West Hoathly railway station
West Hoathly | |
---|---|
Key dates | |
1882 | Station opened |
28 May 1955 | station closed |
7 August 1956 | station reopened |
17 March 1958 | Station closed |
1992 | Line reopened |
West Hoathly is a closed railway station on what is now the Bluebell Railway. The station was closed in 1958, but was used by contractors demolishing the line in the 1960s to bring equipment in and out.
History
Despite its name the site of West Hoathly station is actually situated in the village of Sharpthorne, half a mile from the village West Hoathly.
The station opened in 1882, just north of the 731 yards (668 m) long Sharpthorne Tunnel. Along with other stations along the line, all constructed under the influence of the
Designed by
The station layout remained substantially unaltered throughout its operational life.
Commercially on the station site, there was a small brickworks built to the east on land leased from the railway, giving it direct rail access;
Preceding station | Disused railways | Following station | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
Kingscote Line and station open |
Lewes and East Grinstead Railway
|
Horsted Keynes Line and station open |
Closure and demolition
The station closed to passengers on 30 May 1955, with the goods yard closed on 13 June. After legal objections to the line's closure, the station reopened to passengers on 7 August 1956, closing permanently on 17 March 1958.[1]
After the closure of the line to all traffic in 1963, the assigned BR contractors took over the site, using its facilities to control removal of track and infrastructure from the entire railway, and using its excellent road access to redistribute the assets. To enable their works, the contractors removed the down-side buildings and footbridge in 1964, and lifted the tracks in 1964/5. The main station building was demolished in late 1967.[2]
Preservation
With a truncated line operating between Sheffield Park and Horsted Keynes, the Bluebell Railway Society purchased the largely levelled and cleared site in 1974. After raising funds to extend the line northwards, the society was faced with much local opposition to the extension, resulting in a
In 1992, the society's extension reached New Coombe Bridge, where a simple run-around loop was provided on the alignment of the former up line through West Hoathly, located just north of the former No.2 platform. Since then, the society – much like the 1960s railway removal contractors – have used the site to store materials for the extension, which were delivered there by road. This allowed the rebuilding of New Coombe Bridge, and opening of the extension northwards to Kingscote in early 1994. With the installation of a run-around loop at Kingscote railway station, the loop just north of West Hoathly was removed, and the line returned to its current single-track, non-stopping configuration.[2]
As part of the extension of the line north from Kingscote, the society needed to contribute £4 million to the cost of removing rubbish from the former Imberhorne
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Track workers walking the line through the old station with the tunnel beyond
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A train with Terrier 672 Fenchurch leading exits the tunnel
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A view of the supplies used to construct the East Grinstead extension delivered here due to the ease of road access
Future
The society has a long term ambition but still no plans or timetable to rebuild the station at West Hoathly. The society believes that in the long term, with substantial residential complexes around the former station site, the station could provide a useful public-transport facility for the residents of West Hoathly and Sharpthorne.[2] West Hoathly Parish Council currently supports the provision of a halt at the site.[5]
However, under current
See also
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m "Disused Stations: West Hoathly Station". Disused-stations.org.uk. Retrieved 30 August 2017.
- ^ a b c d e f "West Hoathly/New Coombe Bridge Track Layout". Bluebell-railway.co.uk. Retrieved 30 August 2017.
- ^ a b c "BRPS - Statement: West Hoathly Station Site". Bluebell-railway.co.uk. Retrieved 30 August 2017.
- ^ "» Brick Selector". Ibstock.com. Retrieved 30 August 2017.
- ^ "Hoathly Hub : Neighbourhood Plan : Our Policies". Hoathlyhub.info. Retrieved 30 August 2017.