Kelvedon railway station serves the Essex village of that name and lies 42 miles 19 chains from Liverpool Street on what is commonly referred to as the Great Eastern Main Line. The station is partly at ground level and partly on an embankment due to the presence of the River Blackwater immediately north, which the railway crosses on a three-arch brick bridge. The platforms were once staggered and in 1911 the Down platform was extended onto the bridge. This latter feature has since been removed and modernisation has instead seen the platforms extended southwards towards Witham. On the north side of the Blackwater and adjacent to the Up main line but at ground level was the extremely basic Kelvedon Low Level station. This was the northern terminus of the Kelvedon & Tollesbury Light Railway, which was connected to the main line via a 1:50 incline, the Low Level station at Kelvedon itself being situated on a terminal stub beyond the junction with the incline.
The Regulation of Railways Act 1868 came into being partly as a result of the murder of Thomas Briggs near what is now Hackney Wick station on 9 July 1864. There were several Regulation of Railways Acts before and after that of 1868 and while the Act of 1868 was primarily concerned with passenger safety in the wake of the murder it also made some concessions to the construction and operation of railways to lower than mainline standards. Other 'basic' railways such as the Wisbech & Upwell came about through the Tramways Act 1870, hence the reason this line was called the "Wisbech & Upwell /Tramway/" (author's emphasis). These two Acts were the seeds which grew into the more familiar Light Railways Act 1896 which set the regulations governing the light railways which spring to mind today. As we will see, the Wisbech & Upwell later had some relevance to the Kelvedon & Tollesbury which was of course one of the railways born out of the 1896 Act.
The Light Railways Act 1896 was repealed in England and Wales in 1993 and Scotland in 2007 but the Regulation of Railways Act remained in force at the time of writing (2024). It was the Act of 1868, not that of 1896, which stipulated the maximum speed of 25mph for light railways which UK heritage railways adhere to this day even though there is now, legally, no such thing as a light railway. The modern versions of 'light rail' and 'very light rail' are rather different in that they refer largely to the use of lightweight rolling stock.
Most railways were built for goods traffic with passenger traffic often being a secondary consideration. Light railways were generally built through what were at the time sparsely populated areas. The 1896 Act permitted cheaper construction methods, limited or no signalling, ungated level crossings, minimal staff, basic stations and so on. Rails were often second-hand and track was ballasted with ash and cinders or proper but spent ballast recovered from elsewhere. Rolling stock was sometimes obtained new but more often it was pensioned-off stock from the main lines. This was all well and good when little capital was available but the trade-off was severe axle weight limits, severe speed limits and especially at ungated level crossings, steep gradients and, often, sharp curves. Mixed trains, i.e. trains conveying both goods and passengers, were often run as an economy measure. Shunting at stations and sidings along the way made passenger journeys painfully slow but this was not really an issue at the at the end of the 19th century.
As with many railways in the years prior to them being built, or never built as the case may be, there were many proposals for routes connecting Location A to Location B. The GER Directors during a meeting on 6 November 1888 noted, for example, a proposal by a Mr H. S. Bailey of Tollesbury for a railway connecting Tollesbury with Maldon but the Directors stated they were "unable to consider such a railway at this stage". Had this railway been built it would presumably have run into what in 1907 became Maldon East & Heybridge station, which had opened in 1848 as simply "Maldon", via a junction trailing in the Down direction which would somewhat limit the line's usefulness. Two routes linking Maldon with Tollesbury were proposed, one via Little Totham, Tolleshunt Major and D'Arcy and the other via Goldhanger. A Minute of the GER Board of Directors dated 4 July 1894 does mention a proposed light railway "from Colchester through the Tollesbury district to Witham" but with no mention of Maldon. It is likely this line would have joined the Witham - Maldon branch, perhaps near Langford (as what became Langford & Ulting was then named), rather than take an independent route all the way to Witham. Little notice should be taken of the "Tollesbury district" terminology as this sort of vagueness was quite common when railways were still at the proposal stage and precise routes not yet finalised.
The first hint of a railway linking Kelvedon with Tollesbury appeared at another Directors meeting on 4 February 1890 with the relevant Minute stating "Proposed railway from Kelvedon to Tolleshunt d'Arcy and Tollesbury; GM (General Manager) advises Deputation may discuss 3 alternative routes; after discussion Deputation told that GERy could not do anything but would work on reasonable terms any line built by an independent Company". It is worth noting that the working of branch lines promoted and constructed by independent companies by main line companies was common practice and usually resulted in the operating company absorbing the independent company in due course. This, though, did not happen with the Kelvedon & Tollesbury which, as things were to turn out, was a GER project from the outset and mainly because of the Light Railways Act 1896, the GER authority to do this being obtained by approval of the necessary Bill on 1 February 1898. There was a further mention on 4 March 1890 but this time the Minute mentioned a rather vague "Proposed railway in the neighbourhood of Tollesbury d'Arcy And Tollesbury". On the same day another Minute recorded "Proposed railways in Essex - Memorial: Deputation to be seen at next Board Meeting to discuss ambitious scheme from Mark's Tey to West Mersea with one Branch from Little Wigborough to the Tendring Hundred Rly. and another from Sampson's Creek to near Tollesbury". Part of a Minute of a meeting of 4 July 1894 mentioned "GM reminded Board that there had been several proposals for lines in this area, but the district was not thought to have sufficient traffic to make them pay; reported that Messrs Howard Ellison & Morton of Colchester now proposed a light railway from Colchester through the Tollesbury district to Witham, with a short line from near the Cavalry Barracks in Colchester to the North Station". Perhaps needless to say, this and the Sampson's Creek proposal were never to become reality and perhaps that is just as well even if they had been built under the provisions of the Light Railways Act 1896.
The first mention of a railway in the form of what became the Kelvedon & Tollesbury appear, again at a Directors meeting, in a Minute of 4 November 1896 which stated "Proposed Light Railway to serve Tiptree, Tolleshunt, Tollesbury and Mersea Island: after meeting Deputation, GERy agree to construct and work a light Railway (standard gauge) provided the Deputation obtain BoT consent to provide half the Capital required as a free gift". The GER did indeed obtain a "free gift", meaning a Grant, from the Treasury via the BoT (Board of Trade). However, not unreasonably the Treasury had required the GER to enter into an agreement to construct the line before it would release the Grant. The Grant was £16,000 but there was a catch, it being that the line "must be worked in perpetuity, even if at a loss". If this were enforced the Kelvedon & Tollesbury would still be trundling along to this day but such clauses, which were quite common, were all repealed in due course and usually as part of the formal closure process. Instrumental in promotion of the railway was one Arthur Charles Wilkin who in 1885 founded the Britannia Fruit Preserving Company, later Wilkin & Sons. Still in business today, the factory is renowned for its 'Tiptree' branded products.
The aforementioned £16,000 Grant meant the GER still had to find £26,351, a sum which excluded the cost of a station at Kelvedon (this is what became Kelvedon Low Level) along with cost of a junction with the main line. The £26,351 was an increase from the original costing of £16,534. Projects seeing increasing costs are by no means a modern phenomenon! On 3 January 1902 the cost of the station at Kelvedon was quoted at £27,400 - quite a high sum in comparison with the £26,351 which the GER had to find for the rest of the line as far as Tollesbury. In November 1902 the GER had stated the cost of the Low Level station would be £7,310 plus £750 for a locomotive water supply - quite a difference. Kelvedon Low Level was graced with a three-way point and a double slip, both very expensive items in theory as it is not known if these were supplied new or had been recovered from elsewhere, such as during a track renewal operation. On the matter of the Low Level signal box, some sources state the Kelvedon & Tollesbury was unsignalled but this was not the case. The claim appears to derive from the fact the line was worked on the 'one engine in steam or two engines coupled' principle. There was also a signal box at Tollesbury albeit short lived. Signal boxes are described in more detail on the relevant station pages. Kelvedon Up Distant signal was located at Feering level crossing and although a Fixed Distant it still qualified as signalling. This signal is said by some sources to have been a Coligny-Welch type but this is not corroborated by photographs.
For the benefit of readers who have not heard of Coligny-Welch signals, they dated from a time when signal arms for both Stop and Distant signals were painted red. This is the reason why semaphore Distant signal arms have notched ends and continued to do so after these arms began to be painted yellow, the notch being the distinguishing feature between Stop and Distant in the days of red arms. The problem was sighting of these signals in adequate time during the hours of darkness. To overcome this the Coligny-Welch lamp was fitted. This lamp displayed a white chevron, the purpose of which was to mimic the notch in the end of Distant signal arms. Several of these signals survived well into British Railways days. One might wonder what the point was when train crews had to 'know the road' and be familiar with every detail of it. The answer is the Coligny-Welch signal was what we might today call a 'safety device' to ensure no mistakes reading signals could be made. As we know, however familiar with the road a train crew might be mistakes did and to a lesser degree still do happen.
The engineer, John Wilson, had given a cost estimate for construction of £43,822 but he rounded the figure up to £45,000 (normal practice at the time to allow for any unforeseen expenses) but as we have seen this fell rather short of the actual cost. Shortfalls with estimated costs are no modern phenonemon. Wilson's costing was of course broken down and included £3, 610 for level crossing keepers' cottages. How many such cottages were actually built is unclear as is who occupied them as dedicated level crossing keepers were not employed on the line. A cottage is however known to have been provided at Tolleshunt D'Arcy, for occupation by the porter-in-charge. Nevertheless in later years the position at D'Arcy was covered by a member of staff from Kelvedon main line station who travelled to D'Arcy on the first Down train of the day and returned on the last Up train of the day. In between swinging the gates he was probably occupied dealing with parcels, tending the oil lamps and other routine tasks. One place where one might expect there to have been a crossing keeper was Feering, where the line crossed what was a main road (it became the A12, which now runs via a bypass) but this crossing was always operated by train crew.
Wilson's figures being only an estimate for construction meant the GER still had to bear the cost of purchasing land, which came to £1,562 for 52 acres. The GER was, however, aided by the donation of a considerable amount of land by Arthur Wilkin and also by one Thomas Wallis of Tollesbury. History is crammed full of information about Wilkin but Wallis was a rather obscure character about who little is known.
Many light railways were originally laid with lightweight flat bottom rail spiked directly to the sleepers but the Kelvedon & Tollesbury was laid with conventional but second-hand bullhead rail. The use of proper ballast had been costed but it appears from photographs that most if not all the line was laid using cinder ballast.
Following on from the wranglings outlined above, the "Kelvedon, Tiptree and Tollesbury Light Railway Order, 1901" granted permission to construct a "Light Railway in the County of Essex between Kelvedon and River Blackwater". For those unfamiliar with the area the latter is rather vague as the Blackwater also passes through Kelvedon. The railway did not however follow the river which meandered its way through Maldon before reaching the sea at Mersea Island, some three miles north-east from what in due course became Tollesbury Railway Pier. The contractor for construction of the railway was Walter Scott & Middleton Ltd., a company reasonably well known for railway construction but by no means prolific. Whether John Wilson was employed by Walter Scott & Middleton is by no means clear as this company had been engaged to lay ballast and track The Indenture (contract) between the contractor and the Great Eastern Railway Company was signed on 25 February 1903. It had been hoped to open the line earlier in 1904 although the precise date remains unclear.
On 23 May 1904 well prior to public opening the contractor gave local people a free trip along the line in open wagons fitted temporarily with makeshift seats. Among the participants was Arthur Wilkin who was perhaps behind the organisation of the event. This photograph is believed to have been taken at Tollesbury. The contractor's locomotive is Manning, Wardle & Company 'L' class 'Fashoda', works number 1432 of 1899. She is fitted with both sprung and dumb buffers to suit main line and industrial wagons. Fashoda is today known as Kodok, a town in Fashoda County, in the Upper Nile State of South Sudan. It became famous for the diplomatic dispute of 1898 which came to be known as the 'Fashoda Incident'.
Photo
from John Mann collection
On Whit Monday, 23 May, 1904 the public were allowed to travel over the line free of charge courtesy of the contractor. The contractor's locomotive Manning Wardle L Class 0-6-0ST w/n 1432/1899 "Fashoda" hauled the train of open trucks fitted temporarily with makeshift bench seats. Given this event it is not unreasonable to suggest the original opening date was proposed for shortly afterwards. Heavy rainfall had caused delays and the line did not open until Saturday 1 October 1904. The service was four trains each way per day, the first Down train and last Up train of the day being mixed. Trains were conductor/guard-operated, necessitating the specially adapted passenger stock, there was no Sunday service, no day return tickets (monthly returns were issued) and passengers transferring to or from the main line at Kelvedon were required to rebook. In addition, all accommodation was Third Class. It was however possible to purchase through tickets from certain main line stations in the area. They were in the form of multi-destination tickets and a monthly return example issued at Kelvedon main line station for Tiptree or Witham is illustrated in this page along with other examples of return tickets. On the subject of return tickets, an example of a normal single ticket overwritten "Return" also exists. What all this tells us is that the often-heard claim that only single tickets were ever issued and then only for journeys between Kelvedon & Tollesbury stations is a myth.
At the time of opening stations along the line were Kelvedon Low Level, Tiptree, Tolleshunt d'Arcy and Tollesbury. Feering Halt opened on 1 January 1934, Inworth opened on 1 May 1905 and Tolleshunt Knights opened on 12 December 1910. The extension to Tollesbury Pier and the so-named station had opened on 15 May 1907. The length of the original line. i.e as far as Tollesbury, was 8 miles 48 chains and the 1907 extension to Tollesbury Pier added a further 1 mile 46 chains making a total route mileage of 10 miles 14 chains. Tolleshunt Knights although usually referred to as a station was, like Feering, actually a halt by virtue of having no staff. At this point it is convenient to jump ahead for a moment to the present day. Network Rail still has an ELR (Engineers Line Reference) code for the Kelvedon & Tollesbury which is "KET". Mileages given, the datum being the former bufferstop at Kelvedon Low Level, are 5 chains to the junction with the connection from the main line, 2 miles 75 chains to Inworth, 3 miles 39 chains to Tiptree, 4 miles 1 chain to Tudwick Road Siding, 6 miles 52 chains to Tolleshunt D'Arcy, 7 miles 69 chains to Old Hall Siding, 8 miles 42 chains to Tollesbury, 10 miles 14 chains to Tollesbury Pier. The reason for retention of an ELR for this long defunct railway is to identity the location of surviving structures; for example the surviving albeit infilled bridge at Blind Lane, near Tolleshunt Knights at 4 miles 71 chains, carries the reference "KET - 875". There were only three bridges on the line, the others being bridge 873 at 67 chains and bridge 874 at 3 miles 74 chains. Both 873 and 874 took the railway over streams. It should be mentioned that Tollesbury Pier station was on land and the terminus of the line. The railway did not continue onto the pier, contrary to what some maps imply. The pier was nothing more than a fairly narrow walkway with a head about 50ft wide.
This Timetable from the 1905 Bradshaw shows the stations originally provided. Inworth opened that same year. The page header, Willesden, Gospel Oak etc was because the Kelvedon & Tollesbury timetable was squeezed into that page, orientated on its side, as if for want of somewhere to put it. The index did of course point to Page 274 for the Kelvedon & Tollesbury but the way it was fitted in, orientated onto its side, meant it could easily be missed.
By studying the opening dates given in the previous paragraph a curious pattern emerges. Stations which opened with the line were all provided with proper station buildings albeit in the form of what amounted to little more than wooden huts. Stations and halts which opened subsequently had to make do with grounded carriage bodies serving as waiting rooms. Tollesbury Pier station, on the later extension, was an exception as it had been planned by the GER whereas Inworth and Tolleshunt Knights were provided at the request of local people. Feering was of course provided by the LNER rather than the GER. Inworth was a strange affair, being nowhere near Inworth village and was in fact in Tiptree. This is covered in more detail in the Inworth page.
GER Great Eastern Railway plan from 1917 of Old Hall Lane level crossing. between Tolleshunt D'Arcy and Tollesbury. The location is about half a mile from Tollesbury station at lower right. The shaded areas either side of the level crossing represent cattle guards, the crossing being one of several open (ungated) crossings on the line. Old Hall Siding is partially shown on the right. With the exception of Threshelfords Farm, Wilkin's jam factory and Tudwick Road all these remote wayside sidings away from Kelvedon were double-ended, in other words loop sidings. Click here for a larger view.
One website covering the line lists its 'stops' and includes one at "Guines Court" which is a misspelling of "Guisnes Court". Guisnes Court is between Tolleshunt D'Arcy and Tollesbury with the former railway passing about a quarter mile to its north. It is a country estate which during the First World War was loaned by its owners to the Red Cross as a V.A.D (Voluntary Aid Detachment) hospital for sick and injured service personnel. It operated as such between June 1915 and December 1918. While it is not impossible that patients were offloaded from trains at the Colchester Road level crossing, the closest point the railway got to Guisnes Court, no evidence of an official stopping place at this location has been found. It is however possible the location has been confused with Old Hall Siding (see below) which was situated near the junction of Back Road and Old Hall Lane.
Apart from goods sidings at stations (there were none at Feering Halt) a number of further sidings were provided along the line for and at the behest of farmers and landowners. These were, from Kelvedon, Brooklands Siding just beyond Feering Halt, Heath Siding at Inworth, Tudwick Road Siding between Tiptree and Tolleshunt Knights, Church Siding between Tolleshunt Knights and Tolleshunt D'Arcy, Old Hall Siding between Tolleshunt D'Arcy and Tollesbury. Of the aforementioned, Brooklands Siding is of some note. It branched off a loop on the Down side of the line and turned sharply east-north-east to run across a field for approximately one-third of a mile before terminating at Threshelfords Farm, having crossed what is now the B1023 Inworth Road via a level crossing. A run-round loop was provided at the farm. In effect the siding was a short, goods-only branch. It appears business was initially quite lively but the siding later fell into disuse and became overgrown. The track was removed by the LNER sometime during the 1930s although the loop off the running line remained and continued to be known as "Brooklands Siding (Private)", although when it was last used is not known. It had certainly disappeared from working timetables by 1945 although it was still shown in the "1956 Handbook of Stations). The Threshelford site is now, as of 2024, a 'Rural Business Park' and no trace remains of the siding or the level crossing. In addition, two sidings served the Tiptree jam factory, of which one had a wagon turntable from which a third siding ran inside the factory complex. How wagons were moved on this third siding is not known. All pointwork on the Kelvedon & Tollesbury was unlocked by key attached to train staff.
The OS 6in map published in 1925 shows the siding to Threshelfords Farm. It branched off the loop known as Brooklands Siding and ended within the farm where a run-round loop was provided. The map implies Inworth Road crossed the siding on a bridge but it was in fact a level crossing. At left, the main line and Low Level stations at Kelvedon can be seen and the inclined connecting link between the two lines can be discerned as can the Low Level signal box. When this map was published Feering Halt was still nine years in the future.
Level crossings were in abundance and the Light Railways Act 1896 required gates to be provided at Feering (No. 6 crossing), Inworth (No. 85), Tolleshunt Knights (No. 47), Tolleshunt D'Arcy (No. 17) and Tollesbury (No. 54). All the aforementioned were listed as being "in the parish of" therefore not necessarily at the stations named. A most peculiar procedure prevailed at Tollesbury station after the pier extension was abandoned and this is described in the Tollesbury station page. Additionally there were numerous open crossings, i.e. ungated, and trains were required not to exceed 10mph on approach and when negotiating these crossings, also when passing through villages.
All platforms along the line including at Feering Halt were the typical low affairs associated with light railways and railmotor halts on other lines not of light railway status. The platform surfaces were fifteen inches above rail level (the standard height above rail level is three feet) and this of course necessitated specially adapted rolling stock, namely the fitting of steps and suitable grab rails (Kelvedon main line station originally had low platforms, raised to standard height in 1881). In addition the stock had to be suitable for conductor-guard working. For the opening of the line the GER provided six 4-wheel five compartment Thirds and two 4-wheel two compartment Brake Thirds, the oldest of which dated from 1877 and the newest from 1883 so none were especially ancient when transferred to Kelvedon at various dates in 1904. Among them were Diagram 605 car nos. 212, 716/28; Diagram 606 car nos. 775/77, 810; Diagram 608 car no. 356. The Diagram 607 and 608 cars were the two Brake Thirds. Stratford Works heavily modified the vehicles. Compartment partitions were removed and seating altered to allow a central aisle and some of the former compartment doors sealed. Doors remained at the car ends, at the inner ends only on the Brake Thirds, with drop plates and grab handles provided to allow guards to pass through the train to issue tickets. There were no enclosed corridor connections and passengers were not permitted to pass between carriages. Externally step boards were fitted to compensate for the low platforms and in the same connection wheel sets were changed for some with smaller diameter wheels, this in turn necessitating modifications to the buffing and drawgear. The carriages were normally formed into two four-car sets with one in service and the other spare, stabled on a siding at Kelvedon Low Level. Throughout the life of the Kelvedon & Tollesbury passenger service, rolling stock was not permitted to run on the main line unless the step boards were removed. The only times this would be necessary was when vehicles were taken to and from Stratford Works. All this stock had been withdrawn by 1931, the final pair being the two Brake Thirds which lasted until October 1931. The LNER had renumbered this pair to car nos. 62261/2, something which can cause confusion as later replacements were also given these numbers.
While the conversion to conductor-guard operation was necessary and no doubt paid for itself by the non provision of ticket offices and staff, one cannot help questioning the worth of the low platforms which resulted in the need for stepboards and grabrails on the rolling stock along with alterations to buffing and drawgear plus the need to remove the stepboards when the stock needed to travel to and from Stratford. The low platforms were of course for cheapness but on the other hand provision of normal height platforms would not have cost much more and would have saved some of the modifications described above. The same could be said of the halts provided elsewhere for steam railmotors and, later, the BR diesel railbuses.
Motive power on the Kelvedon & Tollesbury was initially provided by a GER Adams Class K9 0-4-2T. Ten of these somewhat ungainly locomotives were built between 1877 and 1878, numbered 7 - 10 and 20 - 25. No. 25 appears to have been the resident locomotive as it was photographed on the line a number of times. Its stay was however quite short-lived as it was transferred away before being withdrawn in 1905. The last of the class was withdrawn in 1907. Replacements came in the form of GER Holden 0-6-0T classes R24 and S56 which went on to become LNER and BR classes J67 and J69. The GER Hill Class C72 0-6-0T which went on the become LNER/BR Class J68 was officially prohibited from the Kelvedon & Tollesbury but did make appearances regardless. These 0-6-0T types are mostly associated with Liverpool Street suburban services until replaced by the Class N7 0-6-2T but even before the arrival of the N7 a number were allocated to country sheds including Colchester which provided locomotives for the Light Railway. Similarly Cambridge shed provided the same classes of motive power for another Essex Light Railway, the Elsenham & Thaxted. The 0-6-0 tanks went on to rule the Kelvedon & Tollesbury right through until the withdrawal of the passenger service and beyond, until the Class J15 0-6-0 tender class began to make an appearance before being ousted by diesel shunters. The only restriction on tender locomotives on the Kelvedon & Tollesbury, providing they were within axle weight limits, was a maximum speed limit of 15mph when running tender first. At least one of the 0-6-0T locomotives was photographed running on the Kelvedon & Tollesbury as a 2-4-0T by virtue of having the front coupling roads removed. GER Class E22 (LNER/BR Class J65) once worked on the London & Blackwall and most if not all working on this line ran in 2-4-0T form. The reason for this modification, which could easily be reversed, remains a matter of some debate. One might say the obvious answer was to reduce wear and tear on sharp curves although the effectiveness of removing front coupling rods would depend upon the amount of axle end float. What it does suggest however is that Class E22/J65 may also have made appearances on the Kelvedon & Tollesbury but this is pure speculation. There were only two curves on the Tollesbury line which could be described as sharp; that out of Kelvedon Low Level and that on the short-lived spur to Threshelfords Farm (Brooklands Siding).
This timetable from the 1908 Bradshaw includes Inworth and Tollesbury Pier. 'Sig.' beside Inworth means 'Signal', in other words a request stop. An alternative term was 'flag stop' or 'flag station', both terms becoming more familiar in the USA where they are still used by, for example, the Alaska Railroad. The 'h' status of Tollesbury Pier is explained further on that station's page.
Returning now to passenger stock, on Saturday 31 December 1927 the passenger service on the Wisbech & Upwell Tramway ceased to operate with the official withdrawal date being Monday 2 January 1928. Why this line was referred to as a 'tramway' has been briefly touched upon earlier. It was for all intents and purposes a railway but the 'tramway' description remained until the final goods train ran in May 1966 and indeed persists historically to this day. The Wisbech & Upwell had only one proper platform, at what came to be known as Wisbech East station on the March - Magdalen Road (now Watlington) line. The platform at Wisbech East was in fact a standard height island platform with the face used by the Wisbech & Upwell being made 'low' by the simple expedient of raising the trackbed. Elsewhere along the line to Upwell passengers simply clambered up and down from the trains to and from ground level. For this purpose low-slung carriages were provided, with steps, to a style more associated with the USA. They had end verandahs with drop plates between vehicles and longitudinal bench seating. There were eight 'tram' carriages, six of which were 4-wheel and two, built for the extension from Outwell to Upwell, bogie carriages. Of the 4-wheel vehicles nos. 1, 2 and 5 were composites and nos. 3, 4 and 6 thirds. The reason for the jumbled numbering in the context of accommodation class was cars 5 and 6 being built later to supplement the original four which, built by Starbuck, had reputedly been intended for the Millwall Extension Railway but conclusive evidence of this is lacking. Of the two bogie vehicles, No. 7 was a composite and No. 8 an all third. There seems to have been an excess of First Class accommodation on the Wisbech & Upwell, perhaps provided in anticipation of a large number of business people and wealthy landowners travelling. The two bogie carriages were transferred to the Kelvedon & Tollesbury along with some, four it is believed, of the 4-wheelers to permit withdrawal of the original stock but it seems some of the 4-wheelers saw little if any use and three were withdrawn in 1936. The later life of the bogie vehicles is quite interesting and a brief history is given on a separate page.
Another rural branch line in East Anglia which turned out to be a flop in terms of passenger traffic was that from Denver, on the Ely - King's Lynn line, to Stoke Ferry which opened in 1882. This line was a conventional railway with stations having normal height platforms. The GER railway operated the line from the outset on behalf of the Downham & Stoke Ferry Railway (trains ran to/from Downham Market) but took it over entirely in 1897. Because of dire passenger receipts, two years earlier the GER decided to introduce conductor-guard working and to facilitate this two of the 4-wheel tram carriages were transferred from the Wisbech & Upwell. At least one photograph of this stock in use on the Stoke Ferry branch exists and although the train is some distance from the camera the squat nature of these carriages compared to conventional stock and the standard height platforms is very apparent. Considering there was quite a drop from the platforms into the carriages quite how passengers managed can only be imagined. The move caused a shortage of passenger stock on the Wisbech & Upwell and in the event the two carriages were returned to Wisbech in 1896. Stratford Works provided replacements in the form of conventional stock suited to the standard height platforms and adapted for conductor-guard working. The LNER eventually gave up and withdrew the Stoke Ferry passenger service with effect on and from Monday 22 September 1930. Some of the conductor-guard stock was transferred to the Kelvedon & Tollesbury, suitably modified with smaller wheels because of the low platforms. One vehicle, an all Third, was converted to a Brake Third and renumbered accordingly. Despite the wheel modification this stock, when on the Kelvedon & Tollesbury, remained noticeably larger than the ex Wisbech stock but smaller than conventional stock and especially when coupled to the 4-wheel Gresley Full Brake ('Pigeon Van') which was allocated to the line. The ex Stoke Ferry Brake Thirds, which were 6-wheelers, went on to become British Railways E62261/2 and survived until withdrawal of the passenger service in 1951. The rebuild was car 62261 which when new in 1896 was GER No. 337. Another conductor-guard 6-wheel Brake Third was car 62908, withdrawn in February 1948. One of the ex-Wisbech 4-wheel Thirds just made it into British Railways days too. It was originally Wisbech & Upwell No. 3 and went on the become LNER No. 60465. It is on record as having become British Railways E60465 but it was withdrawn in March 1948 and probably never carried the 'E' prefix. A photograph exists showing this vehicle in service at Tollesbury in August 1947.
During both World Wars the Kelvedon & Tollesbury, like most coastal lines along the east coast, saw a military presence. In the First World War 2/8 Battalion, The Worcestershire Regiment, a Territorial Force (TF), were based at Tollesbury Pier. These were largely men who for whatever reason, e.g. medical, were deemed unfit for front line service. Tollesbury Pier station had a proper wooden waiting room but there were also two grounded carriage bodies, one opposite the platform and the other near the bufferstop at the end of the line. What is not known is for how long both bodies were present but nevertheless one of them was used by 2/8 Battalion and may have been provided by the GER for that purpose. With typical military wit the carriage was emblazoned with "Zeppelin View Hotel 2/ 8 Worcesters" at cantrail level. This may have been a response to the raid on Maldon on the night of 15/16 April 1915 by Zeppelin L6 commanded by Kapitän Oberleutnant Freiherr von Buttlar. The troops would have had a very clear view of the L6 (L = Luftschiff, in English "Airship") as it followed the River Blackwater. Reputedly the only fatality of the Maldon raid was a chicken or chickens, although the exact number of chickens involved varies according to source. Troops at Tollesbury Pier would also have had a good view of Zeppelins following, or attempting to follow, the River Thames towards London and this 'entertainment' is more likely to have been what sparked the "Zeppelin View Hotel" name.
The extension from Tollesbury to Tollesbury Pier had, perhaps unsurprisingly, closed on 17 July 1921. The extension passed through rather bleak and exposed marshland and was built in the hope of attracting business from the yachting fraternity and fishermen, winkle gatherers and so on. The pier was narrow and exposed, marry this with the infrequent train service at Pier station and it is hardly surprising business did not even come within sight of what had been hoped for even if people were hardier in those days. After closure of the extension, apart from a section about 200 yards long south of Tollesbury station the track was simply abandoned. During the Second World War the military moved in and repaired the line. As an anti invasion measure the Royal Engineers blew up a section of the pier at the landward end and the deck planking was removed. As with many coastal districts and especially along the south and east coasts, the area became out of bounds to the public. What happened next remains a matter of some debate. Certainly the railway was used to transport ammunition and other supplies but this is really all that can be confirmed.
Various stories tell of an armoured train patrolling the line, two of same patrolling the line, railway guns operated on the line, two War Department locomotives were present, four of the same but 0-6-0 tender locomotives were present. Armoured trains and railway guns were, it should be remembered, two very different things. Apart from the fact the line to Tollesbury Pier was used by the military, none of the other claims had been confirmed or disproved at the time of writing. One poor quality photograph exists showing what looks like a heavy gun, sheeted over, on a well wagon. The train depicted is not armoured. The actual location of the photograph, although believed to be somewhere on the Kelvedon & Tollesbury, is by no means confirmed. Sometimes it is a case of seeing what one wants to see as opposed to seeing what is actual. Following the end of hostilities in 1945 what remained of the pier was abandoned and largely destroyed by the floods of 1953. The railway to the pier was once again abandoned and the track, apart from the short length at Tollesbury, was lifted sometime in the 1951 - 1952 period and most likely at the same time as the track was lifted back to Tudwick Road Siding, on the Tolleshunt side of Tiptree. Class J15 0-6-0 locomotives were employed on the track lifting operation on this section.
The mysterious photograph taken somewhere on the Kelvedon & Tollesbury during the Second World War and which has been given various descriptions. It is highly likely the photograph was taken surreptitiously. What we appear to be looking at is a BL (Breech Loading) 6in naval gun covered with a tarpaulin on a well wagon such as a GWR 'Crocodile' or another company's equivalent. The gun would have been mounted on a traverse plate fixed to the wagon. It is not an armoured train and other wagons visible are standard types. Assuming we are looking at a 6" naval gun, these weapons were commonly used for home defence during WWII. Is that a gun to the left of the telegraph pole? It looks like a gun mounted on a flat wagon and surrounded by sandbags but the photograph is too unclear to be certain. Photo by Cedric Gurton from Mersea Museum
The Light Railways Act 1896 did, as we have seen, make the building of some rural railways possible when the heavy rail alternative would have been difficult if not impossible by reason of cost. The problem was the Light Railways Act 1896 came too late although in fairness that is with the benefit of hindsight. Road motor vehicles existed in 1896 but they were extremely rare and limited to very wealthy people. In any event these early vehicles were both impractical and incapable of transporting large numbers of people and significant quantities of goods. Motor omnibuses began to appear in the first decade of the twentieth century and steam driven road vehicles also existed although the heyday of the latter was really in the 1920s - 1930s period. All this was to change after the First World War when vast quantities of military surplus motor vehicles were disposed of cheaply. During the war great advances had been made in design and men became very skilled at operating and maintaining these vehicles - they had to out of the necessities of war. People, many of them demobbed service personnel, bought these surplus vehicles and adapted them for goods or passengers, vehicles often being easily convertible to either form depending upon what was required on any given day. Frequently the adaption from military to civilian use was undertaken by the local blacksmith and/or carpenter. This was the beginning of the end for numerous rural railways, many of which only survived into British Railways days by virtue of being able to transport heavy, bulk goods over long distances. Coal traffic direct from collieries to merchants based in village goods yard being a good example.
Another threat to rural railways was, in a sense, the Ford Model T. Production of this had been established at Trafford, Manchester toward the end of 1911. Ford had taken over the works of the Electric Railway & Tramway Co. which company went on to become Dick, Kerr & Co. and eventually part of English Electric. The Model T was affordable and became popular with carriers who had previously had to rely upon the horse and cart. Often the Model T was used to provide omnibus services which grew into what became well known omnibus companies. The Braintree - Kelvedon - Tollesbury - Colchester area was well served by omnibuses and in particular those of Moore Brothers of Kelvedon, G. W. Osborne of Tollesbury and from 1929 the vast Eastern National Omnibus Company Ltd. Moore dated right back to 1813 when it used a cart and donkeys, 'modernising' in 1877 by turning to horses. Moore was one of those which introduced motor vehicles with a Model T in 1912. This company focussed upon Braintree - Kelvedon - Colchester and as such was not a major threat to the Kelvedon & Tollesbury Light Railway although the company did also serve Inworth, Tiptree and the Tolleshunts. Moore Brothers was taken over by Eastern National with effect from 3 February 1963, who for some years retained the High Street garage and much of the fleet which by that time included a number of double-deck Guy Arabs which lasted well into National Bus Company days.
G. W. Osborne, which had an interesting fleet through the 1960s and 1970s, had a garage on New Road, Tollesbury. The company was taken over by the Hedingham & District Omnibuses in 1997 and the Tollesbury garage was closed and demolished in 2016. Today, 2024, Hedingham is part of the Go-Ahead Group, with a garage on Kelvedon High Street, other garages being at Clacton and Sible Hedingham, the company's original premises and hence the name. The Hedingham garage in Kelvedon is on the site of the former Moore's garage (aka Roslyn Garage), behind what was once "Moore's Temperance Hotel". This building still exists, 215 - 217 High Street and although it has been extended it remains recognisable.
The history of speed limits on British roads can be complex depending upon type of vehicle and at one time individual local authorities. Between 1903 and 1920 the speed limit was 20mph, until in the Road Traffic Act 1930 did away with speed limits altogether. This lasted only until 1934 when the now familiar 30mph limit in built-up areas was introduced but elsewhere there was no limit and this remained the case until the 1960s including on the then fledgling motorway network. This did not however mean drivers could act recklessly and there were penalties for doing so. An exception to the Road Traffic Act 1930 was motor omnibuses which were restricted to 30mph and regardless of where. It should be remembered that the hair-raising speed of 30mph on the roads of the time was a lively experience. In 1930 roads were still either dirt tracks or macadam surfaced (this was in simple terms stone blocks with compacted chippings) with setts or cobbles in urban areas. The tarmacadam roads we are familiar with today were not introduced until the 1930s and by no stretch of the imagination did such a network of roads appear overnight. The raising of speed limits was another nail in the coffin of slow rural light railways and numerous conventional railways. This was especially true with motor omnibuses, now allowed to travel at 30mph, and journey times became rather quicker.
A sample Moore Brothers timetable from 1948 shows omnibuses took 50 minutes between Kelvedon and Colchester via Tiptree and Tolleshunt Knights and 35 minutes between Tiptree and Colchester. While most people travelling between Kelvedon and Colchester would have done so by train (or a direct omnibus), Tiptree or Tolleshunt Knights to Colchester was another matter given the need to change stations at Kelvedon, rebook and wait for the main line connection. Using the same 1950 main line timetable as used below for the Kelvedon & Tollesbury, one could depart Tiptree at 8.54am and arrive Kelvedon Low Level 9.9am. The connecting train to Colchester departed Kelvedon 9.54am with an arrival at Colchester at 10.11am. That is a journey time of 1 hour 17 minutes compared to 35 minutes by omnibus using the 1948 Moore timetable. This journey time was typical although connection times for southbound trains at Kelvedon, e.g. to Chelmsford and Liverpool Street, were in fairness slightly better. The one advantage the railway did have was trains running daily Monday - Saturday whereas some omnibus services ran only on certain days. However the trunk omnibus services such as Hatfield Peverel and Chelmsford to Colchester along with the Tiptree - Colchester service ran daily.
It is worth mentioning that many railway companies operated their own omnibus services and the Great Eastern Railway was no exception. Among their network was a service between West Mersea and Colchester, for example. The GER abandoned its omnibus network in 1922, services being taken over by other existing road transport operators or withdrawn entirely. The 'Big Four' railway companies, LMSR, LNER, GWR and SR were part owners of many omnibus companies. The Eastern National Omnibus Company for example had once been jointly owned by the LNER, LMSR and the National Omnibus & Transport Company. The railways ceased to be part owners of omnibus companies when the railways were Nationalised in 1948, the Tilling Group being sold to the Government before eventually becoming part of the National Bus Company in 1969.
As might be expected, staffing of the line was kept to a minimum. Tiptree had a porter-in-charge and a porter-shunter as did Tolleshunt D'Arcy and Tollesbury. The porter-in-charge grade was later renamed to 'leading porter'. Feering, Inworth and Tolleshunt Knights were unstaffed. At Kelvedon Low Level there were two sets of train crew, a porter-shunter and a coalman. Colchester sent relief footplatemen whenever required while the other grades were deputised for by men from the main line station. Little is known about the short-lived signal box at Tollesbury in respect of staff but it was probably operated when required by the porter-in-charge or porter-shunter as at Kelvedon Low Level. Tollesbury Pier station was staffed by one of the men from Tollesbury during its short life. No stationmasters or level crossing keepers were employed along the line and the entire line came under the jurisdiction of the Kelvedon (main line) stationmaster.
When the Kelvedon & Tollesbury passenger service was withdrawn in 1951 it had, like numerous other rural railways, fallen victim to omnibus competition and in particular Osborne's who had started a passenger service in 1917 using a Ford Model T between Tollesbury and Colchester. As the firm expanded its fleet and routes, railway passenger receipts were gradually eroded. The peak year for the railway was 1923, the first year under the LNER, with 28,598 passengers and receipts of £1,233 while parcel receipts were £1,679. Season tickets peaked in 1924 with 111 being sold, providing receipts of £2,501. It is possible to work out an approximate average number of passengers using the trains each day and taking the figure for 1923 it works out at 95. There was no Sunday service and tickets issued by the conductor-guards were singles so if we assume four trains each way per day we arrive at eleven passengers per train as an average, ignoring season ticket holders. It is rather telling when receipts from parcels traffic exceeded those of passenger traffic.
Passenger numbers for the Kelvedon & Tollesbury from 1950, the last full year of the passenger service, have not been discovered*.* However by looking at the decline in numbers from 1923 onwards the figure for 1950 can be estimated at around 3,000 per annum at best and there may have been a significant drop after 26 May 1950, the date petrol rationing introduced during the war ended even though in 1950 car ownership was still be no means as widespread as it is today. Indeed the end of patrol rationing may well have been the catalyst which brought about the end of the Kelvedon & Tollesbury passenger service. In July 2024 one online page covering the Kelvedon & Tollesbury stated " passenger journeys on the line had reduced to between eight and ten persons daily" but the source of this information is not stated. Nevertheless the figure is probably not far from the truth and it equates roughly to the aforementioned 3,000 figure.
The final passenger train, the 5.45pm ex Kelvedon, ran on Saturday 5 May 1951 formed of Class J69 No. 68578 with two of the ex Stoke Ferry Brake Thirds and one of the ex Wisbech & Upwell bogie cars. There was a mock funeral service, something which was to become familiar with the closures following Dr Beeching's Reshaping of British Railways report of 1963 and attended by some local people and probably a lot of people who had never used the railway and perhaps didn't even live anywhere near it. Present at Kelvedon on the final day was the then MP for Maldon who had tried in Parliament to win a reprieve for the line, no doubt in the hope of securing votes at the next election. The MP concerned, Thomas Driberg (Labour), failed to save the passenger service but he did cling onto his seat in the snap election of 25 October 1951 with a majority of 704 votes compared to a majority of 7,727 votes in the election of 5 July 1945. His majority in the intervening 1950 election was 2,124. At around the time the passenger services were withdrawn Ealing Studios were looking for a branch line upon which to film their comedy ‘The Titfield Thunderbolt’ which was released in 1953. One the lines short-listed was the Kelvedon & Tollesbury but following a visit by Ealing Studios the line was rejected, reputedly because the scenery of the area was not delightful enough. While this may have been true there were no doubt additional reasons for the rejection. Although totally unconfirmed, it may have been that Ealing Studios spotted the quaint, antiquated ex Wisbech & Upwell carriages at Kelvedon and decided one of them was just what they wanted for their film. The filming took place on the Camerton branch near Bath, with Monkton Combe being the centrepiece.
By the time of the withdrawal of passenger services there were only two Down trains and three Up trains; the 'missing' Down train running as empty stock to Tollesbury following which it worked the 8.30am Up service.
The September 1950 public timetable which remained in force until closure. The 12.50 pm ex Tollesbury was a mixed working, hence the longer running time. The note on the right of the timetable implies through, in addition to local, tickets were available but no evidence of this being the case has been found. Through tickets were, however, available from some main line stations and an example, Kelvedon to Tiptree or Witham and return, is illustrated in this page. These multi-destination tickets appear to have been the sole exception to the 'rebook at Kelvedon' requirement apart from season tickets which were probably not issued by conductor-guards.
Following the end of the passenger service goods trains continued to run to Tollesbury until 29 October 1951, probably to maintain existing coal contracts until such a time as alternative arrangements could be put into place. Track lifting began soon afterwards to a point on the Tolleshunt Knights side of Tudwick Road Siding to leave a headshunt. It is thought the track on the by-then-derelict Tollesbury - Tollesbury Pier extension was lifted at the same time. Class J15 locomotives reputedly worked the track lifting trains and indeed these locomotives became a common sight on the remaining active section from Kelvedon to Tudwick Road Siding until diesels took over. Tudwick Road Siding is often claimed to have been for the use of Wilkin's jam factory but it was in fact a public siding used mainly for the despatch agricultural produce by growers and farmers, much of which was sent to Spitalfields. That is not to say however that at busy times Wilkin did not make use of the siding when its own sidings at the factory lacked capacity.
The 1956 OS map reproduced above shows what by then was the end of the line. Tolleshunt Knights had a double end siding - a loop siding in other words. Quite why a short length of track to and the loop siding at Tolleshunt Knights was not retained to simplify the shunting involved at Tudwick Road is a mystery. However, the Sectional Appendix to the October 1960 Working Timetable indicates rope shunting was authorised and this would have simplified shunting at both the jam factory and Tudwick Road Siding.
Sectional Appendix to the October 1960 Working Timetable indicating authorisation of rope shunting 'at any station on the Light Railway'.
The rope shunting authorisation would have been in place for a long time, as opposed to being introduced in 1960. Logic says the only locations at which this form of shunting would have been beneficial were the jam factory sidings and at the Tollesbury loop to the south of the station when running round mixed trains was required as goods wagons and the goods brake van had to be at the rear of the train. There were of course regulations governing rope shunting and the procedure could be dangerous if adequate alertness was lacking. At the time of writing no photographs of rope shunting on the line had been discovered. The Sectional Appendix does say "when necessary" so it is possible rope shunting was rarely employed.
When the line was still operational to Tollesbury, wagons for Tudwick Road Siding would be dropped off or collected in the Down direction, collected wagons being taken through to Tollesbury and then back to Kelvedon as the points at Tudwick Road trailed in the Down direction. There was no run round loop. After Tudwick Road became the end of the line it caused a minor shunting problem and one might assume the following: Wagons to be dropped off were left on the running line while the locomotive ran into the siding to collect wagons for despatch. These wagons were then coupled to those on the running line, the brake van uncoupled and the wagons to be dropped off drawn forward and reversed into the siding. This done, the wagons which had been collected were then re-coupled to the brake van and the train reversed to Tiptree where running round and repositioning of the brake van accomplished.
The working timetables and sectional appendices could be full of quirks, usually because of the continuance of outdated information. The September 1962 appendix, for example, listed locomotive classes permitted on the remaining stub to Tiptree, see the extract.
Of the locomotive classes listed the last J65 had been withdrawn in October 1956, the last J67 of any variant was withdrawn in September 1962 and the last J70 had been withdrawn in August 1955. Additional restrictions had been placed on Class J15 and double heading was no longer permitted. Conspicuous by its absence is Class J69 along with the diesel shunters which by this time were working the line. When the last steam locomotive worked down to Tiptree and Tudwick Road is not known but in any event the last steam in this area bowed out on 16 September 1962, not long before this final section of the Kelvedon & Tollesbury was closed, although the diesels had by then made an appearance, taking over the Tiptree goods from Class J15 locomotives. Class J70 was the 0-6-0 tram type familiar from the Wisbech & Upwell Tramway and certain quayside lines in East Anglia. "Engines permitted" was determined mainly by axle weight and minimum radius curves negotiable but it did not mean a permitted engine ever worked on a particular line and there is no evidence a J70 ever went anywhere near the Kelvedon & Tollesbury.
The diesel shunters were Hunslet Class D2/8 (later Class 05) and Drewry Classes D2/4 (later Class 04). The Class 05 designation was something of an oddity as it also included the Barclay 0-6-0 D2400 - D2409 locomotives and, not widely known, the Hudswell Clarke D25xx series. These computer-friendly class numbers had been introduced long before what came to known as 'TOPS' numbers appeared on locomotives but due to withdrawals in the late 1960s only one of the aforementioned locomotives ever carried a TOPS number, it being Hunslet D2554 which become No. 05001 due to being transferred to the Isle of Wight. The Hunslets were unpopular with drivers due to their cumbersome gear change and their very narrow cab doors which were a nuisance to drivers of portly build. The Drewry and the BR version which became Class 03 had in contrast a fluid coupling and semi-automatic gear change which involved simply throttling back, changing gear, and opening up the throttle via levers conveniently placed on the drivers' desk. The Hunslets used a friction clutch and gear change was by moving a lever through an enormous exposed gate, one each side of the cab. The Tiptree/Tudwick Road working was operated by the Witham pilot which left Witham at lunchtime, shunted the yard at Kelvedon (the main line yard) before working to Tiptree. However, as was often the case with lingering goods traffic on otherwise closed branch lines the Tiptree goods was often cancelled as 'Not Required'. It was a Colchester duty, the locomotive being outstationed at Witham, but sometimes locomotives from other sheds would appear, most notably from Parkeston Quay (Harwich) to which shed diesel shunters were allocated largely for maintenance purposes which is why Parkeston Quay shunters were frequently seen at Colchester. The Witham pilot and Tiptree duty was taken over by the diesels officially in July 1958, the same time as diesel railbuses were introduced on the Witham - Braintree and Maldon branches, although they had appeared on the line earlier for trials.
Essex County Standard 5 March 1992. Click here for a larger version.
The final revenue goods train to Tiptree ran on Friday 28 September 1962 and the line officially closed on Monday 1 October 1962. The final revenue train was worked by Hunslet D2571 which in due course gained some fame for having been, in an earlier life as No. 11174, the only diesel locomotive ever to be allocated to Yarmouth Beach shed.
Track lifting was not especially hurried and the contract was not awarded until early 1963 and was complete by the summer of that year. The contractor had not been traced at the time of writing although it is known the track, which had been cut up as lifting proceeded, was sent to Sheffield for scrap and this might suggest the contractor was Thomas W. Ward. The Hunslet diesels were used on the track lifting trains with D2571 and D2554 known to have made appearances, the locomotives involved being stabled overnight at Kelvedon (main line) with refuelling and routine maintenance carried out weekly at one or other depot as was the routine. Other than the track, oil lamps and other small and reusable items there was little else to be removed. Stations and halts were simply abandoned complete with buildings and/or grounded bodies as applicable. Tiptree station building was however reputedly salvaged for use as a shed on the edge of a strawberry field in Tiptree, possibly together with the small hut which stood adjacent. Tiptree station had, incidentally, three buildings at one time; the waiting room plus one medium size hut and one small hut. The medium size hut had been removed at some point in time.
The course of the Kelvedon & Tollesbury Light Railway looking east from Colchester Road (about ¾ mile east of Tolleshunt D'Arcy station) towards Tollesbury in December 2015. There was an ungated level crossing at the bend in the road, although when the railway was operational there may not have been the amount of trees and bushes obscuring the view compared to today. Sections of the course of the K & T can still be traced through open country and the course is often clearly visible on modern maps and aerial photographs.
Photo by Robin Webster reproduced from Geograph under creative commons licence.
With the exception of its platform and part of the path from the main line station, Kelvedon Low Level station, the engine shed, track and pointwork etc. had ceased to exist by 1957 with the branch becoming a plain line connection with the Up main line.
The 1956 OS map reproduced above shows what by then was the end of the line. Tolleshunt Knights had a double end siding - a loop siding in other words. Quite why a short length of track to and the loop siding at Tolleshunt Knights was not retained to simplify the shunting involved at Tudwick Road is a mystery. However, the Sectional Appendix to the October 1960 Working Timetable indicates rope shunting was authorised and this would have simplified shunting at both the jam factory and Tudwick Road Siding.
This Excess Fare ticket is rather mysterious as it was issued after the final goods train had ran on 28 September 1962. Whether the date on the ticket is 'Oct 4' or 'Oct 6' in unclear as its style is different to that of the '6' in '1962'. Brake van and footplate permits were issued by high authority such as a Divisional Manager's office, this ticket was issued at Kelvedon as the stamps indicate and an Excess Fare ticket would have been the most suitable, if not the only, option available to staff at Kelvedon. The 'Ticket held' section is struck out, which tells us there was no excess fare payable as such so somebody, probably on good terms with the stationmaster, simply arrived at Kelvedon and paid for the ticket. Even in 1962 the return fare of 1/8 was very reasonable and no notice should be taken of 'Class 2' as in this instance it would have been connected with the fare structure rather than class of accommodation. There are two possible explanations as follows. First, a special was run for the benefit of track lifting contractors (this was common practice) and somebody, likely an enthusiast or perhaps a local journalist, obtained the ticket to travel on it. Second, a train comprising a diesel shunter, a couple of wagons and a brake van went down the line to collect items such as lamps, barrows, noticeboards, any remaining furniture in Tiptree station building and so on (again, common practice at the time) and somebody obtained the ticket to travel on it. On balance the latter option is perhaps the most likely. Unfortunately no other information is available and no photographs of this October 1962 jaunt were known to exist at the time of writing. It will be noticed that the ticket is of LNER origin. There was nothing unusual about this and indeed Pre-Nationalisation 'ordinary' tickets continued to be issued in British Railways days, in particular for uncommon journeys from little-used rural stations. From the John Debens ticket collection
In 2024 little trace of the Kelvedon & Tollesbury can be seen on the ground. Between Kelvedon and Tudwick Road Siding there is no trace although at the latter location a building thought to be of railway origin still stands. Between Tolleshunt Knights and Tollesbury the fragmented course of the line may still be traced from the air but many sections are now either farm tracks or private driveways. Beyond Tollesbury the section to Tollesbury Pier can be traced and on the ground its low embankment remains fairly obvious.
Tickets from East Anglia Railway Museum and Michael Stewart, Route map drawn by Alan Young.
SEE ALSO: BLIND LANE BRIDGE
TUDWICK ROAD SIDING
WISBECH & UPWELL PASSENGER STOCK
See stations: Kelvedon Low Level, Feering Halt, Inworth, Tiptree, Tolleshunt D'Arcy, Tolleshunt Knights, Tollesbury and Tollesbury Pier
Sources and bibliography:
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