The Witham to Maldon branch line is a closed railway line joining
Maldon
Maldon (, locally ) is a town and civil parish on the Blackwater estuary in Essex, England. It is the seat of the Maldon District and starting point of the Chelmer and Blackwater Navigation. It is known for Maldon Sea Salt which is produced ...
to the British railway network at
Witham
Witham () is a town in the county of Essex in the East of England, with a population ( 2011 census) of 25,353. It is part of the District of Braintree and is twinned with the town of Waldbröl, Germany. Witham stands between the city of Che ...
in
Essex
Essex () is a county in the East of England. One of the home counties, it borders Suffolk and Cambridgeshire to the north, the North Sea to the east, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent across the estuary of the River Thames to the south, and Grea ...
, England. It was opened in 1848 and was long. It was extended to Woodham Ferris (later
Woodham Ferrers) to give direct access to
Southend-on-Sea
Southend-on-Sea (), commonly referred to as Southend (), is a coastal city and unitary authority area with borough status in southeastern Essex, England. It lies on the north side of the Thames Estuary, east of central London. It is bordered ...
, but that extension was not commercially successful.
The Woodham Ferrers extension was closed to passenger traffic in 1939 and completely in 1953. The original main line from Maldon to Witham also declined in passenger carryings; efforts to stimulate business included the introduction of low-cost diesel railbuses and a more intensive passenger service. This proved to be in vain and the passenger service was withdrawn in 1964. A residual goods service continued but, from 1980, the line was completely closed.
First proposals
![Maldon-lines](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/10/Maldon-lines.png)
In 1825, the
Stockton and Darlington Railway opened and many communities were prompted to consider whether a railway was a means to increased prosperity locally. A meeting at Maldon in that year considered the matter, but it was considered that the time was not right.
[Peter Paye, ''Branch Lines to Maldon'', Lightmoor Press, Lydney, 2016, ]
After the opening of the London to
Colchester
Colchester ( ) is a city in Essex, in the East of England. It had a population of 122,000 in 2011. The demonym is Colcestrian.
Colchester occupies the site of Camulodunum, the first major city in Roman Britain and its first capital. Colch ...
line by the
Eastern Counties Railway
The Eastern Counties Railway (ECR) was an English railway company incorporated in 1836 intended to link London with Ipswich via Colchester, and then extend to Norwich and Yarmouth.
Construction began in 1837 on the first nine miles at the Lond ...
in 1843, local interests in Maldon proposed a branch line connecting Maldon to
Braintree, crossing the ECR's main line at Witham. It was predicted that £200,000 would be enough for the construction; it was important to get goods to and from the town cheaply. The share allotment was heavily oversubscribed, mostly by London interests, with very little interest from Braintree.
[
]
Maldon and Braintree authorised
Plans were formulated and deposited in 1845 and, in the 1846 Parliamentary session, the Bill for the Maldon, Witham and Braintree Railway was passed, gaining the Royal Assent on 18 June 1846; share capital was £200,000.[Leslie Oppitz, ''East Anglia Railways Remembered'', Countryside Books, Newbury, 1989, ][E F Carter, ''An Historical Geography of the Railways of the British Isles'', Cassell, London, 1959]
The Act authorised construction of a double track railway from Maldon to Braintree by way of Heybridge, Langford, Wickham Bishops, Witham Faulkbourne, White Notley and Bulford.[Dennis L Swindale, ''Branch Lines to Maldon'', Earm Publications, 1978 revised by Rob Boyce and Mick Miller 1995, ]
The ECR had agreed the use of Witham station by MW&BR trains.[ The Eastern Counties Railways, controlled by ]George Hudson
George Hudson (probably 10 March 1800 – 14 December 1871) was an English railway financier and politician who, because he controlled a significant part of the railway network in the 1840s, became known as "The Railway King"—a title conferr ...
, saw the strategic advantage of the branches and, on 10 September 1846, the ECR offered to purchase the unconstructed railway for £6,300 with a bonus of 10 shillings per share. The MW&BR board considered this offer on 18 September 1846 and determined to accept it. The ECR takeover proceeded and was authorised by Act of 2 July 1847.[
In March 1847, a contract for construction of the railway was awarded to Thomas Jackson of Pimlico. The ECR allowed planned improvements to the River Blackwater at Maldon, originally intended to sustain the declining harbour against competition from elsewhere, to be dropped. The authorised line was to cross the ECR main line a little to the east of Witham, but the ECR saw the impracticality of that, as it did not facilitate connection with the main line trains. Accordingly, the ECR altered the proposed route to make it two branch lines joining into Witham station by west-facing connections.][D I Gordon, ''A Regional History of the Railways of Great Britain: volume 5: the Eastern Counties'', David & Charles, Newton Abbot, 1977, ] The construction was designed as cheaply as possible, using timber for many underbridges and with lightly engineered station accommodation. An exception was the station building at Maldon, which was built in an unnecessarily extravagant style. David Waddington
David Charles Waddington, Baron Waddington, (2 August 1929 – 23 February 2017) was a British politician and barrister.
A member of the Conservative Party, he served as a Member of Parliament (MP) in the House of Commons from 1968 to 1974 a ...
was seeking re-election to the Maldon parliamentary constituency and was Chairman of the company. Paye suggests that he appears to have enhanced the specification of the building in order to encourage employment locally,[ but Gairns provides a more prosaic reason, that of appealing to civic pride among the middle classes.][J F Gairns, ''Essex Coast Branches of the Great Eastern Railway'', in Railway Magazine, April 1922]
Opening
The construction was slow due to exceptionally bad weather, but progress was made and a goods train ran from Maldon to Braintree on 15 August 1848; this usage continued in order to consolidate the track. Captain George Wynne for the Board of Trade inspected the line on 29 (Paye) or 30 (Swindale) September 1848 and approved it for the running of passenger trains. Accordingly, passenger operation started on 2 October 1848. Five trains a day ran; the journey time was 20 minutes from Maldon to Witham and 40 minutes throughout from Maldon to Braintree.[Vic Mitchell, ''Branch Lines to Southend and Southminster'', Middleton Press, Midhurst, 2010, ][R S Joby, ''Forgotten Railways: East Anglia'', David & Charles, 1977, ][
The line had been built as double track in anticipation of heavy usage, but this did not materialise; traffic on the line was disappointing. In 1850, one track was removed and the material was used on relaying of track on the Colchester main line.][
In 1862, the Great Eastern Railway was formed by amalgamation of certain companies, including the Eastern Counties Railway; the coat of arms of the borough of Maldon was included in the crest of the new GER.][
]
Maldon to Woodham Ferris (later Ferrers)
On 16 July 1883, the Great Eastern Railway received Parliamentary authorisation for the ''New Essex Lines'' project. This included a new line from Shenfield
Shenfield is a commuter suburb of Brentwood, in the borough of Brentwood, Essex, England. In 2020, the suburb was estimated to have a population of 5,396.
History
The old village (now town), by the church and Green Dragon pub, lies along the ...
to Southend, which opened on 1 October 1889. A branch from that line, from Wickford
Wickford is a town and civil parish in the south of the English county of Essex, with a population of 33,486. Located approximately 30 miles (50 km) east of London, it is within the Borough of Basildon along with the original town of Basil ...
to Southminster
Southminster is a town and electoral ward on the Dengie Peninsula in the Maldon district of Essex in the East of England. It lies about north of Burnham-on-Crouch and south-east of Maldon; it is approximately east-north-east of London. To the ...
, preceded it and was opened on 1 June 1889. There was a station on that line called Woodham Ferris, later named Woodham Ferrers from 1 October 1913. A branch from Woodham Ferris to Maldon was opened, as part of the New Essex Lines project, to goods on 19 November 1888 and to passengers on 1 October 1889. There were stations at Cold Norton
Cold Norton is a village on the Dengie Peninsula in Essex, England. It is located in rural countryside 10 miles to the east of Chelmsford, and lies just over a mile to the north of the River Crouch, which can be seen from the village's main hill ...
and Maldon West.[P J Norris, ''The Maldon Branch'', in the Railway Magazine, December 1959] Maldon station was renamed Maldon East on 1 October 1889.[
The Woodham Ferris to Maldon line was intended to form a through passenger route between ]Colchester
Colchester ( ) is a city in Essex, in the East of England. It had a population of 122,000 in 2011. The demonym is Colcestrian.
Colchester occupies the site of Camulodunum, the first major city in Roman Britain and its first capital. Colch ...
and Southend. Triangular junctions were made at Wickford, Maldon and Witham to enable this routing. Part of the rationale of the New Essex Lines scheme was the encouragement of passenger traffic between Colchester and Southend direct; however when the Southend line was completed, only one Saturday-only train each way was put on from March 1890. The train called at Maldon West.[In February 1890, the train left Southend at 10:33 am, calling at all stations to Maldon West, arriving at Colchester at 12:06 pm. Stations between Maldon and Colchester are not shown in the available timetable fragment. The return journey left Colchester at 4:25 pm and called at all stations from Maldon West to Southend, arriving at 6:05 pm.] Usage of that was disappointing and, on 1 March 1895, the service was withdrawn and the spurs closed.[
Indeed, the whole of the passenger operation on the Maldon to Woodham Ferrers section was poor. In an attempt to control costs, Conductor-Guard operation was brought into use from 2 October 1922. The Maldon curve was singled in 1924,][the section from Maldon East Junction to Maldon West; it had been left as double track when the Maldon spur was closed.] Woodham Ferrers to Maldon was made a single signalling section by 1933. The losses were nevertheless unsustainable and the final passenger service ran from Woodham Ferrers to Maldon on 10 September 1939.[
During ]World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
, a bomb fell on the main line near Ingatestone
Ingatestone is a village and former civil parish in Essex, England, with a population of 5,365 inhabitants according to the 2011 census. Just north lies the village of Fryerning, the two forming now the parish of Ingatestone and Fryerning. In ...
and the crater made the line there temporarily impassable. For two weeks, main line passenger trains ran via Woodham Ferrers and Maldon, reversing there. It was therefore said that the busiest passenger carryings on that part of the line were after closure to local passenger trains.[
Nevertheless, the regular traffic on the line between Maldon and Woodham Ferrers was only a basic goods service and the poor financial results caused the line to be completely closed on 1 April 1953.][
]
Witham to Maldon changes
After closure of the Maldon to Woodham Ferrers line, the Maldon West goods yard, on the first part of that line, remained in use. It was closed on 1 September 1954 and all goods traffic was handled at the original Maldon (East) goods yard. However, that site was rather cramped and it proved impossible to handle the traffic there; Maldon West goods yard was reopened on 31 January 1957. Both goods yards were very confined. The goods service at Maldon West was ended on 31 January 1959.[
]
Railbuses
Diesel multiple unit vehicles started operating on the lines from 14 June 1956. The light passenger carryings on the Witham to Maldon line and the Braintree branch encouraged consideration of low cost train operation. Diesel railbuses operating on lightly trafficked lines in the Federal Republic of Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated between ...
were considered to be successful, and some vehicles were acquired and introduced on the lines, from 7 July 1958.[ The vehicles were constructed by Waggon- und Maschinenbau GmbH Donauwörth. A more intensive passenger service was brought in for a time, and in June 1963 diesel multiple unit trains started operating.
]
Closure
Nevertheless the financial losses of the passenger operation on the Maldon branch were considered to be unacceptable, and the line was closed to passenger services on 7 September 1964. A goods service continued until 18 April 1966, after which the line was closed completely.[ The Witham to Braintree section of the original Maldon, Witham and Braintree Railway continues in use as the ]Braintree branch line
The Braintree branch line is a railway branch line in the East of England that diverges from the Great Eastern Main Line at and runs north-west to . The route is in length and there are five stations, including the two termini. The line is p ...
.[Neil Burgess, ''The Lost Railways of Essex'', Stenlake Publishing Ltd, 2014, ]
After 1966 a stub of the branch line at Witham was used to serve an industrial site for delivery of steel by railway; this section finally closed in the early 1980s.
Restoring Your Railway Fund
In March 2020, a bid was made to the Restoring Your Railway fund to get funds for a feasibility study into reinstating the line between and . This bid was unsuccessful. In March 2021, the bid was re-submitted as part of the third round of the Restoring Your Railway fund.
Topography
Witham to Maldon
* Witham; station on main line; opened 29 March 1843; still open;
* Wickham; opened 2 October 1848; renamed Wickham Bishops 1913; closed 7 September 1964;
* Langford; opened 2 October 1848; renamed Langford & Ulting 1923; closed 7 September 1964;
* ''Langford Junction''; divergence of curve towards Woodham Ferris;
* ''Maldon East Junction''; convergence of Woodham Ferris line;
* Maldon; opened 2 October 1848; renamed Maldon East 1889; renamed Maldon East and Heybridge 1907; closed 7 September 1964.
Woodham Ferrers to Maldon
* Woodham Ferris; opened 1 July 1889; renamed Woodham Ferrers 1 October 1913; renamed South Woodham Ferrers 20 May 2007; still open.
* Stow St Mary Halt;[The village was Stow Maries. According to Mitchell, the halt was named differently at the insistence of the vicar.] opened 24 September 1928; closed 11 September 1939;
* Baron's Lane Halt; opened 10 July 1922; closed 11 September 1939;
* Cold Norton; opened 1 October 1889; closed 11 September 1939;
* Maldon West; opened 1 October 1889; closed 22 May 1916; reopened 1 August 1919; closed 11 September 1939;
* ''Maldon West Junction''; divergence of curve to Langford Junction'';
* ''Maldon East Junction''; above;
* Maldon East & Heybridge (above).[M E Quick, ''Railway Passenger Stations in England Scotland and Wales—A Chronology'', The Railway and Canal Historical Society, 2002][
]
Infrastructure
There were six timber trestle viaducts on the line; one near the former Wickham Bishops station () still remains, and is a scheduled monument
In the United Kingdom, a scheduled monument is a nationally important archaeological site or historic building, given protection against unauthorised change.
The various pieces of legislation that legally protect heritage assets from damage and d ...
.[http://www.transporttrust.com/heritage-sites/heritage-detail/wickham-bishops-viaduct Transport Trust website]
The Engineer's Line Reference
{{Use British English, date=April 2020
An Engineer's Line Reference (ELR) is a three alpha, or four alpha-numeric, code used to uniquely identify a railway line on the main-line railway of Britain owned, or maintained, by Network Rail but officia ...
for the line is WIM.
Current usage
The section of trackbed linking the two former railway stations in Maldon has been used as the route of the Maldon bypass to the west of the town. The Blackwater Rail Trail is a linear path that follows much of the trackbed of the line between Fullbridge and Witham.
In January 2019, Campaign for Better Transport released a report identifying the line between Witham and Maldon was listed as Priority 2 for reopening. Priority 2 is for those lines which require further development or a change in circumstances (such as housing developments).
p.42
Notes
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Witham-Maldon branch line
Rail transport in Essex
Railway lines opened in 1848
Closed railway lines in the East of England
Railway lines closed in 1966