Bishopsbourne was a station on the Elham Valley Railway. It opened in 1889 and closed to passengers in 1940 and freight in 1947.
Bishopsbourne | |
|---|---|
 Bishopsbourne station, 16 April 1963 | |
| General information | |
| Location | Bishopsbourne, Kent England |
| Coordinates | 51°13′44″N 1°07′41″E / 51.228942°N 1.128170°E |
| Grid reference | TR 185 524 |
| Platforms | 2 |
| Other information | |
| Status | Disused |
| History | |
| Pre-grouping | South Eastern Railway South Eastern and Chatham Railway |
| Post-grouping | Southern Railway |
| Key dates | |
| 1 July 1889 | Opened |
| 1 December 1940 | Closed to passengers |
| 1 October 1947 | Closed to freight |
History
editThe station opened on 1 July 1889. It was situated on the extension of the Elham Valley Railway from Barham to Harbledown Junction, on the Ashford to Ramsgate line.[1] A 16-lever signal box was provided.[2] Initially, there were six passenger trains per day. By 1906 there were nine trains a day, with five on Sunday. This had reduced to six trains a day by 1922.[3] The double track between Lyminge and Harbledown Junction was reduced to single track from 25 October 1931 and the signal boxes between those points were abolished.[4] Services had been reduced to five trains a day by 1937.[3]
Passenger services between Canterbury West and Lyminge were withdrawn on 1 December 1940 and the line was placed under military control.[1] The military established block posts at Canterbury South and Bishopbourne, under the control of the Royal Corps of Signals.[5] The station remained open to freight during the war.[6] A passing loop was installed in Bourne Tunnel, 3⁄4 mile (1.21 km) south of Bishopsbourne on which was kept a BL 18-inch railway howitzer, nicknamed the "Boche Buster". It had a range of 50 miles (80 km).[7] A curved siding was constructed at Charlton Park, south of Bishopsbourne from which the gun was fired.[8] Military control was relinquished on 19 February 1945.[6] The War Department ground frames and points were decommissioned on 2 May 1946.[9] The Elham Valley Railway closed on 1 October 1947.[6] After closure the station has been converted to a private house.
| Preceding station | Disused railways | Following station | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bridge | Southern Railway Elham Valley Railway |
Barham |
References
edit- Citations
- ^ a b Mitchell & Smith 1995, Historical Background.
- ^ Mitchell & Smith 1995, Illustration 107.
- ^ a b Mitchell & Smith 1995, Passenger Services.
- ^ Mitchell & Smith 1995, Illustration 104.
- ^ Mitchell & Smith 1995, Illustration 105.
- ^ a b c Mitchell & Smith 1995, Historical background.
- ^ Mitchell & Smith 1995, Illustration 109.
- ^ Mitchell & Smith 1995, Illustration 108.
- ^ Mitchell & Smith 1995, Illustration 110.
- Sources
- Mitchell, Vic; Smith, Keith (1995). Branch Lines Around Canterbury. Midhurst: Middleton Press. ISBN 1-873793-58-8.