Starting Point - Three Bridges Station. Finishing Point - East Grinstead Station. Distance 7.1 Miles
Though the Southern region probably wasn't hit as hard as others with branch line closures with many routes being important commuter routes in to London there were several line closures, particularly on orbital routes and lines from the south coast that were truncated to dead end branches from the capital.
One of the east / west routes to get the chop was Three Bridges - East Grinstead - Tunbridge Wells. The Eridge to Tunbridge Wells West section which survived later than the rest of the route is now preserved as the Spa Valley Railway and most of the rest of the route lives on as foot and cycle paths. In the short daylight hours of winter I walked from Three Bridges to Eridge in two sections, breaking the journey at East Grinstead.
The section of foot and cycle route from Three Bridges to East Grinstead is known as the Worth Way. The line branched off from the main line to Brighton just south of the station and is now accessed of Billinton Drive which joins on to Station Hill just under on the opposite side of the railway bridge from the station entrance. The line heads East through the village of Worth, now pretty much a suburb of Crawley.
More detail about the former line can be found on the Wikipedia article.
Below - Church Road bridge in Worth.
The cycle route leaves the trackbed at Church Road but it is possible to continue along the former railway on foot a little further.
Below - Footpath bridge with the later addition of a set of steps up from the trackbed. This is as far as the railway can be walked as a few yards further along the M23 has been built across the route.
Turning right at the top of the steps from the trackbed the Worth Way can be picked up a short distance to the south through the modern estate of housing on Alfred Close. East of the M23 the former railway has become part of the adjoining farms, the Worth Way now uses a farm track to Turners Hill Road where the trackbed can be picked up again at the former level crossing.
Below - Former crossing keeper's house on Turners Hill Road
Below - The trackbed looking from Turners Hill Road.
Across Wallage Lane was the site of Rowfant station, remains of which can be seen, though the path skirts around the station site which is in use as a depot for road maintenance equipment.
Below - Former Rowfant station.
Below - Building that stood on the East bound platform.
East of Rowfant station a road bridge is missing. The road once served a brickworks, the site of which is now an industrial estate. The brickworks was served by a short branch from Rowfant station, the course of which seems to have been ploughed over.
Below - Removed bridge on the road that once served a nearby brickworks.
The next station on the route was at Grange Road. A much bigger community of Crawley Down has built up around the former station and modern housing and shops have been built at the former station site. There is now a short stretch of walking along the streets to pick up the railway the other side of Crawley Down at Cob Close.
Below - Bridge over a stream.
At either side of the trackbed several concrete sleepers can be seen. It seems that after the rails were removed the sleepers were left behind and have simply been tipped over the embankment sides when the route has been cleared for pedestrian use.
Below - Concrete sleeper at the side of the trackbed.
The old map shows a small siding near Imberhorne Farm. At the site of which some wire fences with concrete posts can be seen. It can be made out where the entrance to the siding would have been.
Below - Site of Imberhorne Farm siding.
Below - Imberhorne Lane bridge.
Below - Former junction of Three Bridges line and St Margaret's Junction Loop.
Below - Site of East Grinstead High Level station. The station crossed above the low level station at right angles. On platform 2 of the low level station the alterations to the wall along the platform where entrances to the high level platforms have been filled in can be seen.
East Grinstead's low level station is now the terminus of services from London. The line used to continue to Brighton through Horstead Keynes. Since closure the section as far as Sheffield Park has been reopened as a heritage railway by the Bluebell Railway. The Bluebell Railway have their own single platform station and run round loop south of the mainline station. There is a connection between the two to allow stock transfers or through running charters.
The line from Three Bridges originally terminated at an earlier station east of the later High Level station site. This can be made out on the old map above, note the location of the Railway Hotel (which survives as the Railway Pub). The station was moved when the line was extended onwards towards Tunbridge Wells, the original station site and the site of the goods yards are now used by the road connections for Beeching Way.
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