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The Aldeburgh branch line was a railway branch line linking the town of Saxmundham on the East Suffolk line and the seaside resort of Aldeburgh. There were intermediate stops at Leiston and Thorpeness. Part of the line remains in use for nuclear flask trains servicing Sizewell nuclear power station.
The line opened as far as Leiston on 1 June 1859 and was extended by four miles to Aldeburgh on 12 April 1860. [1]
The line was proposed by Samuel Morton Peto and supported by local agricultural machine manufacturer Richard Garrett. [2] The Leiston Works Railway operated to link the line to Garrett's Leiston works. Operated initially by the Eastern Counties Railway, it was taken over by the Great Eastern Railway in 1862.
Most trains started their journey at Saxmundham railway station and travelled half a mile northwards along the East Suffolk line to Saxmundham Junction where the Aldeburgh branch diverged eastwards across fields towards Leiston. The line climbs sharply over a ridge of higher ground before falling gently towards the coast. The first station is Leiston (4+1⁄2 miles) which, in addition to having goods sidings, also had the branch line to the south serving the Richard Garrett & Sons works. Part of that line is still extant as Leiston Works Railway. 16 chains east of the station was a siding on the north side of the line, to the south of Carr Avenue, east of what is now the Jehovah's Witnesses Hall. It originally served the town gasworks, but was later in service as a coal siding until the 1960s.
There was another industrial siding at Sizewell which was originally provided for cattle traffic from the local marshes, [3] and this location (to the east of Sizewell Sports Club, south of King George's Avenue) is the present day terminus of the line. It is believed this siding was opened in 1860. Thorpeness station (6+1⁄2 miles) was a single platform affair, and in latter years its station buildings consisted of three former carriage bodies supported at the back by concrete sleepers.
The three carriages were recorded as: [3]
There was a siding provided here from 1921 for goods traffic.
The terminus of the line at Aldeburgh consisted of a single platform with an attractive overall roof – quite an unusual feature for the Great Eastern. The station building was a two-storey affair. There was a small goods shed as well as a small engine shed at this location. A hotel (The Railway Hotel) was built at the same time next to the station; it later became The Railway Tavern and exists today as The Railway Inn. [4]
In April 1860, there were 5 trains each way between Aldeburgh and Saxmundham. In October 1921, there were 8 services each way, two of which were shown as mixed. In 1922, there were direct services to Aldeburgh from London Liverpool Street Station (journey time 3 hours 33 minutes). [8] These consisted of a carriage(s) dropped off the Lowestoft express services and operated between 1906 and 1939. [9]
In the Winter 1951/52 timetable, there were six trains per day each way. In the September 1964 timetable, there were seven trains each way with three through trains to Ipswich one of which continued to Colchester (Mondays to Fridays only). In the opposite direction, only one service originated at Ipswich. No Sunday services. The final 1965/66 timetable showed seven trains each way. [1]
The final passenger train was worked over the branch by British Rail Metro-Cammell diesel multiple units numbers 79066 and 79282. Driver Skeels from Ipswich engine shed was at the controls. [3] The event was filmed. [10]
In September 2011, Suffolk County Council investigated the possibility of running train services between Saxmundham and Leiston Stations using a Parry People Mover light railcar. [11]
In connection with the construction of Sizewell C power station, train operator DRS were in June 2012 considering passenger services to serve the power station. Whether this would mean the re-opening of Leiston station or a new station is currently unclear. [12]
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Initial freight services would have included agricultural produce and coal. Up until 1914, there was a good trade in fish, but when Aldeburgh harbour became blocked by shingle banks this traffic ceased. [3]
From the line's opening, Garrett's establishment was responsible for significant freight traffic, which lasted until the 1960s. The goods yard there was still open in 1972, when it was recorded as handling military traffic.
During the 1920s, a concrete factory existed at Thorpeness and was served by the siding.
Building materials for both Sizewell A in the 1960s and Sizewell B power stations between 1987 and 1990 were brought in by rail.
Today, trains servicing the power station are the only regular source of traffic on the branch, and these are operated by Direct Rail Services who have a depot at nearby Stowmarket.
On 18 October 2010, the British government announced that Sizewell was one of the eight sites it considered suitable for future nuclear power stations. [13] The UK Government confirmed that Sizewell C will go ahead and the branch to the power station will be upgraded. [14] The line will be upgraded with full signalling, new track, ballast and sleepers, and all traincrew operated level crossings (TMO) upgraded to automatic barrier crossings (ABCL). The new works will also involve building a new 2-mile-59-chain (4.4 km) branch to the north of the Sizewell complex, with four sidings, and the creation of an ancillary works yard just east of Leiston. During this time, the existing offloading gantry at the end of the current branch will be mothballed, but brought back into use when all construction works are completed. [15] [16]
Locomotives known to have worked the branch include:
These locomotives would have most likely been allocated to Ipswich engine shed and it is possible that other smaller classes of engine from that depot would have worked the line. As mentioned Aldeburgh had a small engine shed which was a sub-shed of Ipswich and used to stable the branch locomotive overnight.
In the diesel era the following locomotive classes worked freight services:
Ipswich shed was one of the first depots to convert to diesel only power and as a result operation of passenger services passed to Diesel Multiple Units based at Norwich. DMU types that are known to have worked the branch include:
Leiston is a town in the East Suffolk district of Suffolk, England. It is close to Saxmundham and Aldeburgh, 21 miles (34 km) north-east of Ipswich and 90 miles (145 km) north-east of London. The town had a population of 5,508 at the 2011 Census.
The East Suffolk line is an un-electrified 49-mile secondary railway line running between Ipswich and Lowestoft in Suffolk, England. The traffic along the route consists of passenger services operated by Greater Anglia, while nuclear flask trains for the Sizewell nuclear power stations are operated by Direct Rail Services.
The Felixstowe branch line is a railway branch line in Suffolk, England, that connects the Great Eastern Main Line to Felixstowe and its port.
Westerfield railway station is on a branch line off the Great Eastern Main Line, in the East of England, serving the village of Westerfield, Suffolk. It is 3 miles 41 chains (5.7 km) from Ipswich and 72 miles 25 chains (116.4 km) from London Liverpool Street. It is situated at the junction of the Felixstowe Branch Line to Felixstowe, and the East Suffolk Line to Lowestoft. Its three-letter station code is WFI.
Ipswich railway station is on the Great Eastern Main Line in the East of England, serving the town of Ipswich, Suffolk. It is 68 miles 59 chains (110.6 km) down the line from London Liverpool Street and, on the main line, it is situated between Manningtree to the south and Needham Market to the north.
Orwell railway station was on the Felixstowe Branch Line near the small village of Nacton, Suffolk, England. It was situated between Derby Road and Trimley stations and was opened in 1877 but was closed in 1959 to allow an acceleration of the service to the remaining stations. The former station building is now a private residence near to the modern Seven Hills crematorium.
Saxmundham railway station is on the East Suffolk Line in the east of England, serving the town of Saxmundham, Suffolk. Situated between Wickham Market and Darsham, it is 22 miles 29 chains (36 km) down the line from Ipswich, and 91 miles 11 chains (147 km) from London Liverpool Street. Its three-letter station code is SAX.
The Chingford branch line is a railway line between Clapton Junction and Chingford station. Services operate between Liverpool Street station and Chingford. The branch is part of the London Overground.
Yarmouth South Town, sometimes known as Yarmouth Southtown, was a railway station in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, England. It was one of three major stations in the town; the others being Yarmouth Vauxhall and Yarmouth Beach, of which only the former remains.
Aldeburgh railway station was a station in Aldeburgh, Suffolk, England. It was opened in 1860 by the East Suffolk Railway, and later came under the control of the Great Eastern Railway. The terminus of an 8.5-mile branch line to Saxmundham, the station closed in 1966 as part of the Beeching Axe as much of the British rural rail network was cut back.
Leiston railway station was a station in Leiston, Suffolk. It was opened in 1859 by the East Suffolk Railway and later became part of the Great Eastern Railway on its 8.5 miles (13.7 km) branch line from Saxmundham to Aldeburgh. It was closed in 1966 as part of the Beeching Axe as much of the British rural rail network was cut back. Today the old station survives intact, as the line is still used to service the nearby nuclear power station at Sizewell.
Haughley railway station was located in Haughley, Suffolk on the Great Eastern Main Line between Liverpool Street Station and Norwich. It opened on 7 July 1849 named Haughley Junction and was a replacement for a station named Haughley Road which had been in service from 1846 to 1849 at location TM 02981 63319 on the line to Elmswell.
Maldon East and Heybridge railway station served the town of Maldon and village of Heybridge in Essex, England. It was opened in 1848 by the Maldon, Witham & Braintree Railway (MWBR) on a branch line from Witham to Maldon. It was originally named Maldon but was renamed Maldon East in 1889 and then Maldon East and Heybridge in 1907.
The Framlingham branch was a six-mile (9.7 km) single-track branch railway line from Wickham Market railway station on the East Suffolk Line to Framlingham, with three intermediate stations, Parham, Hacheston Halt, and Marlesford.
The Eye Branch was a two miles 72 chains long single track branch railway line in Suffolk, England that ran from Mellis railway station on the Great Eastern Main Line to Eye via one intermediate station, Yaxley Halt. It was the shortest railway branch line in East Anglia to enjoy a regular passenger service.
Ipswich engine shed was an engine shed located in Ipswich, Suffolk on the Great Eastern Main Line. It was located just south of Stoke tunnel and the current Ipswich railway station. Locomotives accessed the site from Halifax Junction which was also the junction for the Griffin Wharf branch of Ipswich docks. The depot opened in 1846 and closed in 1968 although the site remained in railway use for a further thirty years.
The Snape branch line was a railway branch line located in Suffolk which served Snape Maltings. It ran from Snape Junction on the East Suffolk line and was 1¼ miles long. The line was opened in 1859 and throughout its life was operated as a freight-only line. The line was closed 101 years later in 1960.
The A1094 is an A road in the English county of Suffolk. It is around 7 miles (11 km) in length. The road runs from a junction off the A12 trunk road at Friday Street in Benhall to Aldeburgh on the North Sea coast. The road is single carriageway throughout.
The Leiston Works Railway was a private railway that ran from Leiston railway station on the Aldeburgh Branch Line of the Great Eastern Railway to the engineering works of Richard Garrett & Sons. The railway was originally operated by Suffolk Punch horses hauling coal and iron from the main line to the Garrett Works. This was later taken over by steam shunting engine Sirapite which was then replaced by a battery electric engine in 1962.
The East Suffolk line is a railway in East Anglia with a long history.
