[Misc] Disused railway stations of Sussex

[A1X]

I was on the train from Uckfield to London at the weekend and noticed a lot of middle-aged blokes in anoraks with cameras at Eridge (both on the way there and back, so Saturday and Sunday). Is it some sort of hub for local train spotters do you know? (hence that mural too?)

It's the terminus of the Spa Valley Railway from Tunbridge Wells West, last weekend was their first gala weekend of the year

 

[Boys 9d]

I have mentioned this web site before but in view of this new interest I will re-submit. Among local stations covered are the original Hove and the later Holland Road Halt which were sited on opposite sides of the road bridge,

Disused Stations

Click on the two words above.

 

[Dick Swiveller]

I have mentioned this web site before but in view of this new interest I will re-submit. Among local stations covered are the original Hove and the later Holland Road Halt which were sited on opposite sides of the road bridge,

Disused Stations

Click on the two words above.

Never knew there was a film with a scene featuring Grouty and Corky at Hellingly Station

Disused Stations: Hellingly Station

 

[Official Old Man]

Whilst I too am fond of looking back at the past and wondering what would these lines be like now, it should be noted that many were opened over 140 years ago, years before cars had arrived. Would people still use these lines now though? Indeed, with the lines full at the moment, how would they fit in a Victoria or LB to Ashurst or Heathfield service?

 

[atfc village]

Midhurst with 2 stations,now i never knew that.

 

[Robinjakarta]

Whilst I too am fond of looking back at the past and wondering what would these lines be like now, it should be noted that many were opened over 140 years ago, years before cars had arrived. Would people still use these lines now though? Indeed, with the lines full at the moment, how would they fit in a Victoria or LB to Ashurst or Heathfield service?

We'll never know. They were never given a chance. The only interest of Beeching and Marples were to turn our railways from a public and social service to a business.

 

[Eeyore]

Midhurst with 2 stations,now i never knew that.

Even crazier to think there were two stations at Barcombe.

I suppose the thing to remember was that railways weren't really designed with passengers in mind in the early days.

 

[BN41Albion]

For those of you who haven't recently been to Eridge station, this mural depicts the disused railways in the box formed by the BML, Hastings line, East Coastway and Redhill - Tonbridge lines

View attachment 159005

Wow - never realised how many stations/lines were lost. Such a shame!

 

[World of Sport]

I was on the train from Uckfield to London at the weekend and noticed a lot of middle-aged blokes in anoraks with cameras at Eridge

Most of them post on here!

 

[jackalbion]

I didn't realise until recently (1980s) that a line still ran up to the cement works in Steyning, you could easily reinstate that now nothing is in the way.

There’s even remnants of a line just north of Haywards Heath that was half finished and never opened (The Ouse Valley Railway).

It’s interesting as well the services that used to run to Sussex. I found an old stock working book from the late nineties and it was fascinating. There used to be a once daily Seaford to Bournemouth and a Brighton to Rugby run by Connex (the predecessor to Southern). A half hourly Seaford to West Worthing direct service via Plt 3 at Brighton was also around, but that was nightmare in terms of crossing the throat of Brighton station. As well as this there was of course the daily Manchester service and before that Edinburgh, and even very briefly a summer Saturdays Manchester to Eastbourne and Newhaven Marine. To the west there used to be an hourly south western service to Basingstoke and until very recently a once daily Great Malvern service. There was also very briefly a once a day service to Paignton.

 

[banjo]

There’s a few on the South links way. Shoreham to Guildford

 

[Comrade Sam]

Used to walk along the track from Shoreham to the cement works. Also the Kemptown line viaduct appears in Brighton Rock.
Apparently Beeching was a major shareholder in either tarmac or concrete. Made a nice packet out of his distruction of the railways. Seems the US politicians behind the mega road building after the 2nd World War were also major shareholders in concrete.

 

[thedonkeycentrehalf]

I didn't realise until recently (1980s) that a line still ran up to the cement works in Steyning, you could easily reinstate that now nothing is in the way.

There’s even remnants of a line just north of Haywards Heath that was half finished and never opened (The Ouse Valley Railway).

It’s interesting as well the services that used to run to Sussex. I found an old stock working book from the late nineties and it was fascinating. There used to be a once daily Seaford to Bournemouth and a Brighton to Rugby run by Connex (the predecessor to Southern). A half hourly Seaford to West Worthing direct service via Plt 3 at Brighton was also around, but that was nightmare in terms of crossing the throat of Brighton station. As well as this there was of course the daily Manchester service and before that Edinburgh, and even very briefly a summer Saturdays Manchester to Eastbourne and Newhaven Marine. To the west there used to be an hourly south western service to Basingstoke and until very recently a once daily Great Malvern service. There was also very briefly a once a day service to Paignton.

Not sure you could do the Steyning line now as the bridges were knocked down and there are new buildings all around where the line / junction used to come into Shoreham.

When I was a kid there were weekend services direct to Exeter during the summer holidays which we used to get down to Brixham. The Brighton / Manchester and Edinburgh trains were really slow old boats which went via Birmingham and Reading. It was convenient as you didn't have to change in London but it was slower and often got held up around London.

 

[Pavilionaire]

I saw a YouTube video about a couple of blokes that visited Singleton Railway Station just north of Chichester and, on the back of that, decided to take me and the kids. You could walk from an old tunnel along the track to see the sidings, then the station platforms, go down the stairs and under the line, up the other side, then walk down to the next tunnel. I love that kind of thing.

The station itself had just been acquired to develop as a dwelling and was a building site, but as it was a Sunday we had a nosey. Whoever is living there now will have such a cool backgarden with the platforms and track.

 

[abc]

Great thread and thanks to Clamp for starting. More on west Sussex would be interesting. For those that happen to know the crossing by the WSCC highways depot at Drayton near Chichester, I gather there used to be a 'station' there for farmers to off load their sugar beet crop which then went by train to a sugar factory in east anglia, and churns of milk which went up to London.

 

[Cowfold Seagull]

I didn't realise until recently (1980s) that a line still ran up to the cement works in Steyning, you could easily reinstate that now nothing is in the way.

There’s even remnants of a line just north of Haywards Heath that was half finished and never opened (The Ouse Valley Railway).

It’s interesting as well the services that used to run to Sussex. I found an old stock working book from the late nineties and it was fascinating. There used to be a once daily Seaford to Bournemouth and a Brighton to Rugby run by Connex (the predecessor to Southern). A half hourly Seaford to West Worthing direct service via Plt 3 at Brighton was also around, but that was nightmare in terms of crossing the throat of Brighton station. As well as this there was of course the daily Manchester service and before that Edinburgh, and even very briefly a summer Saturdays Manchester to Eastbourne and Newhaven Marine. To the west there used to be an hourly south western service to Basingstoke and until very recently a once daily Great Malvern service. There was also very briefly a once a day service to Paignton.

I remember the daily 0918 service from Brighton to Manchester very well. In the late 1980's when l was regularly watching the Albion play away, l often used to take that train to many of our games in the north west to avoid having to change trains, (and stations), in London.

The problem was that it didn't take the direct route north, travelling west of London, stopping at many obscure intermediate stations, and more often than not by the time we pulled into Manchester Piccadilly it was way behind schedule, hence valuable drinking time lost pre match, and on occasion missing the kick off too.

 

[OzMike]

A couple of Mates and I used to get off at Southease and Rodmell to fish in the Ouse.
Wonder if that is still around.

 

[jackalbion]

A couple of Mates and I used to get off at Southease and Rodmell to fish in the Ouse.
Wonder if that is still around.

Just called Southease now, but still gets 1 train an hour on the Brighton to Seaford Route.

 

[Eeyore]

I wrote a little piece on the Bradshaws directory a while back. If you love disused railways, you may want to source a reprint. You'll get lost for hours.

Bradshaws Brighton- The Golden Age Of Rail (1938)

Above Picture-Railway Magazine- September 1951 For most of us, the 1930s is a time that can only be seen through the lens of an old camera. Where everything is black and white, and any rare colour…

queensparkchronicles.wordpress.com

 

[Triggaaar]

Absolute scandal these lines were shut

Why were they shut - presumably not used enough to be viable, so why weren't they used much - just because of the car?