The East Suffolk Line: Lowestoft to Ipswich Part 1 - Special Platforms at Halesworth?

[@TransportVloggerIan]

14:39 You very seldom see stuff like that, a nice piece of railway history right there

[@MichaelSebastianTodd]

im loving all 3 stations which do look lovely brilliant vlog as always

[@RainhamRailEnthusiast]

Nice video, some brilliant stations and a few signal boxes as well, always good to see.

[@g-r-a-e-m-e-]

Always engaging ☺

[@michaeldeeley5181]

Great video. Can't wait for part 2

[@Roblilley999]

Another great Video Sarah

[@Sim0nTrains]

Hi I am Sarah with the Ghosts 😂 but a great video looking at some of the stations on this route

[@sarahwiththetrains]

Maybe I should do a railway ghost hunting series 😂

[@maimadha]

Great video.

[@paulbowler2760]

Thanks Sarah for visiting my part of the world! I was born in Beccles, grew up in Oulton Broad (about 1/2 mile north of Oulton Broad North station, on the Norwich line) and I attended Lowestoft Grammar School. I was a railway fan from the age of 4 or 5, and I remain so as I start my 81st year! Of course, I remember all the lines which have now closed (Aldeburgh, Beccles-Yarmouth South Town, Lowestoft -Yarmouth South Town) and I have travelled on all except the Aldeburgh line. There used to be 3 or 4 Lowestoft-London trains daily (except Sundays) and, of course, we had steam before the introduction of diesel in the late ''50s. A special treat for us train spotters was a visit by a member of the fantastic "Britannia" class express passenger locomotives - wonderful machines! The passenger concourse at Lowestoft used to be fully roofed, and there was a W.H.Smith shop there - I believe there was another one at either Halesworth or Saxmundham. From Beccles, there was another line west along the Waveney valley, to Bungay and Harleston, and joining the Ipswich-Norwich line at Sneath, near Tivetshall.. Also, on the Beccles-Ipswich line, there was a branch line to Framlingham, coming off the main line just north of Wickham Market and passing through Marlesford. "Suffolk born and Suffolk bred - strong in the arm and thick in the head!"

[@NorthWestLevelCrossingsChannel]

Excellent video as always 👍

[@ReubenAshwell]

Brilliant video Sarah, a station that smells of nail varnish remover? I don't think i've heard that one before lol. It's a shame you haven't found any ghosts of monks, that would of been something to see lol.

[@QALibrary]

great video showing places I have not seen in such a long time

[@alanreader4815]

looking Amazing in HD sarah. :)

[@howdymartin6258]

Sarah - great video - my Grandfather was a signalman at Saxmundham - he also worked at Hailsworth and Darsham. I spent many a wonderful day in the signalbox with Type37's and other big diesels passing on the way to Sizewell to collect nuclear waste. Fun fact - the train scene in the Detectorists features Saxmundham station and when they leave to go to London the train leaves from the wrong platform.

[@suffolkraider]

Halesworth, Beccles, Aldeby, Haddiscoe High Level, St Olaves(where I grew up), Belton/Burgh Castle and Yarmouth Southtown. Also via Fleet Junction at Haddiscoe it was possible to go to Norwich on the Wherry Line if need be. I think freight used that mainly. Plus Yarmouth Beach was available via the Breydon Viaduct..

[@flashtheoriginal]

Nice one Sarah! Its a good little line. Lowestoft is a decent end-line station and the East Suffolk line is important, allowing access to Ipswich then on to London.

[@ianmcclavin]

I first rode the East Suffolk Line in 1978. It was double track throughout then, all the way from Ipswich to Lowestoft. These days, it's been singled through Wickham Market, and north of Halesworth, although a passing loop has been installed and a platform reinstated at Beccles. Lowestoft Station had an overall roof then as well.

[@Thornaby37]

Brilliant video Sarah. Must admit I didn't know about the moving platforms I think if I saw any ghosts of monks, I'd be running for the first train out

[@sarahwiththetrains]

Glad you enjoyed it! I would absolutely have run off too if I saw anything!

[@carlwilson1772]

Very good video Sarah. I thought Darsham was the station with the Indian restaurant. But that is of course Oulton Broad South. Darsham is in the book "The Unlikely Spy" by Daniel Silva.

[@PaddyWV]

I went to Lowestoft on an Eastern Counties Bristol VR in 1998 from Great Yarmouth! 👍🙂

[@glynhalls2758]

There is a video just about Halesworth's platforms on KZbin. I well remember seeing the platforms being opened in the 50s. My uncle Don lived in Halesworth and was one of the prime movers in saving the East Suffolk line from closure after the Beachham report.

[@bl7355]

Hi Sarah, apologies if you’ve already done so but, when you get back to Saxmundham, take a look at the site of the abandoned down platform between Chantry Road and Albion Street. The gate at Chantry Road was another moveable platform that connected the down platform to a perishable goods platform to the south of it.

[@paulpalmer6723]

Thank you Sarah. I’ve lived in Beccles and Halesworth , now live in Norwich. Very interesting history.

[@inanis9801]

You get around

[@drylunch6400]

What a fantastic video. Thank you. I live in Beccles!

[@fussyboy2000]

You missed out on the local history museum at Saxmundham.

[@robertwilloughby8050]

The London trains down the East Suffolk line, well, from the late 40's to the late 60's one of them was actually a named train! It even had a restaurant car, rather than a buffet!

[@deltic1964]

Great Video Sarah U need to do the Derwent Valley Line Soon and perhaps the Ecclesbourne Valley Railway also

[@Leveller0Headed0Dan]

Darsham Level crossing is somewhat of an anomaly, usually the drivers white light setup is used for AOCL/ABCL crossings with Darsham being an AHB it is a mitigation in the up direction only due to trains stopping at the station and the general busyness of the A12. The crossing only activates once the train is in the station in the up (Ipswich bound) direction.

[@Leveller0Headed0Dan]

I was also on duty in the signal box the day you filmed this 😊

[@col1664]

I used to take Drivers to Halesworth to operate the hydro-pneumatic points on the single line. Boulton and Paul of Norwich who made the movable platforms also famously built the 'Defiant' fighter aircraft during World War 2. Designed to shoot down un-escorted bombers, it had four guns in a turret behind the pilot but no forward firing machine guns, which meant it was a bit of a liability when ME109's turned up...........

[@davidfalconer8913]

Hmmm ... nice comfortable train ( ? ) .... in the 1970's the rolling stock was an old rattly diesel 2 car " railbus " 😝... but the flower boxes on Beccles station ( impressive ! ) ...... DAVE™🛑

[@Electricfox]

I do miss the old Saxmundham station building, I wish they'd rebuilt the second storey after it burned down, but I can understand why they didn't.

[@michaelread4987]

Nice hat

[@lewis72]

What do Smart Card readers do once they'ce read your Smart Card ? Tell you your future ? Tell you who to place a bet on at the ten-past-three at Chepstow ?

[@ianr]

Ditto my comments elsewhere. 👍🙂

[@frankhooper7871]

Audio made this unwatchable