Disused Stations: Tiptree Station

Tiptree Station: Gallery 2
c1930s - 6 April 1957

In this undated view, the buildings are in LNER livery, cream and brown. The sign attached to the hut is unreadable. The barrow crossing over the track is in a rather peculiar position given the platform ramp is just feet away. At far right the goods loading gauge now has a metal gantry and beyond it the double-ended goods siding can be seen branching off; it rejoined the running line behind the photographer but the headshunt at the Tollesbury end threw out the siding into the jam factory.

Photo by from John Mann collection

In August 1949 a Tollesbury - Kelvedon train waits at Tiptree. What appears to be the train crew are passing the time on the bench seat. Very possibly this train was a mixed working which had no wagons to pick up and had therefore a few minutes to pass at Tiptree. The Class J69 locomotive still wears LNER livery and would have to wait until November 1950 to receive BR livery and number 68636. She would be withdrawn in January 1959. While passenger vehicles used on this line are well documented, other vehicles are much less so. The distinctive Gresley Full Brake used on the line which stuck out like the proverbial sore thumb has not been identified, for example. The Gresley was not always present however and would be replaced from time to time as maintenance demanded. Its usual substitute was the rather boxy type of vehicle seen here. Again unidentified, this one resembles an LNER Riding Van, a type of van used with engineering and breakdown trains although it would have been a capital rather than a departmental stock vehicle.
Photo by from John Mann collection

An undated view looking north-west over the jam factory towards Tiptree village. Today the area at top left remains largely open land while at top right the field beyond Station Road is now built up. We are looking at no later than c.1950. The railway station is just about discernible towards top right albeit largely obscured by some wagons on the siding. Left of centre some wagons are on the siding leading into the factory. The factory is a rather untidy collection of buildings, a very common situation which comes about as industries expand and changes are made as technology advances. The two chimneys in the centre of the photograph no longer exist for example, while more modern buildings have replaced several of those seen here. Today the jam museum can be found on the site at bottom left.
Photo from Mark Tudor

A 1950 scene with a Kelvedon train at the platform. The train comprises the Gresley van and ex-Stoke Ferry Brake Third E62261 which seated twenty-four passengers and this was obviously considered adequate for this particular service. Point levers such as that at lower left were unlocked by a key attached to the train staff. A couple of vans sit on the headshunt at the Kelvedon end; in operational terms these headshunts were the only facilities available for general goods traffic without obstructing the loop siding which at Tiptree was required for access to the jam factory. Tollesbury was an exception with two loop (double ended) sidings being provided.
Photo from Jim Lake collection

Another view dating from 1950. Not too much has changed; at far left the trees have matured; the parcel store and station building have poster boards attached; the platform edge has been painted white and no doubt during the war. The running-in board, to the right, now has the rather small nameplate affixed making this usually important feature of railway stations appear somewhat insignificant. A 'You may telephone from here' enamel sign has appeared on the near end corner of the station building.

Photo from Brian Chalker

A British Railways 'road driver', as the grade was termed, poses in front of his lorry. His apron was standard issue and harks back to the age of horse-drawn vehicles. The young boy was perhaps the driver's son or grandson. The practice of taking one's children out on a round was against the rules but was nevertheless a common occurrence especially in rural areas. Often drivers were provided with an official assistant and part of this job involved deterring theft when a driver had left his vehicle to deliver something to a house, factory etc. Such theft was quite common and particularly in urban areas. It occurred more often from flatbed vehicles but the lorry seen here was a dropside, hence the chain visible on the left. The Bedford lorry is a K, M or O series and unfortunately the camera angle makes positive identification difficult. The headlights are unusually small and are mounted lower down than was the norm; usually they were mounted more or less in line with the central horizontal bar of the radiator grille. Noting details of the lorry would not have entered the photographer's head, which is a pity as neither the fleet nor registration number is visible. The livery was an attractive crimson and cream. The crimson was a deeper, richer shade of red than the carmine used on railway passenger rolling stock between 1948 and 1956. It is unlikely but not impossible that this lorry was based at Tiptree, more likely it was based at either Kelvedon or Maldon. The bufferstop on the left was on the headshunt of the double ended siding while the running line was at far left, passing over the ungated Station Road level crossing. Note the 'Trains Cross Here' traffic warning sign surmounted with a red triangle. These pre-Worboys signs are now museum pieces although some, usually in fingerpost direction form, can still be found in rural areas doing the job they were designed to do. There was a collision on this level crossing involving a motor car and a Hunslet diesel shunter but no further details are known.
Photo from John Mann collection

In August 1950 this train was caught by the camera at Tiptree. Due partly to image quality and partly to grime, the British Railways liveried Class J69 locomotive is difficult to identify although the number on the bunker hints of being 68629. This time the familiar Gresley full brake is present as is the resident goods brake van. The presence of the latter suggests this is a mixed train which has either dropped off some wagons somewhere or will collect some on its way to Kelvedon, in other words at Heath Siding. Alternatively the Gresley van could be a replacement not fitted with the Westinghouse Brake although this can be considered unlikely.
Photo from John Mann collection

A Tollesbury - Kelvedon train arrives at Tiptree in British Railways days. The locomotive's smokebox number plate is visible but thanks to grime the number is unreadable. The stock comprises Brake Third E62262 and ex-Wisbech bogie car E60461. On the left the headshunt at the Tollesbury end of the loop siding gave access to the jam factory sidings, just visible in the distance beyond the wagon. On the right some tidying of the trees and bushes has been undertaken.
Photo from John Mann collection

Another view similar to the previous and again taken quite late in the life of the station. A sign of some sort is sitting on the bench outside the parcels store but unfortunately its writing, on two lines, is unreadable. Why didn't photographers note these details one may ask? Quite often they did but the details tend to be lost over time, something not helped by digitalising photographs which cannot be enlarged without becoming pixelated. The large house seen centre background still exists and at the time of writing was named 'Station House'. The Kelvedon & Tollesbury had no stationmasters, contrary to popular belief, and it is unlikely the GER would have provided such a large house for the porter-in-charge. Often houses so-named are genuine ex-railway properties but on the other hand it is not uncommon for houses to be so-named purely because they were near a railway despite having no connection. Certainly the surviving GER records make no mention of staff accommodation being provided at Tiptree.
Photo from John Mann collection

On the final day of passenger services, Saturday 5 May 1951, the very last train, the 6.37pm from Tollesbury, stands at Tiptree. From this date the section between Tudwick Road and Tollesbury closed completely. Most of the people on the platform would have been locals witnessing the event. Prominent is ex-Wisbech bogie car No. E60461. The uniformed man right of centre was either an inspector or the Kelvedon stationmaster, who was responsible for the entire line which despite folklore to the contrary never had its own stationmasters. Instead the line functioned perfectly satisfactorily with porters-in-charge at Tiptree, Tolleshunt D'Arcy and Tollesbury.
Photo from Jim Lake collection

On 6 April 1957 Class J15 0-6-0 No. 65443 stands on the platform road at Tiptree with the Railway Enthusiasts Club railtour. Passengers can be seen descending from the open wagons by means of ladders; Health & Safety would have a nervous breakdown today! The train had intended to continue to Tudwick Road but this was vetoed and instead it terminated at Tiptree where the J15 ran around its train. This locomotive had all the proverbial bells and whistles; air brakes, vacuum brakes and train heating. At the bottom of the photograph is the side track and shed for the permanent way trolley allocated to the line. Usually these sheds housed motor trolleys but which type was present at Tiptree had proved elusive at the time of writing.
Photo from Mike Morant collection

Another view of the Railway Enthusiasts Club railtour.on 6 April 1957.
Photo from Jim Lake collection

Class J15 No. 65443 stands at Tiptree with the Railway Enthusiasts Club railtour of 6 April 1957, the station being hidden from view by the train. Quite why the chap on the left felt it necessary to stand, legs spread, on two rails is open to question as the extra few inches elevation would have offered no photographic advantage. Also on the left can be seen the short length of track which led to the shed, just out of shot, which housed the line's permanent way trolley.
Photo frrom Jim Lake collection

Click here for Tiptree Station: Gallery 3
27 July 1958 - July 2024

[Source: Darren Kitson]

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Station Name: TIPTREE