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A new timetable was introduced on 4 January 1965, with [[British Rail Class 206|3R (Class 206)]] diesel-electric multiple units operating an hourly, all-stations service between Reading and Tonbridge. The new trains consisted of two 6S ([[British Rail Class 201|Class 201]]) coaches from the [[Hastings line]] coupled to an adapted [[British Rail Class 416|2-EPB]] [[control car|driving trailer]] coach. As a result of the visible difference in width between the narrow Hastings line stock and the standard-width trailer, the units were nicknamed ''Tadpoles''.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.semgonline.com/gallery/class206.html |title= 3R (Class 206) "Tadpole" DEMUs |publisher=Semgonline.com |access-date= 17 November 2010 |archive-date= 8 April 2008 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20080408035154/http://www.semgonline.com/gallery/class206.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |last= Grayer |first= Jeffery |date= July 2011 |title= Spawning the tadpoles |magazine= Southern Way |issue= 15 |pages= 61–65 |publisher= Noodle Books |location= Corhampton |isbn= 978-1-90-641954-7 }}</ref> Three-car [[British Rail Class 119|Class 119]] units were introduced to the Redhill–Tonbridge line in April 1979 enabling the withdrawal of the Tadpoles in May 1981.{{sfn|Jackson|1999|p=95}}
A new timetable was introduced on 4 January 1965, with [[British Rail Class 206|3R (Class 206)]] diesel-electric multiple units operating an hourly, all-stations service between Reading and Tonbridge. The new trains consisted of two 6S ([[British Rail Class 201|Class 201]]) coaches from the [[Hastings line]] coupled to an adapted [[British Rail Class 416|2-EPB]] [[control car|driving trailer]] coach. As a result of the visible difference in width between the narrow Hastings line stock and the standard-width trailer, the units were nicknamed ''Tadpoles''.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.semgonline.com/gallery/class206.html |title= 3R (Class 206) "Tadpole" DEMUs |publisher=Semgonline.com |access-date= 17 November 2010 |archive-date= 8 April 2008 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20080408035154/http://www.semgonline.com/gallery/class206.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |last= Grayer |first= Jeffery |date= July 2011 |title= Spawning the tadpoles |magazine= Southern Way |issue= 15 |pages= 61–65 |publisher= Noodle Books |location= Corhampton |isbn= 978-1-90-641954-7 }}</ref> Three-car [[British Rail Class 119|Class 119]] units were introduced to the Redhill–Tonbridge line in April 1979 enabling the withdrawal of the Tadpoles in May 1981.{{sfn|Jackson|1999|p=95}}
[[File:Hugh llewelyn 508 203 (6431085585).jpg|thumb|right|A [[British Rail Class 508|Class 508]] unit in [[Connex South Eastern]] livery at {{rws|London Bridge}} with a service for {{rws|Tonbridge}} via {{rws|Redhill}}]]
[[File:Hugh llewelyn 508 203 (6431085585).jpg|thumb|right|A [[British Rail Class 508|Class 508]] unit in [[Connex South Eastern]] livery at {{rws|London Bridge}} with a service for {{rws|Tonbridge}} via {{rws|Redhill}}]]
Following the electrification of the Redhill–Tonbridge line in 1994, services were worked by electric multiple units from the existing Network SouthEast fleet.{{sfn|Green|Vincent|2014|pp=185, 194}} Between 1998 and 2008, [[British Rail Class 508|Class 508s]] operated services on the line.<ref>{{cite magazine |title= PEP-talk {{!}} The BR second-generation EMU |date= October 2022 |magazine= Rail Express |issue=317 |pages= M14-M15 }}</ref> In 2024, all services are operated by Class 377 electric multiple units.{{sfn|"Route Specifications"|2016|pp=121-124}}{{sfn|"Kent–Gatwick Rail Connectivity"|2024|pp=42-43}}
Following the electrification of the Redhill–Tonbridge line in 1994, services were worked by electric multiple units from the existing Network SouthEast fleet.{{sfn|Green|Vincent|2014|pp=185, 194}} Between 1998 and 2008, [[British Rail Class 508|Class 508s]] operated services on the line.<ref>{{cite magazine |title= PEP-talk {{!}} The BR second-generation EMU |date= October 2022 |magazine= Rail Express |issue=317 |pages= M14–M15 }}</ref> In 2024, all services are operated by Class 377 electric multiple units.{{sfn|"Route Specifications"|2016|pp=121-124}}{{sfn|"Kent–Gatwick Rail Connectivity"|2024|pp=42-43}}


==Freight services==
==Freight services==
Line 146: Line 146:
One of the earliest private companies to transport goods via the line was the Upper Medway Navigation Company (UMNC), which constructed a [[tramway (industrial)|tramway]] from Tonbridge Wharf to Tonbridge station in 1844. The company purchased land for sidings at Godstone, Edenbridge and Penshurst and hired its own coal trucks, when the SER refused to provide its own.{{sfn|Kidner|1978|p=4}}{{sfn|Hadfield|1969|p=75}}{{efn|The coal sidings at the intermediate stations on the Redhill–Tonbridge line were generally referred to as "[[wharf]]s", as a result of their initial ownership by the Upper Medway Navigation Company.{{sfn|Kidner|1978|p=4}}{{sfn|Grey|1990|p=171}}}} Although the South Eastern Railway Act 1836 permitted independent operators on the line, the SER refused to certify the locomotive that the UMNC had purchased.{{sfn|Hadfield|1969|p=76}} The SER and its successors ran trains serving the coal sidings at the intermediate stations between Redhill and Tonbridge until the 1950s.{{sfn|Jackson|1999|p=24}}
One of the earliest private companies to transport goods via the line was the Upper Medway Navigation Company (UMNC), which constructed a [[tramway (industrial)|tramway]] from Tonbridge Wharf to Tonbridge station in 1844. The company purchased land for sidings at Godstone, Edenbridge and Penshurst and hired its own coal trucks, when the SER refused to provide its own.{{sfn|Kidner|1978|p=4}}{{sfn|Hadfield|1969|p=75}}{{efn|The coal sidings at the intermediate stations on the Redhill–Tonbridge line were generally referred to as "[[wharf]]s", as a result of their initial ownership by the Upper Medway Navigation Company.{{sfn|Kidner|1978|p=4}}{{sfn|Grey|1990|p=171}}}} Although the South Eastern Railway Act 1836 permitted independent operators on the line, the SER refused to certify the locomotive that the UMNC had purchased.{{sfn|Hadfield|1969|p=76}} The SER and its successors ran trains serving the coal sidings at the intermediate stations between Redhill and Tonbridge until the 1950s.{{sfn|Jackson|1999|p=24}}


In 1896, a private siding was opened to serve a new brickworks on the south side of the line around {{cvt|0.75|mi}} west of Godstone station.{{sfn|Grey|1990|p=155}}{{sfn|Jackson|1999|pp=200-201}} The works had an internal, {{track gauge|18 in}} [[cable railway|cable-hauled]] railway in addition to the connection to the main line. During the First World War, part of the site was requisitioned as an [[ammunition dump]]. The works were closed during the early 1940s for use by the [[Canadian Army]] as an [[armoured fighting vehicle|armoured vehicle]] depot.{{sfn|Jackson|1999|pp=200-201}} Brickmaking resumed after the Second World War and eventually ceased in the March 2001. The western part of the site was used as a [[landfill]] facility for processing spent railway ballast between 1979/1980 and 1993.<ref>{{cite web |title= Lamb's Business Park {{!}} Major developed site |date= November 2004 |publisher= Tandridge District Council |pages= 9-10 |url= https://www.tandridge.gov.uk/Portals/0/Documents/Planning%20and%20building/Planning%20strategies%20and%20policies/Current%20and%20adopted%20planning%20policies/Supplementary%20planning%20guidance/Lambs-Business-Park-Site-Brief.pdf |access-date= 30 August 2024 }}</ref>
In 1896, a private siding was opened to serve a new brickworks on the south side of the line around {{cvt|0.75|mi}} west of Godstone station.{{sfn|Grey|1990|p=155}}{{sfn|Jackson|1999|pp=200-201}} The works had an internal, {{track gauge|18 in}} [[cable railway|cable-hauled]] railway in addition to the connection to the main line. During the First World War, part of the site was requisitioned as an [[ammunition dump]]. The works were closed during the early 1940s for use by the [[Canadian Army]] as an [[armoured fighting vehicle|armoured vehicle]] depot.{{sfn|Jackson|1999|pp=200-201}} Brickmaking resumed after the Second World War and eventually ceased in the March 2001. The western part of the site was used as a [[landfill]] facility for processing spent railway ballast between 1979/1980 and 1993.<ref>{{cite web |title= Lamb's Business Park {{!}} Major developed site |date= November 2004 |publisher= Tandridge District Council |pages= 9–10 |url= https://www.tandridge.gov.uk/Portals/0/Documents/Planning%20and%20building/Planning%20strategies%20and%20policies/Current%20and%20adopted%20planning%20policies/Supplementary%20planning%20guidance/Lambs-Business-Park-Site-Brief.pdf |access-date= 30 August 2024 }}</ref>


[[File:Tonbridge West Yard, Tonbridge, Kent 03.jpg|thumb|right|Tonbridge West Yard]]
[[File:Tonbridge West Yard, Tonbridge, Kent 03.jpg|thumb|right|Tonbridge West Yard]]

Revision as of 10:12, 31 August 2024

Redhill–Tonbridge line
A Class 377 unit at Edenbridge with a Southern service for Tonbridge
Overview
StatusOperational
OwnerNetwork Rail
LocaleSouth East England
Termini
Stations7
Service
TypeSuburban rail, Heavy rail
SystemNational Rail
Operator(s)Southern
Rolling stockClass 377 Electrostar
History
Opened1842
Technical
Line length19 miles 56 chains (31.7 km)
Number of tracks2
Track gauge1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge
Electrification750 V DC third rail
Operating speed85 mph (137 km/h) maximum
Route map

The Redhill–Tonbridge line is a 19-mile-56-chain (31.7 km) railway line in South East England. It runs from the Brighton Main Line at Redhill in Surrey to the South Eastern Main Line at Tonbridge in Kent. There are five intermediate stations: Nutfield, Godstone, Edenbridge, Penshurst and Leigh. All passenger services run as all-stations shuttles between Redhill and Tonbridge, and are operated by Southern using Class 377 electric multiple units.

The route was opened by the South Eastern Railway in 1842 as part of the London to Dover main line. Since it was to be used primarily by express services, the line was engineered with few curves to allow high-speed running. At the time of construction, east Surrey and west Kent were sparsely populated and most of the intermediate stations are some distance from the settlements they purport to serve. Following the opening of the new main line via Orpington and Sevenoaks in 1868, which provided a shorter route from the capital, the Redhill–Tonbridge line was downgraded to secondary status.

Steam-hauled trains were withdrawn from the Redhill–Tonbridge line in 1965, when diesel multiple units were introduced. The new timetable established an hourly service between Reading and Tonbridge via Redhill. From 1989, these trains were branded as North Downs services. In 1994, the line was electrified using the 750 V DC third-rail system, to provide a diversionary route for Channel Tunnel traffic. New services from London Bridge via Redhill to Tonbridge, operated by electric multiple units, replaced the diesel service from Reading. Following privatisation in 1996, new services between Gatwick Airport and Kent ran via the line. In 2008, responsibility for the Redhill–Tonbridge line was transferred to Southern and the current shuttle service was introduced in 2018.

Route

Infrastructure

The Redhill–Tonbridge line is a railway line in Surrey and Kent, England. It runs for 19 miles 56 chains (31.7 km) from the Brighton Main Line at Redhill to the South Eastern Main Line at Tonbridge.[1] The line is electrified using the 750 V DC third-rail system and is double track throughout.[2] Signalling between Redhill and Godstone is controlled by Three Bridges Area Signalling Centre and between Godstone and Tonbridge by Ashford Integrated Electrical Control Centre.[1][2] Track Circuit Block is in operation on the entirety of the line, with the exception of the Godstone–Edenbridge section, which uses absolute block.[3] The maximum permitted speed is 85 mph (137 km/h)[1][2] and there are speed restrictions on the approaches to Redhill and Tonbridge stations.[4][5]

A Class 377 unit crosses the main channel of the River Medway between Leigh and Tonbridge

The underlying geology for the majority of the line is Weald Clay, but to the west of Penshurst the line is on Tunbridge Wells Sand.[6] The line descends from Redhill to Tonbridge and the steepest gradient, to the west of Edenbridge, is 1 in 240.[7][a] The M23 motorway crosses over the line on the Coopers Hill Viaduct.[8] There are two tunnels, the longest of which is the 1,327 yd (1,213 m) Bletchingley Tunnel between Nutfield and Godstone.[1] Between Penshurst and Leigh, the route runs through the 78 yd (71 m) Penshurst Tunnel and crosses the watershed between the Rivers Eden and Medway.[1][9] The main channel of the Medway is crossed via a six-arch viaduct, the footings of which were strengthened in the early 1980s as part of the Medway Flood Relief Scheme.[10] The line passes through several areas that are prone to flooding, including the river valley between Leigh and Tonbridge.[3]

Looking eastwards along the Redhill–Tonbridge line where it crosses Edenbridge Tunnel on the Uckfield branch of the Oxted line

Since it was built as part of the London–Dover main line, the route was engineered for high-speed running.[7][11] The sharpest curve, of radius 9 ch (180 m), is immediately to the southeast of Redhill, where the line diverges from the Brighton Main Line.[12] The only other significant curve is to the west of Edenbridge station and has a radius of 92 ch (1,900 m).[13] The Redhill–Tonbridge line crosses over the East Grinstead and Uckfield branches of the Oxted line, but there are no direct interchanges between them.[3][b] The bridge over the Uckfield branch is positioned near the mid-point of Edenbridge Tunnel (also known as Little Browns Tunnel), which opens out briefly at the crossing point.[14][15] The Redhill–Tonbridge line also passes over Redhill Tunnel, part of the Quarry line that enables express services on the Brighton Main Line to bypass the junctions at Redhill station.[16][17][c]

To the west of Tonbridge station are the Jubilee Sidings, used to stable electric multiple units,[5][19] and the adjacent Tonbridge West Yard, operated by GB Railfreight.[3][5][20] There are two pedestrian level crossings, at Medhurst Row and Brasted Lands, both between Penshurst and Leigh.[1] The former also functions as a private vehicle crossing for local landowners and permission to cross must be sought from the signaller by telephone.[21] There is a speed restriction of 40 mph (64 km/h) on both tracks on the approaches to Medhurst Row.[1][3]

Stations and services

There are seven stations on the line: Redhill, Nutfield, Godstone, Edenbridge, Penshurst, Leigh and Tonbridge. All stations are managed by Southern, with the exception of Tonbridge, which is managed by Southeastern. The intermediate stations have two platforms each[1][d] and the two termini have four platforms.[4][5][e] Since the line was built for express services, serving the then sparsely populated areas of east Surrey and west Kent was a secondary concern and the majority of the intermediate stations are some distance from the settlements for which they are named: Godstone station is around 3 mi (4.8 km) south of Godstone village[23][24] and Penshurst station is in the hamlet of Chiddingstone Causeway, around 2 mi (3.2 km) north of Penshurst itself.[25]

All passenger services on the Redhill–Tonbridge line are operated using Class 377 electric multiple units.[2][3] Since 2022, the timetable has consisted of an hourly, all-stations service between Redhill and Tonbridge, supplemented with additional services at peak times.[3][26] The typical journey time between Redhill and Tonbridge is around 30–35 minutes.[26] Since 2023, two units have been required to operate the weekday timetable.[27] Although Southern provides the rolling stock, the drivers and guards working services on the line are employed by Southeastern.[3]

History

Proposals and authorisation

Further information: South Eastern Railway and South Eastern Main Line

The earliest formal proposal for a railway line linking London and Dover via Tonbridge was advanced in October 1835. The route, surveyed by the former Royal Engineer, Captain John Pringle, and the architect, Decimus Burton, was to run from the London and Croydon Railway (L&CR) terminus at West Croydon via Oxted, Godstone and Tonbridge. Although the parliamentary committee scrutinising the plans was sceptical of the cost estimates for the embankments and tunnels required,[35] the SER Act was passed on 21 June 1836. It authorised the company to acquire capital of £1.4 million and awarded borrowing powers of up to £450,000.[36][f]

The first board meeting of the SER took place on 2 July 1836,[37] chaired by Pascoe St Leger Grenfell.[35] The board had intended to appoint Henry Palmer as company engineer, but he declined owing to ill health and William Cubitt was appointed instead.[37][g] Cubitt recommended that the junction between the L&CR and the SER should be further north than that proposed by Pringle and Burton.[37][h] The board agreed Cubitt's suggested alterations and construction work began at Riddlesdown on 11 March 1837. The act of Parliament authorising the changes to the route was given royal assent on 3 July 1837.[41]

Map from 1840 showing the SER line to Dover branching from the London–Brighton line at Redhill (east of Reigate)[42]

Less than two weeks later, on 15 July 1837, the act of Parliament authorising the London and Brighton Railway (L&BR) was passed. This line would also branch from the L&CR in the Croydon area and would run via Redhill and Haywards Heath to the south coast. Since the SER and L&BR would run alongside each other between Norwood and Purley, the act gave the two companies permission to share a single pair of tracks to avoid duplication. Furthermore, the SER was given the ability to branch from the L&BR at any point north of Earlswood. The possibility of sharing part of the L&BR line appealed to the SER, which was experiencing financial difficulties. William Cubitt was instructed to cooperate with Joseph Gibbs, the L&BR engineer, and to explore potential route changes that might result in cost savings.[41][43] Agreement was reached in November 1838 for the SER to branch from the L&BR at Redhill and the revised plan was approved by act of Parliament on 19 July 1839.[44][i]

Construction and opening

Artist's impression of the first train to run through Bletchingley Tunnel, published in 1843[47]

Construction of the Redhill–Tonbridge section of the SER began at Tonbridge under the supervision of Peter Barlow.[44][48][j] Materials were delivered via the River Medway Navigation[44] and rails had been laid as far as Edenbridge by 20 November 1841.[48]

The Redhill–Tonbridge line was the first section of the SER to open on 26 May 1842.[49] Five stations opened with the line: Redhill (then Reigate), Godstone, Edenbridge, Penshurst and Tonbridge (then Tunbridge).[49] The initial service was four trains per day in each direction, increased to six once the line had been extended to Headcorn on 31 August.[48][50] The section to Ashford opened on 1 December 1842.[50] Initially the revenue generated was disappointing, but the SER anticipated that passenger numbers would rise once the railway began serving the channel ports.[49] The service was increased to seven trains per day in each direction following the opening of Folkestone Central station on 28 June 1843.[51] The SER was completed to Dover on 7 February 1844.[52]

Redhill station c. 1853: The station was opened in 1842 and was moved to its current location in 1844.[53]

The first major alteration to be made to the line was the relocation of Redhill station in 1844. Originally called "Reigate" and sited on Hooley Lane, it was moved to its current location to allow better interchange with LB&SCR services.[53] SER trains began using the new station in April 1844.[54] Redhill shed was opened by the SER in 1855. It not only provided locomotives for the line via Tonbridge to Dover, but also for the Reading, Guildford and Reigate Railway, which had opened in 1849[55][56] and had been purchased by the SER in 1852.[57]

Late 19th century

Within a few years of the opening of their main line from London to Dover, the SER began to consider building a more direct line between the capital and Tonbridge to reduce journey times and to avoid conflict with the LB&SCR north of Redhill. The first proposal, surveyed by the engineer Samuel Morton Peto, was presented to Parliament in January 1845, but did not gain approval.[58] In 1859, the line linking Swanley to Sevenoaks, proposed by the Sevenoaks Railway company, was authorised.[59] The SER, fearing further encroachment into its territory from rivals, decided to revive its proposal for a "cut off" line. The "Direct Tonbridge" route, as the new main line was initially known, was authorised on 30 August 1862[59] and opened in stages in the first half of 1868. On 1 June of that year, most express services were routed along the new line[60] and the Redhill–Tonbridge line was reduced to secondary status.[61][k]

Nutfield station was opened on 1 January 1884[29] and was built to serve the new area of residential development that became the village of South Nutfield.[62][63] The scheme was initiated by Sir Henry Edwards, the former MP for Weymouth and Melcombe Regis, who had acquired land on both sides of the railway in the 1860s.[64] By the early 1880s, he was selling plots for housebuilding and had laid out roads, water mains and sewers.[63] Early residents of South Nutfield included Myles Fenton, the general manager of the SER, who lived at Ridge Haw from 1886,[65] and Edward Watkin, the then chairman of the railway, who purchased two plots about 1 mile south of the new station.[66] In the mid-1880s, Edwards was given a "free pass", allowing him to travel on the SER with no payment due.[67]

A 1910 Railway Clearing House map showing (left) the Redhill–Tonbridge line and the Crowhurst spur to the East Grinstead branch of the Oxted line.

In 1884, the East Grinstead branch of the Oxted line was opened and with it the Crowhurst spur, linking it to the Redhill–Tonbridge line.[68] The new line was authorised by Parliament in June 1878[69] and was jointly owned by the SER and LB&SCR between South Croydon and Crowhurst Junction, where the Crowhurst Spur diverged.[70][71][l] The spur opened to freight on 10 March 1884 and to passenger services on 1 August that year.[68] Initially there were three trains per day between London and Edenbridge via Oxted, of which one continued to Tonbridge.[72][m]

British Rail

In the British Rail era, there were through trains from Reading via Redhill (the North Downs Line) to Tonbridge, some of which carried Royal Mail traffic.[73]

As part of the work to allow Eurostar services to reach London Waterloo International, the line was electrified with 750 V DC third rail in 1993, allowing Eurostar to use the line as a diversionary route. Consequently, some trains started to run through to London rather than to Reading[74]

Privatisation era

The service pattern on the line has changed several times since privatisation.

Initially, after privatisation, the stations on the line were managed by the South Eastern franchise holder. The first franchisee, Connex South Eastern, ran services between Three Bridges and Maidstone West (via Gatwick Airport, Redhill, Tonbridge, Paddock Wood and the Medway Valley line), linking Kent with Gatwick Airport.[75] Its successors, South Eastern Trains and later Southeastern, ran services between London Bridge and Tunbridge Wells via East Croydon, Redhill and Tonbridge,[76] while Southern began operating trains between Horsham and Tunbridge Wells via Gatwick Airport, Redhill and Tonbridge.

This service pattern continued until 2008, when Southeastern withdrew its services from the line: the London Bridge–Tunbridge Wells services were transferred to Southern and curtailed at Tonbridge, and Southern took over management of all intermediate stations on the line.[77] At the same time, Southern withdrew all services on the Horsham–Tunbridge Wells route, leaving only the London services (which ran hourly in the off-peak period and half-hourly at peak times). In December 2015, off-peak services were diverted to and from London Victoria (peak services continued to serve London Bridge); however, in May 2018, through London services were withdrawn altogether, leaving the line with just an hourly shuttle between Redhill and Tonbridge.

Passenger rolling stock

The first steam locomotives to be used on the Redhill–Tonbridge line were SER 2-2-2 engines, built in 1841 by Sharp and Roberts. The following year, 2-2-0 locomotives manufactured by Bury Curtis were delivered. From late 1842 to the end of January 1846, the SER, L&CR and L&BR used engines from a common pool.[78] E class 2-4-0 locomotives were introduced in the early 1860s and hauled passenger services until the end of the 19th century. James Stirling, who was appointed locomotive superintendent at the SER in 1878, introduced F class 4-4-0 engines to the line in 1897.[79]

An H class 0-4-4T at Tonbridge in 1958

During the 1930s, the majority of services were worked by F1 and D class 4-4-0s, and H class 0-4-4Ts. Less frequently, passenger trains were hauled by LB&SCR D3 class 0-4-4Ts and E5 class 0-6-2Ts.[80] In the 1950s, the majority of passenger trains were hauled by Maunsell N and U class locomotives, supplemented towards the end of the decade by Standard Class 4 tender and tank engines. From 1959 onwards, electrification schemes elsewhere in Kent allowed LSWR N15 class "King Arthurs" and SR V class "Schools" steam engines to be transferred to the line.[81] Class 33 diesel-electric locomotives began hauling trains in 1962.[82]

A Class 119 unit approaches Redhill with a service from Tonbridge in 1979.

A new timetable was introduced on 4 January 1965, with 3R (Class 206) diesel-electric multiple units operating an hourly, all-stations service between Reading and Tonbridge. The new trains consisted of two 6S (Class 201) coaches from the Hastings line coupled to an adapted 2-EPB driving trailer coach. As a result of the visible difference in width between the narrow Hastings line stock and the standard-width trailer, the units were nicknamed Tadpoles.[83][84] Three-car Class 119 units were introduced to the Redhill–Tonbridge line in April 1979 enabling the withdrawal of the Tadpoles in May 1981.[85]

A Class 508 unit in Connex South Eastern livery at London Bridge with a service for Tonbridge via Redhill

Following the electrification of the Redhill–Tonbridge line in 1994, services were worked by electric multiple units from the existing Network SouthEast fleet.[86] Between 1998 and 2008, Class 508s operated services on the line.[87] In 2024, all services are operated by Class 377 electric multiple units.[2][3]

Freight services

The first goods trains began running on the Redhill–Tonbridge line when it opened in 1842 and facilities for handling freight were provided at Gomshall, Edenbridge and Penshurst in 1844.[88] The yard at Godstone was equipped with a crane with a lifting capacity of 3 long tons 7 cwt (7,500 lb or 3.4 t)[89] and one of the sidings sloped steeply down to road level, to allow for onward transport of materials.[90] In the early 20th century, Edenbridge was provided with a crane capable of lifting 4 long tons 0 cwt (9,000 lb or 4.1 t)[91] The station yards at Gomshall, Edenbridge and Penshurst were closed in the early 1960s.[89][91][92]

While the line was still being constructed, the SER established a brickworks at South Nutfield. Building materials were transported from a dedicated siding at Mid Street, later the site of Nutfield station. In the 1880s, the works were purchased by Sir Henry Edwards to provide bricks and tiles for his new housing development.[66] In 1925, the site was acquired by the Nutfield Manufacturing Company for the production of hydrofluoric acid and other chemicals. The plant was demolished in the mid-1980s and houses were built in its place.[93]

One of the earliest private companies to transport goods via the line was the Upper Medway Navigation Company (UMNC), which constructed a tramway from Tonbridge Wharf to Tonbridge station in 1844. The company purchased land for sidings at Godstone, Edenbridge and Penshurst and hired its own coal trucks, when the SER refused to provide its own.[94][95][n] Although the South Eastern Railway Act 1836 permitted independent operators on the line, the SER refused to certify the locomotive that the UMNC had purchased.[97] The SER and its successors ran trains serving the coal sidings at the intermediate stations between Redhill and Tonbridge until the 1950s.[98]

In 1896, a private siding was opened to serve a new brickworks on the south side of the line around 0.75 mi (1.21 km) west of Godstone station.[99][93] The works had an internal, 18 in (457 mm) cable-hauled railway in addition to the connection to the main line. During the First World War, part of the site was requisitioned as an ammunition dump. The works were closed during the early 1940s for use by the Canadian Army as an armoured vehicle depot.[93] Brickmaking resumed after the Second World War and eventually ceased in the March 2001. The western part of the site was used as a landfill facility for processing spent railway ballast between 1979/1980 and 1993.[100]

Tonbridge West Yard

Tonbridge West Yard, at the east end of the Redhill–Tonbridge line, was opened in 1941 to facilitate freight traffic movements during the Second World War.[20] It was extended in the late 1950s to allow the closure of Paddock Wood Marshalling Yard and to relieve freight depots in the London area.[101] In 2024, the yard is operated by GB Railfreight.[102]

The travelling post office train from Manchester Piccadilly to Dover via Reading, Redhill and Tonbridge was routed along the line from May 1988[103] until 1996, when a new road and rail postal hub opened at Willesden.[104] Despite the electrification scheme of the mid-1990s, dual-voltage Class 92 locomotives cannot be used on the Redhill–Tonbridge line owing to incompatibility with the signalling system.[2] The Network Rail 2008 Strategic Business Plan recommended an enhancement project to enable freight traffic from the Channel Tunnel to use the line.[105]

In 2024, the Redhill–Tonbridge line is used by regular freight services, including those operated from Tonbridge West Yard by GB Railfreight. Other freight operators using the line include DB Cargo, Freightliner and Colas Rail.[102]

Accidents and incidents

  • 28 July 1845: A steam locomotive ran into the back of a passenger train at Penshurst, injuring around 30 people.[106]
  • 20 January 1846: A bridge over the River Medway collapsed beneath a freight train during a flood; the driver was killed when he attempted to jump clear.[107]
  • 1 April 1852: A passenger train was derailed at Edenbridge.[108]
  • 1 February 1853: A passenger train derailed near Penshurst; 12 people were injured.[109]
  • 5 March 1909: A passenger train that had travelled from Charing Cross via Redhill, crashed into a mail train at Tonbridge after passing signals set to danger; the fireman of the passenger train and a locomotive inspector were killed.[110][111]
  • 22 December 2019: A landslip between Godstone and Edenbridge closed part of the line.[112] A shuttle train service continued to operate between Edenbridge and Tonbridge, whilst the Redhill–Edenbridge section was served by replacement buses. The line reopened and normal services resumed on 16 March 2020.[113][114]
  • 29 March 2024: A landslip at Bough Beech closed the line for 16 days; the train service was restored on 15 April.[115]

Notes

  1. ^ The elevation of Redhill station is around 50 m (160 ft) higher than that of Tonbridge station.[6]
  2. ^ An out-of-station interchange is available between Edenbridge station (on the Redhill–Tonbridge line) and Edenbridge Town station (on the Uckfield branch of the Oxted line), but there is a distance of 1 mi (1.4 km) between the two.[3]
  3. ^ The Quarry line, including Redhill Tunnel, opened to freight services on 5 November 1899 and to passenger trains on 1 April the following year.[18]
  4. ^ Platform 1 at Godstone is the shortest on the line, with a length of 89.9 m (295 ft), and can only accommodate a four-carriage train.[22]
  5. ^ Only Platforms 1 and 2 at Tonbridge are connected to the Redhill–Tonbridge line.[5]
  6. ^ By May 1836, £982,000 had been raised towards the estimated construction cost of £1.3 million. Most of the money had been pledged by financiers from Liverpool and Manchester, but 112 local subscribers from Kent contributed £215,000.[35]
  7. ^ William Cubitt had been the engineer responsible for the construction of the London and Croydon Railway.[38][39]
  8. ^ William Cubitt's proposal for the SER to branch from the L&CR in the Norwood Junction area allowed the line to have a more favourable gradient profile than would have been achieved with a junction at West Croydon.[40]
  9. ^ The revised route for the SER via the L&BR between Croydon and Redhill was around 10 mi (16 km) longer than the alignment via Oxted.[45] Burton and Pringle's original route was used by the SER east of Bough Beech (roughly half-way between Edenbridge and Penshurst).[9][46]
  10. ^ The previous works, started in March 1837 on the original planned alignment at Riddlesdown,[41] had been closed down in 1838.[40]
  11. ^ After the opening of the new main line via Swvenoaks in 1868, at least one express service continued to be routed via Redhill every day until the First World War.[61]
  12. ^ Between Crowhurst Junction and East Grinstead, the Oxted line was owned solely by the LB&SCR.
  13. ^ A water tank was installed at Edenbridge in the mid-1880s for the use of trains terminating there from Oxted.[72]
  14. ^ The coal sidings at the intermediate stations on the Redhill–Tonbridge line were generally referred to as "wharfs", as a result of their initial ownership by the Upper Medway Navigation Company.[94][96]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i "Sectional Appendix" 2009, SO550.
  2. ^ a b c d e f "Route Specifications" 2016, pp. 121–124.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Kent–Gatwick Rail Connectivity" 2024, pp. 42–43.
  4. ^ a b "Sectional Appendix" 2009, SO500.
  5. ^ a b c d e "Sectional Appendix" 2009, SO130.
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  7. ^ a b Course 1973, p. 29.
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  10. ^ Penn 1981, pp. 66–68.
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  12. ^ Mitchell & Smith 1990, Fig. 15.
  13. ^ Mitchell & Smith 1990, Fig. 31.
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  16. ^ Turner 1979, pp. 118, 133.
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Bibliography

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