It was expected that the line between Sudbury and Shelford was to close on 31st December 1966, however when the announcement was made, it was confirmed that the line would close on 6th March 1967.

British Railways asked the local councils to pay to support the line at a cost of £26,000 for another year to keep it open beyond this date, the authorities were considering this request when a bombshell was dropped on the discussions.

British Railways upped their request for subsidy per year to £52,000 'due to poor condition of the track', due to the increased subsidy required, Haverhill Urban Council had to back out of talks to subsidise the line leaving closure as the only option.

The Final Train
The final train ran 6th March 1967 from Cambridge via Haverhill and Sudbury closing a railway line which had been operational for just over 100 years.
The last train was marked by a group of locals who joined the train dressed in black and carrying a coffin - which was filled with bottles of alcohol!
As the train passed through the various stations on the route, detonators were put on the rails for the train to set off - this rather sad occasion was somewhat of a party.

Against all odds, the only section of the line to remain was the original section of the line between Marks Tey and Sudbury.

Simplified Working
The signal box at Chappel and Wakes Colne (which still remains in place as a signaling display and part of the East Anglian Railway Museum) was taken out of use on 20th August 1967 with all points and track within Platform Two (up side) being removed.

Sudbury station was reduced to a single line (See photo left) on the former up side, whilst at Chappel and Wakes Colne all services used the former down side platform.

Bures had already been simplified on 6th September 1965 when the freight traffic ended and signal box had closed as there was no longer a need for a passing loop at this point.

Next - Another Threat to the Line -->