Chessington Branch Line

The Chessington Branch Line is a short National Rail railway line in England, mostly in the London Borough of Kingston, from Motspur Park to Chessington South.

History

The branch, double track and electrified on the DC third rail system (660V at the time of its construction) was the last line built by the Southern Railway. It was to serve housing development south of Surbiton and to form a duplicate line to Leatherhead.

It was opened on 29 May 1938 from Motspur Park to Tolworth, with an intermediate station at Malden Manor, and extended on 28 May 1939 to Chessington North and Chessington South.

All the stations on the line were of concrete in an Art Deco style, typical of the period.

Work to extend beyond Chessington was halted by the outbreak of the Second World War, with track laid beyond Chessington South as far as Chalky Lane, and preparatory works continuing further south. This included an embankment built by the Royal Engineers as a military exercise from Chalky Lane as far south as Chessington Wood, close to where the next station at Malden Rushett would have been built. After the war Green Belt legislation put a stop to any resumption. A goods yard south of Chessington South was used as a coal concentration depot from the mid-1960s to the end of the 1980s.

The goods yard and the half a mile of trackbed towards Malden Rushett are overgrown by trees. As a result of the truncation, only one platform at Chessington South has ever seen regular use.

It was originally intended to name Chessington North station Chessington Court and Chessington South station Chessington Grange.^[1]

The line was mainly constructed on embankment with short distances in cuttings and several bridges. A 140 feet (43 m) viaduct crosses the Hogsmill River near Malden Manor.

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Chessington Branch Line.

Illustrated article on Malden Manor station at this illustrated article on Malden Manor station

Chessington Branch Line
Legend Sutton & Mole Valley Lines Motspur Park 10m 11ch Motspur Park Jn Sutton & Mole Valley Lines 11m 05ch Malden Manor Hogsmill River 12m 06ch Tolworth 13m 25ch Chessington North 13m 73ch Chessington South Unused track south of station Section not constructed Sutton & Mole Valley Lines Leatherhead Sutton and Mole Valley Lines

Railway lines in London Main Lines Primary High Speed 1 East Coast Main Line Great Eastern Main Line Great Western Main Line Midland Main Line West Coast Main Line Secondary Chatham Main Line Chiltern Main Line Crossrail (under construction) South Eastern Main Line South Western Main Line West Anglia Main Line Thameslink London, Tilbury and Southend Line Branch Regional Aylesbury Line Bexleyheath Line Caterham Line Dartford Loop Line Epsom Downs Branch Hampton Court Branch Line Hertford Loop Line Lea Valley Lines North Kent Line Oxted Line Shepperton Branch Line Sutton and Mole Valley Lines Tattenham Corner Line Watford DC Line Waterloo to Windsor & Eton Line Intra-London Acton-Northolt Line Bromley North Line Catford Loop Line Chessington Branch Line Chingford Branch Line Crystal Palace Line Dudding Hill Line East London Line Gospel Oak to Barking Line Greenford Branch Line Greenwich Line Hayes Line Hounslow Loop Line Kingston Loop Line North London Line Northern City Line Nunhead to Lewisham Link Romford to Upminster Line South London Line West London Line Disused Addiscombe Line City Widened Lines Croxley Green Line Crystal Palace High Level Branch Line Greenwich Park Branch Line North London Line (City Branch) Palace Gates Line Staines & West Drayton Line Uxbridge (Vine Street) Branch Line Watford to Rickmansworth Line West Croydon to Wimbledon Line Woodside & Sanderstead Line London Transport portal