Framlingham Branch

[ v t e ] Framlingham Branch
Legend East Suffolk Line Wickham Market Marlesford Hacheston Halt Parham Framlingham

The Framlingham Branch was a six mile long single track branch railway line that ran from Wickham Market railway station on the East Suffolk Line to Framlingham via three intermediate stations, Parham, Hacheston Halt, and Marlesford.

Opening

Authorised in 1854, along with a line from Halesworth to Woodbridge, the line was opened on 1 June 1859 by the East Suffolk Railway.^[1] A special train was however recorded as running in February 1859 from Woodbridge. The line south of Woodbridge was being built by the Eastern Union Railway which was not at this time finished.^[2]

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  The former railway station at Framlingham

The building of the branch was reasonably straightforward as the countryside of East Suffolk is relatively flat. Flooding at Parham meant that the river had to be diverted in order to protect the line of the railway.

The Ipswich Journal of 4 June 1859 reported on the opening of the line on the 1st. According to the journal "The bells rang merrily throughout the day, a cricket match was played, and tea was provided by Mr John Pipe of the Crown Inn,in his usual style, of which 40 of the gentry and inhabitants of the town partook; appropriate speeches were made, songs sung, and a merry and convivial evening spent." Unfortunately an evening concert at the Corn Exchange was cancelled as the band leader Edward Plantin was involved in a serious accident at the station and died of his injuries a few days later.

Early traffic

As well as five regular trains a goods train was run to service the branch. So successful was the coming of the railway to Framlingham that within months this had doubled to two trains per day. Another source of income was access to the developing seaside resorts as well as easy access to Ipswich and London. For instance in June 1865 a schools excursion was run from Framlingham to Aldeburgh at a cost of 6/-. Right from the start Framlingham College made use of the railway both for college outings and at the beginning and end of terms. These trains continued running until March 1954.

As can be expected the majority of traffic was agricultural in nature although photographs indicate some inward domestic coal was received.^[3]

Later history

The branch became part of the Great Eastern Railway in 1862, the London & North Eastern Railway in 1923 and British Railways from 1948.

In 1922 Hacheston Halt was opened in an attempt to improve the line's poor passenger receipts.^[4]

Well used until the 1930s when passenger numbers fell due to the increased popularity of road transport, the line closed to passenger services on 1 November 1952, and to freight on 19 April 1963.^[5] The Royal Train overnighted on the branch in May 1956 headed by B1 4-6-0s 61252 and 61399.

The branch was often operated by mixed passenger/freight trains in latter years.^[6]