Witham–Maldon branch line

Witham-Maldon branch line
Legend
Braintree Branch Line Great Eastern Main Line to Norwich Witham Junction Witham Great Eastern Main Line to London River Blackwater A12 road Trestle viaduct Wickham Bishops Langford and Ulting Maldon East and Heybridge Maldon West River Chelmer

The Witham–Maldon branch line is a closed railway line between Witham and Maldon in Essex, England. The line was 5.75 miles (9.25 km) long and operated from 1848 until final closure in 1966, though passenger services had ceased two years earlier.

Infrastructure

Wooden viaduct over the River Blackwater

Most of the railway was built economically using timber instead of bricks,^[1] however the station at Maldon was built far grander than necessary as one of the railway's political financiers, David Waddington, was seeking local re-election to the Maldon parliamentary constituency and extended the employment of the railway workers to improve his chances.

There were six timber trestle viaducts on the line; the one near the former Wickham Bishops station (51°46′30″N 0°38′33″E / 51.775°N 0.6426°E) is the only remaining and is a scheduled monument.^[2]

History

The railway was built between Braintree and Maldon by the Maldon, Witham & Braintree Railway Company. It joined with the Great Eastern Main Line at Witham where a triangular junction allowed access to the branch from either direction of the main line. However, the 1897 survey shows that the north-eastern or country end of the triangle had already been disconnected by that time.^[3] The line having opened for freight on 18 April 1848 and for passengers on 2 October 1848.^[4] From 1958 the branch was operated by a railbus.

Closure

The line closed for passenger traffic on 7 September 1964 but continued to be used for freight traffic until 1966 when it was abandoned. Following closure, approximately half a mile of the branch from Witham station toward Maldon was used as a siding serving an industrial area for delivery of steel by railway. This section closed in the early 1980s after a rail strike and is now a cycle/walkway. An original brick built goods shed was demolished in mid 2008 just weeks before being considered for listed status.

The route today

The Witham to Braintree section still operates as the Braintree Branch Line.

The section of line into the old east station in Maldon has been used as the route for a new road into the Fullbridge area. The section of trackbed linking the two former railway stations in Maldon has been used as the route of the Maldon bypass to the west of the town.

References

1. Leslie Oppitz (1999). Lost Railways of East Anglia. Countryside Books. ISBN 1853065951.
2. "Wickham Bishops - timber trestle bridge". Essex County Council.
3. Mitchell, Victor E (April 2011). Eastern Main Lines - Shenfield to Ipswich. Midhurst: Middleton Press. Plan VI. ISBN 978 1 906008 96 3.
4. R.S. Joby (1977). Forgotten Railways East Anglia. David & Charles. ISBN 0715373129.