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England (Counties as in 1851-1901) => England => Suffolk => Topic started by: dbath on Tuesday 06 July 10 07:44 BST (UK)
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Does anyone know the name of a railway that would be going through/near Hadleigh in 1851 with the initials E U?
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When in doubt, google :D
www.hadleigh.org.uk/content/Hadleigh's railway.htm
Linda
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Thank you very much. I should have thought of that and will in the future.
David
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Hi David
It becomes second nature after a while :D
Linda
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You live and learn, a railway I had never heard of!
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Does anyone know the name of a railway that would be going through/near Hadleigh in 1851 with the initials E U?
To simplify a somewhat complex situation -
The first railway to head from London into East Anglia was the 1836 Eastern Counties Railway (ECR) which planned a line from London to Norwich and Yarmouth via Ipswich. Unfortunately, by 1843 it had only reached Colchester but had run out of money. In a second attempt to achieve its objectives, the ECR proposed to extend its line to Thetford. This would have run via Hadleigh and Bury St Edmunds, with a branch to Ipswich from Hadleigh.
The business community in Ipswich was none to keen on their town being served by a mere branch line and came up with their own scheme for a Eastern Union Railway (EUR) running from Colchester to Ipswich (which opened in 1847) with a later extension on to Norwich. This left Hadleigh unserved by rail, so the idea of a branch line to the town was put forward. This became the ponderously named Eastern Union & Hadleigh Junction Railway, following the great British railway tradition that the shorter the line, the longer the name. The branch also opened in 1847, but not before it had been taken over by the EUR.
In 1862 most of the railway companies operating in East Anglia merged to become the Great Eastern Railway.
The Hadleigh branch, as it became known, closed to passengers in 1932, the victim of more convenient direct bus services to both Ipswich and Colchester. Freight services lasted until 1965. I have recently been tracing the remains of the line; my photographs will shortly appear at: http://ronstruttsrailwaypics.fotopic.net
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Thanks for the info. I have a relative who was a porter on the railroad, but had very little other information. This provides a lot of background. I also found some information on the Hadleigh website. The short duration of the railroad also explains why he was soon working as a roadman.
David