East Grinstead to Groombridge Branch - 42 years after closure

The former East Grinstead to Tunbridge Wells Railway that was opened in October 1866 by the London,Brighton & South Coast Railway and closed from East Grinstead to Ashurst Junction on January 2nd 1967 as part of the Beeching cuts.The walk along the old line starts in East Grinstead and finishes at the site of a dismantled overbridge just outside the village of Groombidge - "The Forest Way ",with access for cyclists and walkers.The part shown here,in journey order is from Forest Row through Hartfield,Withyham and on to the site of Ashurst Junction,also included is the disused spur that ran from Ashurst Junction (on the Uckfield to Oxted line )to Groombridge Junction that was just to the west of Groombridge Station,(not open to the public),this closed in 1969.With the exception of Forest Row where almost all traces of the station have dissappeared -one small length of platform remains, most of the stations have remained remarkably intact,at Hartfield there are plans for housing so the old goods shed may not survive.The b/w photographs of the stations were taken three days before the line closed.At East Grinstead the high level station was demolished by BR in 1970 and the two tunnels to the east were opened up to form a relief road "Beeching Way".just beyond here the Forest Way footpath runs along the old railway as far as the site of Ashurst Junction,next to the railway bridge on the B.2188 you can still see the base of the old signal box and a couple of former railway houses,here.At Groombridge Junction the Spa Valley Railway now operate at present from Groombidge to Tunbridge Wells.