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1964 July 13th:- Freight facilities withdrawn from Trimley and Westerfield.
1966 December 5th:- Freight facilities withdrawn from Felixstowe Town and Felixstowe Beach.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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Felixstowe Town viewed from Garrison Lane Bridge. Rather a contrast to the previous shot. c1958.
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Felixstowe Town viewed from Garrison Lane Bridge. Rather a contrast to the previous shot. c1958.

Felixstowe1950sa

  • The current terminus at Felixstowe.   10th June 2009.
  • Felixstowe.
  • Felixstowe Town Station on 16th September 1976. The area of the goods shed to the right is now a Solar Superstore and the current station has been moved towards the foreground. The area where the dmu stands is now a car park. Felixstowe Town Fire Station's drill tower can be seen on the left. The town station lost its freight facilities on 5th December 1966.
  • Felixstowe Town viewed from Garrison Lane Bridge on 29th May 1977 showing the original extent of the station. To the extreme left, in steam days, was a turntable and a water column. These were made redundant c 1959/1960 when diesel traction took over.
  • Felixstowe Town. June 1977
  • Removing the station canopies and platforms at Felixstowe for conversion to a car park area. A Solar Superstore is under construction to the extreme right. 2nd August 1984.<br />
<br />
Image with kind permission of Stuart McNae
  • Removing the island platform at Felixstowe Town Station on 13th July 1984. <br />
<br />
Image with kind permission of Stuart McNae.
  • Felixstowe Town goods shed  with Garrison Lane bridge to the right.<br />
<br />
Goods facilities here were withdrawn on 5th December 1966.<br />
<br />
Image:- Thanks to Sarah Hall.
  • Felixstowe Town viewed from Garrison Lane Bridge. Rather a contrast to the previous shot. c1958.
  • This shot dates from 13th May 1970. The signal box has recently been  abolished and all the semaphore arms removed. The Class 31 is hauling the Eastern Region General Manager's saloon and will traverse the now truncated south curve to a ceremony marking the reopening of the north curve. This facilitated  through working of container trains to the docks via Felixstowe Beach station, saving reversal at the Town Station. The south curve provided a through route from Town Station to Felixstowe Beach.<br />
<br />
Image:-  Thanks to Sarah Hall.
  • Another view of Felixstowe Town from Garrison Lane bridge.<br />
<br />
The photo is undated, but it is pre 1970 as the signal box was decommissioned on 13th May of that year. The photo appears to show a working to the docks via the south curve, reversing at the station.<br />
<br />
Image:- Thanks to Sarah Hall.
  • The scene shows the reopening of the north curve, closed in 1898 when Felixstowe Town station first opened, Beach Station being the original. The opening of the north curve allowed through running from Trimley directly to the docks. Prior to this, workings to the docks had to reverse at the Town station.  The spur officially opened on May 13th 1970 amongst some ceremony with the attendance of the chairman of BR Eastern Region, his saloon being hauled to the site by an unidentified class 31 on the right, standing on the now truncated south curve. The first train to use the new spur was a Leyland car train working from Kings Norton headed by Class 31 D5534. <br />
<br />
Information source The Felixstowe Railway, H.I. Quayle/ G.T. Bradbury 1978.<br />
<br />
Image:- Thanks to Sarah Hall.
  • Felixstowe Beach in September 1976. Colonel Tomline's original station. The station building has been demolished and the crossing now AHB. The station closed to freight on 5th December 1966 and to passenger traffic on 11th September 1967. The line is still open for container traffic using the docks.
  • D3489 Colonel Tomline at Felixstowe Docks c1976.
  • Beach Road Crossing at Felixstowe.  30th May 1984.<br />
<br />
Image with kind permission of Stuart McNae
  • 70001 at the Port of Felixstowe c2011. Photo Ian Leighton.
  • Felixstowe North Container Terminal.
  • Felixstowe North Container Terminal.
  • Untitled photo
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