Southwold Railway

Southwold Railway

File:Southwold Railway Station.jpg A postcard sent in 1924 featuring Southwold railway station
Locale	England
Dates of operation	1879–1929
Successor	abandoned
Track gauge	3 ft (914 mm)
Length
Headquarters	Southwold

The Southwold Railway was a narrow gauge railway line between Halesworth and Southwold in the English county of Suffolk. long, it was 3 ft (914 mm) narrow gauge. It opened in 1879 and closed in 1929.

Intermediate stations were at Wenhaston, Blythburgh and Walberswick.

Route

Southwold Railway
Legend East Suffolk Line Halesworth Wenhaston Blythburgh Walberswick Harbour branch Southwold

The route closely followed the River Blyth, with Halesworth and Southwold both on the north side, but the longest section, including the intermediate stations, was on the south side. Although the line closed in 1929, its track was still marked and identified on a 1933 Ordnance Survey map, a navigable version of which is accessible in the external links section. The line was lifted and the equipment was scrapped in 1941 to help with war efforts. Some track can still be found on the harbour branch and a surviving van is at the East Anglian transport museum (Carlton Colville). There is also a surviving (but derelict) coal shed at Blythburgh.

Parts of the route from Southwold to Blythburgh are walkable, particularly through woodland known as the Heronry on the south shore of the Blyth estuary. The original footbridge at Southwold was blown up during the war but its pillars now support a footbridge.

Proposed re-establishment of the line

The Southwold Railway Society was formed in 1994 to:

1. further the memory of the Southwold Railway and to foster wider interest therein
2. research, collate and add to the information about the Southwold Railway and to augment the existing collection of artifacts and memorabilia relating to the railway
3. Publish and otherwise disseminate information, display at exhibitions and promote public events
4. Investigate the possibility of re-establishing part of the line and to promote this if re-establishment was shown to be possible
5. Initiate and promote other such activities as are determined

The Southwold Railway Trust was established in 2006 with the objective of promoting awareness of the heritage of the Southwold Railway, preserving any remaining artefacts and instigating re-instatement of the railway as a local community and public amenity connecting Southwold to the main line railway at Halesworth.

The trust submitted a planning application in June 2012 with a view to recreating a new station close to the original station site in Wenhaston. Plans include a new station building based on the design of the original, plus a workshop and visitor centre building. The proposals include the reopening of a section of the original railway towards Bythburgh. Lineside walks and picnic facilities, and the conservation and appreciation of local wildlife are also central to the plans. It is hoped that the trust will conserve a little piece of this historic and unique railway for current and future generations. To haul trains on the reopened line the trust is progressing with the construction of a replica Sharp Stewart steam locomotive, based on the designs of the locomotives that served the railway.

Locomotives

Number	Name	Builder	Type	Works Number	Built	Notes
(1)	Southwold	Sharp Stewart	2-4-0 T	2848	1879	Returned to makers, 1883
1	Southwold	Sharp Stewart	2-4-2 T	3913	1893	Scrapped, 1929
2	Halesworth	Sharp Stewart	2-4-0 T	2849	1879	Scrapped, 1941
3	Blyth	Sharp Stewart	2-4-0 T	2850	1879	Scrapped, 1941. A replica is being produced by the trust
4	Wenhaston	Manning Wardle	0-6-2 T	1845	1914	Scrapped, 1941

Gallery

Track bed and another rail Track bed and another rail  File:Southwold Railway Track.jpg   More rails can be seen sinking in the mud More rails can be seen sinking in the mud  Site of old bridge. Rails can be seen sinking in the mud Site of old bridge. Rails can be seen sinking in the mud

See also

• British narrow gauge railways

External links

• Southwold Railway Society
• A Short History of the Southwold Railway
• Route of Southwold Railway (centred on Blythburgh) on navigable 1933 O. S. map
• Southwold Railway Map
• "Last train from Southwold" on Youtube.
• East Anglian Film Archive Gaumont Mirror: A Railway That is a Real Joke