1. Railways

Ipswich to Felixstowe

Brief history of the line.

The line to Felixstowe had its beginnings on November 30th 1874, when a local landowner Colonel George Tomline of the Felixstowe Railway and Pier Company put forward plans to build a line from a terminus at Westerfield Station on the East Suffolk line to a terminus at Felixstowe Pier. The plans were approved and the line opened on 1st May 1877 with stations at Westerfield, Derby Road, Orwell, Felixstowe Beach and Felixstowe Pier.
On 1st September 1879 the Great Eastern Railway took over operation of the line and on 5th July 1887 bought the line from what was now The Felixstowe Dock and Railway Company.
On 1st May 1891 The G.E.R. opened a new station at Trimley and in November of the same year built a second platform and passing loop at Derby Road. The station originally only had the current down platform.
The G.E.R then built a new station at Felixstowe, the now Felixstowe Town station which opened on July 1st 1898.

Closure dates.

1951 July 2nd:- Felixstowe Pier closed.
1955 June:- Orwell Station closed.
1959 January:- Felixstowe sub shed closed, the last engine allocated being Class L1 67710.
1964 July 13th:- Freight facilities withdrawn from Trimley and Westerfield.
1966 December 5th:- Freight facilities withdrawn from Felixstowe Town and Felixstowe Beach.
1967 September 11th:- Felixstowe Beach closed.

Reference:- The Felixstowe Branch. H.I. Quale and G.T. Bradbury. 1978
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Westerfield
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Westerfield

Original terminus building of The Felixstowe Dock and Railway Company, until July 1879 known as The Felixstowe Railway and Pier Company, now converted to a private house. 27th June 1979.

Westerfield

  • Westerfield facing south west towards Ipswich.17th June 1979.
  • Westerfield
  • Westerfield, junction for the Felixstowe branch on 1st April 1977 with blue Eastern Region nameboard. The building behind the bay platform is the original terminus for The Felixstowe Railway and Pier Company Railway, now converted to a private residence.  The large building in the middle is The Railway Public House.
  • Taking the token for the Derby Road section at Westerfield Junction with Class L1 No. 67719. Loco introduced 1945. Photo Brian Leighton.
  • Westerfield on 2nd July 2019. A temporary footbridge has been erected  by Network Rail for pedestrian access. The B1077 road has been closed for engineering work on the barriers.
  • Spring Road Viaduct, Ipswich.
  • On 5th October 1975, at Spring Road Viaduct, work was taking place to excavate the track bed, to insert concrete strengthening. The image shows a crane which appears to have become derailed. A 75 ton steam crane is assisting.<br />
<br />
image with kind permission of John Strutt.
  • Derby Road, Ipswich. Laying ballast for the passing loop extension. 31st January 1999. View from Foxhall Road bridge towards Fuschia Lane bridge,<br />
<br />
Image with kind permission of Stuart McNae
  • Derby Road looking North West on 27th June 1979. The station still has buildings on the up platform and canopies on both. There are also wagons in the siding behind the signal box for a scrap dealers.
  • Derby Road facing Westerfield on 1st April 1977. The footbridge in the far background was removed on 16th December 1984. Both platform canopies were taken down in September 1985. In March 1999 the signal box closed with signalling now controlled from Colchester power box.
  • Derby Road Signal Box c1995.
  • Derby Road Signal Box c1995. The rather poor quality image taken with a disposable camera.
  • Derby Road frame. Image with kind permission of Mark Smith.
  • Derby Road interior. <br />
<br />
Image with kind permission of Ian Dinmore. Copyright  <a href="http://www.railarchive.org.uk">http://www.railarchive.org.uk</a>
  • A class 101 arrives at Derby Road on a Felixstowe working.  c1995. The aerial on the front reveals that this set was used on the East Suffolk line for RETB working.
  • Driver of a class 101 on a Felixstowe to Ipswich working drops off the single line token at Derby Road for the Trimley to Derby Road section. c1995  The aerial on the front of the dmu indicates that this unit was used on the East Suffolk Line utilising Radio Electonic Token Block, RETB, signalling. This poor quality image taken with a disposable camera.
  • Derby Road station buildings.  11th July 2011
  • Derby Road station buildings, formerly a car dealership and now a carwash. I manged to get these shots between times when there were no cars to obstruct the view  23rd July 2011
  • Derby Road detail 11th July 2011
  • Derby Road approach road.  27th July 2011 The wide road once carried a tramway.
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