The Saffron Walden Branch

The Saffron Walden branch traversed the undulating countryside formed by the East Anglian Heights in the picturesque north west corner of Essex. The by-passing of the town by the Eastern Counties Railway Cambridge main line forced local businessmen to engender their own railway but the Saffron Walden Railway branch had a perilous infancy and was soon in receivership. The line was taken over by the Great Eastern Railway but the desired use of the line as a through route to Suffolk failed to materialise. During the two world wars the line played a minor but essential role in the defence of the country. Despite the influx of commuters to London and Cambridge from the late 1950s the line closed in 1964.