NRS NL 56-5 Sept-Oct 2011

Volume 56 No. 5 Sept / Oct 2011

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news from railways in and around Norfolk

National Network

The Good Old Days?

Mike began his valedictory issue (NRS NL 56/4) with a
reference to EMT axeing its Sunday morning trains. In
1970/71 things were little better. After the arrival of the 2329
from Liverpool St at 0225, the only other morning arrival was
the 1040 from Ely, due Norwich at 1154, leaving plenty of
opportunity for trackwork etc.

Norfolk's Rural Rail Lines are Tracks Ahead Having taken passengers to the Lowestoft Air Show, 5G91 1025
Lowestoft - Norwich e.c.s. crosses Reedham Swing
According to the Eastern Daily Press [20th August] the Bridge•with•47810 (leading) and 47802 (trailing) on 12th August
county's rural rail lines have been praised for being "tracks 2011. (Also see "supplementary" on 47810 in Pick-up Goods.)
ahead" as figures reveal countryside services have been
boosted by Britons holidaying at home. > Richard Adderson
Nationally, branch lines have seen passenger numbers
rocket - with some almost doubling - over the past 4 years,
and much is being attributed to the "staycation"
holidaymakers. Although the Bittern and Wherry lines have
not seen such sharp increases, their popularity with
commuters and holidaymakers continues to grow, and calls
are being made for more and longer trains.
Operator NXEA said that passenger numbers had increased
by 200% for the Bittern line and 50% for the Wherry line since
the setting up of the community partnerships.• Spokesman
Peter Meades said: "Both of the Bittern and Wherry lines
have seen significant increases on their lines but that's more
linked to the fact that we have been ahead of the game
because we have established community rail partnerships".
The figures revealing the highest growing lines across the
country showed the biggest increase on the Truro to Falmouth
line in Cornwall at 22% in the past year.

IN THIS ISSUE A Holiday for Engineering

Track Report 1 Once again the August Bank Holiday meant buses replacing trains on the
National Network 3 GEML.• The Eastern Evening News website on 23 August and the NEXA
Heritage, Narrow Gauge & Miniature 4 website reported that from 1800 on Saturday 27 August buses would
Away from the Tracks 4 replace trains between Stowmarket and Ipswich due to track renewals.
11 Closer to London work to replace 1950s overhead lines continued.• The
Pick-up Goods £200m project, when completed, should reduce delays and remove the
NRS News 12 need for speed restrictions in hot weather, as were experienced earlier
Features this year.• The extensive works in the region meant Sunday travellers faced
Overnights to…Great Yarmouth 13 up to four changes travelling from Norwich to Liverpool Street and a journey
of over three and a half hours.• Travelling by bus (or staying at home)
Edward Mann 15 seemed a more straightforward option.
Mind the Gap
Thousands Turn Out for Whitemoor Yard Open Day
Dave Pearce
Working Timetable So said a Network Rail (NR) Press Release following an event that took
place on Sunday 14th August and which was attended by over 3,000

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people. It is essentially a track materials recycling centre, and is aimed at helping NR reuse, recycle or recover 95% of construction
and maintenance waste by 2014. It is amazing to chart the ups and downs of Whitemoor Yard, which began life as an LNER
marshalling yard in 1929. The adjacent engine shed (31B to one and all) was probably more familiar to us, but Whitemoor just about
soldiered on through the 1980s before final closure saw part of the site become a prison. Thirty years ago few would have anticipated
such a change of fortune !

Cutting-edge camera technology to deter level crossing misuse

Cutting-edge camera technology has been introduced by Network Rail and the British Transport Police to crack down on level
crossing law-breakers and change drivers’ behaviour across the east of England.
Network Rail has funded a purpose-built marked police van to be fitted with nine cameras, each of which uses number plate
recognition technology to deter motorists from breaking the law. The van is operated by British Transport Police officers and has
access to all the systems required to process prosecutions instantly.
On Norfolk's 240 level crossings during the last 12 months there have been 67 reported incidents of misuse, 17 near misses with
vehicles and pedestrians and 4 incidents of vehicles striking barriers or other level crossing equipment. Quite how effective a deterrent
one van will prove to be remains to be seen.

Platform 2 for Oxford calling at Cambridge, Bedford, Milton Keynes….

Plans for a new rail link that would bring East Anglia into much closer contact with business centres along a corridor to the West
Country would boost both business and tourism, it is claimed in a report by Oxford Economics. The leading economic forecaster
makes a strong case for the multi-million pound investment.
The East West Rail Consortium, a group of local authorities and businesses, is lobbying for government investment in the route -
going from Norwich and Ipswich in the east via Cambridge, Bedford, Milton Keynes and Oxford to Reading in the west - in its 2014-19
railway programme.
The region’s MPs and business leaders have given their enthusiastic backing to the scheme. The link would use existing lines east
of Cambridge but other sections of the route would need the track to be upgraded and re-instated in places.
As reported in the EDP on 3 September, Caroline Williams, CEO of Norfolk Chamber of Commerce, said: “With the ever increasing
fuel price rises, rail travel will continue to increase in importance. Investment in the railways makes good sense and the availability
of travelling east to west by rail would save businesses time and money. In addition it would help change the perception that Norfolk
is cut off from the rest of the country which inhibits the recruitment of much needed skilled people”.

Norfolk Railway Society Mainline Chaos and the Olympics less than a
(Founded 1955)
year away
President: Arnold Hoskins, Esq.
Vice-President: Ken Mills, Esq. On 15 September a breakdown caused hours of delays on the
Norwich - London mainline. The National Express East Anglia
Committee and officers 2011-2012 0740 service lost power near Diss blocking the mainline and
causing the 0800, 0830 and 0900 services to be cancelled. The
Chairman Peter Davies problem for passengers was compounded when services in the
Cambridge area were suspended following cable thefts, disrupting
Vice Chairman Peter Adds an alternative route to the capital from Norwich.
Inevitably the incidents once again raised questions about the
Secretary Ian Woodruff reliability of the railway and the security of its infrastructure with
the Olympics less than a year away. Arguments over the franchise
Treasurer and arrangements also surfaced with calls for network improvements
as soon as possible.
Website Editor Andrew Wright A new train operator is set to take over a short term franchise in
February but the bidders - Abellio Greater Anglia, Eastern Railway
Fixtures Arranged by sub-committee and Stagecoach Anglia Trains - have been told by the government
that the successful new operator will run services for 29 months
Membership Sec. Mike Handscomb and not 17 as originally planned.
All 16 Norfolk and Suffolk MPs wrote to the Transport Secretary
Newsletter Editor Edward Mann recently calling for network improvements and a start as early as
possible to a 15 year franchise.
Publicity Mike Fordham

Past Chairman John Clarke

Archivists Peter Allison &

Raymond Meek

Committee Member Graham Kenworthy

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Norfolk Railway Society Newsletter

Editor Edward Mann

Distribution Graham Smith Yet another level crossing incident

Opinions expressed in any article are the author's and should On Wednesday 7th September the MNR's 1315 Dereham -
not be taken to represent those of the Society. Wymondham clipped the back of a lorry on Greens Lane crossing
just after starting its journey. Nobody was hurt, and the train
resumed its journey 45 minutes later.

Next issue published mid-December 2011 And another one ...
Copy date: Thursday 1st December
Sunday 25th September, Watlington. The 1010 King's Lynn -
King's Cross struck the rear of a tractor, which was towing a trailer.
Nobody was injured, and passengers continued their journey by
coach. The line was likely to remain closed for the rest of the day!

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Heritage, Narrow-gauge and Miniature

David Shepherd and Black Prince at the NNR

On Saturday 20 August the North Norfolk Railway held an ‘Evening with David Shepherd’ to showcase 9F 92203 Black Prince and
raise money for his Wildlife Foundation.• The event coincided with his 80th birthday and 43 years’ ownership of the 9F. The evening
included a return journey from Sheringham to Weybourne behind Black Prince, followed by a highly entertaining talk covering his
life with steam, his development as an artist and encounters with wildlife, to say nothing of his encounters with the rich and famous.
An exhibition of his paintings with originals and prints for sale took place and it was a delight to see Weybourne Station a hive of

activity as darkness fell.• Afterwards the journey back to Sheringham
was reminiscent of a bygone era.

Left, David Shepherd in the cab of Black Prince after Above, new NRS Website Editor, Andy Wright has a print signed
returning to Sheringham. by David Shepherd at Weybourne Station.

> Andy Wright > Mike Fordham

Black Prince is on
extended loan to North
Norfolk Railway having
arrived in the summer
following an overhaul at
Crewe. Impressed with
the way the NNR looked
after the 9F on a previous
visit in 2007, David
Shepherd was happy for
the engine to return to
Norfolk when the
Gloucestershire
Warwickshire Railway was
disabled by landslips.

Left, 9F 2-10-0 92203

Black Prince at

Sheringham on 20 August

2011.

> Mike Fordham

47596 Returns to Service

Mid-Norfolk Railway report 47596's engine was restarted for the first time at the end of July, 2 years and 4 months after being
withdrawn from traffic.• In 2009, 47•596 was found to have two leaking liner seals.• Consequently water from the cooling system
was finding its way into the engine oil. The decision was taken to carry out a complete top end engine rebuild.• The opportunity was
also taken to clean and paint the engine compartment. The hard work carried out by the Stratford 47 Group will ensure the locomotive
is fit for many years' service and it is intended that it will re-enter traffic for this year's Santa Specials.

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Away from the Tracks

Signal Box on the move

It is reported that the historic Soham signal box has been donated to the MNR, and - subject to manpower and equipment availability
-• is to be erected on the up platform of Kimberley Park station.

Heritage Group’s Listing Success

The Attleborough Heritage Group has been successful in its representations to English Heritage to obtain Grade 2 listing status of
the Attleborough Railway Station buildings together with the signalbox which is a rare survival of the GER Type 4 design, including
its 1912 mechanical signal frame, thus joining the select band of similarly-listed stations at Downham Market, Norwich & Wymondham.
Cliff Amos, Chairman of Attleborough Heritage Group, said: "Network Rail's scheme to replace the mechanical signalling might have
led to the possible loss of this important example of early railway architecture and we are very pleased that we have been instrumental
in securing this Grade 2 listing".

Suffolk-based company buys England's last inland funicular railway

As reported in the EDP and elsewhere, Bridgnorth Cliff Railway in Shropshire, which was built in 1892, has been bought by
Suffolk-based property developers Devitt and Sons for more than £700,000.• The family firm said it was not intending to make big
changes and that it would be "business as usual".
The railway, incorporating Grade 2 listed buildings at the top and bottom of the cliff, was put on the market in March.• It transports
people up and down the town's 111ft (33.8m) sandstone cliffs.•Two cars on parallel tracks, connected by steel ropes, counterbalance
each other - as one rises to the top station, the other runs to the bottom station between High Town and Low Town.• The cars are
now powered by an electric winding engine, but were originally driven by a system of water balance.
The “last inland funicular railway” - does anyone know if the Shipley Glen Tramway in West Yorkshire has been overlooked?

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A miscellany of news and members’ contributions

The Northampton and Lamport Railway

Roving reporter Mike Fordham visited the long rebuild before it runs again ! [Perhaps the locals have
railway on 23rd July. The line is 5 miles given the railway the thumbs down, too - Ed.]
north of Northampton on the branch to
Market Harborough. It was designed by The train he rode in consisted of 2 Mk 1s, clean and well-
George Stephenson and opened in 1859, looked after [that makes a change, Ed.] hauled by Peckett
with the line finally closing to freight in 1981. 0.4.0ST 2104 of 1948 with a brake van at the rear. It was
worked as a push-pull as there were no run-rounds at the
The preservation society was formed in ends. Despite the small engine the driver tried hard to give
1984 and volunteers began to rebuild the the 12 passengers a lively trip.
railway in the old goods yard at Pitsford &
Brampton station. First passengers were
carried in 1995. When (or perhaps if) fully
completed the line could be 6 miles long,
but at present it's only 1.3 miles.

Trains operate on Sundays & Bank
Holidays with 7 workings at peak summer
time - a journey being 2 trips along the line
and whilst there's no opportunity to leave
the train there is a footpath alongside most
of the track.

Mike's visit coincided with their Vintage
Gathering Special Event - there were a few vintage vehicles
and sales stands but there were very few visitors, which brings
us to some of his reasons for not intending to repeat his visit.
He was charged £5 for car parking plus £14.50 for a family
ticket for a very short ride past dismantled, rusting stock
including a DMU with not much more than the carriage frame
left. The ex-BR diesels were not much better, all being in need
of a paint job. The remains of what he thought was 5967
"Bickmarsh Hall" were spread about in all directions - a very

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Wallow in Nostalgia… having been released from the Brush Works at Loughborough
in mid September 1961.
Fifty Years Ago – the Pace of Change
Whilst viewing the photographic archives at the old Norfolk
Apart from the loss of the M & G N in 1959 further local closures Record Office before it was burnt down some years ago, a
were generally ahead of us, though the Bury St Edmunds -
Long Melford line closed from 10th April 1961 (its continuation picture of the said locomotive emerged, dated 21st November,
to Sudbury lasted until 6th March 1967). clearly showing it departing from Norwich on an afternoon
service for Liverpool Street. It’s hard to believe that products
Deltic deliveries had reached D 9012 in September 1961 and from Brush still frequent these platforms on passenger
on 8th September 1961 the last non-stop steam- workings fifty years later – surely something worth celebrating?
hauled "Elizabethan" (King's Cross - Edinburgh)
was fittingly worked by 60022 "Mallard" whilst
60009 "Union of South Africa" hauled the up
service. (It did not run on Saturdays.)

A3s were starting to be picked off more regularly,
with 60035/055/064 withdrawn in the week
ending 9th September 1961. On the LMR, the
Princess Royal Pacifics began to return to store
after a brief spell of work on summer services.

On the Western Region the Looe branch was
dieselised from the start of the winter timetable,
and the passenger workings altered so that one
set could be used for all trains. On the Somerset
& Dorset, 9F 92001 with 10 carriages put up a
remarkable performance. Leaving Bath (Green
Park) 53 minutes late on 26th August with the
1410 (originally ex-Bradford Forster Square) it
reached Bournemouth (West, presumably) half
a minute early !

A late steam sighting at New Cross Gate (East Days Gone By
London line) on both 31st August & 1st
September was Stratford J69 68613 with Graham Smith writes: Members may be interested to know
horseboxes from Newmarket to Epsom. that the Fakenham & Wells Times has produced an excellent
•leaflet called "Days Gone By" which is free from their office in
In Scotland, electrification and dieselisation led to the creation Fakenham (maybe Archant Norwich as well) and contains
of large dumps of stored locomotives - notably at Bo'ness - with some 28 sepia photos of the area. The cover has a steam
little prospect of most resuming work. Cowlairs works, crane removing track from Fakenham (Hempton) Station in
presumably, had more engines to cut up than it could 1959 , and there are other gems including PO wagons on Wells
reasonably handle. quayside, an LC bus in Fakenham Market Place and 65559
on Wells turntable!
And finally..."Britannias" finished on the Norwich - Liverpool Perhaps the other local papers in the Group will do something
St services on 9th September 1961. They made very similar.
occasional appearances thereafter, covering diesel failures,
but steam around Norwich was effectively over on a regular Fortune Favours the Brave!
basis. We may return to this period in a later issue.
The quarterly magazine of the Engine Shed Society - "LINK"
Edward Mann - is always full of interest. A member recounted the best
clandestine way into Stratford in the 1950s (from the down side
And Dave Pearce's researches on the same theme have Low Level platforms, apparently, and never through the official
found something just as interesting: tunnel) but you needed to be on your lookout continuously for
Authority, and - worse - the B.T. police, even on Sundays ! But
Fifty Years Ago Today the best piece was surely his probably-true account of an
overnight visit by a couple of fearless individuals who "did"
(OK, 21st November 1961 then!) Stratford on Saturday/Sunday 5th/6th June 1955 during the
ASLEF strike. Despite a strong police presence at Stratford
Not so long ago, while scanning through old copies of the these two got on to the North Woolwich line south of Stratford
‘Railway Observer’ in an idle moment, the eye was attracted L.L. station and got in by the above route. This marathon
to a little report that indicated that the celebrated Brush diesel "bunk" netted them around 410 locos in the various sheds and
electric locomotive D0280 ‘Falcon’ had graced Great Eastern both works in a session lasting over 6 hours, and they returned
metals in the week commencing 11th November 1961. Its first unscathed !
appearance had been on the Wednesday on the 10.30am
Liverpool Street – Norwich (delayed, however, by a freight
derailment at Finningham). ‘Falcon’ was just two months old,

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AT THE COURT OF THE CRIMSON QUEENS size is awesome, timeless and most humbling. These
OR A BIT OF TATA SAUCE! monarchs are almost the last of a breed on these shores – how
by Dave Pearce long before they too are razed to the ground, the ignominious
fate of so many of their compatriots across the land? All too
“Mary, Bess, Anne and Victoria looked on, indifferently, as a soon it is time to withdraw. Mr Peckett’s little protégée has
group of 17 itinerant wanderers from Anglia flicked the dust served us well, dutifully delivering us to this strange and
from their boots and descended upon the tiny station of wonderful elevation. Now there are other tracks to explore.
Appleby-Frodingham.”
Our descent is cautious but reverential as we retrace our steps
So read the prologue to an ancient tale buried in the dusty to terra firma. Reeling thoughts, spinning wildly, are interrupted
annals of a society of Norfolkmen dedicated to the study of by the appearance of the honourable Mr Needle’s Rail Road
railways, as witness to a pilgrimage made one September day Company Ltd in the form of an English Electric product of Type
in the year 2004 to pay homage to four mighty queens. The 1, itself some 50 years old. It duly gives way to our little train
Corus of approval that greeted the very suggestion that the before taking up manoeuvres behind us to scamper off in the
intrepid journey might be repeated, to be received in the opposite direction, the crew undoubtedly seeking sustenance
hallowed portals of this regal assembly once more, was loud elsewhere. One wonders idly whether the products of the
and clear – draw near, gentle folk, for “this could be the last General Motors Electro-Motive Division that we now find
time, maybe the last time, I don’t know” (Mick & Keef, thanks!). ourselves surrounded by will find use at a similar age, but then
I suspect I may not be around to be bothered by such trivialities!
And so it was that on the 17th day of July in the year 2011 For now it marks a pleasant enough contrast to our collective
another group of worthy gentles from the self-same East lenses but will it upset the Tata barons if an image inadvertently
embarked, it seemed before dawn, though the morning was slips out?
bright, setting forth once more for those ironstone hills and
sweltering mills that unite at a place they call Scunthorpe. Our
steed for the day was a quaint little ‘charabanc’ provided by
the Smithsonian Institute of Omnibus Operators, let loose with
one of our own at the helm. The elders had decreed a
replenishment at Ye Olde Farme Shoppe and by 10 of the
morning the turrets and portals surrounding the regal
Frodingham hove into view.

The indifference of the queens was unchanged but not so the
monarchy. Where once it had been Corus, so now it was Tata,
and the obeisance strictly confined. The attendants, primed to
present the entourage at the inner sanctum, spoke of
retribution should any mischievous images be released, the
enforcement of which was exercised with a strict blind eye. A
lovely little old fellow from the Peckett stable was our means
of propulsion, all of 95 years of age, but well able to persuade
and cajole our brake vans to do his bidding.

And bid them he did. Seasoned courtiers should never cease We lurch to a halt, our cabooses arguing with each other about
to be surprised by the intricacies in the choice of routes to the whose buffer hit who! Mr Peckett insists they behave
elevated section. As we struck a path round gantries and themselves as we are on the move again, going back from
bunkers, over and under pipes and conveyors, twixt sky whence we came – but not quite. If the tracks are good enough
scraping sheds and gargantuan towers, no two routes ever for Mr Needle then they will be good enough for us. Our little
seem to be the same. A previous route becomes a pile of engine urges its two recalcitrant charges into hot pursuit and,
ballast, the map as meaningless as discarded fish and chip round another corner, Mr Needle’s big blue engine comes into
papers. But all the while our vintage Mr Peckett maintains view, temporarily abandoned by its crew whose high visibility
cautious vigilance, wary of our intrusion into the domain of the presence is rapidly diminishing towards a converted container
Janus and the Hunslet. They ply their way with legitimacy and that passes for a mess room.
integrity, purposely aloof at crossing points and, just
occasionally, give way to the interloper. As in the days of yore, any sense of direction for the uninitiated
in this labyrinthine complex relies as much upon the direction
But are they not alone? Just where does the train set end and of the sun as any odd road sign that happily features in the
the big railway begin? One moment we are surrounded by a criss-cross tapestry of concrete and sleepered tracks. Just
Tata of yellow engines, the next it’s red English, Welsh and where are the Plate Mill, the Heavy Section Mill, the Millfield
Scottish strangers that fire the number crunchers. And when Weighbridge, et al – have we passed them?
is a Tata loco not a Tata loco – perhaps when it comes on hire
from Mr Needle’s emporium of disparate diesels?

We are not long into our forage before we are summoned to
the mezzanine and an audience – the high line beckons. Once
again we are in the presence of massive forces and this time
we are propelled further into the queens’ domain than we’ve
ever been before. Attendants still bustle with their burdens of
coke as their highnesses look on benignly. Not for nothing are
these towering monoliths called ‘blast furnaces’! The sheer

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Readily recognised are the Central
Engineering Workshops that maintain
what seems to be a dwindling fleet –
cannibalisation looks to be the order
of the day, rusting wrecks rubbing
shoulders with shabby shells. There’s
no problem in finding another Needle
in this proverbial haystack as a second
‘big’ Type 1, this time in yellow, makes
a welcome sighting in the company of
another Tata of Janus’.

To be sure, after all this excitement a

personal needs break would seem in

order. Mr Peckett’s plucky little ‘pug’

adjourns to the shed as our brethren

repair to the more salubrious confines

of an old coach from the big railway to

imbibe of refreshment, fellowship and

wellbeing. The little shed plays host to

many artefacts, not to mention a

number of ‘industrials’ as they are

referred to euphemistically – one

wonders what images are conjured by

the “Eccles Slag Company” if they are (Above) Time for refreshment at Tata. > Mike Fordham

not industrious? And, just to prove we

were here, the ‘pug’ is adorned, in time honoured fashion, with

our famous head-board – a triumphant return to North Recently at the URC Hall
Lincolnshire worthy of any photo-call.

But enough of this frivolity – we are on the move again, foraging One of the tasks I shall be delegating is the reporting of NRS
for further perspectives. More towers, pipes, gantries and meetings - an important subject telling everyone meetings
conveyors AND torpedoes – mini mobile blast furnaces of were held and their content. Watch out !
molten metal, the alchemy is as intoxicating as the heat they
give off. Ably assisted by the Hunslet they move sedately Our members' summer round-up (15th September) began
around the site - all 500 tons when fully laden, the orange glow with Mike Fordham's record shots of the party at Tata
testimony to the forces within, their precious cargo a reflection Steelworks at Scunthorpe on Sunday 17th July as
of regal origins, their conveyance respectful in the utmost. We photography of the steelworks itself was not permitted. [Pause
pass several and genuflect accordingly. here as Jehovah's Witnesses get short shrift!] Graham
Kenworthy then took us to Italy, more precisely the Genoa
The towering and menacing Bloom and Billet Mill is a area. Genoa boasts a very imposing station; the electrified
mysterious place, full of fire and brimstone. Billets, offspring coast line south-eastwards towards La Spezia seemed very
with royal patronage, swing crazily from invisible gantries, busy using double-deck stock and huge mosaics were to be
almost the only illumination in this darkened cavern. Our seen
surreptitious progress affords us covert glimpses of this secret
place and its activities – hot metal and lesser mortals that just John Hanchet took us slightly further afield, to Czechoslovakia
didn’t make the grade, cast aside in the cold grey of rejection. showing Prague's numerous trams, the imposing Skoda "475"
But it is just a glimpse as Mr Peckett’s pistons propel us ever class 4.8.2., and to Austria with a charter and some delightful
onward for a final circuit of the train set. turn of the 20th century steam locos with carriages to match.
"Britannia" and 43106 at the NNR also featured.
Clouds begin to gather as we are offered panoramic views of
the queens, the ore siding, more yards, coal stacks, unloading Peter Willis and Arthur Barrett both showed DVD/video of the
facilities and, yet again, the odd EWS vagrant. The droplets of Welsh Highland Railway, now open between Porthmadog and
rain that begin to spatter the windows of our van do more to Caernarfon and gratifyingly busy before Arthur moved to
uphold the dictates of Tata management than any warnings of Derbyshire to explore the various tunnels converted to
dire consequences issued by word of mouth. As if any cycleways between Rowsley and Miller's Dale on the former
reinforcement were necessary, the wind that carries these Midland route through the Peak District which closed to
moist forebodings ensures that any lenses, no matter in which passengers in 1968. It was good to see how much had been
direction they point, are duly consigned to saddle bags to await spent to achieve this. Arthur rounded off at the multi-gauge
fairer conditions another day. One or two hardy souls brave Ryedale Miniature Rail Gala in North Yorkshire.
the elements but maybe we have had the best of the day. The
relative warmth and comfort of our Smithsonian ‘charabanc’, Peter Allison had been to the NRM "outstation" at Shildon,
together with the promise of the possibility that we’ll be in time which seemed much-improved since my visit a few years ago.
to savour, once more, the delights of Ye Farme Shoppe Notable was the unrestored "Turkish" 8F. Chris Mitchell took
quickens our pace. Our ‘farewells’ are modest but sincere – us on a tour of the signal boxes from Wymondham South
this has been a rare treat. We may not pass this way again! Junction to Ely, which are due for early replacement, then to
Falsgrave (Scarborough) now minus its famous signal gantry,
and to the Fawley Hill Railway which we visited a couple of

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years ago. Robert Scarfe had been chasing black-liveried and although most of its trams were dispensed with in the
70000 "Britannia" across East Anglia before Gerald Siviour 1960s, a minor resurgence has occurred. The infrastructure is
concluded proceedings with slides of the "King" on the MNR, comfortingly British, reflecting past investment in the systems,
our visit to the Wells & Walsingham Light Railway, "Princess but outside the suburbs services can be very infrequent, maybe
Elizabeth" on the "Scarborough Spa Express", the Isle of Wight weekly, because of the vast distances and airline domination.
Steam Railway and the recently-opened Ecclesbourne Valley Donald travelled the line from Esquel to Jacobacci behind its
Railway in Derbyshire. two steam locomotives - a Baldwin and a Henschel -
experienced a tender derailment, and a freezing night on the
Thanks to all who gave us an absorbing evening, and to Andy train awaiting rescue, was sold a "child" ticket for the adult fare
Wright our projectionist. by an unscrupulous Stationmaster and had his bags ransacked
by a "reformed" hotel clerk but generally seemed to enjoy
Anybody beaten by the clock will have priority at our next himself amongst very friendly people.
Members' evening on 15th December.
The civilisation of Argentina gave way to the high mountains
__________ of Ecuador and the Guayaquil & Quito Railway, which had
some very impressive climbing over the Andes, past "The
On 6th October a large audience gathered for Donald Devil's Nose", spectacular views, spindly viaducts and
Wilson's presentation on Modern Wanderings in South reversals to gain height. Railway officials enabled him to jump
America. Our Chairman had first met Donald on one of Hugh the long queue and sit in the seat of his choosing without regard
Ballantyne's famous railtours, and it transpired that Donald had to its prior (rightful ?) occupant ! Ecuador was, apparently, the
visited no less than 55 countries. last country to allow roof-riding on its railways ! Travel was in
diesel railbuses, not unlike those seen in Ireland 50 years ago,
Argentina is the sub-continent's second-largest country and its but the company had acquired some French articulated Bo-Bos
railways date back to the 1860s, usually built to assist in the 1960 for freight work.
agricultural development. At their peak they covered some
27,000 miles, with about two-thirds 5'6" gauge, one-third metre And so to Paraguay where "Third World" is all that can really
gauge, about 1,500 miles standard gauge and a little 2'6" be said. This was the last all-steam country in the world with
gauge in Patagonia. Apart from its railways, Buenos Aires has some of its British (Neilson) locomotives past their century.
the only South American underground system (with a surface Some of the civil engineering did not inspire confidence !
level depot so "underground" cars can be seen in the streets),

B Road Britain Trip finds Steam Haven
by Graham Smith

Whilst traversing the (slightly quieter) A30 en route to North Devon we were
gasping for a cuppa after heavy traffic and jams around Salisbury, and chanced
on a sign advertising a Steam & Vintage Show at the Gartell Railway, which
we had visited before, off the A303 as it is midway between the two, on the
A357. We found a Traction Engine Rally in full swing, and of course, steam
on the 2' gauge off the former S & D trackbed down into the Station and
comprehensive Works in the farmyard. The two signalboxes and full size
semaphore signalling (on short posts) with interlocking are most interesting,
and they were running a 16mm steam layout in the Exhibition Hall. No 9 was
running trains whilst no. 6 and the 33 waited in the station with another
passenger rake plus a myriad of locally named private owner wagons and
tanks.

So remember the name and you may stumble across it on your travels too !
Gartell Light Railway, Yenston, Templecombe, Somerset BA8 0NB
glr-online.co.uk

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_________PICK-UP GOODS

Dublin 1953 Although his return was calmer, newspapers in London
headlined the East Coast floods and the sinking of the ferry
Richard Joby recalls a visit to the Emerald Isle at the end of Princess Victoria en route from Stranraer to Larne with the loss
January 1953 of 133 lives.

The leaflet picked up at Euston said: "A full day in Dublin 53/6" Bulleid’s infamous Turf Burner at Inchicore
(£2.67) - a price he could afford on his bank salary.
In his covering letter Richard says that this trip led to a longer
The outward journey was on the "Irish Mail" to Holyhead; the visit the following Easter when he took up the C.I.E.offer of
ride along the North Wales coast was windy, there was lashing footplate passes. In those days, senior colleagues at the bank
rain and a stormy transfer to the ferry; no cancellations; like grabbed all the best slots on the holiday schedule, leaving
the Pony Express the mail must get through regardless. He off-season slots for juniors, so the following year he went to
sailed over a raging sea, thankfully with the benefit of a bunk, Spain & Portugal at Easter. We hope Richard will share more
noting that all the emergency notices dating from LMS days of these memories in the not-too-distant future.
were in Gaelic. The ferry made it into Carlisle Pier (Dun
Laoghaire) where a Victorian train headed by a green-painted Who can explain this one?
2.4.2T made the short, but uneventful, journey along the coast
to Westland Row through the seaside suburbs, thankfully his Thanks to Mike Handscomb for spotting this in the Daily
"land legs" having returned. He walked across to Kingsbridge Telegraph 23 September 2011
station, also headquarters of the C.I.E., knocked at the door,
and asked for a permit to visit Inchicore Works, next to the
station. This was immediately granted, and enquiry about
future footplate passes was encouraged [Imagine the same
response at Swindon or Crewe - Ed].

The highlight of his tour was the seeing Turf Burner - Bulleid's
attempt to use a native fuel - but the trial run to Kildare turned
out to be disastrous when an attempt to stimulate the fire with
the blower resulted in a shower of black turf smuts ruining
summer dresses and retirement in disgrace to an obscure
corner of the Works. Back at Kingsbridge, departures to Cork
were hauled by Bredin's magnificent B1 class, but a sign of the
future was the new diesel loco from Vickers.

The Great Eastern Soldiers On

The Eastern Evening News (Local Life 30th August) carried a
short piece about the Great Eastern Toys & Models store on
Plumstead Road celebrating its 25th anniversary on 9th
September. No doubt it's a regular port of call for our modelling
fraternity.

Congratulations!

The Bure Valley Railway celebrated its 21st anniversary over
the weekend of 24th/25th September. After a difficult start,
which saw the railway have 5 different owners in as many
years, it has settled down to carry approx 127,000 passengers
a year.

Random Sightings

Mike Handscomb reports:
15 Aug: Part of old down side yard at Brandon fenced off and
occupied by Signalling Solutions equipment (SS have the
Norwich-Ely resignalling contract).

15 Aug: West wall of new Cambridge island platform now fitted
with coping stones but platform yet to be surfaced.

13 Sep: At Cambridge station, steelwork for canopy on new
island platform partly erected.

15 Sep: NR yellow 31285 + measurement train outside LNWR
depot Cambridge at 16.15.

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Trowse Area Regenerated

Norwich's Bethel Street fire station has closed, and the new
central fire station is adjacent to the closed Trowse station,
right, and the former Pineapple public house. Opening for
business on 24th August, one wonders if the first call-out
had to break through the ceremonial ribbon so often
associated with similar events.

More Mistaken Identities / Impossibilites On 29 June 1958, 61204 on a Wellingborough to Yarmouth
Vauxhall excursion. The group of young spotters (on the right)
After the tourism supplement blunder (NL 56/4 page 7), are at the back of the new Norwich Fire Station.
eagle-eyed John Hutchinson reports that Archant goofed
again on the EDP website on 19th August. Before correction, > Mike Fordham
the website's report of signalling problems and cancellations
on the Norwich - Yarmouth line was accompanied by a photo
of a class 365 EMU !

Not to be outdone, Easton's holiday brochure advertises a
holiday entitled "Kent's Garden Coast". They've rightly
featured the Kent & East Sussex Railway BUT the illustration
is of 61572 at ... Sheringham !

Musical Interlude

I expect many of you remember American "twangy" guitarist Duane Eddy. Well, he's recently recorded his "Road Trip" album, one
of the tracks being "Mexborough Ferry Boat Halt"; the title is hardly surprising as the album was recorded at the Yellow Arch Studios
in Sheffield.

And if you think there's a railway connection you'd be right. Mexborough Ferry Boat Halt was on the South Yorkshire Railway line
from Barnsley to Doncaster, and was intended to serve both Mexborough and Old Denaby. It was adjacent to the Ferry Boat river
crossing and the swing bridge over the canal, but closed when the present Mexborough station opened in 1871.

"And Quiet Flows the Don", which may be familiar to the literary-minded, has nothing to do with the river flowing through Mexborough.
Nor is there a connection with the Scottish river in Aberdeenshire, but it's the Russian one and is the title of a significant work of
fiction ! Ah, back to the 365 EMU or the B12, Sheringham & the Garden of England.

Warley Model Railway
Exhibition

One of our members is hoping that
sufficient interest will be forthcoming to
run a coach trip to this prestigious
exhibition on Saturday 19th November
in conjunction with the Norwich Model
Railway Club. The cost (including
admission) would be approx £25, and if
you're interested please contact Peter
Willis by email at
[email protected] or telephone
01508 - 492562.

On one of his regular trips to the Isle of Man Malcolm Banyer photographed Santa

Older than you may think

Richard Adderson's photo of 47810 (NRS NL56/4 p.1) on the Lowestoft - Norwich e.c.s. reminded him that, 44 years ago, this loco
- then numbered D1924 - had hauled the last "Bournemouth Belle" each way on Sunday 9th July 1967. The SR had initially
announced this train would be steam-hauled but higher management intervened and diesel power resulted. Take a team point if
you've seen D1924 as 47247 or in any other guise ! All things considered, a really long life!

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GOING THIS WAY & THAT Turn the clock back a little over 50 years and you could have seen
Edward Mann 43106 anywhere on the M. & G.N., while•the•somersault signals and
criss-cross fencing•were also distinctive features of the line. The
In mid-June I went to Bury St Edmunds to see "Wine, station building came from Stalham. (Both: Richard Adderson, 19th
Women & Song" - an evening with country singer / August 2011)
songwriters Matraca Berg, Suzy Bogguss and
Gretchen Peters ( I don't invent these names). An
easy drive took just over an hour and parking was
close to the venue. I was pretty sure that before I
looked at an early 1960s rail timetable a journey from
Norwich wasn't too bad, but the return would be a
trifle difficult ! Even leaving the venue early still
meant coming home on the mail train, arriving 0220!

But Table 35 of the late 1950s ER timetable
(Cambridge / Ely & over to Ipswich) is full of interest
even if the service is a bit thin. On late Sunday
evenings, Bury St Edmunds must have been one of
the few places to enjoy a better service from
Liverpool St than it did on weekdays, no doubt to
cater for the military personnel returning to the many
nearby bases after a weekend pass. Yes, there was
a 2215 calling at Colchester, Ipswich, Stowmarket,
Haughley & Elmswell, arriving at Bury St Edmunds
@ 0105. As befitted its junction status in those days,
long-closed Haughley was shown in bold type
whereas Stowmarket was in normal type!
Presumably any overflowing squaddies found room
on the 2230 "Mail".

In those days Bury St Edmunds enjoyed quite a
respectable service to Liverpool St (mainly via
Ipswich), and those preferring a circular tour could
(subject to ticket limitations) travel out via Ipswich
and return via Cambridge, for example. And now:
How many places can you think of where through
London trains have left in opposite directions? A
partial answer would be Plymouth (North Road)
when the Okehampton route was open; Exeter St
David's, for example when the "Atlantic Coast
Express" ran; Chester, when as well as the Crewe
- Euston route, services ran to Paddington via
Shrewsbury & Birmingham Snow Hill; Nottingham
Midland before the Melton Mowbray route closed (I
stand to be corrected here) ; Edinburgh Waverley &
Haymarket. Let me know of any others - you need
to think "through stations".

When "Patriots" came to Norwich

Some of you will know that an LMS Patriot is being
re-constructed at the Llangollen Railway, and if all goes
according to plan it will be numbered 45551 and named
"The Unknown Warrior". Probably less well-known is that
a member of the class made it to Norwich on Saturday
23rd July 1960 with an excursion from Coventry. The
Railway Observer has it that it arrived on the 0925 from
Birmingham, but a reliable, local, record is preferred, and
here's 45516 "The Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire
Regiment" - then allocated to Warrington (Dallam) (8B) -
adjacent to our well-known coaling plant. But this wasn't
the only Patriot to get here. On Wednesday 18th May
1960 45503 "The Royal Leicestershire Regiment" (8B)
had opened the show, soon followed on Monday 30th
May by 45511 "Isle of Man" (8B) which had worked in with
the 0940 from Peterborough.
(Left, LMS Patriot 45516 Chris Fisher)

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_________PICK-UP GOODS The track is about 150 ft above the water level, and the tops
of the towers are some 330 ft high.
End in Sight for Eternal Employment
Health and Safety getting a good press for once !
Although painting the Forth Bridge is supposed to be the job
that never ends, the current painting contract is due to end in Trams U-turn
December 2011. Network Rail, which manages the bridge, has
said that contractors will leave the bridge in December, and The Edinburgh tram project is meant to run from the airport to
repainting will not be required for 25 years. St Andrew Square but look elsewhere for good management,
completion on time, effective cost control - you name it ! There
After 10 years, and expenditure of around £130m, the bridge was a serious proposal to curtail the link at Haymarket, which
will soon be free from scaffolding. The 200 strong team has seemed the worst of all worlds, but on 2nd September
used a triple layer of new glass flake epoxy paint, similar to councillors voted to go "all the way", after the Scottish
that used in the offshore oil industry. government threatened to withhold £72m from its £500m
contribution. Not bad for a city that dispensed with its trams in
One of the workers, who began in 1971, said that when he the mid-1950s !
started it was a very dangerous place but scaffolding is now
used instead of rope cradles and pulleys and the painters had
nothing more than a big round brush and a bucket.

_________NRS NEWS

Roger Harrison’s Bequest Obituary - the late John Macdonald

Members may recall that Roger - a very early member of It was briefly reported in the last issue (NRS 56/4 page 10)
the Society and a continuous one thereafter - passed away that our member, John Macdonald, passed away suddenly
on 25th June 2010. Although he had moved to Stowmarket at the end of July. Ron Johns has kindly penned the
in the 1960s we used to see him at our Annual Open Days following obituary:
until a few years ago. John was a Chartered Electrical and Mechanical Engineer
and worked initially for Saunders Roe based on the Isle of
Last July the Society received the wonderful news that we Wight, where he was closely involved in developing the
had been remembered in his Will with a legacy of just SRN 1 Hovercraft and two space missiles for the British
under £16,450. The Committee is keen to ensure that space programme. Saunders Roe decided to send him to
Roger's bequest benefits all members and a recent read an engineering degree at Loughborough College of
Committee meeting decided that, as a first step, we shall Advanced Technology (now Loughborough University)
take the unprecedented measure of granting a where, in addition to his studies, he took up rowing,
subscription "holiday" next year. The effect of this will be becoming an avid oarsman. This, he claimed, was the
that everyone who was an NRS member on 11th July 2011 origin of his large chest !
(the date we learned about our good fortune) will not be
charged a membership subscription for 2012. He later worked for Avery, the weighing machine
manufacturer, where he was again closely involved in
Welcome to the Society research and development of new projects.

The following new members have joined us recently: He retired to Norwich because, he often said, it had a fine
Cathedral with excellent music, and he became a regular
Bob Brister, Norwich, worshipper and valued member of the Cathedral
community until his death. His lifelong love of music led
Steve Kite, Shipdham, Norfolk him to sing in many choirs in many places throughout his
life and it was responsible for his membership and
Ivor Self, Sheringham, Norfolk considerable support of the Norwich Philharmonic Society,
latterly as its much-valued Honorary Treasurer.
Thank You
John enjoyed tennis and was a Centre Court Debenture
This is the first edition of the Newsletter since the change Holder at Wimbledon - it was only his recent illness that
of Editor. So thank you to everybody who has rallied prevented him from enjoying his favourite spectator sport
round and supplied articles, photographs, visit reports this summer.
and general support and encouragement.
John's lifelong interest in all aspects of railways was a very
As always there is an urgent need for new material for important part of his life, and members will recall his
the next and subsequent Newsletters. Please start expertly detailed talk to the Society on Worldwide
writing now! Signalling Systems last October. His extensive knowledge
made him an invaluable companion on any railway journey
and he had travelled most of the best-known lines across
the UK, Europe, and further afield.

John was a generous and outgoing larger-than-life
personality who will be much missed by his many friends.
R.I.P.

Edward Mann

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_________FEATURES

OVERNIGHT TO ...GREAT YARMOUTH
(a look back)

By Edward Mann

Overnight services to Great Yarmouth? Understandable, perhaps, if coming from Scotland - but from the North West of England,
the West Riding or even the Midlands - hardly ! Yet looking back at my 1961 Summer Timetable these are there for all to see.

It is hard to explain why these trains ran overnight - tradition amongst holidaymakers to make the earliest possible start and enjoy
a Saturday which would otherwise be taken up with travel perhaps. Even so, holiday accommodation would not be ready and the
left luggage facilities would be under serious pressure (if open). Perhaps Passengers' Luggage in Advance came into its own. And
what was on offer in Yarmouth at say 0600 anyway ? Maximum carriage utilisation is plausible, but surely it was not a major issue
when there was plenty of spare stock although at least it allowed the same sets to make an out and back journey within 24 hours.
Pathing constraints on parts of the routes could surely have been dealt with by some fairly easy timetable changes. Maybe it was
the sum of the parts.

If we look first at the 2346 (Fri) from Leeds Central, with through carriages from Bradford Exchange dep 2326, this was routed via
Doncaster dep 0050, then via Lincoln & March to
Norwich (0500) & Yarmouth arr 0545. The return
service was 0855 from Yarmouth (0940 Norwich)
and made its last passenger call at Wymondham
(dep 1000) before going via March & Lincoln to
Doncaster arr 1403, eventually reaching Leeds
Central at 1516 and Bradford Exchange 1535.

The next overnight train is a major mystery. Leaving
Manchester (Victoria) at 2310 (Fri) it vanishes from
the timetable until it reaches Norwich at 0517,
Yarmouth arr 0617, so perhaps its only stops were
to re-man and re-engine. But Victoria station is the
biggest surprise when either Central or Piccadilly
would seemingly offer an easier passage. That said,
if people from towns such as Accrington, Bury &
Bolton wanted to get to Yarmouth they'd have to go
to Victoria anyway...

And if it's hard enough to get your head around A pair of K3 2.6.0s - 61811 & 61949 -•are about to pass beneath the old
those, consider another interesting pair ! The Carrow rail•bridge on 5th July 1958. The leading coach looks particularly
colliery towns in Nottinghamshire were well - placed interesting. > Mike Fordham
for resorts up and down the East Coast. Ollerton,
for example, had a service to Yarmouth leaving at
0530 via Annesley, Nottingham (Victoria),
Bottesford, Sleaford, March and so to Yarmouth arr
1121 via the Wensum Curve. The Ollerton -
Annesley leg was notable in that its regular
passenger service had already been withdrawn
(Ollerton - Edwinstowe from 19th September 1955
and Edwinstowe - Hollinwell & Annesley from 2nd
January 1956). Return from Yarmouth was at 1350,
getting weary patrons back to Ollerton at 1936. One
for the purist as opposed to the holidaymaker !

We end our review of the 1961 services with another overnight - the 2340 (Fri) Shirebrook (West) - Yarmouth arr 0525. Shirebrook
(West), Mansfield Woodhouse and Mansfield (Town) were on the Worksop - Mansfield line that closed to passengers from 12th
October 1964, and after these calls arrival was at Nottingham (Midland) 0039. If you look at Table 43 you'll find an 0455 Norwich -
Yarmouth diesel train reaching Yarmouth at 0525 but whilst the local train ran throughout the timetable the 2340 just ran in July
and August and could have covered the local's stops for those few Saturdays as it seemed to run in the same times. The return left
Yarmouth at midday, taking the Wensum Curve, left Nottingham (Midland) at 1615, made the same calls as outward, and got back
to Shirebrook (West) at 1712.

If we move on to 1962, Richard Adderson has kindly loaned the ER & LMR summer timetables. I had not expected any significant
change but I was wrong ! The overnight Leeds and Bradford train has disappeared but perhaps this was a case of over-provision
as in 1961 West Riding holidaymakers still had an 0718 Bradford Exchange / 0752 Leeds Central (via Wensum Curve) to Yarmouth
arr 1345 plus an 0953 Bradford Ex / 1012 Leeds Cen to Norwich arr 1615 & Yarmouth 1659. In 1962 it was daylight all the way with
either the 0718 Bradford Ex / 0752 Leeds Cen to Yarmouth arr 1332 via the Wensum Curve or the 0939 Bradford Ex / 0958 Leeds
Cen to Norwich arr 1533 & Yarmouth 1618.

The 1962 timetable sheds a little more light on the 2310 from Manchester (Victoria) as it features in Table 115, hinting at routeing
via Denton & Stockport, but this seems to be a red herring. In Table 184, there it is, having presumably gone via Woodhead to call
at Sheffield Victoria at 0032 where it would re-engine before reaching Norwich 0502 & Yarmouth 0541 ! Its return left Yarmouth at

13

_________FEATURES

1134, Norwich 1210 then via March, Retford, Worksop & Sheffield Vic to reach Manchester Vic at 1836. Still lacking in detail, and
with the Retford diveunder still to come, one assumes it travelled via Gainsborough.

I thought the Ollerton service would probably be much the same. Wrong ! It spirited patrons away at 0540, but after its Edwinstowe
and Mansfield calls its through carriages were combined at Nottingham Victoria with the main train - the 0615 from Derby (Friargate)
- to reach Yarmouth at 1141 via its 1961 route, including the Wensum Curve. In 1961 there had been a separate train from Friargate
at 0615 as well as one from Derby (Midland) at 0955, so this was a sensible move.
And finally, what about the 2340 from Shirebrook (West) ? Still there in 1962, and reaching Yarmouth at 0520.

Yarmouth relied heavily on its train services, but there were plenty of coach services too. In the following years the many Saturday
services would slowly be whittled away as holidaymakers went overseas and "resources" came under the spotlight as never before.

MIND THE GAP!
By

Dave Pearce

The gap in question is 500 metres in length, initially created in 1973 but consolidated in 1980 with the removal of an important bridge.
The project is to ‘bridge the gap’, the aspiration, to link two railway preservation groups – but where? The clue lies in the opening
gambit of the Link 1 Joint Board’s statement which says:

“The Boards of the Great Central Railway (Nottingham) and the Great Central PLC are pleased to confirm they are working together
to establish a connection between their two railways. This project will involve the restoration of 500 metres of former railway closed
in the 1960s.”

Needless to say, the summer visit by the NRS to
Loughborough provides the final clue and highlighted
the question about what progress – is it still going to
happen? The answer is there has been a commitment
since the early 1990s to take the project forward so
that by the turn of the Millennium a specially
established company was actively pursuing this end.

The 500 metre length lies to the north of the present
loco depot at Loughborough and ends at the top of a
chord that was installed in 1973, adjacent to the
Brush Falcon Works, which links the GC with the
Midland Main Line. The project involves the
reconstruction of the railway, including three bridges,
one of which will have to cross the main line.

A jointly funded feasibility and impact study was
conducted in 2009 by international consultants
Atkins, led by Charnwood Borough Council and part
funded by the East Midlands Development Agency.
The study has given an emphatic thumbs up to the
scheme which, it is estimated, will cost between ten
and fifteen million pounds. It is anticipated that it will
go ahead with private funding and minimal reliance
on public funding – so reads the project board’s blurb!

What the project offers is the intriguingly mouth B1 1248 crosses the bridge over the Midland main line•at Loughborough
watering prospect of 18 miles of independent main ("the Missing Link") with a down freight. The lines behind the fencing are
line, not to mention the dismantling and repositioning the station passing loops.
of the loco servicing and maintenance facilities at > Dave Pearce Collection
Loughborough. With the retention of the chord down
onto the Midland Main Line there’s also the prospect
of ‘through working’ onto Network Rail metals, an
option hitherto denied to the section of GC line south
of Loughborough.

No date has yet been set for project completion as there is much to be done on planning and local consultation. However, if the
bridge parts that were lying in the former goods yard at Loughborough in June are anything to go by, they certainly mean business!

14

_________WORKING TIMETABLE
a selective look ahead at local railway events

OCTOBER MID SUFFOLK RAILWAY
‘All stations to Dereham’ – 1959 Bedford Coach Tour of the line from King’s Lynn to Dereham.
22nd Sat 08.00 Departs Brockford at 0800
More details see: www.mslr.org.uk/dereham_trip.pdf
22nd – 30th
27th Thu 19.30 BURE VALLEY RAILWAY
29th Sat Spooky Express See: www.bvrw.co.uk/events/events.asp#ghosts

NOVEMBER GREAT EASTERN RAILWAY SOCIETY – Norwich branch
An evening with Edward Mann and Andy Wright
3rd Thu 19.30 United Reformed Church Hall, Ipswich Road, Norwich NR4 6QR
6th Sun
8th Tue WELLS & WALSINGHAM LIGHT RAILWAY
Final operating day of 2011 season.
10th Thu 19.30
10th Thu 19.00 NORFOLK RAILWAY SOCIETY
17th Thu 19.30 The Darjeeling Railway – Jill Wright
24th Thu 19.30 United Reformed Church Hall, Ipswich Road, Norwich NR4 6QR
26th & other dates
WHITWELL AND REEPHAM STATION
DECEMBER Steam Sunday with BBQ

1st Thu 19.30 IPSWICH AND DISTRICT HISTORICAL TRANSPORT SOCIETY
3rd & other dates The Spa Valley Railway – illustrated presentation
Ascension Hall, Larchcroft Road, Ipswich
3rd & other dates http://www.ipswichanddistricthistoricaltransportsociety.co.uk/page2.html

NORFOLK TRANSPORT GROUP
Buses and Trains, Boats and Planes – John Hutchinson
United Reformed Church Hall, Ipswich Road, Norwich NR4 6QR

CROMER RAILWAY SIGNALLING SOCIETY AGM
Merchants Place, Cromer. See http://www.cromerbox.co.uk/index.html

NORFOLK RAILWAY SOCIETY
Beachy Head Project – Paul Curson
United Reformed Church Hall, Ipswich Road, Norwich NR4 6QR

GREAT EASTERN RAILWAY SOCIETY – Norwich Branch
All the narrow gauge lines I missed last time – Chris King
United Reformed Church Hall, Ipswich Road, Norwich NR4 6QR

BURE VALLEY RAILWAY
Santa Specials - each week-end including Sat 24 December

NORFOLK RAILWAY SOCIETY
The Welsh Highland Railway – Paul Hudson
United Reformed Church Hall, Ipswich Road, Norwich NR4 6QR

MID NORFOLK RAILWAY
Mince Pie Specials run on 3rd, 4th, 10th, 11th, 17th, 18th, 23rd, 24th December. For timetable see:
http://www.mnr.org.uk/events/santaspecials/

NORTH NORFOLK RAILWAY
Mince Pie Specials run on 3rd, 4th, 10th, 11th, 17th, 18th, 21st-24th, 26th-2nd Jan. For timetable see:
http://www.nnrailway.co.uk/page.php?pid=6

15

_________WORKING TIMETABLE

DECEMBER continued

4th Sun 13.00 WHITWELL AND REEPHAM STATION
8th Thu 19.30 Steam Sunday with BBQ
10th Sat
15th Thu 19.30 NORFOLK TRANSPORT GROUP
19th Sun Geoff and Bill’s Christmas Quiz
22nd Thu United Reformed Church Hall, Ipswich Road, Norwich NR4 6QR

JANUARY 2012 MID NORFOLK RAILWAY
Evening Jazz Train with the Classic Dixieland Trio. Advanced booking advised. More details see
http://www.mnr.org.uk/events/other/

NORFOLK RAILWAY SOCIETY
Members’ Informal Evening
United Reformed Church Hall, Ipswich Road, Norwich NR4 6QR

BARTON HOUSE RAILWAY
Santa Special – 12.00 – 15.00. Advance booking essential
See: http://www.bartonhouserailway.org.uk/events.php#santa

GREAT EASTERN RAILWAY SOCIETY – Norwich Branch
Allsorts with Arthur Barrett
United Reformed Church Hall, Ipswich Road, Norwich NR4 6QR

5TH Thu 19.30 NORFOLK RAILWAY SOCIETY
12th Thu 19.30 Chairman’s Address
19th Thu 19.30 United Reformed Church Hall, Ipswich Road, Norwich NR4 6QR
26th Thu 19.30
28th Sat 13.00 NORFOLK TRANSPORT GROUP
Malta Buses – Graham Smith
United Reformed Church Hall, Ipswich Road, Norwich NR4 6QR

NORFOLK RAILWAY SOCIETY
Railways of Brazil – Ken Mills
United Reformed Church Hall, Ipswich Road, Norwich NR4 6QR

GREAT EASTERN RAILWAY SOCIETY – Norwich Branch
To be announced
United Reformed Church Hall, Ipswich Road, Norwich NR4 6QR

NORFOLK RAILWAY SOCIETY ANNUAL SHOW
United Reformed Church Hall, Ipswich Road, Norwich NR4 6QR

NORFOLK RAILWAY SOCIETY, GER Society LATE NEWS:
(Norwich Branch) and Norfolk Transport Group
meetings take place (unless otherwise stated) at: A rarity at Norwich today (12th October) was Class 60
60019 with the Peak Forest train. Probably less than a
United Reformed Church Hall, third of the class are active now, with many stored at
Ipswich Road, Norwich, NR4 6QR Toton. [Thanks to Richard Adderson.]

Events are listed in good faith, but visitors should
check with the organisation concerned before
travelling.

Printed by Express Impressions. Tel. 01603 301127

16