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1964 July 13th:- Freight facilities withdrawn from Trimley and Westerfield.
1966 December 5th:- Freight facilities withdrawn from Felixstowe Town and Felixstowe Beach.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
Read More
Felixstowe Town viewed from Garrison Lane Bridge. Rather a contrast to the previous shot. c1958.
38 / 54

Felixstowe Town viewed from Garrison Lane Bridge. Rather a contrast to the previous shot. c1958.

Felixstowe1950sa

  • 70001 passes Derby Road with a Lawley Street, Birmingham to Felixstowe freightliner on 20th April 2010. My first sighting of a Class 70.
  • Greater Anglia 755338 stands at Derby Road with the 0857 Ipswich to Felixstowe on 13th July 2020. Looks like the station buildings are in need of some TLC.
  • The new footbridge at Gun Lane, Trimley St Martin.  This was built to allow safe crossing of the line for both pedestrians and horses. It enabled Network Rail to close several other  crossings in the vicinity to increase line safety. September 2019. Image:- Network Rail.
  • Trimley viewed towards Felixstowe on 29th May 1977 viewed from the footbridge. The signal box is hidden behind the canopy on the up platform. Today only the down platform is in use. Trimley lost its freight facilities on 13th July 1964.
  • Trimley facing Ipswich.  29th May 1977
  • Trimley, c1979.
  • Trimley facing Westerfield on 4th November 1986. Station still has manual gates and semaphores. Note the shortened lower arm to clear the footbridge.<br />
<br />
Image with kind permission of Stuart McNae
  • 153314 approaches Trimley on a Felixstowe bound working. 25th February 2007.
  • Framed by the footbridge 66505 heads a Felixstowe bound Freightliner through Trimley on 13th September 2010.
  • Freightliner Class 66  No 66954 passes Trimley, heading away from Felixstowe on 10th June 2009.
  • Trimley station building in danger of collapse or being demolished.  21st October 2009. Hopefully restoration is in site!
  • Trimley station building.  21st October 2009. There are plans to refurbish the building, hopefully before it falls down!
  • Trimley signal box. Image with kind permission of Tom Bowes.
  • Levington Bridge on 29th June 1979. The 1940 Ipswich to Felixstowe is passing Trimley's distant. To the right is the old route of the A45/A14.
  • Levington Bridge on 29th June 1979 facing Felixstowe. The 1940 Felixstowe to Ipswich is approaching.
  • 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 viewed from Garrison Lane Bridge. Rather a contrast to the previous shot. c1958.
  • Felixstowe Town exterior view on 8th July 1980. The original station area is now used for retail.
  • The 1155 to Ipswich waits to depart Felixstowe. 8th July 1980.
  • No Comments
  • Photo Sharing
  • About SmugMug
  • Browse Photos
  • Prints & Gifts
  • Terms
  • Privacy
  • Contact
  • Owner Log In
© 2021 SmugMug, Inc.