The journey along the Sudbury line begins at Marks Tey Station, where a small single track branch line veers sharply from the Great Eastern Mainline to the North.

The single track railway line - the only one in Essex without overhead electrification - is worked by Sprinter units, the train quietly waits at its little 50m platform out of the way, for the mainline services to and from London to arrive with its passengers - a site now very rare thanks to the Government in the 1960s.

The Diesel unit gets the green light for access to the One Train Working, and off it goes with a burst of Turbocharged power, a few reverse curves later the train is heading uphill towards a cutting, passing much farm land, a former crossing house, and under various small roads in the area.

After a few minutes the train appears out in the open again, this time on top of the hugh Chappel Viaduct, 75ft above the villages, over 32 arches towards the first stop - Chappel and Wakes Colne. The villages which can be seen down below, lay each side of the River Colne.
3.5 miles from Marks Tey and the train is at its first stop, although Chappel is the quietest station on the branch, it has the longest platform, the 2-car DMU stops at the end of a 6-car platform under the original GER canopy, along with the station buildings which have survived to this day.
On the right lies the former goods yard, amongst the victorian buildings are many carriages and engines which have been loving restored (and some which haven't been quite so lucky!).

The engines then begin to roar as the train starts its up hill climb towards Mount Bures, passing the original station/Station Master's house and the former Signal Box, shortly after leaving the station the site of the junction for the former Colne Valley Line is visible on the left, now removed and overgrown, beyond the piles of scrap track is a bridge which the line would have gone under for the journey towards Halstead.
Most of the journey to Mount Bures is in a cutting, all of the bridges and structures which are passed show the line was planned as double track.

Finally out of the cutting and excellent views over the Stour Valley and in particular Bures in the distance can see seen - a wonderful site.
No commercialisation or massive redevelopment has ruined this area, with most of it exactly as when the line was built back in the 1840s.

Over Mount Bures crossing - now completely automatic with the passing of the train, however the Crossing Keeper's House can be seen on the right, a unique design now, having pre-dated the GER, this crumbling white building, although appears to be unloved and empty, it is complete with a modern day satellite dish, showing some form of recent life!

Engines back to idle at this point as the train glides down the bank into Bures station, past houses which were built in the early 1980s on the former site of the rail yard and signal box.
Another basic platform awaits at Bures, 6.75 miles from Marks Tey, with just a small early-1900s hut for passengers to wait in. The three story station buildings demolished in the 1970s - it's somewhat ironic that the wooden hut has lasted longer than the fine brick buildings which once stood here!
The station is maintained well thanks to the efforts of the local adopters with various plants to brighten the place up.

The engines rev again as the train departs towards Sudbury over the road bridge and past the former Maltings into another cutting whilst descending further down the bank towards Sudbury.
Coming back out into the open at Lamarsh, wonderful views of the local countryside can be seen - some excellent views of the Stour Valley here, with the river in the distance, the only thing which gives away which era we are in are the two large television transmitters on top of the hill.

Heading over Pitmire Viaduct the train crosses into Suffolk for the remaining 3 miles, into another small cutting before coming back out along side Cornard Air Strip - no international flights from here!
Another crossing house passes on the left, along with the more modern Cornard Sewage Works, then the first sign of large development can then be seen - Great Cornard.
Great Cornard has been developed since the 1960s as an "overspill" with three times the population living there than 40 years ago, plans for a halt here have come to nothing despite the efforts of local councils.

Over Cornard Level Crossing (now automated) the Baker's Mill factory, along with the rail siding now just a memory as trendy riverside flats have been built.

The line now begins to curve to the left for the train to make its final part of the journey into Sudbury. The houses along Bures Road can be seen on the right and the riverside walk along with various wildlife on the left.
The curve gets sharper as the train heads over the border into Sudbury, past the point where the line would have been cut if the controversial "Southern Approach Road" had been built in the 1980s.

Over the last foot crossing at Lady Bridge and onto bull head rail for the final sharp curve into the station, Sudbury Goods signal box is no more, and neither are any of the other 4 tracks which once existed.

Heading into the (3rd) Sudbury station which was built in the 1990s to replace the former GER built station that had been badly vandalised, the track is now on the alignment towards the former Goods Yard.
The train comes to a stop at the buffers, 11.55 miles from Marks Tey, or just over 58 miles from London - at a basic 50m platform, greeted by the hard work of Sudbury in Bloom and the Station Adopters, who have planted out the station with many flowers and keep an eye out for litter and vandalism.

Any evidence of the former (2nd) Sudbury station has gone, with a car park covering the site and the Kingfisher Leisure Centre on the former track bed of the line which went off to Bury St Edmunds and Cambridge via Haverhill.
The Roys Store (in the aptly named Great Eastern Road) and Bus Station stand on the former Goods Yard and original station, which covered a vast area in this part of Town.

It may not have the attraction of local hauled trains or any freight traffic, but this little line which has survived against the odds, remains as an essential service to Sudbury and surrounding area, and is there for all to enjoy - a wonderful tribute to all those who built, saved and looked after the line to this day.

Welcome to Sudbury.