Betchworth railway station
Betchworth  | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Location | |
| Place | Betchworth |
| Local authority | Mole Valley |
| Grid reference | TQ210512 |
| Operations | |
| Station code | BTO |
| Managed by | First Great Western |
| Number of platforms | 2 |
|
Live arrivals/departures, station information and onward connections from National Rail Enquiries | |
| Annual rail passenger usage* | |
| 2002/03 |
 10,705 |
| 2004/05 |
12,214 |
| 2005/06 |
13,610 |
| 2006/07 |
14,503 |
| 2007/08 |
17,500 |
| 2008/09 |
21,240 |
| 2009/10 |
 19,646 |
| 2010/11 |
16,570 |
| 2011/12 |
19,878 |
| History | |
| Key dates | Opened 4 July 1849 |
| Original company | Reading, Guildford and Reigate Railway |
| Pre-grouping | South Eastern Railway |
| Post-grouping | Southern Railway |
| National Rail – UK railway stations | |
| * Annual estimated passenger usage based on sales of tickets in stated financial year(s) which end or originate at Betchworth from Office of Rail Regulation statistics. Methodology may vary year on year. | |
| UK Railways portal | |
Betchworth railway station is the railway station that serves the village of Betchworth in Surrey, England. It is on the North Downs Line and is unstaffed. All trains serving it are operated by First Great Western.
History
The station was opened in 1849 by the Reading, Guildford and Reigate Railway, which became part of the South Eastern Railway in 1852.
Services
The typical off-peak service on the North Downs Line is one train every two hours in each direction between Reading and Redhill.
| Preceding station | National Rail |
Following station | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dorking Deepdene | First Great Western North Downs Line |
Reigate | ||
Betchworth Quarry Railways
The station was particularly significant for its connection with the Betchworth Quarry railways, which were built to serve the Dorking Greystone Lime Company's three pits north of the station.
The quarry railways had four different track gauges. The standard gauge part had a junction with the main line that passed close to Betchworth station, before reversing to run to the Eastern and Southern Kiln Batteries. A 3 ft 2 1⁄4 in (972 mm) gauge railway system began there and primarily served the quarry with lines diverging to the Main, Upper Western Whitestone and Eastern Greystone Pits. The other gauges serving the works were the 19 in (483 mm) gauge line that ran from a standard gauge siding to the Hearthstone Mine, and a short 2 ft (610 mm) gauge section of track that ran exclusively between the Eastern and Southern Kiln Batteries.
The first engine to shunt on the standard gauge portion, Engine No. 1 of 1871, was unofficially named The Coffeepot. It is now preserved at Beamish Museum in County Durham. Another, Captain Baxter was renamed simply Baxter in 1947, the last engine ever to work the line, and the Rev. W.V. Awdry featured it in his book Stepney the "Bluebell" Engine. Baxter is preserved on the Bluebell Railway and was returned to traffic for that railway's 50th anniversary.
Two 3 ft 2 1⁄4 in (972 mm) gauge locomotives were also preserved. Townsend Hook, is at Amberley Chalk Pits Museum, undergoing reconstruction (as of October 2010) to become a static exhibit.[1] William Finlay, the sister engine of Townsend Hook, is preserved in private ownership.
References
- ↑ "Townsend Hook cosmetic restoration". Amberley Museum & Heritage Centre. October 2010. Retrieved 7 April 2013.
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Betchworth railway station. |
Coordinates: 51°14′53″N 0°16′01″W / 51.248°N 0.267°W
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