Benwick Goods Railway

Benwick goods railway
Three Horseshoes Jn. Signal Box
Overview
System	National Rail
Status	Closed - track lifted
Operation
Opened	1898
Closed	1966
Owner	Network Rail
Operator(s)	British Rail
Technical
Track gauge	4 ft 8 ^1⁄2 in (1,435 mm)

Benwick Goods Railway
Legend
Whittlesea Ely to Peterborough Line Three Horseshoes Junction Quakers Drove TL344960 West Fen Drove TL343950 Burnt House TL343942 Whittlesey Dyke Jones Drove TL338931 White Fen TL335922 Benwick TL336910

The Benwick Goods Railway was a Great Eastern Railway line serving the village of Benwick, Cambridgeshire.

History

The line was built in 1898 as a goods only line for moving agricultural produce from the Benwick area. It left the Ely to Peterborough line at Three Horseshoes Junction in Turves, Cambridgeshire, just east of the level crossing on Burnthouse Road.^[1] Passenger services were never provided, and the line closed to goods in 1966.^[2]

Route

Trackbed south of the Junction

After leaving the main line at Three Horseshoes Junction, the line headed east just south of the Turves to March road. The curve of the line can be seen from the property boundaries of the houses just east of Poplars level crossing. The line then curved south towards Bottom Hake's farm. Quaker's Drove station was at the eastern end of Quaker's drove just west of the point where the metalled road ends. The next station was West Fen Drove, this was at the east end of West Fen Drove at the point where the metalled road ends.

The third station was Burnt House, this was on the road now known as Burnthouse Sidings which heads east from Burnthouse Farm. After this the line curved slightly to the west and followed what is now a byway to Jones Drove station, near Garton House where the byway makes a sharp bend.

After this, the line is difficult to trace. The next station, White Fen, was near Keyworth House Farm, and Benwick station itself was north west of the village on the road to Whittlesea.

Bibliography

There are two books which cover the Benwick line:

• The Benwick Branch by Peter Paye, ISBN 1-901190-02-1
• Benwick Bygones, a book on the village's history.^[3]

References

1. British Railways Pre-Grouping Atlas and Gazetteer
2. C.J.Wignall. Complete British Railways Maps and Gazetteer.
3. Benwick Bygones Website