Felixstowe Branch Line
Encyclopedia
The Felixstowe Branch Line is a railway line from Ipswich
to Felixstowe
in Suffolk
. The line follows the East Suffolk Line
from Ipswich
to Westerfield
, and then diverges to the south. Passenger services are operated by National Express East Anglia. The line is extensively used by freight trains to the Port of Felixstowe
, operated by DB Schenker
, Freightliner
and FirstGBRf.
The original line ran from Westerfield railway station
over Spring Road viaduct (the line's most impressive civil engineering structure) into Derby Road railway station (Ipswich) station. Heading south east from Ipswich it then called at Orwell railway station
built primarily to serve the home of the line's builder Colonel George Tomline and then Trimley railway station
(which only opened in 1891). After Trimley the line turned south and trains then called at Felixstowe Beach railway station
and Felixstowe Pier railway station
where there were also sidings serving the dock facility. Felixstowe Beach station was not well placed to serve the more fashionable part of town and was positioned by Tomline close to land he was looking to develop. The story goes it was also sited away from a hotel owned by his bitter rival J Cobbold of the brewing family. On opening the company owned three locomotives, 19 passenger carriages and 15 goods wagons.
By September 1879 the GER had taken over operation of the line with through trains running to Ipswich and on 5 July 1887 the GER purchased the line in although Tomline retained control of the dock area under the guise of the Felixstowe Dock and Railway Company. On May 1, 1891 Trimley railway station
was opened and an additional passing loop was created on the branch.
In 1887 a parliamentary bill for a line from Felixstowe railway station to Felixstowe Ferry some 3.5 miles away received royal assent but this scheme had been abandoned by 1892 due to lack of capital.
In the 1890s the German Empress stayed in Felixstowe which was promoting itself as a resort of some note and with considerable fashionable development taking place on the high ground towards the River Deben the Great Eastern Railway was under considerable pressure to supply a new terminus station. It applied to do this in 1895 and the new branch line to Felixstowe railway station
was opened in 1898. Strangely the GER closed the direct link from Trimley to Felixstowe Beach and pier which meant all trains had to be routed via the new station. Rail usage soared in the early 1900s with through trains from Liverpool Street and other trains detaching portions at Westerfield Junction.
On 1st September 1900 there was a collision at the station. An up passenger train (from Felixstowe to Ipswich) departed the station despite the signal not being set to permit this move. Unfortunately there was a freight train arriving at the time and the two trains collided at relatively low speed. There were 12 injuries. The investigation was undertaken by Lt Colonel P G Donop for the Board of Trade and after interviewing all the staff involved (station staff, signallers, the driver and fireman) concluded that the fault lay with the driver (which he readily admitted) who had passed the signal at danger. The locomotives involved were Great Eastern Railway
numbers 474 (a Great eastern Railway T19 class later LNER class E4) and on the goods train and 791 ( GER class M15 2-4-2T later LNER Class F4) on the passenger train.
On 25 September 1900 at 0845, GER Class Y14 0-6-0 locomotive no 522 which was then just a year old stopped at a signal on the Ipswich side of the level crossing awaiting a route to the Felixstowe branch. Shortly afterwards the boiler exploded killing driver John Barnard and his fireman William Macdonald both based at Ipswich engine shed
. The boiler was thrown 40 yards forwards, over the level crossing and ended up on the down platform. Apparently the locomotive had a history of boiler problems although in the official report the Boiler Foreman at Ipswich Engine shed was blamed. The victims were buried in Ipswich cemetery and both their gravestones have a likeness of a Y14 0-6-0 carved onto them.
In World War 1 Felixstowe was a prohibited area and the local population was encouraged to leave. There were a number of hospitals and munitions dumps in the area and troops for the conflict on the continent are known to have embarked through Felixstowe.
In 1923 operation of the branch was taken over by the London North Eastern Railway.
During the 1920s and 1930s significant numbers of holiday makers and day trippers continued to visit Felixstowe. Derby Road station was a popular embarking point as it connected with the tram system and was accessible from a large densely populated area in eastern Ipswich.
In 1927 American firm Crane-Bennett opened a rail served works in the Nacton Heath area just outside Ipswich.
In World War 2 Felixstowe once again became restricted area. A lot of military traffic was carried especially to the seaplane base siding in the dock area. A rail mounted howitzer was based at Orwell station goods yard and Levington level crossing in a shed connected to the branch by a siding. A number of War Department Locomotives were based here including GWR Dean Goods engines.
In the late 1940s a private siding was added at Ransomes, Sims & Jefferies works in the Nacton Heath area of Ipswich. In 1948 operation of the line passed to British Railways.
The branch stayed in this form for a number of years until the 1950s when with the increase in car ownership use of the branch declined and services to Felixstowe Pier were withdrawn in July 1951 and from Felixstowe Beach were withdrawn in 1959 although summer services ran until permanent withdrawal of passenger services in 1967.
In the 1960s the docks at Felixstowe were expanding and had started dealing with container traffic. It was decided that a direct link to the docks was desirable and in 1970 the Trimley – Felixstowe Beach link was restored and the Town branch was reduced to a single tracked stub with all the former goods yard (closed 1966) and platform tracks removed. The goods yards at Westerfield Junction and Trimley closed but that at Derby Road continued into the 1980s serving a domestic coal depot and a scrap yard. Rail traffic to Cranes finished in mid-1970s and to Ransome, Sims and Jefferies in 1980.
In the 1980s the dilapidated Felixstowe Town station was developed into a shopping centre known as Great Eastern Square and the station area developed into car parking and retail space. The stub of the line was relocated towards the east of the complex. A further change was the opening of a new branch from Trimley to the new Walton terminal development at Felixstowe. Most freight trains are now in fact routed this way into the docks area.
In 1994 responsibility for the infrastructure passed to Railtrack and after privatisation trains were run by Anglia Railways.
In 1999 the passing loop at Derby Road was increased in length and signalling transferred to Colchester Power Signalling Box. This meant that two freightliner trains could now pass at this location and an hourly clock face service from Ipswich was also introduced. In this decade (2010s) doubling of some 4.5 miles will see more freightliner services run and the provision of an avoiding line in Ipswich (originally known as Bacon Factory Curve but now as the Ipswich chord) will allow through operation from Felixstowe to the Midlands without the need to reverse at Ipswich Yard.
Electrification and restoration of services to Felixstowe beach have both been long term goals for the branch but as of August 2010 both seem to be on hold. In fact the class 312 EMU units, when introduced in the 1970s, had Felixstowe on their destination blinds.
National Express East Anglia replaced the previous franchise Anglia Railways
on 1 April 2004.
In September 2010 the Port of Felixstowe
announced a record number of containers had passed through the port area in the week ending 26 September 2010. A total of 10,764 containers were handled by rail.
http://www.portoffelixstowe.co.uk/pressreleases/
This record was then broken again in May 2011 when 10,983 containers were carried by rail and again in the first week of November 2012 when 11,019 were carried. A third rail terminal is due to open in 2012 and will be the first terminal in the UK to accommodate 30 wagon trains.
planning, the line is part of the Strategic Route 7
SRS 07.12 and is classified as a secondary line.
The line is double track from Ipswich to Westerfield and single track from Westerfield to Felixstowe, except for a double track section at Derby Road which is long enough to allow two freight trains to pass each other. The line is not electrified
, has a loading gauge of W10 but excludes W9 between Westerfield and Felixstowe, and has a line speed of 40–75 mph.
There are two junctions: one at Trimley station, where the diverging route to Felixstowe Docks parallels the line through a disused platform at Trimley before a sharp turn to the right towards the docks; the other at Felixstowe just under the Maidstone Road bridge, where the line diverges: the left line going a short distance to Felixstowe Station and the right line going along the old Felixstowe Beach Station branch to Felixstowe docks.
It is known that by 1900 a system known as the Tyers Electric Train Tablet
was in use on the line as it is mentioned in the accident report for Felixstowe Town in 1900 (see history section above).
The railway is completely track circuited with colour-light signals and is controlled from Colchester PSB. Multiple traffic can use the same section at the same time and freight trains regularly follow behind passenger services.
numbered 1 Tomline, 2 Orwell and 3 Felixstowe. These locomotives were taken over by the GER in 1887 becoming 808, 809 and 810 respectively. They were quickly replaced and had been scrapped by 1888.
The GER started operating Adams and Johnson built 0-4-4Ts but later E4 2-4-0 and class J15 0-6-0 worked trains.
A detailed list of locomotive classes that have worked the line can be found in the Felixstowe railway station
entry. In addition to this list the following diesel classes have also worked the line (but not to Felixstowe Town).
The following locomotives are known to have worked on the industrial sites on the branch.
Most trains on the branch were work by locomotives based at Ipswich locomotive shed (code 32B). Felixstowe Town station was a small sub-shed of Ipswich with a number of drivers being based there but no permanent allocation of locomotives.
1877
Four trains each way originating Westerfield, Derby Road, Orwell, Felixstowe Beach and Felixstowe Pier supplemented by two up (from Felixstowe) and one down train between Derby Road and Felixstowe.
1879
Six trains in each direction
The GER took over operation and started running to and from Ipswich itself. They also extended the Harwich–Ipswich steam boat service to serve Felixstowe as well.
1891
Trimley station opened
1898
Felixstowe Town station opens and all trains to/from Beach and Pier diverted there and reverse for the onward journey.
1905
Through carriages from Liverpool Street detaching at Westerfield.
1906
First recorded through service to Liverpool Street departing Liverpool Street at 4.10 pm while the up working departed Felixstowe at 14.25 with a highly commendable 98 minutes although the following year this had ballooned out to 199 minutes.
1910
Summer services include 4 through services to Liverpool Street in each direction.
Bradshaws July 1922
Ipswich weekday departures 07:00, 08:25, 09:36, 10:22, 11:12, 12:05, 12:24, 13:28, 14:44,16:24, 17:12 (from Liverpool Street), 17:32, 18:26 (Fridays only), 18:36, 19:04, 20:28, 21:25 (Wed and Sat only) and 21:55. All trains went onto Beach with the exception of the 21:25 with a number continuing to Pier. The 12:56 from Liverpool Street did not call at Ipswich arriving Felixstowe Town at 15:02. In addition a number of shuttle services worked between Felixstowe Town and Beach or Pier. Calling patterns varied with Westerfield, Trimley and Orwell missing out on a number of services.
Ipswich Sunday departures: 09:26, 12:10, 14:20 (all stations to Pier), 18:28 (fast Ipswich to Felixstowe Town then Beach and Pier), 20:00 and 20:35 (all stations to Pier).
1939
The summer timetable consisted of 3 up services to Liverpool Street and 20 Ipswich (or Derby Road trains) and 4 down expresses and 21 local workings. On the August bank Holiday this consisted of 43 up and 41 down services—not bad for a single line branch with passing loops.
1951
19 workings in each direction. However in the meagre Pier service of 2 up trains and 1 down service only lasted three weeks into the timetable before the Pier station closed.
1955
Orwell station closed—trains run direct from Derby Road to Trimley
September 1964 British Rail Eastern Region timetable
Weekday—hourly service departing Ipswich at xx.13 except 15.13. All services called Derby Road but a number skipped Westerfield Junction and Trimley.
Saturday—hourly service departing Ipswich at xx.13
Sunday—10:00, 11:00, 12:00,14:45, 16:15, 18:00,19:45,21:00. All called Derby Road and Felixstowe Town before reversal to Beach with exception of the 21:00 which terminated at Felixstowe Town.
1973/1974
13 trains each way (plus one additional on summer Saturdays) all working from Ipswich.
Network Rail April 2010 (services operated by National Express East Anglia)
Ipswich weekdays departures at 05:04, 06:04, 07:13, 08:27 then hourly until 20:27 and then 22:27. All trains call Westerfield, Derby Road, Trimley and Felixstowe. 16 trains each way.
Ipswich Saturdays departures at 06:27 then hourly until 20:27 and then 22:27. All trains call Westerfield, Derby Road, Trimley and Felixstowe
Ipswich Sundays departures at 10:00 then two hourly until 22:00. All trains call Westerfield, Derby Road, Trimley and Felixstowe.
The Port of Felixstowe celebrated it’s 29th daily rail freight service, which commenced on Saturday 1st October 2011.
.
The Friends of Trimley
station are fighting to prevent the demolition of the station building.
Ipswich
Ipswich is a large town and a non-metropolitan district. It is the county town of Suffolk, England. Ipswich is located on the estuary of the River Orwell...
to Felixstowe
Felixstowe
Felixstowe is a seaside town on the North Sea coast of Suffolk, England. The town gives its name to the nearby Port of Felixstowe, which is the largest container port in the United Kingdom and is owned by Hutchinson Ports UK...
in Suffolk
Suffolk
Suffolk is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in East Anglia, England. It has borders with Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south. The North Sea lies to the east...
. The line follows the East Suffolk Line
East Suffolk Line
The East Suffolk Line is an un-electrified secondary railway line running between Ipswich and Lowestoft in Suffolk, England. The traffic along the route consists of passenger services operated by National Express East Anglia, while nuclear flask trains for the Sizewell nuclear power stations are...
from Ipswich
Ipswich
Ipswich is a large town and a non-metropolitan district. It is the county town of Suffolk, England. Ipswich is located on the estuary of the River Orwell...
to Westerfield
Westerfield
Westerfield is a village in Suffolk, England.It is located approximately two miles north of the centre of Ipswich. The village is served by Westerfield railway station on the Ipswich-Lowestoft East Suffolk Line....
, and then diverges to the south. Passenger services are operated by National Express East Anglia. The line is extensively used by freight trains to the Port of Felixstowe
Port of Felixstowe
The Port of Felixstowe, in Felixstowe, Suffolk is the UK's busiest container port, dealing with 35% of the country's container cargo. It was developed following the abandonment of a project for a deep-water harbour at Maplin Sands. In 2005, it was ranked as the 28th busiest container port in the...
, operated by DB Schenker
DB Schenker Rail (UK)
DB Schenker Rail , before 2009 known as English, Welsh and Scottish Railway is a British rail freight company. EWS was established by a consortium led by Wisconsin Central Transportation Corporation in 1996 by acquisition of five of the six freight companies created by the privatisation of British...
, Freightliner
Freightliner (UK)
Freightliner Group Limited is a rail freight and logistics company, founded in 1995 and now operating in the United Kingdom, Poland, and Australia. It is the second largest rail freight operator in the UK, after DB Schenker Rail .- History :...
and FirstGBRf.
History
Colonel George Tomline, a Suffolk landowner, promoted the Felixstowe Railway and Pier Company in a parliamentary bill of July 1875. With impressive speed the line was built and the first train ran on 1 May 1877. A further act of parliament in July 1879 enabled the building of a dock, approach channels and additional railway lines to the dock area.The original line ran from Westerfield railway station
Westerfield railway station
Westerfield is a railway station in Westerfield Suffolk, England. The station is a junction of the Felixstowe Branch Line to Felixstowe, and the East Suffolk Line to Lowestoft 6 km east of Ipswich. Westerfield is a small village north of Ipswich and the station is situated on the south side...
over Spring Road viaduct (the line's most impressive civil engineering structure) into Derby Road railway station (Ipswich) station. Heading south east from Ipswich it then called at Orwell railway station
Orwell railway station
Orwell station is a disused station on the Felixstowe Branch Line. The station was opened on the 1st May 1877 and served the small village of Nacton. The main reason for its construction is that the builder of the Felixstowe Branch Line, "Colonel" George Tomline lived at nearby Orwell Park.The line...
built primarily to serve the home of the line's builder Colonel George Tomline and then Trimley railway station
Trimley railway station
Trimley is a railway station serving the village of Trimley St Mary, near Felixstowe, in Suffolk, England. The station is situated on the Felixstowe Branch Line east of Ipswich.The station is served by National Express East Anglia.-History:...
(which only opened in 1891). After Trimley the line turned south and trains then called at Felixstowe Beach railway station
Felixstowe Beach railway station
Felixstowe Beach is a disused station on the Felixstowe Branch Line built in 1877 and closed from 11 September 1967. The station served the seafront of Felixstowe.-The station described:...
and Felixstowe Pier railway station
Felixstowe Pier railway station
Felixstowe Pier was a railway station on the Felixstowe Branch Line built in 1877 the site of which is now within the boundary of the Port of Felixstowe. There were a number of sidings that served the docks that were situated to the north of the line as well as one that served the seaplane bases...
where there were also sidings serving the dock facility. Felixstowe Beach station was not well placed to serve the more fashionable part of town and was positioned by Tomline close to land he was looking to develop. The story goes it was also sited away from a hotel owned by his bitter rival J Cobbold of the brewing family. On opening the company owned three locomotives, 19 passenger carriages and 15 goods wagons.
By September 1879 the GER had taken over operation of the line with through trains running to Ipswich and on 5 July 1887 the GER purchased the line in although Tomline retained control of the dock area under the guise of the Felixstowe Dock and Railway Company. On May 1, 1891 Trimley railway station
Trimley railway station
Trimley is a railway station serving the village of Trimley St Mary, near Felixstowe, in Suffolk, England. The station is situated on the Felixstowe Branch Line east of Ipswich.The station is served by National Express East Anglia.-History:...
was opened and an additional passing loop was created on the branch.
In 1887 a parliamentary bill for a line from Felixstowe railway station to Felixstowe Ferry some 3.5 miles away received royal assent but this scheme had been abandoned by 1892 due to lack of capital.
In the 1890s the German Empress stayed in Felixstowe which was promoting itself as a resort of some note and with considerable fashionable development taking place on the high ground towards the River Deben the Great Eastern Railway was under considerable pressure to supply a new terminus station. It applied to do this in 1895 and the new branch line to Felixstowe railway station
Felixstowe railway station
Felixstowe is a railway station serving the town of Felixstowe in Suffolk, England. The station is the terminus of the Felixstowe Branch Line east of .It was opened by the Great Eastern Railway in 1898...
was opened in 1898. Strangely the GER closed the direct link from Trimley to Felixstowe Beach and pier which meant all trains had to be routed via the new station. Rail usage soared in the early 1900s with through trains from Liverpool Street and other trains detaching portions at Westerfield Junction.
On 1st September 1900 there was a collision at the station. An up passenger train (from Felixstowe to Ipswich) departed the station despite the signal not being set to permit this move. Unfortunately there was a freight train arriving at the time and the two trains collided at relatively low speed. There were 12 injuries. The investigation was undertaken by Lt Colonel P G Donop for the Board of Trade and after interviewing all the staff involved (station staff, signallers, the driver and fireman) concluded that the fault lay with the driver (which he readily admitted) who had passed the signal at danger. The locomotives involved were Great Eastern Railway
Great Eastern Railway
The Great Eastern Railway was a pre-grouping British railway company, whose main line linked London Liverpool Street to Norwich and which had other lines through East Anglia...
numbers 474 (a Great eastern Railway T19 class later LNER class E4) and on the goods train and 791 ( GER class M15 2-4-2T later LNER Class F4) on the passenger train.
On 25 September 1900 at 0845, GER Class Y14 0-6-0 locomotive no 522 which was then just a year old stopped at a signal on the Ipswich side of the level crossing awaiting a route to the Felixstowe branch. Shortly afterwards the boiler exploded killing driver John Barnard and his fireman William Macdonald both based at Ipswich engine shed
Ipswich engine shed
Ipswich engine shed was an engine shed located in Ipswich in Suffolk in the UK on the Great Eastern Main Line located just south of Stoke tunnel and the current Ipswich railway station. Locomotives accessed the site from Halifax Junction which was also the junction for the Griffin Wharf branch of...
. The boiler was thrown 40 yards forwards, over the level crossing and ended up on the down platform. Apparently the locomotive had a history of boiler problems although in the official report the Boiler Foreman at Ipswich Engine shed was blamed. The victims were buried in Ipswich cemetery and both their gravestones have a likeness of a Y14 0-6-0 carved onto them.
In World War 1 Felixstowe was a prohibited area and the local population was encouraged to leave. There were a number of hospitals and munitions dumps in the area and troops for the conflict on the continent are known to have embarked through Felixstowe.
In 1923 operation of the branch was taken over by the London North Eastern Railway.
During the 1920s and 1930s significant numbers of holiday makers and day trippers continued to visit Felixstowe. Derby Road station was a popular embarking point as it connected with the tram system and was accessible from a large densely populated area in eastern Ipswich.
In 1927 American firm Crane-Bennett opened a rail served works in the Nacton Heath area just outside Ipswich.
In World War 2 Felixstowe once again became restricted area. A lot of military traffic was carried especially to the seaplane base siding in the dock area. A rail mounted howitzer was based at Orwell station goods yard and Levington level crossing in a shed connected to the branch by a siding. A number of War Department Locomotives were based here including GWR Dean Goods engines.
In the late 1940s a private siding was added at Ransomes, Sims & Jefferies works in the Nacton Heath area of Ipswich. In 1948 operation of the line passed to British Railways.
The branch stayed in this form for a number of years until the 1950s when with the increase in car ownership use of the branch declined and services to Felixstowe Pier were withdrawn in July 1951 and from Felixstowe Beach were withdrawn in 1959 although summer services ran until permanent withdrawal of passenger services in 1967.
In the 1960s the docks at Felixstowe were expanding and had started dealing with container traffic. It was decided that a direct link to the docks was desirable and in 1970 the Trimley – Felixstowe Beach link was restored and the Town branch was reduced to a single tracked stub with all the former goods yard (closed 1966) and platform tracks removed. The goods yards at Westerfield Junction and Trimley closed but that at Derby Road continued into the 1980s serving a domestic coal depot and a scrap yard. Rail traffic to Cranes finished in mid-1970s and to Ransome, Sims and Jefferies in 1980.
In the 1980s the dilapidated Felixstowe Town station was developed into a shopping centre known as Great Eastern Square and the station area developed into car parking and retail space. The stub of the line was relocated towards the east of the complex. A further change was the opening of a new branch from Trimley to the new Walton terminal development at Felixstowe. Most freight trains are now in fact routed this way into the docks area.
In 1994 responsibility for the infrastructure passed to Railtrack and after privatisation trains were run by Anglia Railways.
In 1999 the passing loop at Derby Road was increased in length and signalling transferred to Colchester Power Signalling Box. This meant that two freightliner trains could now pass at this location and an hourly clock face service from Ipswich was also introduced. In this decade (2010s) doubling of some 4.5 miles will see more freightliner services run and the provision of an avoiding line in Ipswich (originally known as Bacon Factory Curve but now as the Ipswich chord) will allow through operation from Felixstowe to the Midlands without the need to reverse at Ipswich Yard.
Electrification and restoration of services to Felixstowe beach have both been long term goals for the branch but as of August 2010 both seem to be on hold. In fact the class 312 EMU units, when introduced in the 1970s, had Felixstowe on their destination blinds.
National Express East Anglia replaced the previous franchise Anglia Railways
Anglia Railways
Anglia Railways was a British train operating company, owned by GB Railways, which between 5 January 1997 and 31 March 2004 operated mainline trains out of London Liverpool Street station and a number of local rail services in East Anglia....
on 1 April 2004.
In September 2010 the Port of Felixstowe
Port of Felixstowe
The Port of Felixstowe, in Felixstowe, Suffolk is the UK's busiest container port, dealing with 35% of the country's container cargo. It was developed following the abandonment of a project for a deep-water harbour at Maplin Sands. In 2005, it was ranked as the 28th busiest container port in the...
announced a record number of containers had passed through the port area in the week ending 26 September 2010. A total of 10,764 containers were handled by rail.
http://www.portoffelixstowe.co.uk/pressreleases/
This record was then broken again in May 2011 when 10,983 containers were carried by rail and again in the first week of November 2012 when 11,019 were carried. A third rail terminal is due to open in 2012 and will be the first terminal in the UK to accommodate 30 wagon trains.
Operations
Under Network RailNetwork Rail
Network Rail is the government-created owner and operator of most of the rail infrastructure in Great Britain .; it is not responsible for railway infrastructure in Northern Ireland...
planning, the line is part of the Strategic Route 7
Network Rail Route 7 (Great Eastern)
Strategic Route 7 - Great Eastern is the designation given by Network Rail to a grouping of railway lines in the East of England that encompasses the Great Eastern Main Line and its various branch lines...
SRS 07.12 and is classified as a secondary line.
The line is double track from Ipswich to Westerfield and single track from Westerfield to Felixstowe, except for a double track section at Derby Road which is long enough to allow two freight trains to pass each other. The line is not electrified
Railway electrification in Great Britain
Railway electrification in Great Britain started towards of the 19th century. A great range of voltages have been used in the intervening period using both overhead lines and third rails, however the most common standard for mainline services is now 25 kV AC using overhead lines and the...
, has a loading gauge of W10 but excludes W9 between Westerfield and Felixstowe, and has a line speed of 40–75 mph.
There are two junctions: one at Trimley station, where the diverging route to Felixstowe Docks parallels the line through a disused platform at Trimley before a sharp turn to the right towards the docks; the other at Felixstowe just under the Maidstone Road bridge, where the line diverges: the left line going a short distance to Felixstowe Station and the right line going along the old Felixstowe Beach Station branch to Felixstowe docks.
Signalling
On opening the line was operated by the staff and ticket signalling system with a passing loops at Derby Road and Orwell and a third one added at Felixstowe Beach soon after.It is known that by 1900 a system known as the Tyers Electric Train Tablet
Tyers Electric Train Tablet
Tyer's Electric Train Tablet system is a form of railway signalling for single line railways used in several countries; it was first devised in Great Britain by engineer Edward Tyer after the Thorpe rail accident of 1874, which left 21 people dead...
was in use on the line as it is mentioned in the accident report for Felixstowe Town in 1900 (see history section above).
The railway is completely track circuited with colour-light signals and is controlled from Colchester PSB. Multiple traffic can use the same section at the same time and freight trains regularly follow behind passenger services.
Locomotives
On opening, the line was worked three 2-4-0 side tank locomotives built by the Yorkshire Engine CompanyYorkshire Engine Company
The Yorkshire Engine Company was a small independent locomotive manufacturer in Sheffield, England. The Company was formed in 1865 and continued to produce locomotives and carry out general engineering work until 1965...
numbered 1 Tomline, 2 Orwell and 3 Felixstowe. These locomotives were taken over by the GER in 1887 becoming 808, 809 and 810 respectively. They were quickly replaced and had been scrapped by 1888.
The GER started operating Adams and Johnson built 0-4-4Ts but later E4 2-4-0 and class J15 0-6-0 worked trains.
A detailed list of locomotive classes that have worked the line can be found in the Felixstowe railway station
Felixstowe railway station
Felixstowe is a railway station serving the town of Felixstowe in Suffolk, England. The station is the terminus of the Felixstowe Branch Line east of .It was opened by the Great Eastern Railway in 1898...
entry. In addition to this list the following diesel classes have also worked the line (but not to Felixstowe Town).
- British Rail Class 56British Rail Class 56The British Rail Class 56 is a type of diesel locomotive designed for heavy freight work. It is a Type 5 locomotive, with a Ruston-Paxman power unit developing 3,250 bhp , and has a Co-Co wheel arrangement...
- British Rail Class 57British Rail Class 57The Class 57 diesel locomotives were introduced by Brush Traction between 1997-2004. They are rebuilds, with reconditioned EMD engines, of former Class 47 locomotives, originally introduced in 1964-5.- Description :...
- British Rail Class 66British Rail Class 66The Class 66 is a six axle diesel electric freight locomotive developed in part from the British Rail Class 59, for use on the railways of the UK. Since its introduction the class has been successful and has been sold to British and other European railway companies...
- British Rail Class 70British Rail Class 70The British Rail Class 70 was a class of three 3rd rail Co-Co electric locomotives. The initial two were built by the Southern Railway at Ashford Works in 1941 and 1945 and were numbered CC1 and CC2. Electrical equipment was designed by Alfred Raworth and the body by Oliver Bulleid. CC2 was...
The following locomotives are known to have worked on the industrial sites on the branch.
Cranes
- 0-4-0ST Avonside works no 1878 built 1921 and worked 1930–1952
- 1490 Peckett 0-4-0ST works no 2129 built 1952 and worked 1952–1970
- Thetis 0-4-0DM Robert Stephenson and Hawthorn works number 7815 built 1954 and worked 1954–1970
- 2589 0-4-0DH Andrew Barclay works no 472 built 1961 and worked 1970–1976
Ransomes
- 4wDM Ruston & Hornsby 252825 built 1947 and worked 1947–1962
- Ransomes, 4wDM Ruston & Hornsby 466629 built 1962 and worked 1947–1980 (stayed on site until 1984 before sale to North Norfolk RailwayNorth Norfolk RailwayThe North Norfolk Railway – also known as the "Poppy Line" – is a heritage steam railway in Norfolk, England, running between the coastal town of Sheringham and Holt, It cuts through the countryside to the east of Weybourne with views of its windmill and passes through the well preserved country...
). In 2007 it moved to Shillingstone railway stationShillingstone railway stationShillingstone railway station was a station on the Somerset and Dorset Joint Railway , serving the village of Shillingstone in the English county of Dorset. Opened in 1863, the station was located between and stations, although between 1928 and 1956 the next station south was Stourpaine and...
—a railway heritage project in North Dorset.
Felixstowe Dock Company
- D3489 Colonel Tomline—former BR Class 10 0-6-0DE - worked 1969–2001. Sold to Spa Valley RailwaySpa Valley RailwayThe Spa Valley Railway is a standard gauge heritage railway that runs between Tunbridge Wells, High Rocks, Groombridge, and Eridge railway station, where it links with the Oxted Line. En route it crosses the Kent and East Sussex border, a distance of 5 miles , along the former Three Bridges to...
. - DL12, 0-6-0DH Yorkshire Engine Co, works number 2911—worked 1990 while Colonel Tomline being overhauled
- 08460 0-6-0DE—sold from Allerton in 2007 but now at the Colne Valley RailwayColne Valley RailwayThe Colne Valley Railway is a heritage railway based at Castle Hedingham Station, near Halstead in Essex, England. The railway consists of a mile-long running line, with a fully reconstructed station, signal box and railway yard...
. - 08441 moved to the docks after having been based at the Colne Valley RailwayColne Valley RailwayThe Colne Valley Railway is a heritage railway based at Castle Hedingham Station, near Halstead in Essex, England. The railway consists of a mile-long running line, with a fully reconstructed station, signal box and railway yard...
. Locomotive owned by Traditional Traction. - 08484 Captain Nathaniel Darell—former BR class 08 0-6-0DE—worked 2007 to present.
- 08511 - former BR class 08 0-6-0DE—believed to be currently working at Felixstowe (August 2010)
- 08785 - Freightliner Class 08 shunter.
- 08683 moved to the docks after having been based at the Gloucestershire Warwickshire RailwayGloucestershire Warwickshire RailwayThe Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway is a volunteer-run heritage railway on the Gloucestershire/Worcestershire/Warwickshire Borders that has reopened the closed railway line between Laverton Halt and Cheltenham Racecourse railway stations in Gloucestershire/Worcestershire., it currently...
. Locomotive owned by Traditional Traction..
Engine Sheds
The original engine shed was sited at Felixstowe Beach station but was closed once the Great Eastern Railway had taken over the line. However a need to find extra capacity for carriage painting led to the facility re-opening in 1894 and dealing with significant numbers of carriages per year. Unfortunately it burned down in the 1930s.Most trains on the branch were work by locomotives based at Ipswich locomotive shed (code 32B). Felixstowe Town station was a small sub-shed of Ipswich with a number of drivers being based there but no permanent allocation of locomotives.
Timetables
The following list provides a snapshot of timetables being run during the life of the line.1877
Four trains each way originating Westerfield, Derby Road, Orwell, Felixstowe Beach and Felixstowe Pier supplemented by two up (from Felixstowe) and one down train between Derby Road and Felixstowe.
1879
Six trains in each direction
The GER took over operation and started running to and from Ipswich itself. They also extended the Harwich–Ipswich steam boat service to serve Felixstowe as well.
1891
Trimley station opened
1898
Felixstowe Town station opens and all trains to/from Beach and Pier diverted there and reverse for the onward journey.
1905
Through carriages from Liverpool Street detaching at Westerfield.
1906
First recorded through service to Liverpool Street departing Liverpool Street at 4.10 pm while the up working departed Felixstowe at 14.25 with a highly commendable 98 minutes although the following year this had ballooned out to 199 minutes.
1910
Summer services include 4 through services to Liverpool Street in each direction.
Bradshaws July 1922
Ipswich weekday departures 07:00, 08:25, 09:36, 10:22, 11:12, 12:05, 12:24, 13:28, 14:44,16:24, 17:12 (from Liverpool Street), 17:32, 18:26 (Fridays only), 18:36, 19:04, 20:28, 21:25 (Wed and Sat only) and 21:55. All trains went onto Beach with the exception of the 21:25 with a number continuing to Pier. The 12:56 from Liverpool Street did not call at Ipswich arriving Felixstowe Town at 15:02. In addition a number of shuttle services worked between Felixstowe Town and Beach or Pier. Calling patterns varied with Westerfield, Trimley and Orwell missing out on a number of services.
Ipswich Sunday departures: 09:26, 12:10, 14:20 (all stations to Pier), 18:28 (fast Ipswich to Felixstowe Town then Beach and Pier), 20:00 and 20:35 (all stations to Pier).
1939
The summer timetable consisted of 3 up services to Liverpool Street and 20 Ipswich (or Derby Road trains) and 4 down expresses and 21 local workings. On the August bank Holiday this consisted of 43 up and 41 down services—not bad for a single line branch with passing loops.
1951
19 workings in each direction. However in the meagre Pier service of 2 up trains and 1 down service only lasted three weeks into the timetable before the Pier station closed.
1955
Orwell station closed—trains run direct from Derby Road to Trimley
September 1964 British Rail Eastern Region timetable
Weekday—hourly service departing Ipswich at xx.13 except 15.13. All services called Derby Road but a number skipped Westerfield Junction and Trimley.
Saturday—hourly service departing Ipswich at xx.13
Sunday—10:00, 11:00, 12:00,14:45, 16:15, 18:00,19:45,21:00. All called Derby Road and Felixstowe Town before reversal to Beach with exception of the 21:00 which terminated at Felixstowe Town.
1973/1974
13 trains each way (plus one additional on summer Saturdays) all working from Ipswich.
Network Rail April 2010 (services operated by National Express East Anglia)
Ipswich weekdays departures at 05:04, 06:04, 07:13, 08:27 then hourly until 20:27 and then 22:27. All trains call Westerfield, Derby Road, Trimley and Felixstowe. 16 trains each way.
Ipswich Saturdays departures at 06:27 then hourly until 20:27 and then 22:27. All trains call Westerfield, Derby Road, Trimley and Felixstowe
Ipswich Sundays departures at 10:00 then two hourly until 22:00. All trains call Westerfield, Derby Road, Trimley and Felixstowe.
The Port of Felixstowe celebrated it’s 29th daily rail freight service, which commenced on Saturday 1st October 2011.
Line Dualing to Trinity Park
In July 2008 the Secretary of State for Transport approved the 'Felixstowe Branch Line and Ipswich Yard Improvement Order' which included dualing a 4 1/4 miles of line between Trimley Station and a point west of Levington Bridge by 2014 as part of the Felixstowe and Nuneaton freight capacity schemeBirmingham to Peterborough Line
The Birmingham to Peterborough Line is a cross-country railway line in the United Kingdom, linking Birmingham to Peterborough, via Nuneaton and Leicester....
.
Organisations linked to the branch
The East Suffolk Travellers Association has a Felixstowe Branch with its own website. There is a description of a journey along the branch on the site.The Friends of Trimley
Trimley
Trimley may refer to:*Trimley St Mary, Suffolk*Trimley St Martin, Suffolk...
station are fighting to prevent the demolition of the station building.