Horton Light Railway

The Horton Light Railway had its origins in a contractor's line (the Ewell & Long Grove Railway) built in 1905 to transport materials for building London County Council's Epsom Cluster of psychiatric hospitals to the North of the English town of Epsom. The light railway order did not permit the carriage of passengers, its main purpose being to carry building materials and coal and other supplies to Long Grove and the other psychiatric hospitals. The railway connected with the mainline network just South of Ewell West railway station.

Hospital construction

London County Council bought the Horton Estate in November 1896 as the location for a cluster of new psychiatric hospitals. It was realised that getting the building materials to the sites from Epsom Station would damage the roads and so a light railway was proposed, and after protracted negotiations the line received Royal assent in August 1899. Meanwhile contractors were charged a levy for loads, with a higher charge for traction engine than for horse and cart, but the traction engine was still favoured and road damage ensued. The railway was held back by the avaiable budget and by 1903 Manor Asylum, Horton Asylum, the associated power station and the Ewell Epileptic Colony (later known as St Ebba’s) had all been completed. Work was about to begin on the large Long Grove hospital, and the issue of road damage got worse. In 1904 LCC decided to issue an umbrella contract and this enabled the contractor to lay a railway, and so finally when the contract was given to Foster & Dicksee of Rugby in October 1904, the way was clear to build the railway - which was to be known as the Ewell & Long Grove Railway.

Ewell & Long Grove Railway (1905-1907)

Manning Wardle 0-6-0 saddle tank locomotive "Hollymoor"

The required 41 acres of land were bought in late 1904, and work started on the railway in January 1905. The connection and exchange sidings with the London and South Western Railway were completed in April 1905. Locomotive "Hollymoor" was delivered and using materials delivered by rail, and using a very large workforce the railway was completed by June 1905. As a freight only railway, light gauge rails and permanent way were adopted, and rather than have run round loops (except at the exchange sidings) the locomotives would propel the loaded wagons. With the completion of the railway a second locomotive arrived, No 947, and work commenced on Long Grove Asylum.

In 1906 a local woman, Mary Tobin, was run down and killed on a level crossing. The loco was propelling 12 trucks, and the lookout who should have been on the first truck, was on the fifth as the first four were sheeted over. This resulted in crossings requiring the lookout to stand in the road with a red flag from that point onwards, and 4mph limit on crossings.

The Long Grove Asylum was completed on time and was opened in July 1907, after which the line was not used, and under the terms imposed by the local authority the lines were to be lifted at the 3 level crossings by 3 years from its opening. Foster & Dickson were in discussions with London County Council about retaining the line, but the local authority were not happy with Foster & Dickson operating it and eventually lifted the rails at the level crossings and sent Foster & Dickson the bill.

Locomotives

Name/Number	Type	Maker	Dates	Notes
Hollymoor	0-6-0ST	Manning Wardle 1519 of 1901	1905-1908	Had worked on building Hollymoor hospital near Birmingham.
No 947	0-4-0ST	Peckett & Sons, 947 of 1902	1905-1909	Ex Stirchley Iron Co Ltd, then Peckett. Sold by auction from the site 1909, later at Rugby Portland Cement Company

The Horton Light Railway (1913-1950)

With the construction of the fifth institute "West Park" being planned in October 1908, and Foster & Dickson being blocked by the local authoriy from operating the railway, the solution was that the railway was sold to London County Council as a permanent line allowing coal to be hauled to the power station at a considerable saving and benefit to the local roads. The line was sold to LCC "as is", and they inserted a clause in the General Powers Bill of 1909 allowing them to build the line, which included an extension to West Park, a siding to the power station, re-routing in various places, and the elimination of all level-crossings by footbridges, and a cutting under Hook Road. Work was delayed by budgetary constraints, but eventually started in early 1912. Other changes from the contractors railway included extra exchange sidings with a weighbridge, relocation of the engine shed nearer to the power station, and run round loops just before each branch (as insufficient space at the end of the branches). The new light railway was completed in May 1913 (including removal of the remains of the Ewell & Long Grove Railway).

West Park was not completed when war broke out, and work was suspended. It was finally completed in 1921 along with the branch line serving it, complete with water tower and goods shed. West Park was officially opened in 1924.

The end of the 1920s was peak time for the railway, which moved 15,000 tons of coal and 4,000 tons of general goods per year. In the 1930s road transport was improving for general deliveries, and the connection of Epsom to the National Grid meant the power station which needed maintenance was no longer needed - it was closed down in 1935. The line survived during the war, being used for a rail mounted anti-aircraft gun at one stage, but when the National Health Service was formed in 1948, it was clear it had outlived its use, and was badly in need of maintenance, so was closed and the track lifted in 1950. The connection to the main line was removed in 1953.

Locomotives

Name/Number	Type	Maker	Dates	Notes
Crossness	0-4-0ST	Andrew Barclay 994? of 1904	1913-1935	From Southern Outfall improvement scheme based at Abbey Wood, cut up 1935
Hendon	0-6-0ST	Manning Wardle 2046 of 1926	1935-1947	Sold after the war
Sherwood	0-4-0ST	Robert Stephensons and Hawthorns Limited 7349 of ?	1947-1950	A poor steamer - sold to Fred Watkins Engineering 1950

The site today

The trackbed is now used as a walking and riding path through Horton Country Park.

External links

• Details, map and photographs