Betchworth railway station

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3 ft 2+14 in (972 mm) gauge railway system began there and primarily served the quarry with lines diverging to the Main, Upper Western Whitestone and Eastern Greystone Pits. The other gauges serving the works were the 19 in (483 mm) gauge line that ran from a standard gauge siding to the Hearthstone Mine, and a short 2 ft (610 mm) gauge section of track that ran exclusively between the Eastern and Southern Kiln Batteries. [6]

The first engine to shunt on the standard gauge portion, Engine No. 1 of 1871, was unofficially named The Coffeepot. It is now preserved at Beamish Museum in County Durham. [7] Another, Captain Baxter was renamed simply Baxter in 1947, the last engine ever to work the line, and the Rev. W.V. Awdry featured it in his book Stepney the "Bluebell" Engine . Baxter is preserved on the Bluebell Railway and was returned to traffic for that railway's 50th anniversary. [6] [8]

Two 3 ft 2+14 in (972 mm) gauge locomotives were also preserved. Townsend Hook , is at Amberley Chalk Pits Museum, having undergone a cosmtic restoration as a static exhibit. [9] William Finlay, the sister engine of Townsend Hook, is preserved at the Narrow Gauge Railway Museum. [10]

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References

  1. Yonge, John (November 2008) [1994]. Jacobs, Gerald (ed.). Railway Track Diagrams 5: Southern & TfL (3rd ed.). Bradford on Avon: Trackmaps. map 24B. ISBN   978-0-9549866-4-3.
  2. Wolff, Ann (director) (1967). The Even Tenour of Her Ways (moving image). The station sign is visible at 09:35.
  3. "Least Used". Least Used Stations. Retrieved 17 January 2020.
  4. Hughes, Ian (15 January 2020). "The quietest and busiest train stations in Surrey revealed". getsurrey. Retrieved 17 January 2020.
  5. Table 148 National Rail timetable, December 2023
  6. 1 2 3 Travis, Anthony S. (2004). "The Locomotives at Betchworth Lime Works in Southern England". The Journal of the Society for Industrial Archeology. 30 (2): 25–39. JSTOR   40968664.
  7. Banks, Georgia (1 May 2021). "Steam engine Coffee Pot, at Beamish, marks 150th anniversary". The Northern Echo. Retrieved 7 March 2023.
  8. "Fletcher Jennings & Co Works No 158 No 3 Baxter 0-4-0T". Preserved British Steam Locomotives. 13 January 2023. Retrieved 7 March 2023.
  9. "Townsend Hook cosmetic restoration". Amberley Museum & Heritage Centre. October 2010. Retrieved 7 April 2013.
  10. "William Finlay". The Narrow Gauge Railway Museum Trust. Retrieved 28 February 2023.

51°14′53″N0°16′01″W / 51.248°N 0.267°W / 51.248; -0.267

Betchworth
National Rail logo.svg
Betchworth Station House 14-06-07.JPG
General information
Location Betchworth, Mole Valley
England
Grid reference TQ210512
Managed by Great Western Railway
Platforms2
Other information
Station codeBTO
Classification DfT category F2
History
Opened4 July 1849
Original companyReading, Guildford and Reigate Railway
Pre-grouping South Eastern Railway
Post-grouping Southern Railway
Passengers
2018/19Decrease2.svg 13,974