Colne Valley Railway

Colne Valley Railway
300px Castle Hedingham station on the Colne Valley railway
Commercial operations
Built by	Colne Valley and Halstead Railway
Original gauge	4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm)
Preserved operations
Preserved gauge	4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm)
Commercial history
Opened	1861/1863
Closed	1961 Passenger traffic 1965 Freight traffic
Preservation history
1973	land purchase
1974	Preservation Society formed
Headquarters	Castle Hedingham Station

Colne Valley and Halstead Railway
Legend Stour Valley Railway Haverhill (South-CVHR) Haverhill (North) Birdbrook x20px Stour Valley Railway to Sudbury Whitley Yeldham Hedingham Colne Valley Railway (heritage railway) Sible and Castle Hedingham Halstead Earls Colne White Colne Gainsborough Line to Sudbury Chappel and Wakes Colne Gainsborough Line

The Colne Valley Railway is a heritage railway based at Castle Hedingham Station, near Halstead in Essex, England. The railway consists of a 1 mile (1.6 km) long running line, with a fully reconstructed station, signal box and railway yard.

History

The railway occupies part of the former Colne Valley and Halstead Railway (CVHR), which opened in stages between 16 April 1860 and 10 May 1863. This part of the railway was a through line from Birdbrook to Wakes Colne.

Under the Beeching axe, the line was one of many deemed uneconomic and hence surplus to the needs of the new railway strategy. The line remained open until 1 January 1962, when all passenger and freight traffic between Haverhill and Yeldham ended. On 19 April 1965, all transiting freight traffic ended. The line was de-constructed and infrastructure demolished or recovered by contractors a year later, and the land on which the heritage railway station's now sits resold under the lines original construction terms to the formally owning Hedingham Castle estate (HCE).

Preservation

A long-term lease on the required land was acquired from HCE in 1973, and the Colne Valley Railway Preservation Society (CVRPS) formed in 1974. Although originally a main line railway, the track and infrastructure was taken up in the late 60s, so on acquisition there was no remaining infrastructure onsite. The original Hedingham station 1 mile (1.6 km) away and was taken down carefully brick by brick, the bricks numbered, and the structure transported to the new site and subsequently reconstructed. The timber top half (first floor) of the signal box came from Cressing, remounted on a new higher (ground floor) brick base. The bridge crossing the River Colne came from Earls Colne in 1982.

The first steam locomotive to arrive on site was Hunslet "Austerity" 0-6-0ST No.WD190 shortly followed by No.72. Members of the CVRPS began to operate the locomotives on a short section of line. Despite its still short length, presently the CVR is home to three ex-mainline steam locomotives, and holds Pullman dining services on a monthly basis.

Closure threat

HCE was acquired by Australian businessman Christopher Young. Instead of then renewing the CVRPS's long term lease, the terms were changed to a five-year renegotiable lease. In 2014, with the current 5-year lease due to expire on 31 December 2015, Young via HCE offered the CVRPS the option of buying the site's freehold. The CVRPS gained sufficient funds and loan backing to complete the terms in December 2014, but were told by HCE that Young's plans had changed.

The CVRPS were informed at their Annual General Meeting on 22 March 2015 that HCE had decided the railway no longer featured in future plans for HCE. Planning permission would be sought for redevelopment of the site, which lies in a conservation area - a subsequent Freedom of Information request by local media discovered that outline planning permission had been sought for 600 houses on the station. The CVRPS were served notice that operations must cease after 31 December 2015, with the CVRPS having to remove all its rolling stock and buildings during 2016, with possibility of relocation to another heritage railway.

In June 2015, it was announced by CVRPS that a new site adjacent to the current one had been procured. Permission was being sought from HCE to operate as normal during 2016, with the railway operating from the new site from 2017. A new station would be constructed at each end of the line, which would extend to 1 mile 4 chains (1.69 km). Later that month, it was announced by the CVRPS that the proposed new site was "no longer viable" due to reasons that were not disclosed. In July 2015 it was announced that the railway, on its original site, was now safe.

Motive power

Steam locomotives

Origin	Wheel arrangement	Class	Notes	Photograph
LMS	4-6-0	Class 5MT	No. 45163 built 1935, Under restoration.
LMS	4-6-0	Class 5MT	No. 45293 built 1936, Under restoration.
SR	4-6-2	Merchant Navy Class	No. 35010 Blue Star, built 1942. Under external restoration.
Hunslet	0-6-0ST	Austerity	No. WD190, built in 1952. Operational.
Hunslet	0-6-0ST	Austerity	No. WD200, built in 1953. Under restoration/overhaul.
Avonside	0-4-0ST		Barrington, built 1921. Under overhaul.
Hawthorne Leslie	0-4-0ST		No. 1, built in 1928. External restoration.	150px
RSH	0-6-0ST	56	No. 60 Jupiter, built in 1950. Under restoration/ overhaul.

Diesel locomotives

Origin	Wheel arrangement	Class	Notes	Photograph
BR	0-6-0DM	Class 03	No. D2041, operational.
BR	0-6-0DM	Class 03	No. D2184, operational.
BR	0-6-0DM	Class 08	No. 08 411, under restoration	150px
BR	A1A-A1A	Class 31	No. 31 255, operational	150px
BR	Co-Co	Class 47	No. 47 771 Heaton Traincare Depot, under restoration	150px
Ruston & Hornsby	0-4-0DM		No. YD43, ex-Admiralty. operational	150px
Andrew Barclay Sons & Co.	4wDM		No. 349/41, operational

Diesel multiple units

Origin	Class	Notes	Photograph
BR	Class 121	No. 55033, built in 1960, operational
BR	Class 121	No. 56287, operational
BR	Class 141	No. 141 108, operational	150px
AC Cars / BR	Railbus	No. W79978, built in 1958, static display.

External links

• Colne Valley Railway website