Lyminge railway station

Lyminge railway station
Photograph of Lyminge station
Lyminge station, now serving as a library.
General information
LocationElham, Folkestone & Hythe
England
Coordinates51°07′39″N 1°05′33″E / 51.1274°N 1.0925°E / 51.1274; 1.0925
Grid referenceTR 164 409
Platforms2 (1 from 1931)
Other information
StatusDisused
History
Pre-groupingSouth Eastern Railway
South Eastern and Chatham Railway
Post-groupingSouthern Railway
Key dates
4 July 1887Opened
3 May 1943closed for regular passenger trains
7 October 1946Re-opened to passengers
14 June 1947Closed to passengers
1 October 1947Closed

Lyminge was a station on the Elham Valley Railway serving the village of the same name. It opened in 1887 and finally closed to passengers and freight in 1947.

History

[edit]

The station opened on 4 July 1887 with the opening of the Elham Valley Railway from Cheriton Junction, on the South Eastern Main Line as far as Barham.[1] A 21-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.[3] Between 1912 and 1916, a summer only railmotor service provided an additional four trains a day between Dover Priory and Elham.[4] The service had been reduced to eight trains a day by 1922. The line north of Lyminge was reduced to five trains a day by 1937.[5] The double track north of Lyminge was reduced to single track from 25 October 1931.[6] The signal box was closed on 1 May 1937 as a cost-cutting measure. It was replaced by a ground frame located in the station building.[2]

Passenger services between Canterbury West and Lyminge were withdrawn on 1 December 1940 and the line between Harbledown Junction and Lyminge was placed under military control.[1] Passenger services to Folkestone continued until withdrawn on 3 May 1943.[7] The station remained open to freight during the war. Military control was relinquished on 19 February 1945. On 7 October 1946, passenger services were reinstated on the southern section of the railway as far as Lyminge. Six trains a day were operated. This service ceased on 14 June 1947. The Elham Valley Railway closed on 1 October 1947.[8] After closure, the goods yard used by the local coal merchant. In 1987, the station building was converted to serve as Lyminge's library.[2]


Preceding station   Disused railways   Following station
Elham   Southern Railway
Elham Valley Railway
  Cheriton halt

References

[edit]
citations
  1. ^ a b Mitchell & Smith 1995, Historical Background.
  2. ^ a b c Mitchell & Smith 1995, Illustration 116.
  3. ^ Mitchell & Smith 1995, Passenger services.
  4. ^ Mitchell & Smith 1995, Illustration 114.
  5. ^ Mitchell & Smith 1995, Passenger Services.
  6. ^ Mitchell & Smith 1995, Illustrations 104 & 116.
  7. ^ The Elham Valley Line by Brian Hart page 76
  8. ^ Mitchell & Smith 1995, Historical background.
Sources
  • Mitchell, Vic; Smith, Keith (1995). Branch Lines Around Canterbury. Midhurst: Middleton Press. ISBN 1-873793-58-8.