Capel railway station was a station in Capel St Mary, Suffolk, on a short branch line from Bentley Junction to Hadleigh. The station buildings were remarkably ornate for a village with a population of 649 in 1851 and 504 in 1931. There were goods sidings on the northern side of the station, which were used extensively in World War II handling supplies to a nearby United States Army Air Forces base,[2] later known as RAF Raydon.

Capel
Site of the station in 1985
General information
LocationCapel St Mary, Babergh
England
Platforms1
Other information
StatusDisused
History
Original companyEastern Union and Hadleigh Junction Railway[1]
Pre-groupingGreat Eastern Railway
Post-groupingLondon and North Eastern Railway
Key dates
2 Sep 1847Opened[1]
29 Feb 1932Closed to passengers
13 July 1964Closed for freight
Former Services
Preceding station   Disused railways   Following station
Raydon Wood
Line and station closed
  Great Eastern Railway
Eastern Union and Hadleigh Junction Railway
  Bentley (Suffolk)
Line and station closed

The line opened in 1847 and closed to passenger traffic in 1932 and for freight services in 1964 a year before closure of the line. As the railway line through the station crossed the A12 road at a level-crossing,[3] when the road was widened in the early 1970s the station was demolished. Capel Station Garage and car repairs workshop now occupies part of the site.

References

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  1. ^ a b Butt, R. V. J. (October 1995). The Directory of Railway Stations: details every public and private passenger station, halt, platform and stopping place, past and present (1st ed.). Sparkford: Patrick Stephens Ltd. ISBN 978-1-85260-508-7. OCLC 60251199. OL 11956311M.
  2. ^ Mitchell, Vic (June 2011). Branch Lines to Harwich and Hadleigh. Midhurst: Middleton Press. plans XI, XII and plate 107. ISBN 978-1-908174-02-4.
  3. ^ Kindred, David (2 November 2017). "Days Gone By: Communities lost a vital lifeline when Beeching wielded his axe". Ipswich Star. Retrieved 2 November 2017.
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52°00′30″N 1°03′42″E / 52.00838°N 1.06177°E / 52.00838; 1.06177