[Sussex] Steyning Line History

[CheeseRolls]

Might be of interest to some. Tracing the history of the Steyning railway line (Shoreham-By-Sea to Horsham)



Last season's Brentford away fixture was marred by the closure of the Coastway west line as a signalman had gone off sick, the evening before a strike. As explained here the remaining signal box is in Lancing, where one man watches the cameras and controls the crossing barriers. There is no good reason why this service has no fall back, other than the old lack of investment in the infrastructure. Small comfort when you get home close to 3 in the morning.

 

[Brovion]

Wow, yes thank you. I shall look forward to watching that as I remember the old Horsham line. (Never went on it though).

EDIT: I remember before the Shoreham by-pass was built the old wooden toll bridge used to carry the A27! You had to pay the toll at the old level crossing on the Horsham line.

 

[Chicken Run]

Thanks for this, only in the last few years did i discover this old line , below is the site of the old Henfield Station

 

[thedonkeycentrehalf]

I haven't watched this one yet but saw the pilot which showed the walk and information boards around the old West Grinstead station that I didn't know existed.

 

[Mellor 3 Ward 4]

I cycle the 'Downs Link' (the old railway line) on a regular basis - it goes all the way to Guildford.

Hindsight is a wonderful thing, but Beeching really did **** things up. A train direct from Shoreham to Horsham / Guildford would be fantastic....

 

[Official Old Man]

Is that the best timed and set up intro to a show ever?
On a par with this-

A similar line I used last week is the Looe (Cornwall) to Liskeard, known as the Looe Valley Line it has some stunning views and was due for the Beeching chop in the 60's.

Looe Valley Line | Train travel guide

Get Liskeard to Looe train times and local travel tips. See photos of this scenic branch line with its picturesque estuary views. Plus where to park.

greatscenicrailways.co.uk

Luckily it survived and is now a very busy link from the main GWR line from London.
Similar line exsists between Erth & St Ives. As a sub to this, I used both plus a GWR train to get between the two towns. £14.20 return for a 4 hour trip. Bargain for the views alone.

 

[Brovion]

I cycle the 'Downs Link' (the old railway line) on a regular basis - it goes all the way to Guildford.

Hindsight is a wonderful thing, but Beeching really did **** things up. A train direct from Shoreham to Horsham / Guildford would be fantastic....

There were rumblings a few years ago that the Cranleigh to Guildford stretch would get re-opened, but rather like Lewes to Uckfield it doesn't look like it'll happen.

On the subject of the Downs Link, I didn't realise it went all the way to Guildford. Can you walk it as well? Obviously it can't slavishly follow all the route of the old line, but is there a bridge over the Adur by the cement works, or do you have to go back on the road?

 

[Thunder Bolt]

Thanks for this, only in the last few years did i discover this old line , below is the site of the old Henfield Station
View attachment 181972

My uncle Charlie was the porter/ticket seller/signalman etc at Henfield station. He lived in the house attached. I went there many a time before 1963 when he was forced to take early retirement with just a clock to mark his decades of working for the railway.

The line did run diesels for a couple of years, but the excuse was the village had a good bus service ie two an hour, so the line was uneconomic.
Of course, a couple of years after that the bus service went down to one an hour, and, at one point, every two hours, with the last one at 6pm.

 

[Was not Was]

Thanks for this, only in the last few years did i discover this old line , below is the site of the old Henfield Station
View attachment 181972

The line was closed due to the Beeching Report - so is it ironic that the place is called Beechings, or did they call it that after Lord Beeching?

 

[Thunder Bolt]

The line was closed due to the Beeching Report - so is it ironic that the place is called Beechings, or did they call it that after Lord Beeching?

It was going to be called Beeching’s Folly but the council wouldn’t allow that so a compromise was reached.

I have to take issue with the title of the YouTube clip, as it was called the Horsham Line (Horsham Flyer or even the Steyning Stinker)
It ran from Brighton to Horsham, as Dad & I used to get on at Portslade to visit his sister Aunty Ivy, married to Uncle Charlie.

 

[Mellor 3 Ward 4]

There were rumblings a few years ago that the Cranleigh to Guildford stretch would get re-opened, but rather like Lewes to Uckfield it doesn't look like it'll happen.

On the subject of the Downs Link, I didn't realise it went all the way to Guildford. Can you walk it as well? Obviously it can't slavishly follow all the route of the old line, but is there a bridge over the Adur by the cement works, or do you have to go back on the road?

Yes you can walk the whole thing.

There are bits (as previously highlighted above) at Henfield and Partridge Green where you come off the 'pathway' (i.e the old railway line) but it's not for long.

Also, there was a section at Christs Hospital where you had to go onto the road, but that section (about a mile long) has been restored and you now don't have to use the road.

 

[theboybilly]

There were rumblings a few years ago that the Cranleigh to Guildford stretch would get re-opened, but rather like Lewes to Uckfield it doesn't look like it'll happen.

On the subject of the Downs Link, I didn't realise it went all the way to Guildford. Can you walk it as well? Obviously it can't slavishly follow all the route of the old line, but is there a bridge over the Adur by the cement works, or do you have to go back on the road?

Yes you can walk all of it but as you say small detours are necessary (eg around Bramber) but they've done a nice job of easing the crossing of the A283 at Upper Beeding so you don't have to run the risk crossing that busy road. There is a bridge across the Adur at the cement works. I haven't ridden it for a while now but it's a lovely ride back from Christ's Hospital with a finish at Shoreham for a pint at any of many hostelries. There are also a few decent pubs close to the route itself. I only moved to Shoreham in 1999 but would have loved for this to reopen. It would have been such a good diversionary route

 

[Mellor 3 Ward 4]

It was going to be called Beeching’s Folly but the council wouldn’t allow that so a compromise was reached.

I have to take issue with the title of the YouTube clip, as it was called the Horsham Line (Horsham Flyer or even the Steyning Stinker)
It ran from Brighton to Horsham, as Dad & I used to get on at Portslade to visit his sister Aunty Ivy, married to Uncle Charlie.

You're correct of course that the line ran to Horsham.

At Itchingfield Junction (Christ's Hospital) it split with the line (now Downs Link) continuing to Guildford.

 

[Thunder Bolt]

I bought this book from the Henfield museum (in the village hall)

 

[Perfidious Albion]

I well remember that railways line . We lived near the railway at Southwick and we would daily see the “Steyning Stinker “ go by. We called it that even though it ran to Horsham. We travelled on it often as a kid , and I always enjoyed the steam train ride . It was pulled by one of these which I now know as a Stroudly Terrier.

 

[Thunder Bolt]

This is my uncle Charlie On page 80 of that book.

If you walk to Beechings now, the original steps down to the station are still there.

The little gate on the right led to the house, with a little garden, which rose up to Station Road, and was Uncle’s orchard. I had permission to pick up the windfalls to take home.

 

[WestYorkshireSeagull]

I cycle the 'Downs Link' (the old railway line) on a regular basis - it goes all the way to Guildford.

Hindsight is a wonderful thing, but Beeching really did **** things up. A train direct from Shoreham to Horsham / Guildford would be fantastic....

It's the same with Hailsham too.

Still loads of remnant's of the old line (The Cuckoo Trail, Station Road & The Station Pub) but not having a trainline connect the town to the rest of the world has really stunted it in so many ways.

Not sure why they removed it. Still just an railway intriguist at this point