What is south of uckfield's old station? I've been through there a couple of times in recent years but havent been able to see where the track went out of the southern end of Uckfield.
The old station is to the west of the High Street. You can still see the track in the old station through the fence. Beyond the station site the trackbed goes into a small cutting - still clear apart from vegetation.
There is then the section that goes along the edge of the industrial estate next to the sewage farm. The trackbed has been kept clear - there are no buildings on the allignment but it has been used for car parks.
The route crosses the A22 bypass about 100 yards south of the road bridge over the River Uck (with it's carefully cut signs to discourage any witty additions to the name
)
On the other side of the A22 the trackbed is pretty much intact all the way to Isfield and the Lavender Line. Out of interest you can also see the embankment of the Haywards Heath to Eastbourne via Uckfield line that was started and then abandoned by the LBSCR many, many years ago.
Is a bridge/embankement feasable though Uckfield so there is no return of the rail crossing on the centre of town?
Hmmm, that's always been a bit of a challenge to squeeze in. The hills, the river and the ancient Bridge Cottage make it a difficult thing to do. From an engineering perspective it'd be simple. Would the town planners allow a bit flyover to be built in the middle of the town? Probably not...
As for an extension to Ringmer I think that's not going to happen. It'd require significant works and a new track allignment. It'd cost FAR more than reusing the existing allignments. The business case for Uckfield to Lewes is debatable but may well show it to be viable. I can't see a positive case for a new build out to Ringmer though.
Cheers,
Jason