Mid Suffolk Light Railway

The last run of the mid-Suffolk light railway from Haughley station to Laxfield on 28th July 1952.

Various trains at Haughley, including the Pacific steam locomotive Owen Glendower, No. 70010: the platforms are crowded with people, some in Edwardian costume. Engine number 65447 manoeuvers into position by the branch line platform. Joseph Skinner and Jack Low are in the cab. There are brief views of Laxfield station, and then shots taken from a carriage on the return trip to Haughley. The train passes an overgrown siding and a factory. Finally, the train arrives back at Haughley.

Featured Events

Last rail journey on the Haughley to Laxfield line.

Keywords

Engine drivers, Railway closures; Railways; Steam engines

Other Places

Laxfield

Background Information

www.mslr.org.uk is the website of the Mid-Suffolk Light Railway. Registered Office : Brockford Station, Wetheringsett, Stowmarket, Suffolk, IP14 5PW. E-mail Contact : secretary@mslr.org.uk The website describes the railway's history: "The Mid-Suffolk Light Railway, known affectionately as 'The Middy', was a classic case of a rural railway that never paid its way. Built in the Edwardian era, it was a late-comer to the railway scene, at a time when mechanized transport was making an appearance on the roads. It effectively went broke before it opened but still managed to struggle on for almost 50 years! This fine example of quirky English history is remembered in Suffolk's only railway museum, also called the Mid-Suffolk Light Railway Co., which is dedicated to keeping alive the memories of the Middy by conserving historical documents as well as preserving the hardware which goes to make up a working railway. The collection of rolling stock is heavily biased towards the Great Eastern Railway, being the mainline railway with which the Middy connected at Haughley and our passenger carriages all date from the 19th Century. At Brockford the volunteers are engaged in an ongoing project, recreating the atmosphere of a typical Middy station of the Edwardian era..."