Bungay railway station
Bungay | |
---|---|
Waveney Valley Railway | |
Pre-grouping | Great Eastern Railway |
Post-grouping | London and North Eastern Railway Eastern Region of British Railways |
Key dates | |
2 November 1860 | Opened |
5 January 1953 | Closed to passengers |
3 August 1964 | Closed to freight |
Bungay railway station was located on the now disused
History
On 3 July 1851, the
On 9 March 1863 the 4:50pm Bungay-Beccles train was derailed dragging its carriages for about 70 yards before running off the embankment.[5]
In August 1912 the line was temporarily closed between Bungay and Harleston as the River Waveney had flooded. The GER provided a number of its own buses to provide a replacement passenger service in the interim.[6]
On 1 January 1923, the GER amalgamated with several other railways to form the
During World War II the station probably saw its busiest period of operation due to the proximity of a number of airbases.
In 1948 following nationalisation of the railways the station became part of the Eastern Region of British Railways. In 1952 the line was badly affected by a number of gales in the area. A steam crane was bought in from Ipswich to assist with clearing the line.[7]
Passenger services were withdrawn in 1953 although a number of enthusiast specials traversed the line up until 1960.[8]
As it opened in stages the line closed in stages. The Bungay - Harleston section closed in late 1960 but freight between Bungay and Beccles continued until August 1964.[9]
Facilities
The branch was mostly single track and Bungay was one of the locations where trains could cross. It had two platforms, one serving eastbound and the other westbound trains. A
The original station buildings were timber and lasted until the 1930s, when an improved brick structure was provided by the
The station had an adjoining goods yard with four sidings, a goods shed, a 30 cwt crane and end loading dock. Inward traffic consisted of house coal, household goods and construction materials whilst outwards the traffic was largely agricultural. [4]
Passenger Services
The line was a rural line passing through sparsely populated areas. As a result, the train service was never particularly frequent.
At opening there were four trains each way on a weekday with an additional service on Saturdays.
Between 1910 and 1915 there were seven trains per day but the advent of World War 1 saw these cut back to six by 1917. Four of these worked through from Norwich, the other two from Tivetshall (the main line junction).[9]
Locomotives
The line was lightly built and as a result lighter engines were employed on trains.
Early services were in the hands of a 2-2-2T locomotive called Perseverance.[13]
Photographic evidence shows the following classes of engine worked through Bungay station.[9]
- GER Class Y14 - later LNER classification J15. 0-6-0 tender locomotive built by the GER
- GER Class T26 - later LNER classification E4. 2-4-0 tender locomotive built by the GER
- GER Class M15 - later LNER classification F4 2-4-2 tank engine built by the GER
Preceding station | Disused railways | Following station | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
Earsham | Great Eastern Railway Waveney Valley Line |
Ditchingham |
References
- ISBN 1-904474-41-1.
- ^ Awdry, Christopher (1990). Encyclopaedia of British Railway Companies. London: Guild Publishing. p. 168. CN 8983.
- ISBN 978-0-7110-3223-1. 0708/c1.
- ^ a b Butcher, K; Kenworthy G (July 2006). "The A-Z of GER stations:B 4th series - Bungay". Great Eastern Journal (127): 32.
- ^ Extracts from "Waveney Valley Railway" By R.S Joby 1982
- ^ Ashton, G; Kenworthy G (July 2006). "Bustitution at Bungay". Great Eastern Journal (127): Front Cover/1.
- ISBN 086093-182-X.
- ^ Robertson, Alic (October 2003). "The last years of the Waveney Valley 1953 - 1983". Great Eastern Journal. 113: 19, 20.
- ^ a b c Butcher, K; Kenworthy G (July 2006). "The A-Z of GER stations:B 4th series - Bungay". Great Eastern Journal (127): 34.
- ^ Ashton, Geoff (October 2012). "Photo caption". Great Eastern Journal. 152: 2.
- ISBN 1-871608-16-3.
- ^ Butcher, K; Kenworthy G (July 2006). "The A-Z of GER stations:B 4th series - Bungay". Great Eastern Journal (127): 33.
- ISBN 0-906867-40-1.