Saffron Walden Station Gallery 4: c1963 - Summer 1968 walden_old36.jpg) A rare view of two Waggon und Maschinenbau railbuses at Saffron Walden. In this instance the railbuses are less easy to identify. Two, E79960/3, had smaller yellow warning panels than the remaining three and in early 1964 these two lost their overhead warning flashes which had been placed either side of the yellow warning panels. By September 1964 all five had received new warning flashes, either in the offside windscreen or the offside corner window ('offside' meaning opposite the driving cabs). Just visible on the railbus on the right is its data panel; on E79963 this was situated closer to the yellow warning panel than it was on E79960, thus this railbus appears to be E79963. That at the platform is either E79961 or E79962; this pair having the more prominent lettering on the bufferbeam below the driving cab. Quite what was happening at Saffron Walden is not recorded. It could be the changeover for returning the railbus which had been working the branch to Cambridge for maintenance or one of them could have failed. The maintenance changeover was, however, usually undertaken at either Audley End or Bartlow; a Cambridge driver handing over to a Saffron Walden driver and then returning to Cambridge with the relieved railbus.
Photo from Jim Lake collection walden_old23.jpg) Looking south-west along Saffron Walden station platform in the 1960 - 1964 period. Stabled on the left is the Fisons weedkilling train. Although the Fisons train was well known, partly due to being stabled out-of-season at Foxton on the Cambridge - King's Cross line, Messrs Chipman were perhaps more prominent in the field of weedkilling on the railways. There was a degree of rivalry between Chipman and Fison; prior to 1960, when the train seen above was introduced, weedkilling trains were required to spray a certain track mileage during the four-month weedkilling season and on the Eastern Region of BR this was 2000 miles at an operating speed of 20mph. Weedkilling trains, especially during pre-nationalisation days, were formed of a motley collection of otherwise redundant vehicles. Staff lived onboard so accommodatory vehicles had to be provided as well as tanks, tool vans and vehicles carrying the spraying equipment. The Fisons train of 1960 was designed to improve upon efficiency and was said to have capable of spraying at speeds up to 30mph. This may sound like no great achievement but it should be remembered that the higher the speed, the greater the problem with windrush and consequently drifting chemicals. Spraying equipment therefore had to be redesigned accordingly. The Fisons train sprayed Weedex which was suspended in, but not soluble in, water. Weedkilling trains made use of either conventional tank wagons or redundant locomotive tenders for, in the case of the train seen above, carrying water with Weedex introduced at the point of spraying and as can be seen Fisons used redundant ex-LMS Stanier tenders in 1960. The carriage is a converted ex-LMS Stanier Period III vehicle. The train included at least one further such vehicle and a van of some description. Livery as seen above was a very practical off-white colour but later a rather impractical green livery was used followed by an attractive (but only when clean) blue and yellow scheme. Further stock, including some ex-GWR and BR Mk1 vehicles, were later converted as was a former DMU driving trailer, E56315, renumbered to FA99900. Today, weedkilling is undertaken by the versatile Windhoff MPV units which, due to their modular design, can be kitted out for a number of functions and thus do not stand idle for much of time as would have been the case otherwise.
Copyright photo from Tony Harden collection
walden_old26.jpg) The planned station building at Saffron Walden was already larger than would normally be provided for a station serving a town of that size. The contractor had intended to build a station house in Debden Road, overlooking the station. The company directors were adamant, however, that the stationmaster must have his accommodation at the station, so this rather grand two-storey building in white brick was erected. The building is 'H' shaped with two gable ends facing onto the concourse and two onto the platform. The stationmaster lived on the upper floor. This view dates from April 1963.
Copyright photo from Tony Harden collection walden_old25.jpg) Diesel railbus E79960 waits in the platform at Saffron Walden station in April 1963, seventeen months before closure. Quite what the Gresley coach was doing stabled in the siding is not recorded. It appears to still be a passenger vehicle although in all likelihood it was in departmental service. Copyright photo from Tony Harden collection walden_old35.jpg) Sometime in the 1962-64 period, a Cravens DMU rasps away from Saffron Walden towards Audley End. Debden Road bridge, No.2116, can be seen in the background, immediately beyond which was the goods yard and the station. The photograph was taken from Borough Lane bridge, No.2115. Both of these bridges were of mainly brick but part concrete, jack-arch construction incorporating cast iron girders. Both, and Debden Road in particular, had given a number of problems over the years. The cutting seen above has long since been infilled and partly built upon east of Newport Road. There were no fewer than seven bridges over the railway within Saffron Walden. The DMU will be deputising for a railbus and almost certainly following a failure. Railbus failures were not uncommon in the period immediately following their introduction but became much less frequent once staff became more familiar with them. One problem, especially during winter and which was really nobody's fault, was discharged batteries and this was enough to disrupt the service and result in a replacement of one type or another being sent from Cambridge. Presumably Saffron Walden crews were passed to drive diesel multiple units; if so, one wonders what arrangements for maintaining the relevant traction knowledge were in place given that DMUs, of both blue square and yellow diamond types, appeared on the branch only very occasionally after the railbuses had settled down
walden_old28.jpg) Waggon und Maschinenbau diesel railbus E79960 arrives at Saffron Walden bound for Audley End on 9 May 1964, a Saturday. The shadow cast by the railbus suggests the time is around midday. At least one other photograph exists taken on the same day which tells us that at some point during the day E79960 had been changed for E79963 or vice versa. By this date the Saffron Walden branch had received BR Eastern Region signage, and a blue running-in board can be seen in the left background. In the background is South Road bridge while on the right, against the wall, is Foundry Siding. The latter was the usual stabling point for the Cambridge-based diesel shunter out-stationed at Saffron Walden. Apart from shunting the sidings, the shunter also worked the branch goods and continued to do so until final closure. The shunter's day began around dawn and finished mid afternoon. A group of young girls is waiting to board the railbus. Perhaps they lived at Wendens Ambo, adjacent to Audley End station. Saffron Walden station was quite conveniently sited for the town and its High Street shops, although shoppers returning to the station were required to ascend the lengthy and fairly steep
hill of the High Street. Copyright photo from Colour-Rail 212148 walden_old3.jpg) Looking south-west from South Road bridge. A diesel railbus, either E79962 or E79964, stands in the station. An 0-6-0 Class 03, as they became, diesel shunter is seen in Foundry Siding. The shunter out-stationed at Saffron Walden was a Cambridge-based example and was changed over every few days (railbuses were changed daily). This photograph has appeared in a number of publications and the shunter has been stated as being D2003 but this is highly unlikely. D2003 was new to the Kings Cross division and at the time this photograph was taken was allocated to Hitchin. Ending up on the Southern Region, it was an early withdrawal and lasted only until 1969. Most likely, the shunter seen above is from the D2004 - D2009 batch which spent most of, in some cases all of, their lives at Cambridge. Railbuses appeared at Saffron Walden on and from 7 July 1958 but one of the N7s and a push-and-pull set was retained for a short while to cover any failures - for the first week it is believed. It is said that on one occasion the diesel shunter deputised although details, especially concerning braking compatibility with the push-and-pull sets, are vague. Class 03 was not, of course, push-and-pull fitted! When the N7 was finally transferred away, the engine shed at Saffron Walden was closed later in July 1958 but was used by the diesel shunter when resting between duties. The shed was later disconnected and Foundry Siding then became the shunter's usual hideout. Not only did the shunter shunt, it was also destined to become the branch goods locomotive. Its duty began early in the morning and finished mid afternoon, during which time it made a number of trips to Audley End and at least one to Bartlow. This it continued to do until final closure of the branch, one driver being retained at Saffron Walden after closure to passengers for the purpose. Presumably a guard was also retained. Another problem with this photograph is its date. Sometimes given as being September 1963 it is in fact later as the water crane which once stood on the right was removed in April 1964. The date is therefore April - September 1964.
walden_old5.jpg) A Waggon und Maschinenbau diesel railbus waits at Saffron Walden station with a handful of people milling around the platform. The railbus is E79960, and the position of its overhead warning flash tells us that the photograph dates from the final months prior to closure. Saffron Walden station had just three BR totems but the gas lamp on the right was never so adorned, presumably because of its proximity to the running-in board.
walden_old18.jpg) The final timetable for the Saffron Walden branch had been more-or-less that introduced in 1960 and the Sunday service was sparse but, nonetheless, adequate. Sunday included two trips to Haverhill; the second of these departed Audley End at 6.02pm and arrived at Haverhill at 6.27pm. It then departed Haverhill at 7.00pm and reached Audley End at 7.24pm. Departure from Audley End was then 7.56pm and this service terminated at Saffron Walden at 7.59pm, concluding the day's services. On Sunday 6 September 1964 the 7.56pm ex-Audley End was the final passenger service on the branch. Normally the railbus would be stabled overnight at Saffron Walden ready for Monday's services but on the final day it returned light to Cambridge depot. The photograph shows E79963 departing Saffron Walden for Cambridge depot having operated the final service. A Cambridge crew is in charge, having travelled to Saffron Walden earlier for the sole purpose of returning the railbus to Cambridge. Normally the railbus at Saffron Walden was changed over each evening, with the relieved railbus returning to Cambridge for maintenance. E79963 had replaced E79961 the previous evening but, of course, on the last day no changeover was required, hence the Cambridge crew travelled passenger to Saffron Walden on the last day. The branch lasted a further 1½ months until final closure, one driver and a diesel shunter being retained at Saffron Walden for the purpose. This was not, however, the end for E79963. After a period in storage at Cambridge it was sent to South Gosforth in August 1965, where it joined E79964 which had been sent north three months earlier. The pair were put to work on the Alston branch (and, it is thought, also trialled on Newcastle - Hexham shuttles) but their performance was, to put it politely, dismal. Both railbuses returned to Cambridge, after just one month in the case of E79963. In 1966 E79964, together with E79961, went north again to work the Buxton - Millers Dale shuttle but lasted only a year until the service was withdrawn. E79961 was to make one final journey, to C F Booth's scrapyard at Rotherham, while the remaining four entered preservation in 1967.
walden_old7.jpg) Track-lifting at Saffron Walden taking place in the summer of 1968. The junction at Audley End had been removed soon after the line closed but otherwise the track remained in situ for four years. Between April and September 1968 track-lifting was undertaken between Audley End and a point a few hundred yards short of Bartlow, the latter finally being lifted in 1970. As of 2015 the only track remaining in situ is within the Acrow works, embedded in concrete. Photo from John Mann collection walden_old6.jpg) Track-lifting at Saffron Walden taking place in the summer of 1968 with a Brush Type 2 diesel visible in the distance on the demolition train (see the Bartlow page). These trains returned materials to Chesterton Junction, Cambridge (see the Bartlow page). Photo from John Mann collection Click here for Saffron Walden Station Gallery 5:  Home
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