Latest Meeting Report:

Meeting Report of the Ipswich and District Historical Transport Society on November 26th 2025.

A total of 45 members and visitors attended our last monthly meeting of 2025.

The subject of the talk at this meeting was “The History of the Mid-Suffolk Light Railway”, presented by John Reeve (Marketing Manager of the Middie)

The Mid-Suffolk Light Railway (MSLR) was a standard gauge railway which provided access to the agricultural area of central Suffolk; it took advantage of the reduced construction costs enabled by the Light Railways Act of 1896. No Parliamentary Act was needed.

It was launched with considerable enthusiasm by local interests. The original plan was to link Haughley, on the Great Eastern Railway (GER) main line, with Halesworth on the GE’s East Suffolk line, with an additional line from Kenton to Westerfield close to Ipswich. However; actual share subscription was inadequate, and the company could not afford this over-ambitious dream. It opened 19 miles of route from Haughley to Laxfield in 1904 to goods traffic only. It initially used a locomotive called Lady Stevenson – a track builders locomotive. Income from the operation was poor, however, further worsening the company's financial situation.

Six hundred people turned up for the opening of the line and the first passenger was to be Lord Kitchener who arrived with great ceremony at Aspall station. Unfortunately, the train designated for his journey went to the wrong station leaving the great man in high dudgeon.

The Board continued to harbour ambitions to complete the planned network, but crippling financial problems forced the company into receivership in 1906.

Passenger operation was started in 1908, but this too was disappointing. An 0-6-0 tank engine was used at this time, attached to four-wheel passenger carriages with ex GER goods wagons at the rear of the train.

The railway did employ their first line superintendent at this stage; a Mr H R Gillingwater. John now lives in his former house and the servant bells still exist within its walls.

Mr Gillingwater organised a unique excursion to Felixstowe on the 30th September 1908. It was the first time many of the children on-board had experienced such a journey.

John showed a picture of Stradbroke Station absolutely packed with people saying goodbye to loved ones as they left for service in World War 1. It is a sad fact that five out of the sixty employees who served in the war did not return – including the station master at Laxfield. During that war the railway employed its first lady porter; Evie Oakes.

At the grouping of the railways in 1923, the MSLR was still in receivership, and there was a protracted dispute over the liquidation of the debt, but in July 1924 the Company was absorbed into the London and North Eastern Railway (LNER). At first the company used three Hudswell Clarke locomotives but a Class J64 0-6-0 tank engine was later introduced. Six wheeled coaches were now the order of the day.

The railway purchased some unique metal lettering from Glasgow which were attached to boards locally and used as station nameboards. There were not enough letters for Brockford and Wetheringsett station and so it was named as “Brockford” only. It remains to this day.

In World War II, heavier trains necessitated the use of larger engines and the Class J15 tender engines were introduced to the line. The MSLR was known locally as the “railway to nowhere” as the line ended in the middle of a field with not even a set of buffers to grace its concluding rail end. There is a famous photograph taken by the local and nationally lauded railway photographer, Dr Ian C Allen, of a J15 sitting in the field at the end of the line. Dr Allen was a member of the IDHTS in years gone by.

Nationalisation arrived in 1948 and with it the prospect of closure. The last passenger train ran on the 26th July 1952 hauled by Class J15 number 65447 and manned by Messrs Law and Skinner. The track was lifted in 1953.

In November 1990 four men were responsible for the starting of the society that was to herald the rebirth of the Middy as a heritage railway. They were: Paul Davey, Bob Boardman, Richard Randall and last, but by no means least, David Chappell. The latter a longtime, much valued member of the IDHTS.

The Mid-Suffolk Light Railway Society had a difficult task ahead of them due to the lightly constructed nature of the original line. As far as was known then, no coaches or locomotives of the Middy were still in existence, and the corrugated iron buildings were either left to rust or sold to become farm sheds. However, the Company has been recreating typical scenes from the Middy's past by using restored coaches and wagons that would have run on its bigger neighbour (the GER). Three coaches are now in working order, with others under restoration. The museum has also been able to collect some of the remaining station buildings from former Middy railway stations.

The trust tried for some time to get planning permission to extend their short length of track. There was some opposition to this from local people.  In late 2016, Michael Portillo made an appearance on the site with his programme: Great British Railway Journeys and he was told about this planning problem. In February 2017, planning permission was granted to extend the line - was this a coincidence one might ask?

The railway made progress on this extension during the pandemic. Work was carried out by Network Rail contractors. On the 1st August 2025 an extension to the future site of Aspall Halt was opened.

Starting as the least known Heritage site in the country, it has won the title of Suffolk Museum of the Year in 2014 and is now an accredited branch museum attached to York Railway Museum. These are significant achievements.

John ended by taking questions from the audience and received thanks from our Chairman and warm applause for an enlightening talk.

Mervyn Russen

John Reeve (With his permission)

The Mid-Suffolk Light Railway original branch-line (By Mervyn Russen)

The final day of operation on the Middy on 26th July 1952 with Class J15 number 65447 decorated in readiness (Photo by permission of John Reeve)