Visiting a Random Essex Station! (And making a mistake!)

[@Bigaitch500]

Fantastic video Sarah and really good research into the stations history. I also love the humility you show by not only acknowledging but being totally up front about your mistake. There are some good tea rooms in Battlesbridge, my favourite is Drakes Tea Rooms which is about ten minutes walk from the station and is on a converted RCL (Routemaster) bus.

[@sarahwiththetrains]

Thank you so much! Always glad to know people are enjoying my videos! There was a brief moment, after I zoomed in slightly more on Google maps thus discovering the second antiques centre and making my heart drop, where I considered just cutting the whole bit about the antiques centre but I ultimately thought there was no sense hiding it. My mistake resulted in a lovely cup of tea and a scone so it worked out ok! I must go back and visit again especially after finding out there's a tea room on a Routemaster!

[@radioman1170]

I was on that line this week - quite pleasant actually all the way to and from Burnham on Crouch.

[@nigelh4617]

Cheery guard at 0:50 😊

[@TheSecurdisc]

Very interesting and well presented. A little further down from your tea room is the actual bridge that crosses the River Crouch. There has been a bridge at this location since the 12th Century and a tiny port.

[@Ikerix]

That was nice. Grew up in Woodham and we used the garage in Battlesbridge in the 80s. I believe the branch line had been eyed up for closure in the 60s but had been kept running and subsidised to bring nuclear fuel to and from Southminster for the power station at Bradwell on Sea.

[@tone_]

Thanks and enjoying the content.

[@jeffrawe6486]

Very interesting and well researched……well done.

[@polythenewrappedme6102]

17:08. A small correction Sarah. With slam door EMUs (Class 312s), 12 car trains were allowed to stop at short platforms on both the Southminster line and the Braintree line stations. As a PA announcement told passengers to move forward / backward to a different carriage in order to alight safely. If you opened the door yourself, and fell out, that was deemed to be YOUR problem. When sliding door trains operated, this practice ceased as it was now deemed the railway staff opening the doors would be liable. I remember this line with Class 116 DMUs.

[@sarahwiththetrains]

@@polythenewrappedme6102 Thank you for the correction and additional info 🙂

[@polythenewrappedme6102]

@sarahwiththetrains. My pleasure Sarah. I worked on the railway. I went to Southend Victoria after the Elizabeth Line core section was closed for signalling fault on the 26th Nov.

[@MrTsVideoEmporium]

We’re based out of Wickford for GA security, Battlesbridge makes for a nice bit of chill to visit … I lived in Woodham for years and grew up around that branch line, it’s all home turf for me 👌🏻

[@Ztbmrc1]

Great video Sarah. You withstand every type of weather just for us the viewers! Thank you!

[@Sim0nTrains]

Nice wheel spin video and a very interesting station. Shame you went to the wrong place but the scone look nice!

[@kelvinhoughton7953]

If you had gone a little further to Burnham on Crouch there is a large railway museum built on a farm called Mangapps, although it is closed for winter on your day of visiting the line. If you haven't been to Mangapps I'd strongly reccommend it especially if you enjoy East Anglian railway history, they also have one of the largest collections of class 03 and 04 type shunters and a couple of class 31s.

[@sarahwiththetrains]

@@kelvinhoughton7953 I'll add it to the list of places to go! I certainly intend on visiting the rest of the line.

[@kelvinhoughton7953]

@@sarahwiththetrains try and pick an events weekend where they have intensive shuttle service on their farm line, they also have a caboose like they had in America although their one is Canadian. I got to ride it last time I visited, apparently the only one in Europe. I think they also have 1 operational small steam loco but I went to experiance top and tail 31s

[@Anonymoususer_8823]

Wickford station needs a massive upgrade. Including a new footbridge with lifts and a new station building that Wickford used to have. Before it was knocked to make space for platform 1 to extend to accommodate the 5-Car Class 720 train. Overall I have stopped at Battlesbridge once and the Class 720 Aventra trains are very nice. I still miss the Class 321 Dusty Bins.

[@Vincent-ow9lj]

Another enjoyable video from SWTT. Your presentation style is most endearing.

[@NigelFreeman-x1d]

Great video. I appreciate you doing your research and telling us about the history : so many you tube channels simply don't bother

[@PaulGibson-f7x]

It's very like great Bentley, love the film

[@Anonymoususer_8823]

Except Great Bentley station has 2 platforms and is on the Sunshine line that only trains operating between Colchester and Walton-on-the-Naze do stop there going via Colchester Town.

[@marthaanderson2656]

love the wood shelter, just a nice twist in design.

[@TransportVloggerIan]

12:16 £1.60 for a whole day's parking is actually relatively cheap if you really think about it

[@sarahwiththetrains]

Oh definitely! Compared to prices at Norwich Station it's insanely cheap.

[@fussyboy2000]

@@sarahwiththetrains Cheaper than one stop on the train. Even with a railcard.

[@idio-syncrasy]

I watched the whole vid. Really good content. Thank you.

[@akrills]

I love your videos, Sarah and this one is exceptional; such interesting research explained thoroughly. Thank you, Eric.

[@martyn6792]

Interesting video and place

[@paulatthetimmy]

Our first visit to your channel. Really enjoyed this; I’ve used Battlesbridge station many times as we are local. Fascinating history lesson Thankyou. I’d be interested to see more history of the other Crouch valley line stations.

[@robertsmith4830]

This is truly bizarre, your video is the second one in about a month I've seen featuring Battlesbridge! It's such a small station (one of the least used in Essex) that I'm amazed a single video was made about it, let alone two! On a side note, you were terribly unlucky with the weather. The two days either side of the day you visited and the weather was either relatively mild (but cloudy) or cold but very sunny.

[@NorthWestLevelCrossingsChannel]

Excellent video as always 👍

[@one42chrisp]

I remember the winter of 1963, it was darn cold and very snowy! I think that perhaps the word you were looking for is “extricated”, in the relation to the stuck DMU.

[@sarahwiththetrains]

@@one42chrisp That's the one! My brain really just won't retrieve the words sometimes.

[@Ratty_Rex]

Brian did look a little chilly with no jacket on. Good job he warmed up next to the Earl Grey. Another great day out bring along. Hope you've defrosted now. :D

[@Ratty_Rex]

(Also, I made that same comment about storm names at work... and we're unofficially naming it Ernie on our insurance claims file.... so I really hope there isn't an Ernie later in storm season. :O :D )

[@carlwilson1772]

Great film as ever Sarah. Good on you braving the storm. I too find it very difficult to locate a small toothpaste.

[@sarahwiththetrains]

@carlwilson1772 Glad you enjoyed the video! Half the reason I left that bit of video in is I thought the world deserved to hear about that lady's quest for small toothpaste!

[@carlwilson1772]

@@sarahwiththetrainsI am fascinated by the fact that that life is full of half heard conversations and little snippets of other people's lives. I expect I am in the background of thousands of people's holiday photographs all over the world.

[@Andrewjg_89]

I have been to Battlesbridge station before and there isn’t much there apart from antique shops and a large water mill. But Battlesbridge is a very nice village on the outskirts of Wickford.

[@craiglogistics2092]

I have delivered goods to the shop that you walked past but I didn't visit the station because I had more deliveries to do and sausage sandwiches to eat, lol

[@West.Ham1964]

I know that area pretty well living in Wickford. It is a single track line, Burnham on Crouch further down is a lovely town too. There is actually a public crossing point just after Wickford station where the line branches off which always feels like I'm trespassing when I use it 🤣Battlesbridge is a lovely village/town, often get classic car events in the summer months too.

[@ReubenAshwell]

Brilliant video Sarah, the guard on that train from Norwich sounds awesome, it's always interesting to go somewhere you've never been before, I don't think I've ever heard of Battlesbridge station before. Storm Bert, honestly there must be a storm Ernie as well lol.

[@sarahwiththetrains]

@ReubenAshwell I later discovered that I actually already follow said guard on X!

[@matthewhodder3029]

Interesting video, thank you. If you are around Norwich Thorpe station on 11/12/24 you may meet some lovely people from Vision Norfolk who will be there fundraising

[@sarahwiththetrains]

@matthewhodder3029 Glad you liked the video! I'm working on 11th December unfortunately!

[@MichaelSebastianTodd]

Battlesbridge looks like a lovely station & car parking is def very cheap for 1 day & im liking Wickford aswell brilliant vlog

[@Transportationspotting]

Battlebridge is very much nice, not going to say about Wickford given I live there

[@Anonymoususer_8823]

⁠Wickford is ok. But it’s gone downhill a bit.

[@simonjerryncf1987]

I think Battlesbridge is one of the best names for a station I have heard for a long while

[@bobhazell6130]

Three antique centres at Battlesbridge if you include the old mill. Two good pubs, The Hawk and The Barge near the station.

[@ianr]

Brilliant video! Ditto my comments elsewhere. 👍🙂

[@QALibrary]

Hi Sarah, you have great mike/recording software to stand at Wickford station with that wind blowing that hard and the sound was not washed out by it.

[@fussyboy2000]

There's some buzzing noise at certain points - damaged wiring?

[@rogermaybank9345]

I live in Norwich but was born in Rochford, so I come from round those parts. Never been to three smaller stations. Good stuff. Have you been to Berney Arms station near Yarmouth? (You probably have...)

[@sarahwiththetrains]

@rogermaybank9345 I certainly have been to Berney Arms! In fact it was the second video I uploaded to my channel 🙂

[@Anonymoususer_8823]

I used to live near Norwich and grew up in Norfolk.

[@teecefamilykent]

Brilliant video, where was Brian?

[@sarahwiththetrains]

@@teecefamilykent He made a very brief appearance next to my cup of tea!

[@teecefamilykent]

@sarahwiththetrains he needs his own show.

[@davidstevens8160]

Love your videos Sarah. Great content, delivered by a hottie. Awesome.

[@fussyboy2000]

720137+720140 have only come into service very recently. Did you notice the new train smell?

[@MrTsVideoEmporium]

It used to be 50p a day parking 😂

[@Jas-ym8dz]

The station is not far from the "Essex boys murders" from the 90s

[@Djengland2010]

I live in Billericay

[@Anonymoususer_8823]

I’ve been to Billericay and I like how Billericay looks like as it’s quite posh especially with Waitrose supermarket.