Uckfield & East Grinstead Lines History
The Uckfield Line
The Uckfield line as we know it today was formed from two of the four lines which radiated out from Tunbridge Wells West. These were the Tunbridge Wells to Uckfield and Brighton lines (opened in 1868) and the Tunbridge Wells to Oxted and London direct line (opened in 1888).
Eventually these two lines were joined by a spur between Ashurst and Eridge, but for many years this was only a siding to Birchden with buffer stops just yards from the Tunbridge Wells - Uckfield line. This was all down to politics at the time, but with the outbreak of World War 1 the link was completed and the line doubled.
Although not heavily used, there were scheduled services from London to Brighton via Oxted and Eridge, and before the Uckfield Lewes link was severed in the 1960s this provided a useful alternative roue to the main London to Brighton line.
The Spa Valley Heritage Railway now operates the redundant line from Tunbridge Wells West to Groomsbridge and on to Eridge. Making a train journey from Uckfield to Tunbridge Wells, via a change at Eridge, possible again. See www.spavalleyrailway.co.uk for more details and dates.
The East Grinstead Line
The East Grinstead Line has been in operation in different formats from the early 1850s. The line's original route continued past East Grinstead and through Horsted Keynes and Sheffield Park stations and was operated by the London Brighton & South Coast Railway Company (LBSCR). In 1923 it came under the original 'Southern Railway' and in 1948 British Rail.
In 1955 the line past East Grinstead was temporarily closed until an Act of Parliament reinstated the service a year later. The end finally came for the line from East Grinstead in 1958.
However, all was not lost and in December 1959 the Bluebell Railway Preservation Society gained control of most of the line between Horsted Keynes and Sheffield Park. This is now run as a heritage railway and it is hoped that the trains will soon run into East Grinstead once again. See www.bluebell-railway.co.uk for more details.
