Colchester, Stour Valley, Sudbury and Halstead Railway



By 1843 the Eastern Counties Railway (ECR) had reached Colchester, a railway line to Sudbury in order to assist the movement of agricultural products between the two towns was required. In 1846 the Colchester, Stour Valley, Sudbury & Halstead Railway (CSVS&HR)was incorporated to build an 11 mile branch from Marks Tey, a branch from Chappel and Wakes Colne to Halstead, and a short line from Colchester to the Hythe was also authorised.

Viaduct Stone
The Stone in the Viaduct

During June 1847 the company obtained powers to build an extension from Sudbury via Long Melford to Clare, and also a branch from Long Melford to Bury St Edmunds. In this year work on the Chappel Viaduct commenced, originally it was decided that the structure was to be timber arches on brick piers, however workmen found suitable brick earth on site and it was decided that brick arches would be constructed. In total the viaduct is 1066 feet long, has 32 arches, around 7 million bricks and cost a total £32,000 and 2 years to build.

Eventually the single track line to Sudbury opened on the 2nd July 1849. Two intermediate stops had also been built - Chappel and Bures. The line terminated in the 1st Sudbury Station which is where the large Roys Store is now located. In 1854 the ECR assumed responsibility for the CSVS&HR and the powers to build the Halstead Branch had expired. A new company called the Colne Valley and Halstead Railway was formed and given permission to build the line to Halstead, and an extension onto Haverhill. The line opened to Halstead on 1st July 1861, and eventually reached Haverhill on 10th May 1863

Viaduct
The Chappel Viaduct

The Colne Valley and Halstead Railway was keen to remove its reliance on the ECR and attempted to obtain powers to extend its own line to Colchester in one direction and Cambridge in the other. In 1860 the Sudbury & Clare Railway Company revived the 1847 Act and in July 1860 were empowered to build a line from Sudbury to Clare via Melford, once the powers were obtained, the ECR took over and applied for permission to extend beyond Clare to Shelford, and from Melford to Bury St Edmunds. After a struggle the ECR won, however after a short time the Great Eastern Railways Act 1862 saw the amalgamation of a number of railway companies in the area, including the ECR.

Around this time, the timetable consisted of 4 trains per day in each direction and the fares which were governed by an act of parliament, cost 3d per mile for 1st class, 2d per mile for 2nd and 1d per mile for 3rd class. The average journey time varied between 28 and 45 minutes, this was considered good for the time.

Part 2 - Extending the Line to Haverhill and Cambridge. -->


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History


In this section you can find out about the Stour Valley Line, from its opening in 1849 right through the years of its expansion, then decline, then stability under BR which led the way for the investment from the privatised railway in the late 90s and now.

Whatever your interest in Railways, this section should have something for you. If you feel that anything has been missed please get in touch