Rye house station.

[sss750]

Has anyone got any idea why Rye House station on the line to Hertford East once had a line next to platform 1 ( the up line) which looked like it went into a bay platform? Could it have possibly been for stabling a terminating service into the station a long time ago?

[WTTReprinter]

Yes, indeed.

At the very beginning of the last century, the grounds at Rye House was a popular day out and additional excursions would be run to cater for the traffic. It ceased to be a passenger bay upon the 1960 re-signalling. I believe prior to that it was still signalled as such though it had been many years since it was used for passenger traffic.

Any one know when the last passenger train used the bay at Rye House?

[sss750]

Thanks for the reply!

[sss750]

I was one of the design team who did the resignalling on the WARM project, but I can't honestly remember if it showed the Rye House siding on the Hertford branch plan or not.

[WTTReprinter]

Not likely to been on the WARM plans.
Although the track was in situ for quite a while, the sidings at Rye House were abolished when I was a Relief Signalman on the Broxbourne District; probably about 1984-5 when Costains Concrete Sleeper Works closed. I recall the last workings of the sidings; extra trains had been run for an increase in demand, then suddenly it closed!

I was wondering more about when it last used for a passenger train - according to David Dent's book, the excursion traffic ceased circa 1936.

[Mickey]

One of the Middleton Press books called Branch Lines Around Hertford(?) features the route from Broxbourne station via Broxbourne Junction through Rye House, st Margarets, Ware & Hertford East stations through a selection of older and contemporary photographs mainly from the 1950s-2000s accompanied by some texts for each photograph along the route of the branch. The same book also features the st Margarets-Buntingford branch and the Hertford-Hatfield branch as well.

From my own vague memory of the Hertford East branch when I travelled over it a couple of times circa 1970/71 was that there didn't appear to be much of interest at Rye House station for me I always thought the interesting part of the Hertford East branch was the Ware-Hertford East section.

Mickey

[52D]

Interested in seeing pics of the ex NBR Kelso petrol shunter in Ware and district and also any info on the duties it performed.

[Mickey]

One of the Middleton Press books called Branch Lines Around Hertford(?) features the route from Broxbourne station via Broxbourne Junction through Rye House, st Margarets, Ware & Hertford East stations through a selection of older and contemporary photographs mainly from the 1950s-2000s accompanied by some texts for each photograph along the route of the branch. The same book also features the st Margarets-Buntingford branch and the Hertford-Hatfield branch as well.Mickey

Rye House station From the Middleton Press book called Branch Lines Around Hertford And Hatfield.

Picture no.10 (looking towards the Broxbourne direction) The buildings lasted from 1871 until 1974, when simple shelters were provided. Seen in the mid-1950s, the bay was used for parcel traffic, which often included watercress. This was grown in nearby spring water. Branching off the bay beyond the right border was a private siding to Costain's Concrete Works. Vast numbers of concrete sleepers were produced here and were despatched by rail until 1991. There was also a siding for Nissen Buildings Ltd from 1922 until after World War II. Their huts (Nissen huts) became famous during that conflict.

Picture no.11 (looking towards the Hertford direction) Beyond the bridge is the goods siding, which carried traffic until 31st January 1960. The 1885 signal box had 24 levers and closed on the same day. Further north was a siding for st Margaret's Sand & Gravel Company and Hailey Bricksworks in the 1920s.

Mickey

[StevieG]

Difficult to put a year on it, but I was part of a staff group which had to visit after an incident on the Up Hertford line at Broxbourne Jn. (poss. 1999/2000?), and we had to check everything relevant to the junction protecting signal (BN150?, IIRC) and back to the previous one at Rye House station (BN152?). and I believe I recall remnants of track still in the bay, and on, overgrown to varying degrees, SE towards (& beyond?) the Normandy Way rail-over-road bridge, where I think, nearby could still be discovered a ground frame for the former points connection into the Up line.