The East Suffolk Line: Lowestoft to Ipswich Part 3 – The Angriest Level Crossing in East Anglia?

Have I found the angriest level crossing in East Anglia? Join me as I explore the final three stations between Lowestoft & Ipswich.

#railwayenthusiast #railway #railwayhistory #railwaystation #trainenthusiast #history #sarah #trains

Filmed on 20th January 2024

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Good morning everybody I am Sarah with the trains and you join me here at Loft for the third part of my series exploring the line between Loft and ipswitch I’m now off to get my train to Al Brad South which is going to be our first station of the Day We have made it to Al broad South this station was opened in 1859 by the East suffk Railway on the line between beckles and looft it was originally called carton Colville although it was later renamed to Alton Brad South in 1927 under the Ln it’s not to be confused with Alton

Broad North which is on the line that goes between Loft and Norwich back in the British Rail days between 1952 and 1965 there was always at least one camping coach stationed here and camping coach is just an Old Railway Carriage that has been repurposed to be used as

Like a small holiday cotage sort of thing there was at one time a signal box at Alon br sou but that is completely gone now and signaling was transferred to the signal box at Alon broad North which I have been to before and if you

Want to see about that then you can go and check out this video on traveling the we lines it’s been quite a while since I did that the signal box at alt broad South sat at the junction of the line into looft and a branch line to

Kirkley this served sites to the south of Lake Loa and the goods Depot at Kirkley it it closed in stages in the 60s and’ 70s with final closure being on the 31st of December 1972 now that we’ve had that brief station history let’s have a look around

Station and see what’s here at Alton broad South we’ve got something I haven’t seen very often on my travels and that is a Harington hump if we walk along the Harrington hump we can see that there is cycle parking complete with a bike this time down here there is

A section of disused platform going back this way we have got raised Planters looking very nice and a red bench as I’ve already shown you we’ve got the station sign but uh that also has a sign for Colton marshes part of the stuff at Wildlife trust and another planter as

You can see the other side of the track has been lifted and there is a disused platform over there with a station building that is now Sublime Clinic cosmetics and Aesthetics we also have the old station building which is now in use as a private residence the Old Railway

Building provides us with a lovely canopy to shelter under under which there is a help point the accessibility ramp information sign about carton marshes some more benches this one is actually dedicated to somebody donated by the East silic Travelers Association and rail future in memory of Albert Godfrey JP founder

Member and president of Esther there’s also information signs some posters about the East Lions Community rail partnership some information from Esther advertisement about a new podcast a smart card reader the ubiquitous Flappy plastic bin another bench there you’ve got the bridge to take you across the line and another smart card reader next

To a planter also got the direction of travel sign which is always useful a departure screen onward travel information information about the angles way in Alton broad going out this way we have level access to the station how to get assistance for your journey sign the lovely ticket machine

Some more station information a sign saying that this car park is operated by a Bello grer Anglia on the ground it says no parking so I’m guessing uh this bit is for actual parking now that we’ve explored the station and its history let’s go and have a little walk and see

What’s around open broad South [Applause] so looking at Google Maps it looked like going that way you could get down to Al broad uh but you can’t there’s a sign up saying no public right away so um we’re going to go another route to get to Al broad so I was just walking back past Al

Broad South Station and uh there was a train going through and it was 755 412 my absolute favorite b b mod babe I only saw her yesterday and uh I thought I hit record I didn’t oh Well Who’ have thought it on a trip to Alon broad South Station I brought you two Al Broad and with that I’m now going to head back to Al Brad South Station to get my train to beckles I think we’ll wait for the Train on the Arrington

On welcome to this service for if switch we will be calling at beckles Brampton halsworth gam sax mundam Wickam Market Melton Woodbridge and ipswitch the next stop will be Beckles that’s a lot of screeching I am now at beckles as you can see the coat has come off fortunately that can be uh stuffed into its own pocket and uh shoved in my bag because I wasn’t expecting it to be as warm as it is considering it’s only the

17th of February the station here at beckles originally opened in 1854 on the line that went between Hadis and halesworth it was enclosed in 1858 8 before being reopened in 1859 by the East suffk Railway on a section of line that went from beckles to listof part of that line that went as

Far north as Yarmouth Southtown and as far south as Ipswich in 1863 the Wy Valley Line from tivel I think that’s how that place is pronounced reached beckles the Wy Valley Line closed to passengers in 1954 and to Freight in 1963 the line from Yarmouth South town close to passengers in

1959 sadly the engine shed that was here at beckles was demolished in 2006 in more positive news there was a passing Loop opened here in 2012 to allow hourly workings on the single track section of the line between sex mundum and lisof now we’ve had that very brief

Station history let’s go and have a look around the facilities here at beckles we’ve got two platforms here at beckles over here on the ipswitch bound platform it’s very wide we have got benches this beautiful three tiered planter station sign of course with the East suffk lines

Logo on and the Wy Valley logo another wooden bench this is uh also dedicated it’s some of it is scratched out presented to the east suff travels Association in memory of ARA hadingham support Grant from the Beckle Society next to another lovely bench we’ve got the Flappy plastic bin which has sadly

Burst and there is crap all over the floor we’ve got the wonderful bus shelter style waiting shelter with anticline spikes we’ve got a well signposted help Point next to a flappy plastic bin that hasn’t burst we also have a departure screen and enclosed cycle parking no bikes here though as you can

See access between the platforms is across this very striking bridge I think we’ll go and explore that now down the level access ramp first oop smart card reader I really am very taken with this bridge I love a good bit of Railway architecture so here we’ve got

Steps and down there I assume is step free so let’s go and look at that yes it is step threee it is steep though I will say that I it would be a workout for the legs or the arms if you were propelling a wheelchair up here up here we’ve got some information

Signs about the catcher lift bus and the East suffk lines from up here You’ve Got A really lovely view of the line and you can see where that passing Loop begins they even have Planters on the disused section of platform next to the running in board I think that’s great let’s head

Down to the other platform we’ve got a lovely red bench and concrete Planters over here there’s also the accessibility ramp more concrete planters an Amazon Locker next to another bench and the bus shelter style waiting shelter and the departure screen there’s also the help point and cycle parking underneath some

Information signs somewhat hidden behind the waiting shelter I’ve just seen that there is a welcome to Beckle sign with useful information and places you might want to go of course there’s a flappy plastic bin and smart card reader the old station building here at beckles now

Houses the cafe and the they put one of those lovely old British Railway signs on the front of the building of course there is also the car park out here in the car park we also have the ticket machine now I’m going to need to use the ticket machine because

For the first time I’ve actually bought the wrong ticket I want to go to Brampton as well for some reason I had got it in my head that it was alt Brad South Bramton beckles rather than alroad South beckles Bramton so I’m going to have to get a

Little return to Brampton cuz that’s where I want to go next now how do you spell I’m an idiot come on rampton suff what do I spy here is it an old post box certainly is an old post box not Victorian this time it is George V

6th as I’m sure you’ll agree that was superbly thrilling but now let’s go and have a little wander around beckles see what’s here So I’ve just wandered down to Beck Lio to say that I’ve been um I can’t go for a swim because they’re not open and I don’t have a swimming costume and they’re kind of funny about stuff like that to be perfectly honest I wasn’t quite amazed that there was a timetable

On the wall for swiming sessions between October and March because let’s face it going outdoor swimming in Britain in the winter months I don’t fancy it now let’s head off back to the station to catch the train to Brampton I hear a flirt just made it welcome to this

Service for IP switch we will be calling at rampton halsworth daram sax mundam Wickam Market Melton Woodbridge and ipswitch the next stop will be Bramton that’s got to be the most furious sounding level crossing I have ever heard we have made it to Brampton the place with the the angriest sounding level

Crossing I’ve ever heard in my life so quick station history the station here at Bramton was opened in 1854 on that line between halesworth and Hadis it was then closed in 1858 before being reopened in 1859 on the line that went as far north as yarm Southtown as far south as

Ipswitch by the East suffk Railway which was incorporated then into the Eastern counties Railway the station was actually renamed under the Ln in 1928 who changed it from Just Brampton to Brampton brackets suffk to prevent it being mixed up with Bramton en Cumbria now we’ve had that quick look station

History let’s have a look around and see what the facilities are here out Bramton we’ve got just the one platform a lovely station sign on this fence as well as an accessibility ramp another bench a flappy plastic bin a bus shelter style waiting shelter with a sign saying warning fragile roof strictly no

Admittance in the shelter there is an information sign and this weird little high up bench it’s one of those pery benches that I don’t really like down here we’ve got another bench and some planters there’s a sign saying do not abuse our staff we really shouldn’t be living in a

World where we have to remind people not to abuse Railway staff further down there is a welcome to Brampton station sign with some artwork from Brampton primary school and there’s information about engineering work Network route map a poster about catch a lift and information about the suff lines heading out of the

Station we’ve got more information signs a singular piece of cycle parking with bike as well as a help point and a departure screen that tells me that my train to lowestoft IS at4 2 we also have an Amazon Locker next to which is a post box

But it’s not all that historic it’s just Elizabeth II but she’s not our current Monarch so I suppose is a little historic there’s also a smart card reader and more information including onward travel oh and a bus timetable let’s see how frequent they are wow Monday to Friday

There’s two buses on Saturday there’s no buses on Sunday There’s No Buses out here we do also have the level crossing which makes the most furious noise of any level Crossing I’ve ever heard and there’s no foot Bridge so be sure to be on the right side of the

Level crossing when the barriers go down one thing I neglected to mention about Brampton station is it’s not all that near Brampton it’s actually nearer to redisham um so why they didn’t just call it reddish him I’ve got no idea now let’s go and have a little walk to God

Knows where to distract myself from the fact that I really need the loo should have gone in beckles cuz there was a public toilet and there was tesos but but uh I neglected To so neither of those plans for walks worked out one just ended up in a big muddy field and the other was so narrow that I kept getting my shoulders caught on the hedges so I’ve just decided to come back to the station and wait for my

Train cuz it’s only about 15 minutes now and uh then I get to film The really cool level crossing come down the really angry cool level crossing welcome to this service for noof we will be calling at Beck Bon broad South and listof I am now back at listof so it’s

Just time for me to say thank you so much for watching I hope you’ve enjoyed this video if you have please do click the like button and consider subscribing to see more from me special thanks to all my subscribers everybody who donates to me on Kofi patreon and my members on

YouTube and uh patrons and YouTube members your names are coming up on screen right now as always an extra special thank you to all my patrons and channel members you really do keep this channel going and if you’d like to become a channel member or Patron or maybe just buy me a

Coffee on Kofi the links to do so are in the description below I’ll see you all next time for another Railway Adventure bye welcome to this service for norch we will be calling at w and Broad North and norch the next stop will be Alton Broad