Chessington South

[James (EOR)]

Hi guys,

Well i remember going to Chessingtons yes the theme park a good few years back, i think twice. Anyway i remmeber it being single line at cs but with an abandoned platform on the otherside.

The line doesn't stop there, but the rest appears to be abandoned.
I heard it use to run to a power station, anyone have the history of this stretch after CS???

Cheers
James

 

[Dennis]

This might be of some use.

 

[CraigS]

A couple of years ago when looking in a Rail atlas there was a small section of line in red south of Chessington South and the word EWS was next to it.

 

[W14Fishbourne]

When the Chessington line was opened in 1939 the intention was that it was going to continue south to a junction with the Leatherhead line and part of the trackbed was bought and fenced off. Chessington South was built with two platforms in anticipation of it becoming a through station. The war halted its construction.

After the war new planning laws resulted in the Green Belt round London and therefore the new line would only have served open fields. The extension was therefore abandoned.

A coal concentration depot was opened to the south of Chessington South station using the half mile or so of track that was laid. It closed in 1988.

 

[tedted]

A couple of years ago when looking in a Rail atlas there was a small section of line in red south of Chessington South and the word EWS was next to it.

Having a look in my rail atlas (presumably the same as yours - published by Oxford Publishing Co.) the red line south of Chessington South now isn't annotated, so that agrees with W14Fishbourne

 

[Bill EWS]

I found your mention of Chessington interesting. We worked Household Coal trains too and from Chessington South and Tolworth in the latter years of B.R. The line has an interesting history and the stations were very modern for their time. We had to use the head shunt beyond Chessington South yard and it made us wonder what it would have been like if the line had been extended as planned. But even then it looked as if it would have run over sparcely populated land. However joined to the Leatherhead mainline it could have served a more useful purpose.

The traction we used was mainly 37's, with the ocassional 56 or 58. It was also an interesting route for us, going via Old Oak Common and North Pole Junction, Kensington Olympia to Clapham, Wimbledon, Raynes Park and Motspur Park Jct.

I'm sorry to hear that the yard has closed. Has Tolworth also gone?

My old workmate, Brian Daniels has one or two pictures taken at Chessington South, which you will find at: http://briandaniels.fotopic.net

I'm not sure which section they are in but probably the 37, 56 & 58 sections.

P.S. Just had a look at Brians's Fotopic site and you will find the pictures in the Miscillanious section. Also includes a picture at Tolworth.

Cheers.

BillEWS.

 

[W14Fishbourne]

I'm sorry to hear that the yard has closed. Has Tolworth also gone?

As far as I know most of the yard is now used as a bus depot. There are a couple of sidings left but I've no idea if they're ever used.

 

[James (EOR)]

Thanks guys, anything like chessington interests me. A line to no where?? In most cases thats not the case or wasn't the case!

 

[class 313]

This might be of some use.

Wow! Malden looks really new/modern even if it was back in the day....