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.
Lyminge railway station | |
|---|---|
 Lyminge station, now serving as a library. | |
| General information | |
| Location | Elham, Folkestone & Hythe England |
| Coordinates | 51°07′39″N 1°05′33″E / 51.1274°N 1.0925°E |
| Grid reference | TR 164 409 |
| Platforms | 2 (1 from 1931) |
| Other information | |
| Status | Disused |
| History | |
| Pre-grouping | South Eastern Railway South Eastern and Chatham Railway |
| Post-grouping | Southern Railway |
| Key dates | |
| 4 July 1887 | Opened |
| 3 May 1943 | closed for regular passenger trains |
| 7 October 1946 | Re-opened to passengers |
| 14 June 1947 | Closed to passengers |
| 1 October 1947 | Closed |
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Passenger services between Canterbury West and Lyminge were withdrawn on 1 December 1940 and the line between Harbledown Junction and Lyminge was placed under military control.[1] Passenger services to Folkestone continued until withdrawn on 3 May 1943.[7] The station remained open to freight during the war.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
- ^ a b Mitchell & Smith 1995, Historical Background.
- ^ a b c Mitchell & Smith 1995, Illustration 116.
- ^ Mitchell & Smith 1995, Passenger services.
- ^ Mitchell & Smith 1995, Illustration 114.
- ^ Mitchell & Smith 1995, Passenger Services.
- ^ Mitchell & Smith 1995, Illustrations 104 & 116.
- ^ The Elham Valley Line by Brian Hart page 76
- ^ Mitchell & Smith 1995, Historical background.
- Sources
- Mitchell, Vic; Smith, Keith (1995). Branch Lines Around Canterbury. Midhurst: Middleton Press. ISBN 1-873793-58-8.