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Cambridge and Ely Railway, Lincolnshire line to Bury St Edmunds

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krus_aragon

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I've come across a newspaper cutting referring to an individual who worked as an engineer on a number of railways in the 19th century:

North Wales Express 1885 said:
A little afterwards he became a surveyor, and eventually was on the engineering staff engaged in the construction of the Cambridge and Ely Railway. He was also engaged as an engineer in the construction of the Lincolnshire line of railway to Bury St. Edmunds, and was later on engaged on the engineering staff in the construction of the Chester and Holyhead Railway.

I can't find a "Cambridge & Ely Railway", but I gather that we're in the territories of the Eastern Counties Railway. Sadly my geographical knowledge of that area of England is non-existent, so I've no idea which railway lines these would have been. Is there anyone with some more local knowledge that could give me a clue as to which railways these are?

As a chronological guide, the Chester & Holyhead was constructed between 1845 and 1850, so if the newspaper is accurate, I'm looking for railways constructed in the 1840s.

Thanks in advance.
 
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TheEdge

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For Ely to Cambridge it must, as I don't think there was any other route between the two, what is now the Fen Line. Not sure of the build date of the line itself but Ely station is 1845 so its the right period.

As to Lincolnshire Line from Bury St Edmunds the only one I can see that as a reference to is the Ipswich - Ely - Peterborough line which was opened in 1846. But though that line sort of points in the vague direction of Lincolnshire it doesn't go into it and it seems an odd name to use, especially when talking about Bury.
 

Bevan Price

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Bishops Stortford - Cambridge - Ely was opened in July 1845. If that is a newspaper you are quoting, they probably mean the section of line between Cambridge & Ely, rather than a formal "railway company".

Stowmarket to Bury St. Edmunds opened in 1846. This line was extended to Newmarket by 1854, but did not reach Ely until 1879.
 

Calthrop

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Just on the off-chance, I tried Googling "Lincolnshire line to Bury St. Edmunds": got only directions for the best way by road, between the premises of Lincolnshire Lime -- producers of lime mortar -- at Thornton Curtis near Immingham, and B St E !
 

Xenophon PCDGS

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Bishops Stortford - Cambridge - Ely was opened in July 1845. If that is a newspaper you are quoting, they probably mean the section of line between Cambridge & Ely, rather than a formal "railway company".

Stowmarket to Bury St. Edmunds opened in 1846. This line was extended to Newmarket by 1854, but did not reach Ely until 1879.

Can anyone say if I am wrong here:-

The Ely, Haddenham and Sutton Railway ran between Ely and St Ives

The Cambridge and Huntingdon Railway ran between St Ives and Cambridge
 

Bevan Price

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Can anyone say if I am wrong here:-

The Ely, Haddenham and Sutton Railway ran between Ely and St Ives

The Cambridge and Huntingdon Railway ran between St Ives and Cambridge

I don't know how accurate the book is, but according to "Encyclopaedia Of British Railway Companies" by Christopher Awdry, the Ely, Haddenham & Sutton Railway opened between Ely & Sutton in 1866. The company changed its name to Ely & St.Ives Railway after the extension from Sutton to St. Ives was approved in 1876.

I can find no mention of a Cambridge & Huntingdon Railway Company.
 

Xenophon PCDGS

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I can find no mention of a Cambridge & Huntingdon Railway Company.

I saw this reference in a typewritten foolscap area history sheet from the 1950's period.

Can anyone shed any light on the Wisbech, St Ives and Cambridge Junction Railway, which was also mentioned in the same rather dog-eared document stated above.
 
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krus_aragon

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Thank you all for your input. I can be confident that the first railway is the modern-day Fen line, built by the Northern & Eastern / Eastern Counties. As for the second, I'm theorising that the newspaper is referring to the Ipswich & Bury Railway (heading toward Lincolnshire by the 1880s). This seems to be the only line built to Bury before 1850, by which time he'd have to be back in North Wales if he was indeed involved in building the Chester & Holyhead Railway.
 

Bevan Price

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I saw this reference in a typewritten foolscap area history sheet from the 1950's period.

Can anyone shed any light on the Wisbech, St Ives and Cambridge Junction Railway, which was also mentioned in the same rather dog-eared document stated above.

Awdry's Encyclopaedia includes this railway. Opened from Wisbech to March in March 1847, and reached St. Ives by February 1848. Line worked by ECR (Eastern Counties Railway) which had also helped to build it. March to St.Ives became part of GN & GE Joint line from 1882.

Awdry also mentions an Ely & Huntingdon Railway. This railway combined with the Lynn & Ely, and Lynn & Dereham Railways to form East Anglian Railways - which was bankrupt by 1851, and became part of Eastern Counties Railway in 1852. According to the David & Charles Regional History for East Anglia (by D.I. Gordon), the Ely & Huntingdon railway only built the section from St. Ives to Godmanchester (Huntingdon); the Cambridge to St. Ives line was built by Eastern Counties Railway. Both these opened in August 1847.
 
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