Railways:Newmarket and Chesterton Railway

The Newmarket and Chesterford Railway was formed in 1846 to build a railway connecting Newmarket with the main line of the Eastern Counties Railway at Chesterford, and it was also planned to construct a branch line from Six Mile Bottom to Cambridge. The ceremonial cutting of the first sod of turf took place at Dullingham and was performed by a ten-year-old boy, Christopher Jeaffreson of Dullingham House, on October 3rd, 1846.

The line from Newmarket to Chesterford was opened in 1848, but lack of means prevented the construction of the branch to Cambridge. Two years later the Company ran into even greater financial difficulties, and in June 1850 the railway was closed down.

The shareholders then sacked the Chairman and all the directors, and appointed a new Board whose energetic management retrieved the position and enabled the line to be re-opened in September. The line from Six Mile Bottom to Cambridge was completed, and soon afterwards the line from Chesterford to Six Mile Bottom was closed and the track removed.

The Eastern Counties Railway purchased the Newmarket Railway and in 1858 extended the line eastward to Bury St.Edmunds to link up with the Eastern Union Railway.

FVHS 14,179 THE NEWMARKET - GT. CHESTERFORD RAILWAY The railway was originally constructed to afford a direct railway communication between Newmarket and London, yet during its short life of only three and a half years, it had a stormy history in which it played an important part in Victorian railway politics, eventually resulting in its own abandonment in 1851; surely one of the first railway closures in England. The route of the line is still a striking feature in the South Cambridgeshire landscape and the abandoned buildings, bridges, embankments and cuttings serve as a memorial to the existence of this historic line over which no doubt Queen Victoria travelled to Newmarket for a day at the races. The prospectus of the Newmarket to Chesterford Railway with a branch to Cambridge appeared in Herapaths Joural on October 4th. And 11*. 1845. The Engineers - in - Chief of the line were given as Mr. Robert Stevenson and Mr. John Braithwaite, the latter having been until May 1843, Engineer in Chief of the Eastern Counties railway. Although his name appears on the prospectus it seems that the actual construction of the railway was under the direction of Mr. Robert Stevenson. The incorporation Act of the Newmarket Railway received the Royal Assent on July 16th. 1846 and one of the interesting limitations imposed by the Act was that first cass passengers were allowed the princely amount of 155lbs. of luggage, second class 100lbs., whilst the third class passenger was limited to 60ibs. The "first sod" was cut two months later on September 30". 1846 and according to the following Saturday's Cambridge Chronice," A charming day attracted a large concourse of spectators; the village of Dullingham was alive with unwonted gaiety and conveyances freighted with fair ladies poured upon the scene of action in quick succession from the surrounding district". Active operations commenced on the following Thursday under the direction of Mr. Jackson, a reputable Cambridge contractor and within a month there were between 2700 and 3000 navvies at work on the line. But even before the actual construction of the line had begun, the Newmarket Railway Company became a pawn in a complex game played by the more powerful Eastern Counties and Norfolk railways. The directors of the Newmarket Railway had considered extending their line to Thetford which would have shortened the route from London to Norwich (via Newmarket) by five and three quarter miles compared with the ECR route via Ely and would also have diverted some £40,000 worth of traffic per year from the ECR to the Newmarket Railway. After many futile negotiations the Norfolk Railway looked as if it was going to gain control, but at the last moment the ECR stepped in with new proposals which were accepted by the Newmarket Railway shareholders. On January 3". 1848 the Newmarket railway was opened to goods traffic, and to passengers on April 4. In Bradshaw for May of that year, it appears that there were two trains each way on Sundays and four on weekdays : in the "Up" direction at 7.00am, 11.30am, 2.40pm and 6.00pm.: in the "Down" direction at 7.45am, 1.35pm, 3.30pm and 7.25pm. The travelling time was on average between 50 and 90 minutes for the journey of 15 miles. Trains were met at Newmarket by horse drawn carriages which could take passengers onward to Bury St. Edmunds. There were four intermediate stations on the line : Bourn Bridge and Balsham Road on the now abandoned section and Six Mile Bottom (originally called Westley) and Dullingham on the present Cambridge to Ipswich line. In the Committee of Investigations report of 1855 into the affairs of the ECR an exact inventory of all the rolling stock of the Newmarket Railway which the ECR purchased in 1850. This comprised six engines and tenders, 18 carriage trucks, 26 first class, 25 second class and 30 third class carriages: 7 luggage vans, 22 horseboxes which were indispensable on a railway to Newmarket! All six locomotives were of the same type and were built by Messrs. Gilkes Wilson and Co. of Middlesbrough and were appropriately all named after famous racehorses - Alice Hawthorn, Beeswing, Eleanor, Flying Dutchman, Queen of Trumps and van Tromp. After being taken over by the ECR, they were for some time used on coal trains between Peterborough and Stratford and it was not until April 1870 that the last of these engines was broken up. The result of the first three months of passenger traffic up to June 30*. 1848, showed that the total receipts were £3,085.7.7d. and the running expenses£2,059.5s.7d. leaving a balance of £1.026.2s.Od. The period of the conduct of the Newmarket Company's undertaking by its own management was very brief. The control of the traffic was handed over to the ECR on October 20. 1848, under an agreement approved by the Newmarket shareholders on 27*. March of that year. Although the ECR took over management from October 2d, the agreement still required the assent of the ECR shareholders, but this was more difficult than it appeared. By the end of 1848, Hudson's reign as head of the ECR was beginning to decline as his policies became more and more unpopular and by the start of October 1848 it became doubtful whether the ECR shareholders would give assent to that agreement with the Newmarket Railway, yet actual control of the running of the line was handed over on October 2'*. So by the time the general meeting of the ECR shareholders on February 28*. 1849, Hudson