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Report - - Abandoned goodies on the Braintree - Bishops Stortford Railway | Other Sites | 28DaysLater.co.uk

Report - Abandoned goodies on the Braintree - Bishops Stortford Railway

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CMExploration

28DL Member
28DL Member
So, it was a pretty gloomy Sunday morning, so obviously I had to check out some abandoned stuff (as one does on a Sunday morning)! I decided to take a trip up to Rayne in Essex to find the disused Braintree to Bishops Stortford railway line which, upon arrival, seemed way too busy, even to begin with. Leaving all of the refurbished buildings to one side, I decided to take to the trails to find some lost and forgotten artifacts.

First, some history! The section around Rayne was opened on the 22nd February 1869, where the industrial revolution boomed and materials required transportation across the country and so therefore required a suitable mode of transport; the railways. This caused a widespread rail transport development in the UK. The station in Rayne, now converted to a cafe (platforms still in place but signal box has been converted into a large flower bed) once had two platforms, to which both still remain. The single platform visible was mainly used for passengers. This was closed on on the 3rd of March 1952, as it was used primarily for passenger services. Even the village residents may not know that behind a low brick wall still stands another platform, located in the grounds of the local Scout Headquarters which used to drop off materials for the local foundry (now converted into a housing estate) to which this closed just after August 1961.

After a short walk from the station car park, it was evident that many relics of the forgotten railway still remain here, and although some of the track I have seen here before has been dug up for scrap metal, there still remains old buildings and items.

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Old sleepers can still be found rotting away in the bushes by the path of the old railway.

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Still engraved into the brickwork lies the origin of the bricks used for the large railway bridge nearby...

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An old brick building located just off the path. Perhaps an old railway junction house?

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Taking a breather near the top of the old railway bridge at Gore Road...

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