It's A Jungle Out There
Opened in 1885 by the Woodside & Selsdon Railway Company, this relatively little used line closed to passenger traffic in May 1983. Domestic oil traffic continued to operate to two sidings at Selsdon for another 10 years. Since the cessation of the oil traffic, Mother Nature has really taken over on the section of line from Selsdon Road (Selsdon since 1935) station and Coombe Road. From the north side of Coombe Road itself, through Coombe Road station, to Woodside and Elmers End is now part of the Croydon tram network.
Just to the north of Spencer Road Halt (closed in 1915) and Selsdon station, there are two substantial footbridges over the railway line. Here at Selsdon, the footbridge has recently been fully covered in plastic sheeting, some of the trees on the track bed have been felled, and a temporary footpath runs just a few feet above the former trackbed. This view is taken from the temporary footpath, looking towards the former station, with the former Down line just visible about a third of the way from the right of the image. The two oil sidings ran immediately to the right of the housing on the extreme left hand side of this image. Amazingly the line is still officially open and although the connection with the line from South Croydon to Oxted, East Grinstead & Uckfield has long been physically removed, a position light signal still exists...... and remains illuminated!
It's A Jungle Out There
Opened in 1885 by the Woodside & Selsdon Railway Company, this relatively little used line closed to passenger traffic in May 1983. Domestic oil traffic continued to operate to two sidings at Selsdon for another 10 years. Since the cessation of the oil traffic, Mother Nature has really taken over on the section of line from Selsdon Road (Selsdon since 1935) station and Coombe Road. From the north side of Coombe Road itself, through Coombe Road station, to Woodside and Elmers End is now part of the Croydon tram network.
Just to the north of Spencer Road Halt (closed in 1915) and Selsdon station, there are two substantial footbridges over the railway line. Here at Selsdon, the footbridge has recently been fully covered in plastic sheeting, some of the trees on the track bed have been felled, and a temporary footpath runs just a few feet above the former trackbed. This view is taken from the temporary footpath, looking towards the former station, with the former Down line just visible about a third of the way from the right of the image. The two oil sidings ran immediately to the right of the housing on the extreme left hand side of this image. Amazingly the line is still officially open and although the connection with the line from South Croydon to Oxted, East Grinstead & Uckfield has long been physically removed, a position light signal still exists...... and remains illuminated!