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

and his directors did not even dare to submit the Newmarket agreement for confirmation, nor did Hudson attend the meeting and with him went the agreement with the Newmarket Railway The unfortunate Newmarket Railway was left in the lurch and now the ECR which had control of the traffic started to bleed the Company. It sought to charge 1s.5d. per mile for locomotive power (it being only 9d on the London and South Western and 9.5d on the Brighton) and also £300 per half year for management (?mismanagement) of the line although it was no extra cost to the company under that head. As a result of this the three months traffic up to January 4th. Showed a gross profit to the Newmarket Company of only £704, but as the chairman pointed out at the half yearly meeting on March22nd. 1849, they still had to pay approximately £2.000 bond interest plus building and permanent way maintenance costs. This hopeless situation led to the closure of the line by the directors on June 30". 1850. The Newmarket Company was now in an unenviable situation - it owed money to Mr. Jackson the contractor; the ECR had taken over the locomotives and rolling stock in payment of any debts; its line was closed, the Cambridge branch was unfinished and creditors of which there were many, were pressing. But at this hopeless moment a forceful character came on the sone in the person of Mr. Cecil Fane, who, being a commissioner in bankruptcy, had investigated the company's affairs in March 1849. At a meeting called on July 28. 1850, Mr Fane showed the true vigour of his personality. He decried the directors' defeatist policy of closing the line by showing that if running, would entail a loss; keeping it closed would mean a larger loss; he criticised the mistake of making Chesterford the pivot of the line and not Cambridge and he also seriously denounced the bungling of negotiations with the Norfolk and the Eastern Counties Railways and the tactless handling of Mr. Jackson, the contractor and debenture holder. As a result of the meeting, the old board was thrown out and Mr. Fane with his Directors reigned in its place Mr. Fane's appearance had an outstanding effect; the line was reopened on September 9th, 1850 with rolling stock borrowed from the ECR; Mr. Jackson was pacified and an agreement was made with the ECR to accommodate, when opened, the Cambridge branch at Cambridge station, and so avoiding the expense of building and staffing a separate station. He also got Mr. Jackson to agree to complete the line to Cambridge for a sum not exceeding £9,000 on being furnished with a supply of rails and sleepers. This agreement shows just how able this man Fane was; the original Newmarket to Chesterford line was double but a single line was ample for the traffic, so he had one set of railsand sleepers torn up (except at necessary passing places) between Chesterford and Six Mile Bottom, leaving some 11 miles of track to pave the branch to Cambridge, with about £7,000 worth of rails left over. The Newmarket Railway was in business again ! The branch to Cambridge eventually opened on October 9th. 1851. This branch ran from Newmarket to Six Mile Bottom on the original main line, but the actual physical junction between the two lines took place at the latter station although they ran side by side fo just over a mile more before diverging. The section of line between Chesterford and Six Mile Bottom was closed immediatelt the Cambridge branch was opened and an advertisement, announcing the opening of the branch appeared in the Cambridge Chronicle on October 11". 1851 with two lines in small print stating that "The section between Six Mile Bottom and Chesterford would be closed for the present" - and that was 122 years ago !. Although this section does not appear to havew been worked even for goods traffic after October 9th, 1851, the power actually to abandon the line was not taken until the ECR Abandonment Act of 1858,- the Newmarket Company having been bought out by the ECR in 1852. For a line to close more than 120 years ago, the extent off the physical remains is quite surprising in contrast with those lines which have closed in recent times. Leaving great Chesterford the line curves Northwrds to run almost parallel with the A11 and for over three miles the overgrown embankments and cuttings remain, isolated in the middle of cultivated fields which border the line. The first station on the line was Bour Bridge situated immediately opposite Pampisford station (on the now closed Cambridge to Marks tey line) on the site of now covered by the Railway Inn.A little North of Bour Bridge station the line crosses the Pampisford road and the crossing keeper's house remains standing to this day. The characteristic door portal of the Newmarket railway is still in evidence on this cottage.

A little further on the line crossed the river Granta and on each side can be seen the brick abutments of the bridge which must have had a span of 60 ft. and height of 25ft.Soon after the line crossed the Abington Road (Now the A604) by an underbridge but this has now been demolished by a road widening scheme, however the cuttings both sides of the road are still visible.

Where the line crosses the Roman Road about a mile further on the crossing keepers house is still in existence, although it has been extensively rebuilt. Here the line sinks into a cutting where the line was crossed by an overbridge which took a road up to Fulbourh Valley Farm. This too was demolished some time ago. The next station on the line was at Balsham Road. This building still stands and like the crossing keepers house at Pampisford Road it still retains the Newmarket Railway door portal.

North of Balsham Road station the line cuts through the Roman defence work at Fleam Dyke. The cutting on either side of the dyke is the most spectacular remnant of the line; it is a wide and deep cutting and in places the vertical chalk side of the cutting can still be seen through the undergrowth.