The Dyke railway station

History

The Dyke Station opened as the terminus for the standard gauge railway line which ran from Dyke Junction Station (now known as Aldrington railway station) to 200 feet below the summit of Devil's Dyke. The line was opened by the Brighton and Dyke Railway Company to serve what was at the time a very popular tourist destination, boasting two bandstands, an observatory, a camera obscura and fairground rides. The station itself was equipped with basic facilities to accommodate tourists and postcards of the station buildings reveal a converted railway carriage with shack attached bearing the sign "Tea and Cakes"; the facilities were said to be operated by a retired railway guard.

The 1893 August Bank Holiday saw around 30,000 people flock to the Dyke, many of them brought by the railway. Operations continued until 1917 when, in the midst of the First World War, the line was closed as a wartime economy measure. Services recommenced in 1920 but lasted only a further eighteen years; the line closing in the face of increased competition from motor buses.

The Southern Railway purchased a Sentinel-Cammell steam railcar in June 1933 for use on the branch. Although operationally successful, the single railcar was not large enough to meet the needs of this line. It was transferred away from the line in March 1936 and tried in other areas, but was withdrawn in 1940.

The site today

The station was demolished after closure and the site is occupied by a farm. Part of trackbed of the line remained unused until 1988 when the "Dyke Railway Trail" was created.