The Spa Valley Railway (SVR) is a
standard gauge
A standard-gauge railway is a railway with a track gauge of . The standard gauge is also called Stephenson gauge (after George Stephenson), International gauge, UIC gauge, uniform gauge, normal gauge and European gauge in Europe, and SGR in E ...
heritage railway
A heritage railway or heritage railroad (US usage) is a railway operated as living history to re-create or preserve railway scenes of the past. Heritage railways are often old railway lines preserved in a state depicting a period (or periods) i ...
that runs from
Tunbridge Wells West railway station in
Tunbridge Wells
Royal Tunbridge Wells is a town in Kent, England, southeast of central London. It lies close to the border with East Sussex on the northern edge of the High Weald, whose sandstone geology is exemplified by the rock formation High Rocks. T ...
to
High Rocks,
Groombridge
Groombridge is a village of about 1,600 people. It straddles the border between Kent and East Sussex, in England. The nearest large town is Royal Tunbridge Wells, about away by road.
The main part of the village ("New Groombridge") lies in t ...
, and
Eridge, where it links with the
Oxted Line.
It crosses
Kent
Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...
and
East Sussex
East Sussex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South East England on the English Channel coast. It is bordered by Kent to the north and east, West Sussex to the west, and Surrey to the north-west. The largest settlement in East ...
border, covering a distance of , along the former
Wealden Line
The Wealden LineBroadbent, S., p. 48. is a partly abandoned double track railway line in East Sussex and Kent that connected Lewes with Tunbridge Wells, a distance of . The line takes its name from the Weald, the hilly landscape the lies between ...
between
Tunbridge Wells
Royal Tunbridge Wells is a town in Kent, England, southeast of central London. It lies close to the border with East Sussex on the northern edge of the High Weald, whose sandstone geology is exemplified by the rock formation High Rocks. T ...
Central and
Lewes
Lewes () is the county town of East Sussex, England. It is the police and judicial centre for all of Sussex and is home to Sussex Police, East Sussex Fire & Rescue Service, Lewes Crown Court and HMP Lewes. The civil parish is the centre of t ...
The railway headquarters is also at
Tunbridge Wells West railway station.
History
The railway was engineered by the
London, Brighton and South Coast Railway's (LB&SCR) Chief Engineer
Frederick Banister
Frederick Dale Banister MICE (15 March 1823 – 22 December 1897), was an English civil engineer, best known for his 35 years as the Chief Engineer of the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway (LB&SCR).
Early life
Born in London on 15 Marc ...
, as part of the
East Grinstead, Groombridge and Tunbridge Wells Railway (EGGTWR), itself an extension to the
Three Bridges to East Grinstead Railway which had been completed in 1855.
The EGGTWR was part of a regional race between the LB&SCR and the SER, and a specific race to access the town of
Royal Tunbridge Wells
Royal Tunbridge Wells is a town in Kent, England, southeast of central London. It lies close to the border with East Sussex on the northern edge of the High Weald, whose sandstone geology is exemplified by the rock formation High Rocks ...
:
The LB&SCR opened in 1866 as the eastern terminus of the EGGTWR; there was also an extension to . From
Tunbridge Wells West railway station. there were direct services to the South Coast at
Brighton
Brighton () is a seaside resort and one of the two main areas of the City of Brighton and Hove in the county of East Sussex, England. It is located south of London.
Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze A ...
and
Eastbourne
Eastbourne () is a town and seaside resort in East Sussex, on the south coast of England, east of Brighton and south of London. Eastbourne is immediately east of Beachy Head, the highest chalk sea cliff in Great Britain and part of the l ...
and to
London Victoria. The Victoria services ran via
Groombridge
Groombridge is a village of about 1,600 people. It straddles the border between Kent and East Sussex, in England. The nearest large town is Royal Tunbridge Wells, about away by road.
The main part of the village ("New Groombridge") lies in t ...
and
Ashurst. As a sign outside the station proudly proclaimed, "''New Route to London: Shortest, Quickest and Most Direct. Frequent Express Trains''."
Closure
As the popularity of the motor car increased, train services were severely cut back due to the lack of patronage, and the number of services passing through
Tunbridge Wells West railway station declined as one line after another was closed from the 1950s onwards. First, the
East Grinstead to Lewes line closed in 1958, then the
Cuckoo Line
The Cuckoo Line is an informal name for the now defunct railway service which linked Polegate and Eridge in East Sussex, England, from 1880 to 1968. It was nicknamed the Cuckoo Line by drivers, from a tradition observed at the annual fair ...
in 1965, the
Three Bridges to Groombridge in 1967, and finally the
Wealden Line
The Wealden LineBroadbent, S., p. 48. is a partly abandoned double track railway line in East Sussex and Kent that connected Lewes with Tunbridge Wells, a distance of . The line takes its name from the Weald, the hilly landscape the lies between ...
south of
Uckfield
Uckfield () is a town in the Wealden District of East Sussex in South East England. The town is on the River Uck, one of the tributaries of the River Ouse, on the southern edge of the Weald.
Etymology
'Uckfield', first recorded in writing as ...
in 1969. The line between Tunbridge Wells and Eridge was itself listed for closure in 1966, only to be subsequently reprieved. The line remained open, although in its latter years passenger services were mainly confined to a shuttle service between
Tonbridge
Tonbridge ( ) is a market town in Kent, England, on the River Medway, north of Royal Tunbridge Wells, south west of Maidstone and south east of London. In the administrative borough of Tonbridge and Malling, it had an estimated population ...
(via the single line connection to Tunbridge Wells Central - now plain
Tunbridge Wells
Royal Tunbridge Wells is a town in Kent, England, southeast of central London. It lies close to the border with East Sussex on the northern edge of the High Weald, whose sandstone geology is exemplified by the rock formation High Rocks. T ...
) and
Eridge with a few through trains to Uckfield; however there was a depot at Tunbridge Wells West which housed rolling stock for services on the
Uckfield
Uckfield () is a town in the Wealden District of East Sussex in South East England. The town is on the River Uck, one of the tributaries of the River Ouse, on the southern edge of the Weald.
Etymology
'Uckfield', first recorded in writing as ...
and
East Grinstead
East Grinstead is a town in West Sussex, England, near the East Sussex, Surrey, and Kent borders, south of London, northeast of Brighton, and northeast of the county town of Chichester. Situated in the extreme northeast of the county, the civ ...
- London (via East Croydon) lines, and there were several empty stock moves early and late in the day.
By the early 1980s, the track and signaling needed to be replaced.
British Rail
British Railways (BR), which from 1965 traded as British Rail, was a state-owned company that operated most of the overground rail transport in Great Britain from 1948 to 1997. It was formed from the nationalisation of the Big Four (British ra ...
, at the time carrying out an upgrade of the
Tonbridge
Tonbridge ( ) is a market town in Kent, England, on the River Medway, north of Royal Tunbridge Wells, south west of Maidstone and south east of London. In the administrative borough of Tonbridge and Malling, it had an estimated population ...
to Hastings Line which included the renewal of Grove Junction, decided that the cost of keeping the line from Eridge to Grove Jn open and undertaking the works, some £175,000, did not justify the outlay. It, therefore, announced the proposed closure of the line (including
Groombridge
Groombridge is a village of about 1,600 people. It straddles the border between Kent and East Sussex, in England. The nearest large town is Royal Tunbridge Wells, about away by road.
The main part of the village ("New Groombridge") lies in t ...
and Tunbridge Wells West station) from 16 May 1983 which was later deferred after public objections. The
Secretary of State for Transport
The Secretary of State for Transport, also referred to as the transport secretary, is a secretary of state in the Government of the United Kingdom, with overall responsibility for the policies of the Department for Transport. The incumbent is ...
agreed to the withdrawal of passenger services which took effect from 6 July 1985, although the section between Tunbridge Wells West and Birchden Jn remained open for rolling stock movements until 10 August, when the depot at Tunbridge Wells West station was shut.
At the time of closure Tunbridge Wells West station had gas lighting, which was in operation in the ticket office and under the canopy.
Preservation
Restoration
The Spa Valley Railway (SVR) has its origins in a charitable society formed on 13 September 1985, to purchase and reopen the Tunbridge Wells West to Eridge line. Named the Tunbridge Wells and Eridge Railway Preservation Society (TWERPS), it began a long struggle to reopen the line. The campaign received a setback in the late 1980s when Tunbridge Wells Borough Council gave planning permission for the construction of a large
Sainsbury's
J Sainsbury plc, trading as Sainsbury's, is the second largest chain of supermarkets in the United Kingdom, with a 14.6% share of UK supermarket sales.
Founded in 1869 by John James Sainsbury with a shop in Drury Lane, London, the company ...
supermarket complex on the site of the derelict goods yard of . While the 1891 locomotive shed and station building were protected as listed buildings, the remaining area of the site was obliterated, including the goods shed and signal boxes. However, planning permission was subject to the condition that the developer pay for construction of a new station platform and restoration of the engine shed.
In 1996 the North Downs Steam Railway relocated from
Dartford
Dartford is the principal town in the Borough of Dartford, Kent, England. It is located south-east of Central London and
is situated adjacent to the London Borough of Bexley to its west. To its north, across the Thames estuary, is Thurrock in ...
, where it was experiencing vandalism problems, and merged with TWERPS. It transferred its assets and helped establish a base in the former LB&SCR locomotive shed. Also in 1996, the group acquired the line as far as Birchden Junction. Alongside the loco shed a new platform was built, from where services began running to Cold Bath Bridge (about away) in December 1996. Services were extended to Groombridge in August 1997 and to Birchden Junction in 2005.
In 2007, SVR marked the 10th anniversary of the opening of the line by transforming Groombridge into a busy interchange station, with trains arriving or departing every 15 minutes.
[Kent and Sussex Courier, "Full steam ahead for anniversary", 14 September 2007, p. 21] The funds raised from this event went towards the "Return to Eridge" appeal to raise £500,000 for the extension to the Uckfield main line at Eridge. On 25 March 2011 the SVR extended passenger services to , where there is a footbridge interchange with
Southern
Southern may refer to:
Businesses
* China Southern Airlines, airline based in Guangzhou, China
* Southern Airways, defunct US airline
* Southern Air, air cargo transportation company based in Norwalk, Connecticut, US
* Southern Airways Express, M ...
services on the London Bridge to Uckfield line.
In August 2017, a special event (''20th Birthday Bash'') was held to celebrate 20 years since the reopening of the line to Groombridge, starring a variety of home and visiting locomotives, including
BR Standard 4 Tank 80078.
Operations
The SVR provides a way of getting to other local tourist attractions, such as
Groombridge Place
Groombridge Place is a moated manor house in the village of Groombridge near Tunbridge Wells, Kent, England. It has become a tourist attraction, noted for its formal gardens and vineyards. The manor house has an associated Dower House.
History
...
,
High Rocks and
the Pantiles in Tunbridge Wells.
The railway holds a number of special event days throughout the year including Transport Film Festivals, ''
Santa
Santa Claus, also known as Father Christmas, Saint Nicholas, Saint Nick, Kris Kringle, or simply Santa, is a legendary figure originating in Western Christian culture who is said to bring children gifts during the late evening and overnigh ...
Specials'', a Summer Diesel Gala and also real ale and cider festival (jointly organized by
CAMRA
The Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) is an independent voluntary consumer organisation headquartered in St Albans, England, which promotes real ale, cider and perry and traditional British pubs and clubs. With just under 155,000 members, it is ...
) which is combined with the railway's autumn diesel gala and held each October.
The railway operates from February to October as well as Tuesdays, Wednesdays & Thursdays in the summer months. In December the railway operates Santa Special services up until Christmas and then runs selected days between Christmas and/including New Year's Day.
During November and January, the line is usually closed to the public. This allows the railway's infrastructure department time to carry out major track renewals such as installation of new point work, something that Groombridge and Tunbridge Wells West have both benefited from in recent times.
Future
Whilst the Spa Valley Railway certainly has no current plans to extend its operational railway line, it has a stated aim "...to continually develop its railway services and facilities". Its business plan states that the SVR "will seek to protect the alignment of the closed railway lines around Eridge, that may at some future time provide the basis for an extension of our railway".
Rolling stock
Steam
Operational
Non-operational
Diesel and electric locomotives
Operational
Non-operational
Multiple Units
DMU s are
diesel multiple units. EMUs are
electric multiple units but these are only being used as static or hauled stock on this line.
Carriages
References
External links
Spa Valley Railway website.Heritage Railway Association website.
{{coord, 51.12384, N, 0.23706, E, source:placeopedia_type:landmark_region:GB-KEN, display=title
Heritage railways in Kent
Heritage railways in East Sussex
Railway companies established in 1996
Borough of Tunbridge Wells
Standard gauge railways in England
Rolling stock on the Spa Valley Railway
British companies established in 1996