This year will be the 60th anniversary of the final London suburban steam service,” so Iwas informed by Michael Rowe, the Railway Performance Society (RPS) steam specialist.
This pronouncement had its northern recipient confused. Surely the 1967 South Westernwas the last London steam-worked line? “Not suburban. It was the Oxted line, with all 27 steam-hauled departures from London booked for steam haulage in 1961.”
“I thought the Oxted line trains worked to places like Lewes though,” Iqueried. It was explained to me that through trains to those places wereovertaken by those on more direct routes. The Oxted line suburban steam credentials had been established.
The Oxted line started from South Croydon and fought asix-mile uphill battle at mainly 1-in-100 onto the North Downs past Woldingham beforeasimilarly inclined threemile drop to Oxted. From Hurst Green Jct, just south of Oxted, came afurther six miles downhill to Lingfield, some of which was also at 1-in-100. However,the climbing was not yet finished as much of the four remaining miles to East Grinstead through Dormanswereagainst a 1-in-70 gradient.
From East Grinstead trains could runto Brighton via what is now the Bluebell Railway to Horsted Keynes and turneither left for Lewes or right for Hayward’s Heath and the Brighton main line. West from East Grinstead a line ran to Three Bridges and eastwards trains could reach Tunbridge Wells.
Retracing our steps to Hurst Green Jct, trains could rundirect to Tunbridge Wells via Ashurst or proceed to Eridgetoturnright via Uckfield to Lewes or left to Polegate and ultimately Eastbourne.
Of this complex, essentially rural network, only the options of Uckfield by diesel or East Grinstead by electric survive, although aspirations to reopen the line from Uckfield to Lewes remain doggedly alive.
Announcements
These complicationsmade the job of the station announcer at East Croydon more difficult. On his way back from boarding school in 1951, Michael Rowe had to change trains there, and heardthe announcements for the ‘next Oxted line service’ suffixed with some unusual apparent destinations such as Barcombe or Hailsham promoted to the same standing as the expected ones such as Tunbridge Wells andEast Grinstead. The announcer’s intention was to prevent passengers for stations such as Lewes or Eastbourne indulging in abucolic and unnecessarydetour.
The Oxted Line timetable of the early 1950s differed little from that of 1925 as pre-war travel patterns became re-established. In 1925 there were25weekdaydepartures from London with the first the 5.20am Victoria to Tunbridge Wells West via Edenbridge, which Mr Rowe points out was exactly the same in 1954.