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Old November 27th 04, 02:29 PM posted to uk.railway,uk.transport.london,uk.local.surrey
Mike Pellatt Mike Pellatt is offline
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First recorded activity at LondonBanter: Jul 2003
Posts: 13
Default Pictures of the old station at Epsom

On Mon, 8 Nov 2004 17:40:19 -0000, Dave (Sgt. Pepper)
wrote:

"N Cook" wrote in message
...

Anything about the branch-line ? that served the ring of mental hospitals
West Park,Longrove,St Ebba's etc.
Still there 10 years ago the only remainder I'm aware of, at the end of

Hook
Rd near
the Danetree Rd end farthest from Epsom in the fields unless now built on

is
a pair of bridge parrapets for this long filled in railway cutting.

Some W. Eweell , Danetree Rd School recollections
http://www.divdev.fsnet.co.uk/danetree.htm


I remember being told some years back by an elderly local, that the branch
line you refer to was used to transport ammunition to various gun
emplacements around the hospital cluster during WW2. I always get a bit
maudlin when I think of such wonderful old lines being destroyed. It would
have been so wonderful to have a preserved railway to run steam trains on
nowadays.


Could hardly be described as a "branch line" as it was narrow gauge - Horton
Light Railway. The bridge that took Hook Road over the route of the line
before the construction of the new roundabout was constructed after
a lady was knocked down and killed by a train. The line was originally
built after the residents of Christ Church Road complained about the
rutting caused to the road by all the construction traffic for
West Park. Plus ca change (except the roads don't get rutted now).

Anyway, it was better than ammo transport. It was a mobile ack-ack gun,
IIRC. I think the leaflet available at the information office in Horton
Country Park mentions this, and even has a photo. Definitely seen it
somewhere. I'm sure the museum at Bourne Hall could confirm, if not
the Rangers.

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Mike Pellatt
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