The Central Suffolk Railway Society was formed in late 2014 to ensure that the original Mid-Suffolk Light Railway line was preserved along as much of its original route as was possible given pressures to build upon the Mendlesham Station site. The action to save the Mendlesham site was lost and development is now underway.
A new plan was formulated to rebuild the line between Mendlesham and Haughley in Suffolk, the facilities and workshops being used to train unemployed and local people and, during the construction of the railway, students of civil engineering, landscaping and conservation as well as providing opportunities for volunteers.
Recently the station site at Haughley, the original Terminus of the 'Middy' was put up for sale.
The site is crucial for the development of the Central Suffolk Railway's plans and needs to be secured from development.
Without this site the 'Middy' railway conservation plan cannot go ahead. Loss of the site would mean that there was no viable location from which the line could be developed or terminated.
The Mid-Suffolk railway was a much loved icon when it closed in 1952, and was the line around which the book and TV series 'Love On a Branch-line' was based. It was one of Col. Stephens lines and is remembered as the line that 'started nowhere and ended in a field'.
This is the only chance we have to ensure that this line becomes once again an icon in the Heritage Railway movement and that it is preserved for the enjoyment of all and its historical value that only this line can bring to Suffolk.
The Central Suffolk Railway Society is pursuing its aims of becoming a Charity Incorporated Organisation and is aiming to secure CIO status by the end of 2016. This appeal is to secure the ownership of 8 acres of brownfield site located adjacent to the main line at Haughley. if you value the heritage of railways, the chance to work on this line during its construction and during its development we need your donation now..