Bramford railway station

Bramford
Bramford station in 1963
Location
Place	Bramford
Area	District of Mid Suffolk
Operations
Original company	Ipswich and Bury Railway
Pre-grouping	Great Eastern Railway
Post-grouping	London and North Eastern Railway
Platforms	2
History
24 December 1846	Station opens
1913	station resited
2 May 1955	Station closed
Disused railway stations in the United Kingdom
Closed railway stations in Britain A B C D–F G H–J K–L M–O P–R S T–V W–Z

Bramford railway station refers to the two stations located in Bramford, Suffolk.

The first station at Bramford was opened by the Ipswich and Bury Railway on 24 December 1846. It was an all timber affair designed by Frederick Barnes and was situated on an embankment to the north of the Bramford to Ipswich Road. On the down side (from London Liverpool Street) the platform was reached by some steep wooden steps whilst on the up side a slope was the means of access to the platform.

The station was badly damaged by gales in February 1860 with part of the building demolished and strewn across the tracks.

Such were the changes in the railway industry that in 1847 the Ipswich and Bury Railway became part of the Eastern Union Railway which itself became part of the Eastern Counties Railway in 1854. The Great Eastern Railway took over operation of the station in 1862.

At 3:00 p.m. on 1 August 1911 the down platform caught fire and despite the efforts of local railway staff and villagers by 5:30 there was little left of the down side platform. A number of cottages located at the bottom of the embankment were also damaged (the site of a car show room in 2012).

The signal box - a little further to the north - was undamaged as was the goods shed located opposite.

The second Bramford station opened and was located on the other side of the road underbridge. Its construction was approved by the Great Eastern Railway works committee in 1912 and opened in 1913. The station was a substantial brick affair with the station building on the up side and a small shelter on the down side. A new signal box was also provided at this time.

However, in 1919 the goods shed also burnt down (probably due to sparks or ash from a passing train).

The Bradshaws Railway guide for July 1922 shows down services for Bury St Edmunds and Norwich (generally calling all stations) calling at Bramford. Up services generally terminated at Ipswich.

In 1923 the Great Eastern Railway amalgamated with other railway companies to forrm the London and North Eastern Railway. Two years later the signal box (1912) was abolished being replaced by a new signal box located at Sproughton Sidings some 46 chains closer to Ipswich.

On nationalisation in 1948 the station and its services became part of the Eastern Region of British Railways.