Rudgwick railway station
Encyclopedia
Rudgwick
railway station was on the Cranleigh Line
. It opened in November 1865, one month after the rest of the stations on the line, due to objections made by the Board of Trade
's Colonel Yolland
following the obligatory inspection of the line on 2 May in that year.
The Colonel objected to the station being on a steep 1 in 80 gradient, which he considered dangerous as it might, in his opinion, result in trains calling at the station running away back down the slope. He refused to authorise the opening of the station to traffic until the incline had been flattened to a 1 in 130 gradient. The works required were complex as the embankment
leading into the station contained a partly constructed bridge carrying the line over the River Arun
, which had to be raised by 10 feet.
The railway company, the LBSCR, had no choice but to carry out the remedial works as it was contractually obliged to provide the station as the local landowner had sold the railway his land subject to this condition. The solution was to raise the partly-built embankments, leaving the brick arch which was under construction as a flying buttress
to a new plate girder bridge
which the LBSCR now set about building. The result of these works was a "bridge over a bridge".
At that time continuos brakes did not exist.
When the line and Rudgwick station were axed in 1965 by Beeching
, the station was demolished, leaving the trackbed and bridge in situ. In the 1980s the trackbed became part of the Downs Link
, a footpath linking the North Downs
and South Downs
national trails. A few years ago the local authority installed a viewing platform near the "bridge over a bridge" to allow the public to inspect this unusual structure more closely. On the site of the station's main building is the "Rudgwick Medical Centre".
Rudgwick
Rudgwick is a village and civil parish in the Horsham District of West Sussex, England located six miles west of Horsham on the north side of the A281 road. The border between Surrey and Sussex runs through the northern part of the village....
railway station was on the Cranleigh Line
Cranleigh Line
The Cranleigh Line was a short railway line that connected Guildford, the county town of Surrey, with the West Sussex market town of Horsham, via Cranleigh, a distance of 19¼ miles...
. It opened in November 1865, one month after the rest of the stations on the line, due to objections made by the Board of Trade
Board of Trade
The Board of Trade is a committee of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom, originating as a committee of inquiry in the 17th century and evolving gradually into a government department with a diverse range of functions...
's Colonel Yolland
William Yolland
William Yolland CB, FRS was an English military surveyor, astronomer and engineer, and was Britain’s Chief Inspector of Railways from 1877 until his death...
following the obligatory inspection of the line on 2 May in that year.
The Colonel objected to the station being on a steep 1 in 80 gradient, which he considered dangerous as it might, in his opinion, result in trains calling at the station running away back down the slope. He refused to authorise the opening of the station to traffic until the incline had been flattened to a 1 in 130 gradient. The works required were complex as the embankment
Embankment (transportation)
To keep a road or railway line straight or flat, and where the comparative cost or practicality of alternate solutions is prohibitive, the land over which the road or rail line will travel is built up to form an embankment. An embankment is therefore in some sense the opposite of a cutting, and...
leading into the station contained a partly constructed bridge carrying the line over the River Arun
River Arun
The Arun is a river in the English county of West Sussex. Its source is a series of small streams in the St Leonard's Forest area, to the east of Horsham...
, which had to be raised by 10 feet.
Flying buttress
A flying buttress is a specific form of buttressing most strongly associated with Gothic church architecture. The purpose of any buttress is to resist the lateral forces pushing a wall outwards by redirecting them to the ground...
to a new plate girder bridge
Plate girder bridge
A plate girder bridge is a bridge supported by two or more plate girders. The plate girders are typically I-beams made up from separate structural steel plates , which are welded or, in older bridges, bolted or riveted together to form the vertical web and horizontal flanges of the beam...
which the LBSCR now set about building. The result of these works was a "bridge over a bridge".
At that time continuos brakes did not exist.
When the line and Rudgwick station were axed in 1965 by Beeching
Beeching Axe
The Beeching Axe or the Beeching Cuts are informal names for the British Government's attempt in the 1960s to reduce the cost of running British Railways, the nationalised railway system in the United Kingdom. The name is that of the main author of The Reshaping of British Railways, Dr Richard...
, the station was demolished, leaving the trackbed and bridge in situ. In the 1980s the trackbed became part of the Downs Link
Downs Link
The Downs Link is a 36.7-mile footpath and bridleway linking the North Downs Way at St. Martha's Hill in Surrey with the South Downs Way near Steyning in West Sussex and on via the Coastal Link to Shoreham-by-Sea.- History :...
, a footpath linking the North Downs
North Downs Way
The North Downs Way is a long-distance path in southern England, opened in 1978. It runs from Farnham to Dover, past Godalming, Guildford, Dorking, Merstham, Otford and Rochester, along the Surrey Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and Kent Downs AONB.East of Boughton Lees, the path splits...
and South Downs
South Downs Way
The South Downs Way is a long distance footpath and bridleway running along the South Downs in southern England, and is one of 15 National Trails in England and Wales...
national trails. A few years ago the local authority installed a viewing platform near the "bridge over a bridge" to allow the public to inspect this unusual structure more closely. On the site of the station's main building is the "Rudgwick Medical Centre".
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