The Dyke railway station

The Dyke railway station[3] was a railway station near Devil's Dyke in West Sussex, England which opened in 1887 and closed in 1939.[4]

The Dyke
General information
LocationDevil's Dyke, Mid Sussex
England
Coordinates50.8784722°N 0.2104778°W / 50.8784722; -0.2104778
Grid referenceTQ260103
Platforms1[1]
Other information
StatusDisused
History
Original companyBrighton and Dyke Railway (operated by the London Brighton and South Coast Railway)
Post-groupingSouthern Railway
Key dates
1 September 1887Opened
1 January 1917Closed
26 July 1920Reopened
1 January 1939[2]Closed

History
Site of the Dyke Station in 2007

The Dyke Station opened as the terminus for the standard gauge railway line which ran from Dyke Junction Station (now known as Aldrington railway station)[5][6] to 200 feet below the summit of Devil's Dyke.[7] The line was opened by the Brighton and Dyke Railway Company to serve what was at the time a very popular tourist destination, boasting two bandstands, an observatory, a camera obscura and fairground rides. The station itself was equipped with basic facilities to accommodate tourists and postcards of the station buildings reveal a converted railway carriage with shack attached bearing the sign "Tea and Cakes".

The 1893 August Bank Holiday saw around 30,000 people flock to the Dyke, many of them brought by the railway.[8] Operations continued until 1917 when, in the midst of the First World War, the line was closed as a wartime economy measure. Services recommenced in 1920 but lasted only a further eighteen years; the line closing in the face of increased competition from motor buses.[9]

The Southern Railway purchased a Sentinel-Cammell steam railcar in June 1933 for use on the branch.[10] Although operationally successful, the single railcar was not large enough to meet the needs of the line. The railcar was transferred away in March 1936 and tried in other areas, but was withdrawn in 1940.[11]

The site today

The station was demolished after closure and the site is occupied by a farm. Part of the trackbed of the line remained unused until 1988 when the "Dyke Railway Trail" was created.[12]

Services
Preceding station   Disused railways   Following station
Golf Club Halt   London, Brighton and South Coast Railway
Brighton and Dyke Railway
(1887-1939)		   Terminus

References
  1. J T Howard Turner (1977). The London, Brighton and South Coast Railway Volume 1 Origins and Foundation. ISBN 0-7134-0275-X.
  2. Butt, R.V.J. (1995). The Directory of Railway Stations, Patrick Stephens Ltd, Sparkford, ISBN 1-85260-508-1, p. 228.
  3. H P White (1976). Forgotten Railways: South East England. ISBN 0-7153-7286-6.
  4. "Sussex Branch Lines - Two Branches and a Siding". Retrieved 14 August 2009.
  5. Harding, Peter A. The Dyke Branch Line. ISBN 0-9523458-5-4.
  6. Clark, Paul (1976). The Railways of Devil's Dyke. Crown Press Keighley Ltd. ISBN 0-902844-35-0.
  7. Devil's Dyke
  8. Urban 75
  9. My Brighton & Hove
  10. Casserley, H. C. (28 January 2007). "Sentinel railcar at The Dyke Station in 1933". (photo). Subterranea Britannica (Disused Stations). Retrieved 14 August 2009.
  11. Bradley 1975, p. 72
  12. Dyke Railway Trail

Bibliography
  • Bradley, D.L. (October 1975). Locomotives of the Southern Railway, part 1. London: RCTS. ISBN 0-901115-30-4.
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