Buffers

Tier 5 - Day 23

Decided to walk through Horton Country Park again. I'd heard there used to be a Light Railway there back at the start of the 20th Century so did a little research before I set off.
It was built in 1905. It never officially carried passengers as its main purpose was to carry building materials, coal and other supplies to the Long Grove and other psychiatric hospitals in the Epsom Cluster.
The railway connected with the mainline network near to Ewell West railway station. 
Up to 900 workers travelled from Waterloo station to Ewell West station every day to build the hospitals. The workers had to walk the two miles from Ewell West to the hospitals as passengers were not permitted to be carried on the railway. The railway's hey-day was during the inter-war years. It closed in 1950. The old trackbed provides lots of walking and riding paths throughout the Country Park. 
Apart from the trackbed there is little evidence of the railway. However there is this pair of buffer stops which have been placed on the path leading out of the car park. Great that they've done this.