Ghost Train: Brighton & Dyke Railway (Lost East Sussex Railways)

An animated look at the lost railway line that ran from Brighton in East Sussex to the Devil's Dyke, a popular beauty spot nearby in the South Downs, England!

The Devil's Dyke is a spectacular beauty spot in the South Downs of England a short distance north-west of Brighton; it is said to be the deepest dry valley in the world. It is at some considerable altitude, making access a challenge. As leisure visits to such locations grew in popularity in the mid-Victorian period, the idea developed of a railway to the Devil's Dyke.

The line was opened from Dyke Junction, on the Brighton to Portsmouth line near Aldrington, to a terminus at Hangleton, on 1 September 1887.

It had never been profitable, and as motor buses became reliable and commonplace, they offered a much more attractive means of getting to the summit. The Dyke railway terminus was some distance below the summit, and a stiff climb was needed after arrival to get there. As custom declined, closure became inevitable and the last train ran on 31 December 1938.

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