Cranleigh Line - Route of The Line

Route of The Line

Leaving Horsham station, the line used the Arun Valley Line as far as Stammerham Junction and Christ's Hospital station (2 miles 51 chains from Horsham) where it turned north-west, the track crossing undulating countryside for the majority of its length, climbing gradients as steep as 1 in 88. The first station was Slinfold (4 miles 67 chains) which had a single platform, a small goods yard and two private sidings. There were three signal boxes to control railway traffic here. The line then continued on an embankment to Rudgwick station (7 miles 9 chains), an embankment which was to cause recurrent problems due to its instability. Rudgwick station had two short sidings and a headshunt at the end of its single platform. About 0.75 miles (1.21 km) to the south of the station the line passed over the River Arun on a single span girder bridge with high brick abutments.

Continuing through wooded Wealden countryside, the line climbed on a gradient to pass through the 381 yards (348 m) Baynards Tunnel where it reached its highest point - 250 feet (76 m) above sea level - and crossed the countary boundary between Surrey and West Sussex. The tunnel was steeply graded and damp, and in wet conditions trains were known to lose traction. The site of the next station, Baynards (8 miles 27 chains), was chosen to suit Lord Thurlow, the owner of nearby Baynards Park. The station had a crossing loop and its small goods and marshalling yards served, in addition to Lord Thurlow's estate, a local brickworks producing fuller's earth. This became Baynards Brick and Tile Works whose activities continued until the 1980s as Berks Chemical Works (Steetly). The site has now reverted to its former use and is owned by Redland plc.

Cranleigh (11 miles 19 chains) was the busiest station on the line, handling passenger traffic for Cranleigh School. It was originally opened as "Cranley" but its name was changed in 1867 at the request of the Post Office to avoid confusion with Crawley (then also in Surrey) in imperfectly written addresses. The railway then ran on a level to Bramley (16 miles 15 chains), which was renamed Bramley & Wonersh in 1888, which also had a passing loop and benefited from a second platform from 1876. Leaving Bramley, the line continued as far as the LSWR's junction at Peasmarsh (18 miles 10 chains), having followed a branch of the River Wey through the gap between Pitch Hill and Hascombe Hill. About 1 mile (1.6 km) beyond Bramley the branch of the river and the main stream were crossed in quick succession, the line curving sharply to join the electrified main line from London Waterloo to Portsmouth Harbour at Peasmarsh Junction, 1.75 miles (2.82 km) south of Guildford station (19 miles 68 chains).