Description
The station is situated to the east of the Ipswich to Westerfield Road which crosses the East Suffolk Line on the level. The station building is situated on the southern side of the East Suffolk line. There were two through platforms when the station opened and these were supplemented by two further bay platforms when the Felixstowe Branch Line opened in 1877. The Felixstowe railway company had offices on the southernmost platform which are still extant today as a private residence although they stood empty for many years.
The goods yard was situated on the northern side of the line and consisted of a couple of sidings accessed by setting back from the main line.
To the west of the station and level crossing there was a short branch (1.5 miles long) which ran to a brick and tile works in what is now known as the Dales area of Ipswich. There was a second brick works just north of Grove Farm site. In World War One the line was requisitioned by the British war department to serve a munitions depot in the Upper Dales. In 1921 the line was worked by a Garrett steam road tractor as the track was in poor condition and it was removed circa 1927.
The original signal box was situated at the east end of the down (Lowestoft) platform but this was replaced by a standard GE structure located at the junction for the Felixstowe branch. Absolute Block signalling was withdrawn between Westerfield and Oulton Broad when the East Suffolk Line was upgraded to the Radio Electronic Token Block system. The box survived as the Felixstowe Branch still had conventional block signalling with the next signal box being the station at Derby Road albeit with a large modern radio mast inelegantly attached to a Victorian structure. The box finally closed in when the signalling was upgraded in 1999 and the area is now controlled by Colchester Power Signal Box.
Read more about this topic: Westerfield Railway Station
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