Colne Valley Railway
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The Colne Valley Railway is a heritage railway based at Castle Hedingham station, near Halstead in Essex, United Kingdom. The railway consists of a mile-long running line, with a fully reconstructed station, signal box and railway yard.
The railway occupies part of the former Colne Valley and Halstead Railway (CVHR), an independent line which was authorised on 30 June 1856, and which opened on 16 April 1860 between Chappel (north of Marks Tey) to Halstead, a distance of six miles (10km)). A 13-mile extension was authorised on 13 August 1859, and opened in stages as follows:
- 1 Jul 1861 Halstead - Castle Hedingham
- 26 May 1862 Castle Hedingham - Yeldham
- 10 May 1863 Yeldham to Haverhill
Physical connection with the Great Eastern Railway (GER) at Haverhill was provided in 1865. Although close relations were maintained with the GER the CVHR remained completely independent, until it became part of the London and North Eastern Railway in at the 1923.
The line continued to remain open until 30 December 1961, when passenger traffic ended. In 1965 freight traffic ended, and the line was demolished a year later. The preservation society was formed in 1974, and the first steam locomotive, no. 190, operated trains in 1975. Since then the preservation society has evolved into a major tourist attraction.
[edit] Locomotives
- Steam Locomotives
- Diesel Locomotives
- Diesel Multiple Units
- Electrical Multiple Units
