depot building was awarded a Civic Trust Award in 1998.
As well as the Jubilee line depot, a large training centre for London Underground is located at the site. This was opened by Tube Lines in 2005, as part of the Underground Public-private partnership.