Spa Valley Railway
© Vernon Large
- Overview
- How to get there?
- Route
- Visitors
- Photographs
|
|
By the early 1980's the planned electrification of the Tonbridge to Hastings line put pressure on the under-invested line from Grove Junction at Tunbridge Wells to Birchden Junction near Eridge. A campaign challenged the planned closure, but this was unsuccessful and the last services ran on July 6th, 1985.
Soon after closure the Tumbridge Wells and Eridge Preservation Society was formed with the aim of re-opening the whole line, but the valuable assets of the line, the station sites at Groombridge and Tunbridge Wells West were sold to developers before the group had chance to purchase the line.
TWERPS moved into the former LBSCR depot at Tunbridge Wells West in 1994 and began operating passenger trains over a 1/2 mile section towards Groombridge late in 1996. A new station was constructed at Groombridge which opened in August 1997, making the line approx. 3 1/2 miles long, and a further extension was opened just short of the former Birchden Junction.
In 2007, negotiations began with Network Rail to look into the possibility of extending the line to Eridge and by the summer contractors were in place to make the necessary repairs to the running line, which was still in place after the 1985 closure. Further obstructions to the re-opening of the Eridge section were overcome and in March 2011, the first train operated from Tunbridge Wells West to Eridge by the Spa Valley Railway ran.
| Directions by Road | From London Leave the M25 at Junction 5 and follow the A21 to Tonbridge, changing onto the A26, through Southborough. Follow the A26 through Tunbridge Wells, past the Pantiles, until you see a signpost to 'Union House Public Car park' on your left, and then follow the brown tourist signs. Tunbridge Wells West station is situated adjacent to Sainsbury's superstore, off Eridge Road (N.B. - Sainsbury's car park is for their customers only). There are pay and display car parks at nearby Union House and Linden Close. From the South On the A26 from Crowborough and Lewes, enter Tunbridge Wells and go under the railway bridge. Go straight on at the roundabout, and 'Union House Public Car park' is on your immediate right. Follow the brown tourist signs as above |
|---|---|
| Directions by Public Transport | By Train Tunbridge Wells is the closest mainline station. For full train timetable information please use the National Rail website. By Bus For Local/National bus service information please use the Travel Line website. |
| Map |
|
|
| The are no 12CSVT locomotives currently resident at this site |
Note - Locos that show as resident may be based here but loaned to other sites, click on 'Loco' to view the most recent location
| Loco | Arrived | Departed | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 37254 | 27/03/2008 | 02/11/2015 | Sold to mainline operator |
Click on Thumbnails below to see a larger image.
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
 |
 |
 |
 |