Hop on the train at Chrishall Railway Station? In January of 1893 there was a proposal that would have included Chrishall in the railway line that ran through to Haverhill. (Spelling as in the original article).

Chelmsford Chronicle 27 January 1893

ANOTHER RAILWAY SCHEME

It is proposed to connect Haverhill with the Midland Railway system by opening up a direct route from the main line of the Midland at Bedford.  From the junction near Bedford the line would run through Northill, Biggleswade, Dunton, Ashwell, Steeple Marsden, Royston, Heydon, Chrishall, Ickleton, Great Chesterford, Hadstock, Bartlow, and Shudy Camps to Haverhill.  At Haverhill it would join the Colne Valley and Halstead Railway, branching out from that line at Colne and running through Chappel, Fordham, and West Berguolt, terminating by a junction with the Great Eastern Railway at Colchester.  Mr J.F.E. Barnes, the engineer, says that the necessary steps are now being taken to promote the undertaking.

At the time this scheme was proposed, the line between Saffron Walden through Ashdon to Barlow and then Haverhill was already running.  This was closed by Beeching in the 1960s but below you can see a video of the railbus that used to run on that line.  So just think, perhaps you could have hopped on the railbus at Chrishall Station!