I do hope you enjoy this film - please *share* widely wherever you can. If you feel you can support my channel further, you may consider buying me a coffee www.buymeacoffee.com/rediscovering - very best wishes.
Thank you so much for bringing these closed lines back to life.... if only for a few minutes. The quality of the films and the narration is just superb 😊
It is always a real treat when you upload your beautifully narrated and superbly shot documentaries. They are getting better and better! Thank you so much for sharing another glimpse of the past. With this episode, I found myself reflecting on what the livelihoods of those who worked the line were like. How life changes over a relatively short span of time. Many thanks once again, and a Happy New Year to you! 😊🎉
@@RediscoveringLostRailways it’s a shame they don’t. It genuinely is a delight to come across fantastic videos like yours. Do you have a geographical range when it comes to which railways you research?
Being an ex resident of East Bergholt, Ipswich and Hadleigh, I'm very well aquainted with the journey we just took. A wonderful video, beautifully photographed with a superb commentary. Even though the line closed in the mid 1960s, the relics that are left a real sight to enjoy especially the old Hadleigh station building.
Thank you. I was born & brought up in Bentley so remember it well.When I knew it It had just two trains a week with just a small parcel van which was stabled in the bay at Bentley Station in between duties. The Driver & fireman (before a Petrol shunter was used ) used to have open & shut the crossing gates. There was one train crew who if you opened & shut the Bentley Church Crossing gates for them would give you a ride on the loco & drop you off before you came to Capel Station. ( all illegal of course ) but back then Suffolk people were happy go lucky & there were many intances of this sort of kindly actions . I also remember nature walks from the village primary School which on no train days would be along a little bit of railway from church crossing. There were no signals on the line apart from a fixed distance one warning of the main line ahead. Bentley Station was lit by oil lamps right up until it closed.
What better way to start the year than with another of your series of classic gems, which will, we hope, outlive our beloved lost former alignments. A happy new year to you Sir !
Stations are surprisingly grand for a rural branch line. Like many, WW2 saw them as busy as they'd ever been with troop movements, munitions and supplies.
What a lovely start to 2024! Thanks for another of the best produced and narrated videos of disused railways available on the internet. Well done! Enjoy your coffees 😁👍
Thank you for another wonderful video. It is so enjoyable to see a production of such quality and the work you put into your films is evident in the research filming and quality of narration (it is so refreshing to hear someone using the English language as it is meant to be) Thank you again and may I wish you, and yours, a very happy New Year.
Another delightful branch line sadly forgotten. But remembered here in this video. I love watching these films , brilliantly filmed and described in your commentary. Keep up the great work. 👍👍👍
I really appreciate these videos, the work you do, the time and research it must invole. Yes for alittle while these stations are alive again. I always wonder on my travels what these abandoned or long lost places were like. Your videos do that job very nicely!
A beautifully filmed and narrated portrait of this long lost line. The architectural splendour of its station buildings is perhaps surprising in view of its rural surroundings.
Another incredible video as per usual !! May I suggest. The Scarborough and Whitby disused raily. And also the Whitby Redcar and Middlesbrough disused railway. I have cycled about 6 disused railways and it's definitely the prettiest and quite well reserved.
You can see my first home (as a small child) in the 'flyby' portion of this video. I grew up less than half a mile from the site of Bentley Church station, although the station itself had long gone by then and the building was a private residence. The track was still in place (1962?) and I remember seeing the occasional powered engineering 'brake' wagon along the line. Within a few years the track was lifted, but you could still find long steel bolts, presumeably which held the track to the sleepers.
I had a busy shift this morning, what a treat whilst I put my feet up with a cuppa and the few Christmas chocolates left! Thank you for this lovely video, I don't know Suffolk well but you portray its beauty and railway history so eloquently. Happy New Year to you and all RLR viewers, I'm eagerly looking forward to more railway history to come.
Closed to passengers at the end of February 1932 by the LNER (Beeching-haters please take note that Beeching was just continuing the work started by the Big 4). The passengers took the bus in greater and greater numbers until the passenger services ran at a loss and as a business the LNER could not afford such losses. Two of the cited reasons for this switch are the week-long rail strike of 1922 and the General Strike of 1926, but just how much these were an influence compared to the greater convenience of the bus has not been recorded. This makes your comment about social benefits of the line more of a sad attempt at a joke than a realistic comment as may be applied to other lines. The line closed to all traffic on 19/4/1965 as freight traffic had also been falling and costs of providing the service were rising and thus were ripe for cutting by Beeching's axe. Capel was located on the A12 and was a thorn in the side of both motorists and train crews. The level crossing was a bottleneck for the motorist and for the train crews, well they found it difficult to stop traffic in order to close the gates to allow them to proceed. It got so bad that light signals had to be installed to stop road traffic in addition to the level crossing gates.
Two points. First the motor bus was not an option when branch lines like Hadleigh were conceived. Secondly, if the line could have been mothballed it would almost certainly have been part of a thriving commuter network today. History will view the private car boom as fleeting as railway mania of the 1840s.
@@borderlands6606 oh dear. And who would pay for the mothballing? In the mid-1960s the UK's finances were in a shocking state. The October 1965 trade deficit figures that double what had been expected lead to a run on the Pound that required spending cuts across the board. The LNER faced a similar position in 1932 at the height of the Great Depression. With the LNER's poor financial state they couldn't afford to mothball unremuniative lines or stations. Yes, bus weren't available at the time when lines like this were under consideration is neither here nor there. The motor car or powered aircraft were still pipe dreams as well. But they all came along and took passengers away from the railways.
@@neiloflongbeck5705 Railways were built on a unique combination of cheap labour and Victorian ambition. The cost to maintain bridges, for example, was negligible. The spirit of the time was anti-Victorian (St Pancras was slated for demolition) and railways represented the past. Lines that survived the cull have thrived beyond anything the bean counters could imagine.
@@borderlands6606 the closing of the line between Loftus aand Whitby in 1958 save around £60,000 for the portion 1958 to 1961 on structural maintenance on the viaducts and tunnels, do the cost of structure maintenance is not always as cheap as you think. As for St Pancras, traffic levels on the line were falling along with those going into King's Cross and Euston which meant it made economic sense to consider re-routing trains into these stations. It had nothing to do with the age of the station and its facilities as King's Cross was older. That Victorian drive also fave us too many railways. If you lived in Leicester and wanted to get to London you could take the GNR train from Leicester Belgrave station, the GCR from Leicester Central or the MR from Leicester London Road. And two of those lines ended up in the hands of the LNER and competed for funds from the same board. No, the Victorians caused as many problems for the future generations as we have caused for future generations.
Another charming, informative video - thank you! I walked the Hadleigh end of this line a few times in the 1980s, when it was still mainly a cindered way, and with clear, open cutting banks. The wildlife, especially insects, was quite abundant then, but when I last visited, decades later, the Hadleigh end had been built up with dense housing, and the path tarmacked, all much more urbanised. The cuttings were fully grown and shaded over, and the insect/plant life much reduced - tree growth isn't always a good thing everywhere! Good that a lot of the railway past survives here and there.
Thank you for such a beautifully filmed and researched video. Way better than some similar channels, which leave me with more questions than answers! I remember, as a small child, seeing the rusty rails turning off into the woods at Bentley, and being quite intrigued. Now, 60 years later, you have enlightened me.😁
Hi , Let me start by saying, A Happy New Year, and thank you for another lost railway and it's stations, it's always sad to see , Thank you again , All the best Brian 😃
well i wasn't expecting to see this is my feed this morning, even if it was a short video on a short line it was still packed with information on a line that i didn't even know existed. I guess the old saying plays true here... you learn something new everyday... great work as always and i can't wait till the next grand rediscovery
I often wonder whether living in a former station building is enjoyable or a curse. If you can afford to maintain the structure in a good condition and you can keep a keen sense of the history it may be a delight, but I imagine that when problems arise they can be severe. If someone who does occupy an old station could put me right I'd be appreciative. The Hadleigh building looks far nicer than the modern stuff surrounding it. This has been a most enjoyable video, thank you for posting it. I'm a sucker for railway nostalgia and my model layout reflects this as it is set in the 1950's (my childhood). My house is a mere 90 years old and therefore thermally not too efficient, as I imagine Hadleigh station might be, but has a quality the new-builds around here sadly lack.
Living in Ipswich, Bentley and Capel are on my accustomed cycle routes - with occasional rides along the railway walk from Raydon to Hadleigh 😊 It's a pity the old line between Bentley and Raydon isn't transmogrified into a walking and cycling route
One of the great points of the original railway companies competetive streaks was the wonderful range of architecture within the buildings as thye tried to outdo each other in grandeur. But it's also good the Nature is taking back what was wrested from her all those years ago. 😊
Yes, some wonderfully unique and characterful designs to be sure. I must confess that I think Hadleigh station is the most charming of all the stations on this line...thenother buildings look a bit disproportionate!
Such a beautiful, nostalgic and professional channel and one which I look forward to more than any other. Thank you for taking the time to share and produce such amazing videos. Happy New Year and thank you again.
Happy New Year! Great video. I saw the Bentley signalbox in someone's garden! Doesn't the Bently Church crossing keeper's cottage look like the one at Glenfield? Love the GE villa stations..just like Rayne.
Well done! An enjoyable interlude. The point where the line left the main line north-east of Bentley was not a junction, at least after WW2. The junction was at Bentley station and the Hadleigh branch ran alongside the main line until the point of divergence
That's very interesting - I did not know that - glad you enjoyed the film nevertheless. May I ask if you are the David Pearson who kindly allowed me to employ his photos in this film?
As an historian and collector of artifacts of the Hadleigh branch it's good to see you've done your research. A well put together project. There's quite a few more hidden treasures along the line if you know where to look. Thankfully through the permission of local landowners I've also got to visit some parts that are off limits to the public. This included a recent visit inside Raydon station. I also recently met with someone who lived in Capel station until it's demolition. It was great to get his memories of life on the branch line.
Thank you very much - please tell me the treasures I missed, only to satisfy my curiosity! May I ask about any items you have found during your explorations? Best wishes
Good afternoon, Thankyou for showing your latest film. I do look forward to watching these as the content is always superb. Happy new year and I will be looking forward to seeing more of your quality work this year my freind ☕👍
Once again an episode with high production values, more so than many so called "proffessional" productions out there on dvd. Have you thought of doing a "best of" video where you take a look back at some of your favourite scenes, perhaps showing unused footage/photos and using narration as to why its on the best of film, just an idea and it would be a great insight for the viewers too. Have a great new year ✨️
That's a splendid idea - let me say that I will do just that should I make it to 30k subscribers this year, as a number of kind souls have suggested I do a Q&A video - something like that would do the trick...
@@RediscoveringLostRailways I believe the plan was to build on the (very low lying) former industrial land in Brantham, on the west side of the main line just before the river crossing at Cattawade as the line heads towards Manningtree. However, the land is very low lying and I think prone to flooding and the plan was abandoned.
Totally enjoyed again and thank you. We enjoyed a day at the MIDDY about 2 years ago which is recreating the time of such branch lines. With their history evolving nicely. "I have a friend with 60 feet of track... I know a bloke with 60 feet as well!" said another. "We know someone with a waggon!" and so assembled a little railway. Then a Steam Locomotive turned up. D & L.
Another lovely film, beautifully produced as ever. I loved the photos of the 1962 railtour, with passengers just standing in those goods trucks as they trundled along. Not exactly in line with modern-day health and safety procedures!
Nothing would give me greater pleasure, but I live so far away and my job keeps me busier than I would like AND I have to put my family first...but believe me, I long to explore these places and their lost railways!
Did I see a length of Broad Gauge rail used as a post so far away from the GWR ?!! Isambard would turn in his grave! Would've made a nice restoration line!! 🧐
What a wonderful film !!. As a native of Bentley i can well remember the trains running along this Branch Line and Bentley Station as it was in the early sixties. My Father, Grandfather and Uncle all worked on the Railway at this time as did a number of our neighbours and friends. I can just about remember being taken for a short ride on the Ganger's powered cart along part of the branch line. I don't think it would happen today !!!
I grew up cycling these lines, from Hadleigh to Raydon mainly. My parents still live on the back of the Hadleigh portion, about 5 minutes walk away from the old Hadleigh Station. I take my son down there as often as we visit, it brings back so many childhood memories.
love the fact you do these vids and include things like google maps so we can see where and what was! ...TBH on other channels on lost lines we dont get this and i have a habit of following the route on google maps ( still done it now with your vid ....just so i can follow the line and as obv google maps update every so often so i can see whats changed along the routes since the vids were posted ect! AS usual another very informative vid ...iI may have asked this before but have you done a vid on the old Bristol to Bath Midland Railway Mangotsfield and Bath branch line, its now a 15 mile cycleway (one of the first built i may add) BUT has soooo many original features presereved (including a tunnel you can cycle through! ) along the route with stations marked (even if its just the platform edges) OR the ruins of Mangotsfield station (a major junction at the time for trains between Bristol, Bath and to Birmingham and the north beyond) AND Bath green park station that is preserved at the terminus as cafes' bars and resturants ...oh and a sainsburys lol BUT still has its original glass conopy ect! here is a link to the Bristol and Bath Railway Path wiki , ALSO part of the route is a heraitage railway ..the avon valley railway with fully restored stations and signal boxes too! well worth a visit for you at some point as there is a LOT left ! the wiki gives you loads of information I hope some day you can get down the south west and feature this on the channel one day! en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bristol_and_Bath_Railway_Path
Having ridden along the old trackway from Raydon to Hadleigh a few times I found this video absolutely fascinating especially the old photos of a bygone era, which along with the excellent narration, bring the whole subject to life. Although I’ve never really had an interest in trains (bizarre considering I grew up close to where David Shepherd kept his ‘toys’ & rode on them as a kid in the late 60’s) I find nowadays I really enjoy exploring old abandoned railway lines. I hasten to add using a mountain bike does make it somewhat easier to cover what are sometimes distances that aren’t really feasible on foot in a day. Of note these are the ‘Marriotts Way’ which runs from Aylesham north of Norwich and heads west before it then loops all the way back into Norwich. The Cuckoo Trail running from Heathfield in Sussex down to Eastbourne and also the ‘Down’s Link’ running from Guildford in Surrey down to Shoreham on the Sussex coast. Finally the ‘Flitch Way’ running from Braintree in Essex to Bishop’s Stortford in Hertfordshire - would love to see any one of these given the ‘Rediscovering Lost Railways’ treatment. Now to sit & watch your entire catalogue. Keep up your excellent work 👍
What a gem often on a Sunday in mid sixties used to walk route with my parents and siblings went on to work for British Railways at Ipswich upon leaving school in 1969.Became a signalman at Bentley,meet a young lady from the village and consequently married at Bentley church .Sadly resigned from B R in 1973/4 pay insufficient for us to buy house and start a family.When Bentley signal box was demolished ,(during electrification of G E main line) I received one of the name boards and original L N E R signal box diagram which I still treasure.We had no running water at the box ( early shift always filled canisters from the crossing hut) and doughnut Tilley lamps supplied lighting.After branch closed a signal box from l believe Raydon became a builder’s office in Capel village and if memory serves me correctly is now at Bressingham steam museum near Diss.Hadleigh would benefit from branch reopening as would Ipswich as a commuter route Thankyou for posting fantastic film.
Thank you for this. The stations on that line were lovely buildings. It's a shame that the railway didn't go in a useful direction, so passengers were tempted away by motor buses very early - in the 1930s, I believe. Even by rural East Anglian standards, that was early.
Lovely video. I live not far away (Colchester) and have walked the line between Raydon and Hadleigh, though I don't remember finding Hadleigh station building on that occasion. Have also explored the area around Bentley and the junction, taken some photos of today's trains there. You can see where the branch line ran parallel to the mainline until 'the island'.
Only just discovered this, what a brilliant video. As a Capel resident I love the history of the old line and an always hunting for reminders of past times when out in the area and out to Bentley & Hadleigh. Many thanks.
Another wonderful video, thanks. I pass Capel Station Garage on the A12 when visiting my son in Colchester and your pictures in the video showing its location and former glory really opened my eyes to how much we have lost.
Just like to add some further information which might be of interest. It concerns Bentley Church Station , I think that it was intended to put a station at this location but it never got built. The crossing keepers cottage is very much larger & more grand than usual & might have been intended to form part of the planned station. However it is well possible in the early days of the line when passenger services ran that trains did stop here & take passengers as Bentley Manor (which has the date of 1591 & a Tudor Rose over its front door) Was occupied by The great Tollemache family ( who later moved to Helmingham Hall ) so there is every reason to think Lord & Lady Tollermache & all the servants they had would have been allowed to use trains maybe with ramps like those used on the Mildenhall Branch as Bentley Station is some distance from this old part of the village. Also the line was planned as a double track line but this never happened.
A very enjoyable, informative video, I always feel relaxed when watching your videos. By the size of the station buildings and a kind of grandeur it’s obvious the railway had great ambitions which sadly didn’t pan out so well. Sadly that’s the story of a lot of closed branch lines, it’s good to see though that there are still decent remains of the branch and still extant buildings .
Utterly brilliant presentation, thank you so much for this, and your series. I wish your talent was rewarded with a show on tv, but sadly they’re obsessed with rubbish such as game shows etc. Well done on your work, it’s wonderful.
It's not a term widely used in England - it just refers to those bridges that have been built to accommodate the needs of the farmer when railways were built across their land. As to its origins - alas, I do not know. Best wishes.
Great Video! Love all the work you do hope you had a happy new year I’ve also got some recommendations Coalville town - Loughborough derby road via Coalville east, Whitwick, Thringstone, Grace dieu, Shepshed, snells nook. I know Grace dieu has a impressive viaduct and embankments. Another one is Burton - Shackerstone via Overseal, Donisthorpe, Measham, Snarestone I think these railways are a good fit for content as they are industrial heritage especially around Coalville and they could be combined into a longer episode A good book fore pictures and maps is Railway connections steam days in the Leicester to Burton line Hope this helps 😊
I do hope you enjoy this film - please *share* widely wherever you can. If you feel you can support my channel further, you may consider buying me a coffee www.buymeacoffee.com/rediscovering - very best wishes.
You're not so productive these days, I notice?!!
@@KILKennyLaDa9898-js2nr I have a little boy on the scene now, so he is my priority, but I try to get out and about when time permits
@@RediscoveringLostRailways Thanks,...''productive'' in ''other'' ways, congratulations! 😄😄😄
Thank you so much for bringing these closed lines back to life.... if only for a few minutes. The quality of the films and the narration is just superb 😊
You're very welcome!
It is always a real treat when you upload your beautifully narrated and superbly shot documentaries. They are getting better and better! Thank you so much for sharing another glimpse of the past. With this episode, I found myself reflecting on what the livelihoods of those who worked the line were like. How life changes over a relatively short span of time. Many thanks once again, and a Happy New Year to you! 😊🎉
Thank you and same to you!
This is what UA-cam was created for, top quality, properly researched content. Well done. Keep doing what you’re doing.
That's so kind! If only UA-cam agreed! They promote quantity rather than quality, so I'm grateful for your very kind remarks!
@@RediscoveringLostRailways it’s a shame they don’t. It genuinely is a delight to come across fantastic videos like yours. Do you have a geographical range when it comes to which railways you research?
Being an ex resident of East Bergholt, Ipswich and Hadleigh, I'm very well aquainted with the journey we just took. A wonderful video, beautifully photographed with a superb commentary. Even though the line closed in the mid 1960s, the relics that are left a real sight to enjoy especially the old Hadleigh station building.
Glad you enjoyed it and always happy to have someone local to the area give their approval!
Thank you. I was born & brought up in Bentley so remember it well.When I knew it It had just two trains a week with just a small parcel van which was stabled in the bay at Bentley Station in between duties. The Driver & fireman (before a Petrol shunter was used ) used to have open & shut the crossing gates. There was one train crew who if you opened & shut the Bentley Church Crossing gates for them would give you a ride on the loco & drop you off before you came to Capel Station. ( all illegal of course ) but back then Suffolk people were happy go lucky & there were many intances of this sort of kindly actions . I also remember nature walks from the village primary School which on no train days would be along a little bit of railway from church crossing. There were no signals on the line apart from a fixed distance one warning of the main line ahead. Bentley Station was lit by oil lamps right up until it closed.
Wonderful, evocative and fascinating memories, thank you!
What better way to start the year than with another of your series of classic gems, which will, we hope, outlive our beloved lost former alignments. A happy new year to you Sir !
Happy new year!
Stations are surprisingly grand for a rural branch line. Like many, WW2 saw them as busy as they'd ever been with troop movements, munitions and supplies.
Many thanks for your thoughts and comment 👍
Another fine video, thanks, and I hope you will be continuing to produce more in the new year.
That's the plan!
Thanks for another wander through times gone past but not forgotten as long as you keep them alive in us all🎉happy new year everyone
Happy new year!
What a lovely start to 2024! Thanks for another of the best produced and narrated videos of disused railways available on the internet. Well done!
Enjoy your coffees 😁👍
Happy new year! And thank you for your generous support 🙏
Thank you for another wonderful video. It is so enjoyable to see a production of such quality and the work you put into your films is evident in the research filming and quality of narration (it is so refreshing to hear someone using the English language as it is meant to be)
Thank you again and may I wish you, and yours, a very happy New Year.
And to you too. How lovely to start the year reading such kind words!
Happy New Year guys!!!
Happy new year!!
Another delightful branch line sadly forgotten. But remembered here in this video. I love watching these films , brilliantly filmed and described in your commentary. Keep up the great work. 👍👍👍
Many thanks! My pleasure 🙏
I really appreciate these videos, the work you do, the time and research it must invole. Yes for alittle while these stations are alive again. I always wonder on my travels what these abandoned or long lost places were like. Your videos do that job very nicely!
Glad you like them!
Superb video again!
As usual, a pleasure to watch.
🙂👍
Thank you indeed!
A beautifully filmed and narrated portrait of this long lost line. The architectural splendour of its station buildings is perhaps surprising in view of its rural surroundings.
Yes agreed, they were very grand!
Another incredible video as per usual !! May I suggest. The Scarborough and Whitby disused raily. And also the Whitby Redcar and Middlesbrough disused railway. I have cycled about 6 disused railways and it's definitely the prettiest and quite well reserved.
Great suggestion! Thank you!
what a way to start the new year many thanks
I'm so glad you enjoyed it!
Excellent as always. I so look forward to your videos. And you have the perfect voice to commentary!
Very kind of you to say so, thank you!
You can see my first home (as a small child) in the 'flyby' portion of this video. I grew up less than half a mile from the site of Bentley Church station, although the station itself had long gone by then and the building was a private residence. The track was still in place (1962?) and I remember seeing the occasional powered engineering 'brake' wagon along the line. Within a few years the track was lifted, but you could still find long steel bolts, presumeably which held the track to the sleepers.
Wonderful memories, thanks for sharing!
Another great documentary bringing to life a forgotten railway line. Always enjoyable watching. Thank you.
Glad you enjoyed it!
Hi what a lovely video so very enjoyable to watch and the history looking forward to the next one.
Many thanks indeed, I'm so glad you enjoy them!
Another gem.
Thank you!
I had a busy shift this morning, what a treat whilst I put my feet up with a cuppa and the few Christmas chocolates left! Thank you for this lovely video, I don't know Suffolk well but you portray its beauty and railway history so eloquently. Happy New Year to you and all RLR viewers, I'm eagerly looking forward to more railway history to come.
I'm so glad you enjoyed it! Thank you for your kind words.
Closed to passengers at the end of February 1932 by the LNER (Beeching-haters please take note that Beeching was just continuing the work started by the Big 4). The passengers took the bus in greater and greater numbers until the passenger services ran at a loss and as a business the LNER could not afford such losses. Two of the cited reasons for this switch are the week-long rail strike of 1922 and the General Strike of 1926, but just how much these were an influence compared to the greater convenience of the bus has not been recorded. This makes your comment about social benefits of the line more of a sad attempt at a joke than a realistic comment as may be applied to other lines.
The line closed to all traffic on 19/4/1965 as freight traffic had also been falling and costs of providing the service were rising and thus were ripe for cutting by Beeching's axe.
Capel was located on the A12 and was a thorn in the side of both motorists and train crews. The level crossing was a bottleneck for the motorist and for the train crews, well they found it difficult to stop traffic in order to close the gates to allow them to proceed. It got so bad that light signals had to be installed to stop road traffic in addition to the level crossing gates.
Many thanks for your insights
Two points. First the motor bus was not an option when branch lines like Hadleigh were conceived. Secondly, if the line could have been mothballed it would almost certainly have been part of a thriving commuter network today. History will view the private car boom as fleeting as railway mania of the 1840s.
@@borderlands6606 oh dear. And who would pay for the mothballing? In the mid-1960s the UK's finances were in a shocking state. The October 1965 trade deficit figures that double what had been expected lead to a run on the Pound that required spending cuts across the board. The LNER faced a similar position in 1932 at the height of the Great Depression. With the LNER's poor financial state they couldn't afford to mothball unremuniative lines or stations.
Yes, bus weren't available at the time when lines like this were under consideration is neither here nor there. The motor car or powered aircraft were still pipe dreams as well. But they all came along and took passengers away from the railways.
@@neiloflongbeck5705 Railways were built on a unique combination of cheap labour and Victorian ambition. The cost to maintain bridges, for example, was negligible. The spirit of the time was anti-Victorian (St Pancras was slated for demolition) and railways represented the past. Lines that survived the cull have thrived beyond anything the bean counters could imagine.
@@borderlands6606 the closing of the line between Loftus aand Whitby in 1958 save around £60,000 for the portion 1958 to 1961 on structural maintenance on the viaducts and tunnels, do the cost of structure maintenance is not always as cheap as you think. As for St Pancras, traffic levels on the line were falling along with those going into King's Cross and Euston which meant it made economic sense to consider re-routing trains into these stations. It had nothing to do with the age of the station and its facilities as King's Cross was older.
That Victorian drive also fave us too many railways. If you lived in Leicester and wanted to get to London you could take the GNR train from Leicester Belgrave station, the GCR from Leicester Central or the MR from Leicester London Road. And two of those lines ended up in the hands of the LNER and competed for funds from the same board. No, the Victorians caused as many problems for the future generations as we have caused for future generations.
Another charming, informative video - thank you! I walked the Hadleigh end of this line a few times in the 1980s, when it was still mainly a cindered way, and with clear, open cutting banks. The wildlife, especially insects, was quite abundant then, but when I last visited, decades later, the Hadleigh end had been built up with dense housing, and the path tarmacked, all much more urbanised. The cuttings were fully grown and shaded over, and the insect/plant life much reduced - tree growth isn't always a good thing everywhere! Good that a lot of the railway past survives here and there.
Wonderful post closure memories, thanks so much for sharing!
Thank you for such a beautifully filmed and researched video. Way better than some similar channels, which leave me with more questions than answers! I remember, as a small child, seeing the rusty rails turning off into the woods at Bentley, and being quite intrigued. Now, 60 years later, you have enlightened me.😁
Thank you so much for your kind words and memories!
Hi , Let me start by saying, A Happy New Year, and thank you for another lost railway and it's stations, it's always sad to see , Thank you again , All the best Brian 😃
My pleasure, thank you - and Happy New Year to you!
You go from strength to strength, this has to be one of the best yet. Thank you - Happy New Year
Happy new year!
Thank you once more for another lovely video.
Thank you too!
Great video,Thanks for that!
Glad you liked it!
well i wasn't expecting to see this is my feed this morning, even if it was a short video on a short line it was still packed with information on a line that i didn't even know existed. I guess the old saying plays true here... you learn something new everyday... great work as always and i can't wait till the next grand rediscovery
Glad you enjoyed it!
I often wonder whether living in a former station building is enjoyable or a curse. If you can afford to maintain the structure in a good condition and you can keep a keen sense of the history it may be a delight, but I imagine that when problems arise they can be severe. If someone who does occupy an old station could put me right I'd be appreciative. The Hadleigh building looks far nicer than the modern stuff surrounding it.
This has been a most enjoyable video, thank you for posting it. I'm a sucker for railway nostalgia and my model layout reflects this as it is set in the 1950's (my childhood). My house is a mere 90 years old and therefore thermally not too efficient, as I imagine Hadleigh station might be, but has a quality the new-builds around here sadly lack.
My house is several hundred years old...full of character...but empty of insulation!
Great vlogs, very well presented… Happy and Healthy 2024 to everyone …
And to you!
Thank you 😊
You're welcome!
Living in Ipswich, Bentley and Capel are on my accustomed cycle routes - with occasional rides along the railway walk from Raydon to Hadleigh 😊
It's a pity the old line between Bentley and Raydon isn't transmogrified into a walking and cycling route
Yes, agreed!
Superb as per usual my good man
Thank you!
One of the great points of the original railway companies competetive streaks was the wonderful range of architecture within the buildings as thye tried to outdo each other in grandeur.
But it's also good the Nature is taking back what was wrested from her all those years ago. 😊
Yes, some wonderfully unique and characterful designs to be sure. I must confess that I think Hadleigh station is the most charming of all the stations on this line...thenother buildings look a bit disproportionate!
@@RediscoveringLostRailways Stowmarket is another fine example. 🙂
Another brilliantly narrated video of these wonderful lost railway lines,thanks for sharing with us 👍🎄🍾💯
Many thanks!
No worries,your videos are really interesting and I like the way you tell the story of these lost lines 🎄👍💯
Another great production, but I’m always sad to see the remains, keep up the good work
You and me both!
Having explored parts of this line in the past, thanks for bringing it back to life with another great video.
My pleasure!
Excellent as always well researched and well presented. Looking forward to your next adventure Happy New year
Happy new year!
Such a beautiful, nostalgic and professional channel and one which I look forward to more than any other. Thank you for taking the time to share and produce such amazing videos. Happy New Year and thank you again.
Thank you ever so much, very kind!
Happy New Year! Great video. I saw the Bentley signalbox in someone's garden! Doesn't the Bently Church crossing keeper's cottage look like the one at Glenfield? Love the GE villa stations..just like Rayne.
And to you too! Yes, it resembles it closely!
Atmospheric and excellent as always. Look forward to seeing your next project
Most kind of you, thank you!
What a beautiful video evoking past branch lines. It is fascinating to see what remains. The well chosen music adds to the experience. Happy New Year!
And to you!
Well done! An enjoyable interlude. The point where the line left the main line north-east of Bentley was not a junction, at least after WW2. The junction was at Bentley station and the Hadleigh branch ran alongside the main line until the point of divergence
That's very interesting - I did not know that - glad you enjoyed the film nevertheless. May I ask if you are the David Pearson who kindly allowed me to employ his photos in this film?
@@RediscoveringLostRailways Yes, that's me.
@davidpearson5295 I'm very grateful to you sir, thank you!
As an historian and collector of artifacts of the Hadleigh branch it's good to see you've done your research. A well put together project.
There's quite a few more hidden treasures along the line if you know where to look. Thankfully through the permission of local landowners I've also got to visit some parts that are off limits to the public. This included a recent visit inside Raydon station.
I also recently met with someone who lived in Capel station until it's demolition. It was great to get his memories of life on the branch line.
Thank you very much - please tell me the treasures I missed, only to satisfy my curiosity! May I ask about any items you have found during your explorations? Best wishes
Good afternoon,
Thankyou for showing your latest film.
I do look forward to watching these as the content is always superb.
Happy new year and I will be looking forward to seeing more of your quality work this year my freind
☕👍
And to you! Many thanks indeed!
Once again an episode with high production values, more so than many so called "proffessional" productions out there on dvd.
Have you thought of doing a "best of" video where you take a look back at some of your favourite scenes, perhaps showing unused footage/photos and using narration as to why its on the best of film, just an idea and it would be a great insight for the viewers too.
Have a great new year ✨️
That's a splendid idea - let me say that I will do just that should I make it to 30k subscribers this year, as a number of kind souls have suggested I do a Q&A video - something like that would do the trick...
a few years ago, I looked on Greater Anglia's Wikipedia page and there was going to be a new depot somewhere near the site of Bentley railway station
I shall look that up - I wonder what became of it?
@@RediscoveringLostRailways I believe the plan was to build on the (very low lying) former industrial land in Brantham, on the west side of the main line just before the river crossing at Cattawade as the line heads towards Manningtree. However, the land is very low lying and I think prone to flooding and the plan was abandoned.
Interesting video, thanks. I have managed to walk much of the route where available and it is still very rural, one of the reasons for its loss.
Yes, just so!
A wonderful video of a long lost railway. Your videos are something that a lot of aspire to create. Please keep them coming.
Thanks, will do!
Totally enjoyed again and thank you.
We enjoyed a day at the MIDDY about 2 years ago which is recreating the time of such branch lines. With their history evolving nicely. "I have a friend with 60 feet of track... I know a bloke with 60 feet as well!" said another. "We know someone with a waggon!" and so assembled a little railway. Then a Steam Locomotive turned up. D & L.
I might make a film about that line, it is so unusual!
Another lovely film, beautifully produced as ever. I loved the photos of the 1962 railtour, with passengers just standing in those goods trucks as they trundled along. Not exactly in line with modern-day health and safety procedures!
Thank you indeed - yes, the gentleman who kindly supplied them to me was most generous in doing so - it looked like a lot of fun!
What about covering lost railways in Scotland and Wales too, please? 🏴🏴
Nothing would give me greater pleasure, but I live so far away and my job keeps me busier than I would like AND I have to put my family first...but believe me, I long to explore these places and their lost railways!
@RediscoveringLostRailways maybe an idea for a holiday with the family....
@Scots_Diesel we might go to Wales in the summer, money permitting!
Did I see a length of Broad Gauge rail used as a post so far away from the GWR ?!! Isambard would turn in his grave! Would've made a nice restoration line!! 🧐
Crikey, I've no idea...I don't know much about rails, but that would be great if it is!
What a wonderful film !!. As a native of Bentley i can well remember the trains running along this Branch Line and Bentley Station as it was in the early sixties.
My Father, Grandfather and Uncle all worked on the Railway at this time as did a number of our neighbours and friends. I can just about remember being taken for a short ride on the Ganger's powered cart along part of the branch line. I don't think it would happen today !!!
I'm so glad that you approve. Thank you for sharing your fascinating memories
Another great video and a welcome treat to begin 2024. Happy New Year.
Happy new year!
I grew up cycling these lines, from Hadleigh to Raydon mainly. My parents still live on the back of the Hadleigh portion, about 5 minutes walk away from the old Hadleigh Station. I take my son down there as often as we visit, it brings back so many childhood memories.
I'm glad it stirs happy memories, thanks for your comment 👍
Another excellent video thanks 🎉🎉
Happy New Year everyone
Happy new year!
I do enjoy your short videos on lost railways. Very important to preserve this part of social history.
I'm so glad you enjoy these efforts. It's very kind of you to say so
Very enjoyable video as always.G reetings from Australia.
Thank you very much!
What a great way to start 2024, with a fantastic video. Happy new year folks.
Happy new year!
Happy 2024 and thank you for giving us this excellent content 👌😀🎉
Same to you!
Brilliant! Thank you, and happy new year!
And to you!
Another brilliant video - thank you👍
Glad you enjoyed it!
Another great video.Thank you.
My pleasure, thank you
love the fact you do these vids and include things like google maps so we can see where and what was! ...TBH on other channels on lost lines we dont get this and i have a habit of following the route on google maps ( still done it now with your vid ....just so i can follow the line and as obv google maps update every so often so i can see whats changed along the routes since the vids were posted ect!
AS usual another very informative vid ...iI may have asked this before but have you done a vid on the old Bristol to Bath Midland Railway Mangotsfield and Bath branch line, its now a 15 mile cycleway (one of the first built i may add) BUT has soooo many original features presereved (including a tunnel you can cycle through! ) along the route with stations marked (even if its just the platform edges) OR the ruins of Mangotsfield station (a major junction at the time for trains between Bristol, Bath and to Birmingham and the north beyond) AND Bath green park station that is preserved at the terminus as cafes' bars and resturants ...oh and a sainsburys lol BUT still has its original glass conopy ect! here is a link to the Bristol and Bath Railway Path wiki , ALSO part of the route is a heraitage railway ..the avon valley railway with fully restored stations and signal boxes too! well worth a visit for you at some point as there is a LOT left !
the wiki gives you loads of information I hope some day you can get down the south west and feature this on the channel one day! en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bristol_and_Bath_Railway_Path
Super recommendations, thank you!
@@RediscoveringLostRailways your welcome !
Can't believe the size of the station buildings for such a small line! what aspirations did the owners have to justify it?
Yes, it is quite unusual!
Happy new year!
An excellent film to start 2024.
And to you! Thank you!
please do the old bungay line and i treat u to a coffee
I will look it up!
Having ridden along the old trackway from Raydon to Hadleigh a few times I found this video absolutely fascinating especially the old photos of a bygone era, which along with the excellent narration, bring the whole subject to life. Although I’ve never really had an interest in trains (bizarre considering I grew up close to where David Shepherd kept his ‘toys’ & rode on them as a kid in the late 60’s) I find nowadays I really enjoy exploring old abandoned railway lines. I hasten to add using a mountain bike does make it somewhat easier to cover what are sometimes distances that aren’t really feasible on foot in a day. Of note these are the ‘Marriotts Way’ which runs from Aylesham north of Norwich and heads west before it then loops all the way back into Norwich. The Cuckoo Trail running from Heathfield in Sussex down to Eastbourne and also the ‘Down’s Link’ running from Guildford in Surrey down to Shoreham on the Sussex coast. Finally the ‘Flitch Way’ running from Braintree in Essex to Bishop’s Stortford in Hertfordshire - would love to see any one of these given the ‘Rediscovering Lost Railways’ treatment. Now to sit & watch your entire catalogue. Keep up your excellent work 👍
I'm so glad you enjoy lost railways too and trust that you can undertake some armchair exploration by watching my films!
What a gem often on a Sunday in mid sixties used to walk route with my parents and siblings went on to work for British Railways at Ipswich upon leaving school in 1969.Became a signalman at Bentley,meet a young lady from the village and consequently married at Bentley church .Sadly resigned from B R in 1973/4 pay insufficient for us to buy house and start a family.When Bentley signal box was demolished ,(during electrification of G E main line) I received one of the name boards and original L N E R signal box diagram which I still treasure.We had no running water at the box ( early shift always filled canisters from the crossing hut) and doughnut Tilley lamps supplied lighting.After branch closed a signal box from l believe Raydon became a builder’s office in Capel village and if memory serves me correctly is now at Bressingham steam museum near Diss.Hadleigh would benefit from branch reopening as would Ipswich as a commuter route Thankyou for posting fantastic film.
What evocative memories, thank younso much for sharing them!
Lost forever😥, I really enjoy your videos thank you cheers Bob.🦘🐨
Glad you like them!
I drive that stretch of the A12 and didn’t know its history there. Thanks for a brilliant video
My pleasure, thank you!
Thank you for this. The stations on that line were lovely buildings. It's a shame that the railway didn't go in a useful direction, so passengers were tempted away by motor buses very early - in the 1930s, I believe. Even by rural East Anglian standards, that was early.
Glad you enjoyed it - and yes, agreed!
Lovely video. I live not far away (Colchester) and have walked the line between Raydon and Hadleigh, though I don't remember finding Hadleigh station building on that occasion. Have also explored the area around Bentley and the junction, taken some photos of today's trains there. You can see where the branch line ran parallel to the mainline until 'the island'.
Thank you! Yes, a fine route to explore!
Thank you for a journey back in time. Sad in some ways, but at least you have pictures to gaze at! Happy New Year 2024! ❤😊
Happy new year!
Thanks for producing another great video. Happy new year to all on here!
Same to you!
that "junction" in america is called a "Wye" (pronounced Y)
Many thanks indeed
Excellent and informative video. Thanks for posting.
Glad you enjoyed it!
Only just discovered this, what a brilliant video. As a Capel resident I love the history of the old line and an always hunting for reminders of past times when out in the area and out to Bentley & Hadleigh. Many thanks.
So glad you found this film and that you enjoyed it. Do subscribe if you've not already done so and enjoy my other films in the series!
Another wonderful video, thanks. I pass Capel Station Garage on the A12 when visiting my son in Colchester and your pictures in the video showing its location and former glory really opened my eyes to how much we have lost.
Glad you enjoyed the film! Thank you for your kind remarks!
Just like to add some further information which might be of interest. It concerns Bentley Church Station , I think that it was intended to put a station at this location but it never got built. The crossing keepers cottage is very much larger & more grand than usual & might have been intended to form part of the planned station. However it is well possible in the early days of the line when passenger services ran that trains did stop here & take passengers as Bentley Manor (which has the date of 1591 & a Tudor Rose over its front door) Was occupied by The great Tollemache family ( who later moved to Helmingham Hall ) so there is every reason to think Lord & Lady Tollermache & all the servants they had would have been allowed to use trains maybe with ramps like those used on the Mildenhall Branch as Bentley Station is some distance from this old part of the village. Also the line was planned as a double track line but this never happened.
Many thanks for you insights here, which are most interesting and help clear the muddy waters of Bentley Church station's history!
A very enjoyable, informative video, I always feel relaxed when watching your videos.
By the size of the station buildings and a kind of grandeur it’s obvious the railway had great ambitions which sadly didn’t pan out so well.
Sadly that’s the story of a lot of closed branch lines, it’s good to see though that there are still decent remains of the branch and still extant buildings .
Many thanks! It was mooted early on that they wanted to connect to Lomg Melford, I think, bit it came to nowt...
What a delightful and poetically wonderful viewing experience ' thank you.
Very kind of you to say so, do subscribe if you've not already done so and enjoy my other films in the series!
Followed this redundant railway by light aircraft whilst recording Raydon Airfield.
Now that's the way to do it!
Utterly brilliant presentation, thank you so much for this, and your series. I wish your talent was rewarded with a show on tv, but sadly they’re obsessed with rubbish such as game shows etc. Well done on your work, it’s wonderful.
You are very kind, thank you so much
As an ingnorant Colonial, I am unfamiliar with the term "Occupation Bridge". Can you please shed some light on the origins of the name?
It's not a term widely used in England - it just refers to those bridges that have been built to accommodate the needs of the farmer when railways were built across their land. As to its origins - alas, I do not know. Best wishes.
Perfect timing! A lovely start to the New Year. Thank you for sharing this wonderful look back in time with us.
You are so welcome!
looked this up after walking the path along the railway earlier today. Thanks for posting
My pleasure!
What a great way to start the New Year. Another excellent exploration of a long-lost branch line. Thank you!
Glad you enjoyed it!
Well, that was lovely. You have to wonder what traffic levels the original promoters foresaw.
Agreed, I feel their reach exceeded their grasp here
Another great video as ever walked that line about 10 years ago so was good to see it again. Good to see Raydon Wood done up so well now. Thanks
Glad you enjoyed it!
Excellent video and your speaking voice is so clear
As an overseas person am I looking forward for more videos
Wow, thank you! I'm so pleased you've found my channel 😀
Another little gem! Beautifully done, thank you!
Many thanks!
Didn’t realise this was released until 3 weeks late . Worth waiting- excellent
Glad you found it, phew! Check you've clicked the bells as well as the subscribe button so you don't miss the next episode!
Great Video! Love all the work you do hope you had a happy new year I’ve also got some recommendations
Coalville town - Loughborough derby road via Coalville east, Whitwick, Thringstone, Grace dieu, Shepshed, snells nook. I know Grace dieu has a impressive viaduct and embankments.
Another one is Burton - Shackerstone via Overseal, Donisthorpe, Measham, Snarestone
I think these railways are a good fit for content as they are industrial heritage especially around Coalville and they could be combined into a longer episode
A good book fore pictures and maps is Railway connections steam days in the Leicester to Burton line
Hope this helps 😊
Many thanks for these fine recommendations!
Thanks for taking the time to read it hope the video can become a reality can’t wait for the next one! 😁