Station Name: LYDD-ON-SEA HALT
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Date opened: | 4.7.1937 |
Location: | On the north side of Kerton Road |
Company on opening: | Southern Railway |
Date closed to passengers: | 6.3.1967 |
Date closed completely: | 6.3.1967 |
Company on closing: | British Railways (Southern Region) |
Present state: | Although the alignment is still visible the platform has been demolished leaving only a slightly raised area of ground. The short and now gated concrete approach road and forecourt can still be seen. |
County: | Kent |
OS Grid Ref: | TR084192 |
Date of visit: | June 1968, May 1969, May 1975 and 3.1.2006 |
Notes: Lydd-on-Sea Halt was built when the new alignment to New Romney was built in 1937. The station had a long island platform with a passing loop and was built to handle the expected influx of traffic from new holiday camps, hotels and residential development; this never materialised. The passing loop was rarely needed and was removed from 20.9.1954 when the station lost its staff and was downgraded to a halt. Lydd-on-Sea was also intended to replace Dungeness which closed at the same time. Although a large wooden station building was proposed in the
event the halt was only provided with a small wooden shed. The
platform was demolished some time after 1983.
The New Romney line opened on 19 June 1884 and some unusual workings were introduced with two branches being worked by one locomotive requiring some trains serving Dungeness to reverse back to Lydd Town before proceeding on to New Romney. This procedure was greatly simplified when push-pull trains were introduced.
The line remained open with a reduced service during WW2 although an obvious target for enemy aircraft. A heavily armoured train was allocated to Ashford - Hastings - New Romney group of lines with regular patrols being undertaken. Nationalisation in 1948 initially brought few changes but with competition from busses and the popularity of the motor car in the 1950's traffic continued to decline and economies were inevitable including the withdrawal of the Dungeness freight service in 1952 and the removal of the passing loop at Lydd-on-Sea. In the early 1960's the line received a new use with the opening
of Dungeness Nuclear Power Station in 1965. The passenger service
was improved with steam being replaced by two-car diesel-electrics
providing 11 trains a day in 1962; with most running through
to Ashford. This new prosperity was not to last however and
both the Ashford - Hastings line and with it the New Romney
branch were proposed for closure in the 1963 Beeching
Report.
Further reading: The
New Romney Branch Line by Peter Harding. Published by the
author in 1983 ISBN : 0952345889 Web sites: Railways in Kent, Southern E Group and KARE for pictures of nuclear waste trains To see the other stations on the New Romney and Dungeness branches click on the station name: Appledore, Brookland Halt, Lydd Town, Greatstone-on-Sea Halt, New Romney & Littlestone-on-Sea & Dungeness |
Last updated: Sunday, 21-May-2017 14:37:32 CEST |
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