Talk:Bentley Church railway station

Location of the station
Summary of a discussion on Redrose64's talk page:

The co-ordinates that Efficacy put in the Bentley Church article are based on the map in Tony Dewick's book (ref 2) and dates from Butt (ref 1). Butt gives an opening date of 15 June 1846 for Ipswich Stoke Hill, Bentley Church, Bentley, Manningtree & Ardleigh, all with the Eastern Union Railway. The Hadleigh Railway article (External link) states that construction started in September 1846, and Butt gives opening dates in 1847 for the stations on that branch, with the Eastern Union & Hadleigh Junction Railway. This suggested that Bentley Church station was on the main line and not on the branch.

Redrose64 referred to McCarthy, Colin; McCarthy, David (August 2007). Waller, Peter. ed. Railways of Britain: Norfolk and Suffolk. Hersham: Ian Allan. ISBN 978 0 7110 3223 1. 0708/c1 and stated: This book is divided into three main sections: text, maps and gazetteer. In the text, the Eastern Union Railway is shown as incorporated 19 July 1844, opened (freight) 1 June 1846 (pass) 15 June (McCarthy & McCarthy 2007, p. 19); and the Eastern Union & Hadleigh Junction Railway is shown as authorised 18 June 1846, formally opened 20 August 1847, public opening (freight) 21 August (pass) 2 September (McCarthy & McCarthy 2007, p. 24) and absorbed by the EUR 1847 (McCarthy & McCarthy 2007, p. 19). In the maps, the Hadleigh branch is shown as starting at a triangular junction, with Bentley Church station close to the western corner (McCarthy & McCarthy 2007, map 42 section B2). In the gazetteer, dates given are opened 15 June 1846, closed (pass) December 1853, closed (freight) n/a (McCarthy & McCarthy 2007, p. 108), which agrees with Butt. There is indeed a discrepancy between the map position and the opening dates. The maps in McCarthy & McCarthy are "based upon the original work undertaken by Col Michael Cobb for his atlas". On non-railway maps, the shape of the triangular junction is clearly revealed by the wooded area known as "The Island". The church at grid reference seems to be somewhat closer to the western corner of the triangle than to the northern.

Lamberhurst confirmed that the Cobb atlas shows the station where the McCarthy work shows it, i.e., adding that Cobb named it "Bentley Church Crossing". Lamberhurst also wonders if this could be the crossing keeper's cottage, indicating that the station was to the west of the road.

Efficacy (talk) 21:31, 15 June 2011 (UTC)

From The Hadleigh Branch article in the the April 2015 edition of Steam Days magazine: Efficacy (talk) 16:20, 30 March 2015 (UTC)
 * Bentley Church Crossing appeared briefly in Bradshaw's Timetables around 1853.
 * On occasions trains were halted at a level crossing or similar convenient location, and Bentley Church Crossing was probably an example, situated to the north of Bentley near the parish church.
 * It may have been on the west-to-north arm of the triangular junction.