Place Nacton Pre-grouping Great Eastern Railway Platforms in use 2 | Area Suffolk 1 May 1877 opened | |
Original company Felixstowe Railway and Pier Company Post-grouping London and North Eastern Railway Similar Claydon (Suffolk) railway st, Bramford railway station, Horham railway station, Capel railway station, Barnham railway station | ||
Orwell railway station is a disused station on the Felixstowe Branch Line near the small village of Nacton in Suffolk, England. It opened on 1 May 1877 and closed on 15 June 1959, although the line through the station remains open.
Contents
History
The line from Westerfield to Felixstowe Pier was opened on 1 May 1877 by the Felixstowe Railway and Dock Company. This had been promoted by Colonel George Tomline who was criticised in the Suffolk Chronicle for building the stations where he "thinks people ought to be, rather than where people actually live". This was especially true of Orwell which was situated close to Tomline's home at Orwell Park.
On 1 September 1879 the Great Eastern Railway (GER) took over operation of the line, although the Felixstowe company retained ownership until 5 July 1887 when it sold the railway to the GER. This in turn formed part of the London & North Eastern Railway in 1923 and then the Eastern Region of British Railways in 1948.
An armoured train with a 12 inches (300 mm) Howitzer was stationed on the line with a modified Class F4 locomotive to power it. It was initially based at Derby Road but soon moved to Orwell. It patrolled lines in the area and sidings were provided for it at Levington and Trimley.
An accelerated diesel-powered service was introduced on the line on 15 June 1959. The little-used Orwell station was closed to help reduce the time taken for a journey between Ipswich and Felixstowe Town from 35 to 24 minutes. This allowed a diesel multiple unit to work out and back within an hour. At the end of the year it was reported that the new service had increased the number of passengers carried by 70%. The former station building became a private residence.
Description
Orwell was located at Milepost 78 which is 9.3 miles (15.0 km) from Ipswich, just to the east of Orwell level crossing.
The station was the only passing place for trains when the line opened in 1877, with a platform for each track. The station building was on the westbound platform. A goods siding was situated behind this and was accessed from the Felixstowe (eastern) end.