This article appeared in the Surrey Advertiser
on the weekend of 10th June 2005 This was the weekend of 40th
Anniversary of the line closure (12th June 1965). Many thanks
to the Surrey Ad for the mention of this website in the article
Last days of the Cranleigh branch line
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Bullied Q1
class 0-6-0 33006 with a special farewell train.
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THIS weekend marks the 40th anniversary of the last trains
to run on the Guildford to Horsham line. And this week we
feature some nostalgic pictures from those final days.
The branch line, which opened in 1865 and operated for just
under 100 years, was axed as part of the infamous Dr Richard
Beeching's cuts to Britain's railways in the 1960s. Sadly,
it was one of those routes that had seen a sharp decline
in usage as both passengers and freight made the change
to road travel instead. It was losing money and therefore
had to go.
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The last scheduled
service train from Guildford to Horsham at Bramley and
Wonersh station. |
With hindsight, perhaps the track should not have been
ripped up, considering the volume of motor vehicles on the
A281 today. The line ran through the villages of Bramley
and Cranleigh and since its closure plans have been put
forward on several occasions to reinstate it as a light
railway.
The overall feasibility of the scheme, plus opposition from
some quarters, means it still remains a dream for those
campaigning for it. However, the trackbed remains and forms
part of the popular Downs Link footpath.
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Class 2 2-6-2T
loco 41301 at Baynards station. |
The line was built by the Horsham & Guildford Direct
Railway, but was taken over and run by the London, Brighton
& South Coast Railway until 1923, when the Southern
Railway was formed.
Most people will remember it in the days of British Railways
and those final years with several Class 2 2-6-0 black tank
engines pulling three green coaches.
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From Guildford, the single
line branched off the main line to Portsmouth at Peasmarsh
Junction. The first station reached was Bramley & Wonersh.
Today, the platforms remains along with a couple of original
station signs. From Cranleigh station (now Stocklund Square)
the line climbed to 250ft above sea level at its summit in
Baynards Tunnel. It was then a downhill run into West Sussex,
through Rudgwick, and then another short climb to Slinfold
after which the branch line joined the Mid-Sussex line at
Christ's Hospital before running on into Horsham. |
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A train pulls
into Bramley station. |
Baynards station has been preserved and is now a private
residence.
The northern end of the tunnel has been completely filled
in, but the entrance at the southern end can be found, deep
within the woods near the county border. Until more recent
times it was possible to gain access to the 381-yard long
tunnel. However, the entrance is now barred.
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The last day of regular
services on the branch line was on Saturday, June 12, 1965.
The following day there was a special excursion train that
ran along the line. On both days scores of people turned out
to stand beside the lineside or at stations to wave goodbye
to their faithful old steam trains on the “Cranleigh line”. |
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A train leaves
Bramley station. |
RICHARD Christophers, who took these colour photographs
of the railway at Bramley, lived in the village from 1939
and commuted regularly on the train from 1958 until closure.
He recalled that his first annual season ticket in 1959
cost about £57 and he still has the cutting from the Surrey
Advertiser of March 14, 1964, reporting the inquiry into
the proposed closure of the line that was held in Cranleigh
and at which he and many others “objected fruitlessly”.
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A number of books have
been published about the Guildford to Horsham line.
The most readily available of which is the Middleton Press
published Branch Lines To Horsham, by Vic Mitchell and Keith
Smith. There is also a video released by Oakwood Video Library,
entitled Horsham & Guildford Direct Railway, Further information
and pictures can be obtained by visiting the excellent website
http://www.cranleighrailway.info |
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One
of the last trains at Bramley. |
A number of the photographs featured in this article (including
the two above) have been supplied by the Photos From
The Fifties photographic archive.
This is run by Hugh Davies, who occasionally travelled on
the line with his wife Jean to shop in Horsham.
The archive has been operating for 32 years and consists
of nearly 90,000 negatives of black and white photographs
taken by 12 enthusiasts, mostly members of the Railway Enthusiasts
Club, from about 1947 to about 1965. Most were taken before
the widespread closures of railways in the mid-1950s. “We
specialise in branch lines, but most transport subjects
are covered – main lines, locomotives, signalling, industrial
railways, narrow gauge, trams, buses and all sorts of related
subjects,” explained Mr Davies.
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The lists cover all the
British Isles and mainland Europe and many of the photographs
have not only never been published before, but have never
previously been printed.
More information can be obtained by sending a large stamped
addressed envelope or 50p in stamps to Mr Davies at 32 Charterhouse
Road, Godalming, Surrey GU7 2AQ. |
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Guildford station,
Whitsun 1965.
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Pictured here is Surrey Advertiser chief sub-editor David
Rose at the tender age of five on Guildford station with
his dad looking at a train from the “Cranleigh line”.
David says: “We never knew this picture was being taken
of us, but some years later it appeared in a book titled
Steam Portfolio, published by Ian Allen. The photo was taken
by Roderick Hoyle.
“The photo was taken at Whitsun 1965, so this must
have been a few weeks before the branch closed.
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“But I do remember being
taken to Guildford station on that sunny Sunday evening of
June 13 when the final train ran over the line. It’s strange
what sticks in the mind, but those visits to see steam engines
at Guildford in my early years made quite an impression, so
much so that I’ve had a keen interest in trains ever since.”
Your memories and any old photos are sought of the Guildford
to Horsham railway line. Write to chief sub-editor David Rose,
Surrey Advertiser, Stoke Mill, Woking Road, Guildford GU2
8BQ. |
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