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The Woodside and South Croydon Joint Railway (W&SC) was a short, relatively short-lived and unsuccessful railway in the London Borough of Croydon in London, England. Its site is now largely occupied by Tramlink.
Junction with the Addiscombe branch of the South Eastern Railway. Now Woodside tram stop. Tramlink follows most of the route of the W&SC from here to Coombe Road.
The railway was on an embankment here and crossed over Lower Addiscombe Road and Bingham Road on bridges. The embankment has been removed and Tramlink crosses both these roads at grade. The station was just south of Bingham Road. Addiscombe tram stop is between Lower Addiscombe Road and Bingham Road. (Addiscombe railway station was about 500 metres (1,600 ft) to the west - East India Way has been built on its site.) About 200 m (660 ft) east of Sandilands tram stop the Tramlink route from central Croydon divides and both branches follow the route of the W&SC. The northern line takes a sharp turn under Addiscombe Road to join the route of the railway to Woodside, Elmers End and Beckenham Junction. The other line turns southward into the Park Hill tunnels towards Coombe Road and to New Addington.
At the site of the station the Tramlink takes a sharp turn east to diverge from the W&SC route, and reaches Lloyd Park tram stop after about 200 m (660 ft). Coombe Lane tram stop is about 2 km (1.2 mi) further east.
Hidden in an alleyway between Spencer Road and Birdhurst Rise. The railway crossed Croham Road on a bridge, still extant.
Junction with the Oxted Line, the former Croydon, Oxted and East Grinstead Railway. Parts of the W&SC platforms are still visible, as is the spur that led to the old goods yard and oil storage depot.
The line was built jointly by the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway (LBSCR) and the South Eastern Railway (SER). Although the intention had been to open in 1882, completion was delayed until August 1885 for reasons including bad weather disrupting construction. Success was limited even at the beginning, and following a closure proposal as early as 1895 railmotors were introduced in 1905 in an attempt to improve efficiency and counteract competition from trams and buses. At this time the two halts were opened: although Spencer Road met with little success, Bingham Road attracted more custom with its main-road location and from passengers interchanging with trams and buses; it was rebuilt as a full station (see below).
The first closure came in 1917, although services had been suspended for the most part since 1915, to save money and resources for the war effort. It was still possible for diverted trains and excursions or other special services to use the line.
Major changes came in 1935:
The electric service commenced on 30 September 1935, in belated response to the Southern Heights Light Railway scheme which had received approval in 1928. This had been proposed from Sanderstead to Orpington, and on it would have run a loop service from Charing Cross to Lewisham and then Woodside-Sanderstead-Orpington and back, or vice versa. However, the scheme could not attract investment and was moribund even before the electrification to Sanderstead was completed. [1] So, the decline towards final closure of the Woodside line began soon afterwards.
Services were reduced during World War II, with the withdrawal of Saturday afternoon and Sunday trains. In the 1950s through trains to London ran at peak hours only, with a Sanderstead–Elmers End shuttle at other times, connecting with Hayes–London trains). A closure threat came in 1963, but local pressure (through, for example, the newly formed Croydon Transport Users' Association) brought about a reprieve. Saturday trains were withdrawn in 1967. In 1976 through trains to London were withdrawn, leaving a Sanderstead–Elmers End peak hours shuttle service;
Closure took place on 13 May 1983: by the time the line closed, estimated usage was less than 200 passengers a day. By 1983 the track was in very poor condition, the Selsdon/Sanderstead area was being planned for re-signalling and in view of the line's low patronage British Rail could not financially justify wholesale renewal. This was a factor in closure.
This table shows the up service three years before closure: [2]
| Sanderstead | Selsdon | Coombe Road | Bingham Road | Woodside | Elmers End |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Morning Peak | |||||
| 06:45 | 06:47 | 06:49 | 06:51 | 06:53 | 06:56 |
| 07:15 | 07:17 | 07:19 | 07:21 | 07:23 | 07:26 |
| 07:32 | 07:37 | 07:39 | 07:41 | 07:43 | 07:46 |
| 07:53 | 07:57 | 07:59 | 08:01 | 08:03 | 08:06 |
| 08:14 | 08:17 | 08:19 | 08:21 | 08:23 | 08:26 |
| 08:32 | 08:37 | 08:39 | 08:41 | 08:43 | 08:46 |
| — | 08:57 | 08:59 | 09:01 | 09:03 | 09:06 |
| 09:15 | 09:17 | 09:19 | 09:21 | 09:23 | 09:26 |
| 09:48 | 09:50 | 09:52 | 09:54 | 09:57 | 10:00 |
| Evening Peak | |||||
| 16:15 | 16:17 | 16:19 | 16:21 | 16:23 | 16:26 |
| 16:31 | 16:37 | 16:39 | 16:41 | 16:43 | 16:46 |
| 16:52 | 16:57 | 16:59 | 17:01 | 17:03 | 17:06 |
| 17:12 | 17:17 | 17:19 | 17:21 | 17:23 | 17:26 |
| — | 17:37 | 17:39 | 17:41 | 17:43 | 17:46 |
| 17:55 | 17:57 | 17:59 | 18:01 | 18:03 | 18:06 |
| 18:15 | 18:17 | 18:19 | 18:21 | 18:23 | 18:26 |
| 18:37 | 18:39 | 18:41 | 18:43 | 18:45 | 18:48 |
| 18:50 | 18:52 | — | — | — | 18:59 |
| 19:15 | 19:17 | 19:19 | 19:22 | 19:24 | 19:27 |
Two trains per day started from and terminated at Selsdon rather than Sanderstead because of the lack of paths on the section shared with the Oxted Line.
London Trams, previously Tramlink and Croydon Tramlink, is a light rail tram system serving Croydon and surrounding areas in South London, England. It began operation in 2000, the first tram system in London since 1952. It is owned by London Trams, part of Transport for London (TfL), and has been operated by FirstGroup since 2017. Tramlink is one of two light rail networks in Greater London, the other being the Docklands Light Railway.
Addiscombe is an area of south London, England, within the London Borough of Croydon. It is located 9.1 miles (15 km) south of Charing Cross, and is situated north of Coombe and Selsdon, east of Croydon town centre, south of Woodside, and west of Shirley.
Mitcham Junction is a National Rail station served by Southern and Thameslink trains, and a Tramlink stop. It is in the London Borough of Merton and is in Travelcard Zone 4.
The Oxted line is a railway in southern England and part of the Southern franchise. The railway splits into two branches towards the south and has direct trains throughout to London termini.
Sanderstead railway station is on the Oxted Line in the London Borough of Croydon, 1 mile (1.6 km) from Sanderstead village. It is in Travelcard Zone 6, 12 miles 23 chains from London Bridge. The station is managed by Southern.
Elmers End is a railway station and tram terminus in Elmers End, south London, England. It is in the London Borough of Bromley and on the railway it is 11 miles 7 chains (17.8 km) down the line from London Charing Cross.
South Croydon in south London is the area surrounding the valley south of central Croydon and running as far south as the former Red Deer public house on the Brighton Road. It is bounded by Waddon to the West and Selsdon and Sanderstead to the East. It is part of the South Croydon (CR2) post town and in the London Borough of Croydon. It is essentially a dormitory suburb for Croydon and London.
Blackhorse Lane tram stop is a light rail stop in the London Borough of Croydon in the southern suburbs of London.
Addiscombe tram stop is a light rail stop in the London Borough of Croydon in the southern suburbs of London.
Addiscombe Railway Park, also known as the Addiscombe Linear Park, is a 3.3 acres (1.3 ha) park in Addiscombe, South London, managed by the London Borough of Croydon.
Lloyd Park tram stop is on the edge of Lloyd Park in the London Borough of Croydon in the southern suburbs of London, beside Coombe Road and opposite Croham Park Avenue and Castlemaine Avenue. It is 200 metres east of the site of the Coombe Road railway station, on the former Woodside and South Croydon Railway.
Sandilands tram stop is a light rail stop in the London Borough of Croydon in the southern suburbs of London. It serves the residential area along Addiscombe Road to the east of the centre of the town of Croydon.
Addiscombe railway station was a terminus to the east of central Croydon, on Lower Addiscombe Road between Hastings Road and Grant Road. The East India Way housing development stands on the site.
The Addiscombe Line in south east London, United Kingdom ran between Elmers End and Addiscombe.
Selsdon railway station was at the junction of the Croydon, Oxted and East Grinstead Railway and the now-closed Woodside and South Croydon Joint Railway. Opened in 1885 as "Selsdon Road" and it was 2 miles (3.2 km) from Selsdon village.
Bingham Road railway station was in Addiscombe, Croydon on the Woodside and South Croydon Joint Railway. It was opened on 1 September 1906 on the north side of Bingham Road, with two wooden platforms without buildings and was closed on 15 March 1915 as a wartime economy measure. A new station on the south side of Bingham Road was opened in 1935 and finally closed in 1983. The modern Addiscombe tram stop at ground level is situated at the location of the first halt closed in 1915 which was situated on an embankment above the present site.
Woodside was a railway station in Croydon, south London, on the Woodside and South Croydon Joint Railway. The South Eastern Railway opened the station in July 1871 to serve the nearby Croydon racecourse. A ramp from the station facilitated the loading of racehorses. The station has since been replaced by Woodside tram stop.
The Southern Heights Light Railway (SHLR) was to have been a speculative London area suburban electric railway between Orpington, Kent and Sanderstead, Surrey. It was authorised in 1928 under the Light Railways Act 1896, but ultimately not constructed. The engineer was to have been Colonel Holman Fred Stephens, heavily involved in the promotion of light railways.
Coombe Road was a railway station on the Woodside and South Croydon Joint Railway in London. When it was closed it was owned and managed by British Rail.
Sandilands Tunnel is an ex-railway, brick arch tunnel in south London, currently serving the Croydon Tramway, which cuts through the Park Hill area on the eastern border of Croydon and serves as a key section of the Tramlink route connecting central Croydon, from West Croydon to New Addington.
