Selsdon railway station

Infobox Closed London station
name= Selsdon


owner = Woodside and South Croydon Joint Railway
locale = Selsdon
borough = London Borough of Croydon
coordinates = gbmaprim|TQ329637|329 637
platforms = 4
start = 19 August 1885
end = 13 May 1983
replace=None

Selsdon was a station on the now closed Woodside and South Croydon Railway. Opened in 1885 as "Selsdon Road", it was actually situated two miles from Selsdon village. The name was changed with effect from 30 September 1935 in an attempt to attract more passengers to the line - users of the railway preferring to use nearby South Croydon which had a higher frequency of services.

Selsdon was the last station on the line before it joined with the Oxted Line at Woodside Junction and was jointly operated by the SER and LBSCR prior to the 1923 railway grouping. To reflect this division, the station's four platforms (two for the Woodside line, two for the Oxted line) were respectively decked out in SER and LBSCR signage and fittings. A subway provided access to the Woodside platforms from the main station building. The station was closed as a wartime economy measure on 1 January 1917 and the Oxted platforms were reopened on 1 March 1919 before closing permanently on 14 June 1959. In the year of their closure, the platform saw use by only three trains a day.

Traffic between the Oxted and Woodside lines was controlled by two signalboxes: "Selsdon North" which controlled traffic to and from the Woodside line; it signalled to trains on the up line to allow the reversal of shuttle services, and "Selsdon South" (known as "Selsdon" after 1969) for the Oxted line. The North box closed on 22 September 1935 following a signalling reorganisation. The South box (equipped with 22 levers) remained in use until 1 April 1984. Further traffic signalling modernisation on the Oxted side in 1955 saw electric colour lighting installed. From 1934 and for many years thereafter, a trailing southbound crossover and a private siding connected to the up line served a roofing company situated to the south of Woodside Junction which received its raw materials by rail.

A goods yard with cattle pens and a chalk pit had opened shortly after Selsdon's opening and in 1894 the Anglo-American Oil Company installed oil tanks there. It closed to general freight on 17 October 1968, but the oil tanks remained in use until 1993 - a spur extending as far as Fairway Path Bridge just north of the site of Spencer Road Halt led to them.

Selsdon saw its last train on 13 May 1983, with the Woodside and South Croydon lining officially closing three days later. The reason given for its closure was the lack of patronage, a problem which had dogged the line since its inception. Upon its closure Selsdon was the last gas-lit station in London. Although the station buildings have been demolished, the Woodside platforms remain intact, as does the spur leading to the former goods yard and oil storage facility which can be seen from Dornton Road footbridge.

External links

* [http://www.disusedrailways.co.uk/Elmers%20End%20-%20Sanderstead%20&%20Addiscombe5.htm Disused Railways Page]
* [http://www.transport-of-delight.com/UK/BritishRail/WSCR/Pages/W&SCRmain.htm Transport of Delight Page]
* [http://railways-of-britain.com/woodside.html Railways of Britain Page]