NRS NL 66-5 September - October 2021

Norfolk Railway Society

Founded 1955 www.norfolkrailwaysociety.org.uk

Volume 66 No.5 NEWSLETTER Sept - Oct 2021

____________TRACK REPORT - News from railways in and around Norfolk

National Network

GE LINES UPDATE – July/August/September

GE LINES NEWS:

Coronavirus pandemic effect on Greater Anglia services:
Norwich in 90 services were reinstated from 13th September
along with other half-hourly services on the main line to London.
The Norwich in 90 services are changed from the pre-Covid /
Class 90 + Mk3s days (previously 0900 ex-Norwich forming the
1100 ex-London and then the 1700 ex-Norwich forming the
1900 ex-London) now departing from Norwich at 0800 with the
ex-London service departing at 1700. The 1700 now runs non-
stop again from Ipswich to Norwich (a Diss stop was inserted
some years ago) with a new 1800 service starting from Ipswich
calling at Stowmarket and Diss.

East Midlands Railway services: Class 170s have made a
return to Norwich as EMR gradually introduce them on Norwich- Visiting 0-6-0ST no. 813 has charge of a wedding special at
Hardingham on 31st July (Peter Adds).
Liverpool Lime St services in place of the long serving 158s.

Coronavirus pandemic effect on Norfolk’s standard gauge
heritage lines:

The Mid Norfolk Railway (MNR) recommenced passenger
services on Saturday 3rd July using 80078 but that locomotive
soon required repairs. The Severn Valley Railway’s 1900
Hudswell Clarke built 0-6-0ST 813 (ex-Port Talbot Railway &
Docks Co.) was hired to provide steam-hauled services during
the main season hauling 4 vehicles.

Presumably so as to provide exclusive use of Dereham station
for the wedding guests the MNR suspends normal services
when a wedding train is operated as was the case on 31st July
and 4th September, although the train itself could be operated
alongside normal services.

At Norwich on 13th September 170532 stands at Platform 4 with On 1st August in conjunction with a bus rally – heritage buses
the14.57 EMR service to Liverpool Lime Street (Andrew Wright). providing links between the MNR’s stations including County
School plus Hardingham – the MNR operated an improved train
In This Issue 1 service with 813 working the steam-hauled set throughout the
3 line and Pacer unit 142061 running a Dereham-Hardingham
Track report 7 shuttle as the Thuxton loop was out of use being relaid. The
National Network 14 mid-afternoon Pacer was terminated in the old Up platform at
Heritage Narrow-gauge and Miniature Hardingham - the first train to do so since the line was singled in
15 the mid-1960s. Passengers alighting had to utilize the bus link
Pick-up Goods 16 as the Pacer was to return ecs.
Feature A Buddicom at the Festival Of Britain 17
(Mike Handscomb) The S&T Department have been busy during the summer
NRS News installing signalling in the Dereham station area and enhancing
Working Timetable the signalling provision at Thuxton.
Norfolk Transport Group Supplement
The highlight of the MNR’s 2021 season will be the visit to the
NRM’s A3 60103 Flying Scotsman between 2nd -16th October
when it will be working services on 2nd/3rd/9th/10th & 16th
departing Dereham at 1000, 1200, 1400, 1600 and 1830.
Tickets are priced at £29.50 and the “Frying Scotsman” option
featuring fish and chips is priced at £45 per seat plus an on-line

1

____________TRACK REPORT

booking fee of £4.60 per booking. For those visiting just to see
the locomotive platform tickets valid for 50 minutes will cost a
mere £8 and a visit to the footplate will cost another £5. No
wonder it was reported that a similar visit by this locomotive to
another heritage railway boosted their income by some
£200,000 ! And then there will be the return of the “Polar
Express”!

The North Norfolk Railway (NNR) had recommenced services
on 3rd April using compartment style stock. Their services have
been well patronized necessitating the introduction of additional
DMU workings (4-car formations formed of two 2-car MetCam
units) running between the 50 minute steam hauled sets. The 4-
car DMU had been used for the end of day services as the
steam locos end their diagrams in place of the 2-car sets
normally used.

Network Rail news: In anticipation of this year’s annual leaf fall 61306 Mayflower stands at Trowse on the evening of 11th
season the RHTT formations had been delivered to Stowmarket September (Mike Fordham).
by 7th September. Presumably we can expect to see these
being worked by the familiar DRS Class 37s, 57s and 66s as GREATER ANGLIA INCIDENTS:
previous seasons.

B1 61306 Mayflower worked a series of special trains between Tuesday 20th July: A major signal failure blocked the line
Colchester, Ipswich and Bury St Edmunds over the weekend of between Ely and Peterborough from 1645 to 1930. The first
14th/15th August to celebrate the 175th anniversary of the passenger services departed Peterborough at 2055 (the 1722
arrival of the Eastern Union Railway, built to link Colchester to Birmingham-Cambridge held about 1½ hours departing 99L –
Norwich, in the town. A service reached Norwich in the late and arriving at Ely 145L) and from Ely at 2103. Container
evening on both days. The first train from Colchester to Bury St services passing through the area ran up to more than 6 hours
Edmunds had to be terminated at Ipswich due to a problem. late having lost 2 hours negotiating the affected section.

NORFOLK RAILWAY SOCIETY Wednesday 4th August: A bridge strike between Ely North Junc
(Founded 1955) and Shippea Hill caused the suspension of train services
between 0945 and 1030 until NR could undertake a structural
President: Ken Mills, Esq. examination. The 0856 Norwich-Liverpool was the first train held
on the approach to the bridge concerned and arrived at Ely 42L
Committee and Officers 2019-2020 Telephone and, due to late running, the train was terminated at Nottingham.

Chairman Vacant Friday 6th August: A tree falling across the line between
Brundall and Whitlingham Junc caused significant delays and
Vice-Chairman Vacant cancellations to Wherry Line services between 0945 and 1130
until its removal. Sheringham Bittern line services were
Past Chairman Brian Kirton 01603 926212 unaffected. The worst affected service was the 0917 Yarmouth-
Norwich which finally passed Whitlingham 120L. The following
Secretary & Andrew Wright 07988 209021 0948 Lowestoft-Norwich was held at Brundall 1022-1142
John Laycock 01603 720125 departing 82L. As the line was being re-opened to traffic at 1130
Webmaster there were 5 services heading for Norwich with the 1113 and
Treasurer 1117 departures from Yarmouth being held for a few minutes at
Cantley and Acle respectively. Apart from the 1005 Norwich-
Membership Sec Mike Handscomb 01953 605068 Lowestoft departure, delayed by 36 minutes by the time it
reached Reedham, services towards Lowestoft and Yarmouth
Newsletter Editor & Edward Mann 01603 456372 were cancelled until the 1136 to Yarmouth departing 16L,
Indoor Programme awaiting the arrival of incoming units.
Committee Members Brian Cornwell 01508 492596
01603 926178 Tuesday 10th August: Early morning services on the East
Richard Keeys 01508 492562 Suffolk line were disrupted due to a tree blocking the line
between Woodbridge and Westerfield.. The 0524, 0614 and
Peter Willis 0640 departures from Lowestoft were all terminated at
Saxmundham.
Malcolm Wright 01508 492535
Thursday 19th August - Collision with agricultural vehicles:
Norfolk Railway Society Newsletter The 0410 Hams Hall-Felixstowe container service, hauled by
66754, struck an agricultural trailer loaded with hay bales being
Editor: Edward Mann towed by a tractor across a user worked LC between Whittlesea
16 Chestnut Hill, Eaton, Norwich, NR4 6NL. and Three Horse Shoes (March) at 0910. Fortunately the train
Tel: 01603 456372. Email: [email protected] driver only sustained minor injuries and the tractor driver was
unhurt. Replacement bus services were introduced between Ely
Layout & Picture Editor: Andrew Wright and Peterborough, and intermediate stations, with a few train
services running from Ely to and from March. The first
Distribution: Graham Smith westbound passenger service to be terminated at March was
7 Caistor Lane, Poringland, Norwich, NR14 7QT the 0755 Norwich-Liverpool which arrived 29L at March after 21
Tel: 01508 492096. Email: [email protected] minutes delay approaching that station. 3 wagons were derailed
Please contact Graham if the next edition does not arrive by following the collision, resulting in the line between
the end of the month of publication.

Opinions expressed in any articles are those of the author and
should not be taken to represent those of the Society.
Next issue published: 2nd December 2021.
Copy Date: 18th November 2021.

2

____________TRACK REPORT

Peterborough and March remaining closed until 0400 on 24th Cavick Road, Wymondham, where a ground floor brick base has
August once track and signalling replacement works had been been constructed to receive it. The final move did not take place
completed. The first train through was the 2330 (23rd August) due to road closure issues so the structure was found a
Hams Hall-Felixstowe container service held at Peterborough temporary resting place on the recreation ground in Spooner
pending the line re-opening and departing 163L. Row.

Thursday 19th August - Fatality at Trowse: The 1130 ex- Early morning services on the route on the 6th and 7th were
London was on time when it struck a person close to Trowse delayed due to level crossing issues – believed to have been the
Swingbridge at 1320 with the lines towards Ipswich and Ely result of the obstacle detection radar equipment having been
remaining closed until 1505 whilst the emergency services compromised during the demolition works at various locations.
attended. Considerable delays including termination short of
Norwich on the Ipswich line resulted and a number of trains Sunday 5th September: On the 2nd a Press Release announced
(including the 1400/1430 and 1500 Norwich-London and the that Network Rail would be carrying out track maintenance
1327/1427 Norwich-Stansted Airport were cancelled as a result. works between Marks Tey and Chelmsford on the GEML during
The 1130 ex-London finally arrived in Norwich at 1509 (106L). September, October and November. In addition, signalling and
On the Ely route the 1148 ex-Stansted was held at Wymondham overhead line works would be undertaken. The first closure was
for just under 2 hours and the following 1248 ex-Stansted was on Sunday 5th September (replacement bus service Marks Tey
initially held at Brandon for 22 minutes, then at Thetford for over to /from Newbury Park for the Central Line to/from central
an hour with those trains arriving in Norwich 114L and 65L London). James Burles, Greater Anglia’s MD said “that this track
respectively. maintenance work will help improve punctuality and
performance along this key part of our network. We will be
Sunday 29th August: The Electric/slow lines between Stratford running a rail replacement bus service whilst the work takes
and Forest Gate were closed all day for Crossrail train and place so customers will be able to complete their journeys”. A
tunnel interface testing. shame that both rail routes from Norwich towards London were
replaced by extended bus replacement services on the same
Sunday 29th and Bank Holiday Monday 30th August: The line day.
between Bury St Edmunds and Ely was closed both days to
enable further works to take place at the site of the new station Saturday/Sunday 11th/12th September: The line between Ely
at Soham. and Peterborough was blocked during the weekend to allow
further bridge timber renewal works to take place near Manea.
Saturday/Sunday 4th/5th September: The line between Trowse The line was again blocked for the work to continue on Sunday
Junc and Ely was closed all weekend principally to allow the 19th September.
demolition of several of the mechanical signalboxes closed
during 2012 – those at Harling Road and Lakenheath were Sunday 19th September: Owing to Crossrail timetable
demolished whilst that at Brandon was spared after demonstration testing, two of four lines between Stratford and
representations that it was worthy of listed building status (like Gidea Park were closed between 1000 and 2200. All Greater
the nearby station buildings) with some reports that it should be Anglia and TfL Elizabeth Line services shared the remaining two
preserved given a possible link to the “Dad’s Army” tv open lines, serving platforms 9 and 10 at Stratford.
programme…The upper floor of the ‘box at Spooner Row was
lifted clear prior to its relocation to the Mid-Norfolk Railway at Peter Adds

Heritage, Narrow-gauge and Miniature

Old-stagers at Sheringham carrying Society members. I wonder if there’s an image of this
trip we could publish? (This freight service ended from 6th May
John Hutchinson spent the afternoon at Sheringham on 24th 1968.)
July, and was pleased with these two diesel images.
D6732 entered service in 1962 and little more needs to be said.
D5631 entered service in 1960, and has just been restored and
returned to traffic. On 17th February 1968 it hauled the East You may think there was a third old-stager that afternoon, but I
Rudham grain train, which had a number of brake vans attached couldn’t possibly comment…

3

____________TRACK REPORT

Re-creation of the Society’s first Railtour Thorpe. Apparently 62797 was not an ideal choice, having been
fitted with a side-window cab at Doncaster for working over the
The Society ran its first railtour on 8th September 1956 when E4 exposed Stainmore route. Six engines were loaned to the North
2-4-0 62797 took its train from Norwich Victoria to Mellis for a Eastern Area for this work, and these received the modified cabs
saunter down the Eye branch. Images at Norwich Victoria and late in 1936.
Eye do not require further comment. The train then returned to
Tivetshall, to travel over the Waveney Valley line to Beccles, and To bring the story up-to-date here we see Geoff Moore’s gauge
thence to Haddiscoe via Fleet Junc and back to Norwich 0 E4 2-4-0 in a typical garden setting, and light engine, thanks to
one of his friends, and to Graham Smith for the scaled-down
original headboard. 62797, incidentally, was withdrawn from
Cambridge in March 1958 and cut up at Stratford.

62797 waits to leave Norwich Victoria with the Society's first
railtour on 8th September 1956 (Richard Adderson collection).

62797 has reached Eye at the end of a short branch from
Mellis (the late W.J. Naunton/Richard Adderson collection).

Thomas Brassey Commemoration

Thomas Brassey (1805-1870) was a leading civil engineer,
born not far from Chester. Chester Cathedral – which has a
chapel dedicated to Brassey - held a model railway exhibition
during the summer, and David Furbur paid a visit. Here we
see Pete Waterman explaining some finer points to the
onlookers on 20th July.
It makes a change from Dippy the Dinosaur!

4

____________TRACK REPORT

Raveningham Hall moved to Margate Steam Gala returns to North Norfolk

Before Norfolk residents protest, particularly those living near Over the week-end of 3rd - 5th September the first steam gala
Loddon, the Raveningham Hall in question is the GWR 4-6-0 took place at the North Norfolk Railway since 2019. Featuring
Hall class steam locomotive 6960 owned by Jeremy Hosking. the home fleet, visitors were able to enjoy the sights and sounds
The locomotive’s 10 year boiler ticket expired whilst it was on of LNER B12 8572, 4MT 76084, 9F 92203, WD Austerity 90775
long-term loan and use on the Gloucestershire and The Roayal Norfolk Regiment, S&D 7F 53809 and GER Y14
Warwickshire Railway. The locomotive was unloaded at 564. Four sets of carriages were in use for passenger services
Margate on 9th September where it will remain stored at the together with a demonstration goods train. The usual mix of
fledging railway museum (the former Hornby factory site) until single and double-headers and non-stop services filled the
such time as it is reclaimed for its next overhaul at Crewe Diesel timetable. With easy access to all stations, including my
Depot. favourite Weybourne, and the chance to catch up with old
friends the gala made for a thoroughly enjoyable time. (AW)
With thanks to Peter Adds who also took the image (below) on
10th September.

What’s in a Name?

I had written this piece before Peter Adds sent me his item about
Raveningham Hall in the paragraph above. It still holds true and
provides food for thought.

Prompted by seeing Blickling Hall on our BVR visit, I wondered if
anyone had lain awake at night wondering if the remainder of
the Great Western Hall class locomotives were actually named
after halls roughly within the traditional Western Region?

If you thought “of course” then you’d be in for a few surprises. 76084 departs Weybourne for Holt (above). As 53809 double-
Apart from Raveningham Hall, local Halls – Holkham Hall (6926) heads a service for Holt, 8572 waits with a train for
& Oxburgh Hall (6958) for example – were borrowed as were Sheringham. (Andrew Wright).
Suffolk’s Helmingham Hall (6947) & Heveningham Hall (7909)
but Blickling was overlooked or shunned. More Halls in Norfolk
seem to have been taken by the Western, especially in the 69xx
series – do your own research!

Other Halls were colleges at Oxford & Cambridge
Universities, such as Trinity Hall (5916), Saint
Benet’s Hall (5947) & Lady Margaret Hall (7911).

The unanswered question is who selected the
names and how many issues of Country Life were
trawled for possibilities?

The names of more country houses/halls etc were
bestowed on the “Sandringhams” but these were all
located in the former Eastern & North Eastern
Regions. With an eye to economy, Holkham was
61601 and Blickling 61607. However, our old friend
Helmingham Hall (61647) got the full treatment.

Maybe a sleuth will, one day, account for all the
Great Western Halls – I wish him well! (EM)

5

____________PICK-UP GOODS

A miscellany of news and members’ contributions

Visit to the Bure Valley Railway – 10th September
(Malcolm Wright)

34 members and guests enjoyed our afternoon on the BVR. We
travelled in reserved accommodation on the 1300 from Aylsham
and had a spirited run to Wroxham where most people visited
Bufferstop Books. Our motive power out and back was Blickling
Hall, sporting the new NRS Out of Lockdown Express headboard
(right, Andrew Wright) and the return was on time. Afterwards, we

had a pleasant cream tea before having a talk about the Railway,
its history and its subsequent trials and tribulations, courtesy of its
MD, Andrew Barnes, and a tour of the workshops (left, Mike
Fordham).

Many thanks to Malcolm for organising everything – it gave the
opportunity for people to meet once again and generally have a
good time. (EM)

The Kingsbridge branch in 1961 (Mike Roach)

Kingsbridge was at the end of a 12½ mile branch from Brent,
between Totnes and Plymouth. There were intermediate stations
at Avonwick, Gara Bridge and Loddiswell. The branch diverged
from the main line at the east end of Brent station.

Sixty years ago, steam traction was disappearing from the The same train is seen half an hour later approaching the bridge
railways of Devon and Cornwall under the onslaught of carrying Portford Lane over the railway on the outskirts of South
dieselisation and line closures. Some lines closed without ever Brent also on a gradient of 1 in 60.
seeing a diesel but others were dieselised but still closed within
a short time. One such line was the Kingsbridge branch which
witnessed its last steam trains in September 1961 and closed
completely from 16th September 1963. On Summer Saturdays in
1961 two trains were needed to maintain the service - an
anomaly which would be corrected with the start of the Winter
timetable on 11th September 1961 when a single railcar in the
W55000 series would cover all services. One of the Summer
Saturday trains in 1961 was the railcar while the other was
steam in the shape of a “Small Prairie” in the 4500 or 4575
series.

For a number of years both before WW2 and in the 1950s/1960s
Kingsbridge had enjoyed through coaches to/from London on

“Small Prairie” 5525 is seen blasting its way out of Kingsbridge And going away past milepost ¾ heading for Brent station.
on a gradient of 1 in 60 with the 6-coach 1055 to Paddington on
Saturday 12th August 1961

6

____________PICK-UP GOODS

Saturdays only. In the summer of 1961 the
coaches left Kingsbridge at 1055 and ran
non-stop to Brent where they were shunted
onto the rear of the 1115 Plymouth to
Paddington express by the Prairie tank,
arriving at Paddington at 1618. In the other
direction the through coaches left
Paddington on the front of the 1100 to
Penzance. The train stopped clear of Brent
station and the Kingsbridge coaches were
detached by the Prairie tank forming the
1540 off Brent, reaching Kingsbridge at
1615, stopping at all stations on the branch,
unlike the up train.

The gradients on the branch were quite
severe in places but would hardly have
affected a 4500 with the two coaches
normally used; but the 6 coaches of the train
shown in the accompanying photos was a
different matter. The limit for a “Small Prairie”
was 200 tons in both directions but 6
coaches would probably have weighed just
over 200 tons. The up train faced an 8 mile
climb from milepost 8½ (just north of
Loddiswell) to the junction at Brent but the
“Small Prairies” were very capable little
engines.

The branch was a popular location for
camping coaches, best described as self-
catering in a converted railway carriage on
isolated track at a small station. When the
carriage was withdrawn its inside would be
converted to provide eating/sleeping/daytime
facilities for a family. Presumably heat for
cooking came from Calor gas, or similar.
Nowadays, a major disadvantage would be
the lack of mains water for washing etc,
which would have to come from the station.
Gara Bridge had a couple of camping
coaches, and another was at Loddiswell.
Locally, Mundesley had several.

Michael has unearthed the following article
from the GWR Magazine for January 1934
(reproduced right). It just shows how basic
those early camp coaches were.

Want to have your own platform-
ticket machine?

Do you remember the red-fronted platform-
ticket machines that were common at any
self-respecting station? They tend to date
from the mid-1950s, but replacement of the
older pull-out machines was slow.

A prospective seller brought one to The
Bidding Room recently, convinced it was
worth in the region of £500. The 5 dealers/
prospective buyers were not so convinced,
and the bidding petered out just below £300,
meaning that the chap had to take the
machine home.

Great Western Railwayana Auctions sold one for £140 in 2016
but was The Bidding Room machine overpriced? One to ponder,
I suppose.

7

____________PICK-UP GOODS

Meeting Report Visit by NRS to the North Norfolk Railway
on 23rd July (Trevor Wilcox)
Before I begin the usual meeting report – our first at the URC for
18 months – I think we should record our thanks to Andy Wright Firstly a quick introduction. I have been interested in railways
for the hard work he has put in - setting up Zoom meetings and since I was about 5 years old. I am now 63 I will tell you more
then balancing the way we run face-to-face meetings with the about this in a future article that I am preparing. I first heard
Church’s requirements (drag furniture across the parqueted floor about NRS from a former work colleague, Dave White, and I
at your peril). eventually decided to join in January 2021 when I was
encouraged to do so by current work colleagues, Brian and Julie
“On & Off the Rails” – Peter Willey Cornwell. So most of my contact with NRS has been through the
(16th September) Zoom meetings; however I had previously attended the
Poringland Model Rail events in 2019 and 2020 so I have met a
Thanks to Brian Kirton we had a fascinating talk by Peter Willey, few members there.
a retired railway manager and career railwayman.

In 1972 Peter eschewed the possibility of working at Sellafield
and became a graduate management trainee in the Manchester
Division. Its traffic was buoyant – there was a lot of parcels
traffic from the large mail order firms in e.g. Bolton and Oldham
and newspaper traffic was steady, with a van reaching Lairg.
There were freight flows such as limestone from Peak Forest
and MGR coal from Yorkshire to Fiddlers’ Ferry (Widnes) via the
Woodhead route with Class 76s. He had the benefit of the
Divisional Manager’s footplate pass – although not strictly
permitted, drivers were very obliging (the Shrewsbury-
Aberystwyth “Mail” was an exception).

His signalling training was in what had been the Lancashire & When it was announced that the NNR trip was being arranged I
Yorkshire Railway’s Signalling School of 1908. Reward came thought it would be an ideal opportunity to meet up with some of
after he passed a gruelling 7hr Rules & Regulations exam! He the NRS members face to face instead of via my iPad screen on
rode on the various classes of electric locomotive – the Class Zoom so I booked my ticket and waited for the day to arrive.
85s were limited to 75 mph and gave a very rough ride. As for Brian and Julie kindly picked me up from home and I had a ride
the DMUs he spoke highly of the Rolls-Royce engined Class in Brian's red Jaguar so arrived in luxury and style. We decided
110s which didn’t stray far from their West Yorkshire bases. to get to Sheringham mid-afternoon so we had time to have tea
and cake in one of the many Sheringham tea shops and then on
In 1977 he went to Liverpool, learning that one of the most for a walk down to view the sea. On the way we met and chatted
important things to master was who supported Everton & who with other NRS members and it was good to meet face to face.
supported Liverpool. The train that kept the best time from Then it was time to go to the station and check in. We collected
Euston was due in Lime St at 2309; a Lime St crew worked to our drinks (as I was not driving I chose a beer) and cutlery etc
Stafford where another Lime St crew took over! He learned a lot from the buffet. We were ushered to the front carriage where our
about industrial relations; his mantra was “get in first”; education party was supposed to be situated. However that turned out to
continued at Wavertree Carriage Sidings where he learned to be a different party and after a bit of negotiation a carriage was
drive an 08 shunter. Throughout his talk he peppered his opened up for us to sit together - I sat with Brian and Julie.
recollections with anecdotes and stories that would have no There was time for me to wander down and have a look at the
place on today’s railway. loco and I was pleased to see it was the B12. I chatted to the
driver who informed me that the B12’s boiler ticket would expire
Another move took him to Newcastle-upon-Tyne where he spent
2½ years – even into the 1980s they were still using train
graphs. Although the Deltics were coming to the end of their
reign they could still time the overnight trains on one engine (the
one behind the driver was shut down to reduce the noise).
Motorail services were something of a nightmare as they were
steam-heated and had a habit of triggering hot-box detectors! It
was always necessary to have a contingency plan to guard
against late running and whatever else may be thrown at them!

His next move took him to Preston – his remit extended from
Wigan to Carnforth on the WCML and east to the Settle &
Carlisle. Technology was slowly advancing and senior staff were
getting GPO “pagers”! A proud moment for him was to act as the
owner’s representative in the cab of 46229 Duchess of Hamilton
from Appleby to Carlisle. He was pleased that Michael Portillo’s
efforts helped save the Settle & Carlisle; to him it was a very
valuable diversionary route.

And finally – nicknames abounded, but how was someone
dubbed “the Pilgrim Father”? Peter was baffled and had to ask.
Well, 47558 Mayflower rolled over at Preston; its driver became
“the Pilgrim Father” as the first person to go over on Mayflower!

Many thanks to Peter for such an enlightening and humorous
talk. Maybe we’ll learn about his later career in due course. (EM)

8

____________PICK-UP GOODS

in a couple of months and it will then be out of action for about 2 Stations Come and Go – East West Rail
years. So our luck was in and we had timed it right! I was (Brian Kirton)
allowed onto the footplate and I was not going to turn down that
invitation! Back to our carriage and we got underway and our Between 1973 and 1978, Velma and I lived in Steeple Claydon
fish and chips were served which were enjoyed by all. The and used the level-crossing at Claydon station on a daily basis.
weather was good so we could enjoy one of the best heritage Passenger services and local goods on the Varsity Line had
rail line views in the country - that from Kelling Bank across to ceased by 1st January 1968 but we frequently had to stop at the
Weybourne and the sea. At Holt we could stretch our legs and crossing for long distance freight movements. To dispense with
observe the loco run round. On the return journey we were the flat junction with the West Coast Main Line, Bletchley flyover
served our dessert of ice cream and I chose a mint magnum. All opened in 1961 only 7 years before passenger services were
too soon were were back in Sheringham where we said our withdrawn. London Midland Region DMUs working out of
goodbyes and departed for home. All in all a very enjoyable Marylebone came this way for maintenance at Bletchley Depot.
evening. I am looking forward to the next event but Between 1984 and 1986, BR ran November/December
unfortunately I will not be with you for the Bure Valley Railway shopping specials between Aylesbury, Winslow and the newly-
outing as I will be in Devon. But I hope to attend future events. opened shopping malls at Milton Keynes; press coverage
increased awareness that such a rail journey was possible.
Thank you to NRS for organising a pleasant and enjoyable Charter trains operated quite regularly until 1993 when the line
evening out. was mothballed. The former stations between Oxford and
Bletchley have a story; may I reflect on just two?
Yellow Pages in a Railway Timetable?
Winslow is an historic Buckinghamshire town with a population
The UK’s first edition of Yellow Pages seems to date back to today of less than 12,000. The original station was opened by
1966. Would you expect to find yellow pages in a railway the Buckinghamshire Railway on 1st May 1850 and the line
timetable? soon became part of the L&NWR. Like all intermediate stations,
closure was in 1968 and the station was eventually demolished
Well, the answer is “Yes”. Leafing through my Eastern Region to make way for housing. In 2016, Buckinghamshire County
1962 Summer Timetable there was a white-page section – the Council acquired 2.5 acres of land for a new station on the A413
index and normal services etc, a blue-page section – named at a cost of £300,000. March 2021 saw construction begin.
trains and London-Scotland principal services etc, and a yellow- Winslow is 5½ miles east of Claydon L.N.E. Junction. The
page section – Continental services. original crossing of the L&NWR and GCR is currently known as
the HS2/EWRA Integration Area.
Continental services of 60 years ago were proper services – a
connecting (often named) service to the port preceded what
could be a lengthy sea journey. What was on offer from King’s
Cross & Liverpool St?

From King’s Cross you could board The Norseman which
doubled-up as a service train to Newcastle. It didn’t stop at
Peterborough meaning that the first train from Norwich to
Peterborough was out of the question. The train left KX at 0908
and, after an engine-change at Newcastle Central, ended up at
Tyne Commission Quay to enable passengers to join the 1600
sailing to Stavanger arr 1000 (day 2) or Bergen arr 1700 (day 2).
If you were travelling to Oslo that would be reached at 0720 on
day 3. Passengers would have travelled with the Bergen Line.

Not to be outdone, Fred Olsen Line offered a service to The sign proclaiming Winslow’s new station is already a few
Kristiansand and Oslo (Vippetangen). Its train left KX at 0948, years old. How long must we wait for the real thing?
and the ship left Tyne Commission Quay at 1630. Vippetangen
was reached at 0700 on day 3. Both Lines had a combined
service from Tyne Commission Quay to KX arr 1421 on day 3.

Liverpool St offered the flagship Hook Continental dep 2000
which also ran on Sundays (long before the days of Network
Rail possessions). The ship left Parkeston Quay at 2215 and
reached the Hook of Holland at 0615. Connections were
possible to principal places across Europe, and if anyone has a
contemporary Cook’s Continental Timetable please contact me.
The return service left the Hook at 2340, and the train reached
Liverpool St at 0913. If you came from “up North” there was a
cross-country train to/from Liverpool & Manchester.

It was also possible to travel to Esbjerg (Denmark) on The
Scandinavian which left Liverpool St at 1505. It connected with
the United Steamship Co’s sailing to Esbjerg, which would be
reached about 1215 the next day. The return left Esbjerg at
1730, getting passengers to Liverpool St around 1500.

The Hook Continental had the most prestigious stock on the GE, This August 2021 view is westward and at least it shows work
introduced in the late 1930s. What must have told against it – at in progress at the Winslow site.
least in its later years – was a daily revenue-earning round trip
of 138 miles. The special stock was withdrawn at the start of the
1963/64 timetable. (EM)

9

____________PICK-UP GOODS

Swanbourne was the next station to Winslow in an easterly For Football Fans Only
direction. It was situated 1½ miles from Swanbourne village and
slightly closer to Mursley. According to a friendly local I met at People of a certain age look back to Norwich City’s 1959 “Cup
the station site in August, and whose late father had worked at Run” with misty eyes, so if I find an unusual snippet of relevant
Bletchley Park, Swanbourne was at its busiest during WW2. railway information I like to highlight it. Cast your mind back to
This was due to the close proximity of RAF Little Horwood that 24th January 1959 when Cardiff City were the visitors. They ran
was operational from September 1942 to January 1946. Many at least 3 special trains for their supporters, but what route was
NRS members will remember an excellent presentation by followed?
Patrick O’Sullivan, EWR Consortium Rail Consultant, on 2nd
November 2017. It is worth looking back to Edward’s meeting Brian Kirton’s EWR article had me searching for confirmation of
report in NRS/NL 62/6 p.8. Patrick also told us that in contrast a completion date for the Bletchley flyover’s construction (1961)
to the inevitable objections to rail development, two brothers but in so doing I discovered that the Railway Observer had
who lived at Station House Swanbourne were thrilled (at least remarked upon a number of WR engines visiting Bletchley MPD,
initially!) that the line was to come back to life. Their names notably “Halls” 5962 Wantage Hall, 6939 Calveley Hall & 6943
were Reg and Mike, one of them was a former railwayman. Farnley Hall (all allocated to Cardiff Canton) on the
Together they kept the memory of Swanbourne station alive by aforementioned specials. The “Halls” did not work any further,
maintaining the property and outbuildings, the platforms were giving way to “Black Fives” presumably.
grassed over and immaculate, a section of track was preserved
and the floral displays were spectacular. Unfortunately, their As for the route to Bletchley, one assumes this was Severn
home has had to go to facilitate the construction of the 100mph Tunnel, Foxhall Junc, Didcot N. Junc & Oxford.
railway. Sadly Reg has passed away and Mike now lives in a
nearby village. Local History through Old Railway Tickets

You may have read about or visited Yarmouth’s Time & Tide
Museum to see their Fisherwomen’s exhibition which ran from
10th July to 19th September. No doubt the exhibition would have
shown numerous images of these redoubtable ladies who
followed the herring fishing fleets south from Scotland.

What a great pity the old Swanbourne station had to go. Enjoy Probably absent from the exhibition was anything about these
the topiary! fisherwomen’s travels to and from Yarmouth and Lowestoft. Step
forward Richard Adderson who has kindly supplied some
During WW2 Bletchley was a busy place and wartime relief images of fishworkers’ tickets, starting with Yarmouth Beach to
sidings were constructed to the east of Swanbourne to facilitate Aberdeen via Thorney, Peterborough, the ECML and the
the exchange of traffics. These sidings remained busy into the Dundee & Arbroath
1950s and became part of a grandiose BR plan for a large line to Aberdeen.
marshalling yard where trains could be sorted for onward Unfortunately, the
movement to the SR/WR. We would now view this as a “green- ticket is undated so
field site” and it would be resisted. However, the proposal for it’s impossible to
the yard came at a time of declining traffic and was opposed by draw conclusions
parts of BR management. No East Coast traffic would have about the fare being
gone there, effectively killing the plan. good value for
money as old ticket
East West Rail is certainly going places even if the Bedford to stocks would
Cambridge route is hotly debated. The planned Milton Keynes- continue to be used
Bletchley-Winslow-Aylesbury with two possible routes to London until exhausted.
Marylebone seems to lack Government commitment and the
enthusiasm of a Train Operating Company with a long franchise Lowestoft to
(as in the case of the Oxford to Bicester segment). It has Peterhead was dated
undergone re-thinks as Tony Lyster of the Buckinghamshire 8th September 1905
Railway Centre at Quainton Road reminded us in June. It is and certainly had its
therefore probably not at the top of EWR’s priorities. share of clippings! At
Buckinghamshire County Council is pressing Grant Shapps to least the fare of 30/-
take this forward. Among the Council suggestions is that the (£1.50) can be set in
line should no longer be called the Aylesbury Spur. They would context. Again the
like it to be known as the Buckinghamshire Line to emphasise M&GN route to
connectivity with nearby and more distant growth areas. Peterborough and
the ECML route to Aberdeen was taken, after which it was to
Thanks to Brian Kirton for all of the images. Peterhead via Ellon & Maud.

The most unusual ticket is Yarmouth Vauxhall to Londonderry
dated 1st January 1949 – Bletchley (via Norwich & Cambridge)
has been almost obliterated by the clipping but it would then
have been a
straightforward
journey down the
WCML to Lancaster
before boarding a
train to Heysham.
What routes could
have been taken
from Peterborough

10

____________PICK-UP GOODS

have to remain conjectural. In passing, it comes as a surprise to More from North Norfolk
learn that Londonderry was a herring port (as were other ports in
Ireland). Y14 564 passes through Weybourne at the NNR Gala on 3rd
September. NRS members Robert Scarfe and Andrew Munden
Finally, the condition are on hand to ensure the train continues non-stop to Holt
of/numbering on the (Andrew Wright).
Yarmouth Vauxhall-
Eyemouth ticket
suggests it was
never issued.
Eyemouth was just
over the Scottish
Border and served by a short branch from Burnmouth on the
ECML. The branch was badly-damaged by the 1948 floods
which affected so many lines in the Borders, but this one re-
opened after several months’ repairs only to lose its passenger
service from 5th February 1962. (EM)

More on the Heart of Wales Line

Chris Mitchell’s Mining Report (NRS/NL 66/4 p.15) included a
brief look at Swansea station (formerly High St), now Swansea’s
only terminus, and starting-point for Heart of Wales trains to
Shrewsbury.

However, Heart of Wales services (Central Wales trains as they
were for many years) used to start from Swansea Victoria
(closed 15th June 1964) and head south-west towards Mumbles
Road before swinging north through Killay and Gorseinon to
reach the Heart of Wales line at Pontardulais, and so avoid the
present need to reverse at Llanelli on the South Wales Main
Line.

Here are some of Chris’s images.

An earlier view of Builth Road, which was the station where the
former Mid-Wales line from Three Cocks Junc to Moat Lane
Junc via Llanidloes passed beneath.

150235/245 pass at Llanwrtyd Wells (above) and Llanelli in
need of some t.l.c. both on 2nd July.

And finally… Shrewsbury’s magnificent Severn Bridge Junc
signalbox, seen in 2018.

11

____________PICK-UP GOODS

Another Indian Interlude

More images from the estimable Nick Trudgian which date back to November/December 1983. Thanks also to Nick for the detailed
captions.

The narrow-gauge lines centred on Gwalior were
unusual, being of 2’ gauge rather than the more
common 2’6”, but nevertheless had a wide variety of
powerful locomotives, with examples built in the
U.S., U.K. and Japan. Here we see class NH-4
2-8-2 no. 759 built by Baldwins in the U.S. in 1948
heading into town with a branch line train from
Bhind. Note that a number of roof-riders are
carrying rifles – only a brave man would ask if they
had tickets!

Washing-day as WG class 2-8-2 no. 9585 crosses
the Yamuna bridge, in sight of the Taj Mahal, with
the Toofan Express from Calcutta to Delhi. The
WGs, though designed for freight work, often
appeared on passenger trains.

Rolling into Murtizapur, a small town in the state of
Maharashtra, comes Japanese-built 2’6” gauge
2-8-2 no. 552 of the ZD class (Nippon, 1957). This
was one of a number of delightful narrow-gauge
feeder lines of the Central Railway whose steam
locos were distinguished by their green, yellow and
black livery.

Akota Junction, Gujarat state, with two YG class
metre-gauge 2-8-2s nos. 3225 & 3369 noisily
departing southwards with a heavy freight train.

12

____________FEATURE

In the state of Chhattisgarh, this is Raipur 2’6”
gauge yard alongside broad gauge lines. CC class
4-6-2s nos. 676 & 669 were built by North British in
Glasgow in 1907. They are painted in the attractive
red of the South Eastern Railway.

Metre-gauge YP class Pacific no. 2665 of 1966
seems past its prime but still comfortable in the filth
of Lalaguda loco-shed, Secunderabad.

Supplementary from India

For any visit – especially an overseas one – the necessary permissions are a must. Talking to Peter Davies during our Bure Valley
trip on 10th September, it emerged that he had a couple of letters from the Indian High Commission & the Ministry of Railways
which are reproduced below and require little further comment, save to recall that the telex was a standard means of
communication in 1987.

13

____________PICK-UP GOODS

Don’t fall for this one! As I said, the website took 32A at face value but the LMS
system of shed-codings had already allocated and issued plates
John Hutchinson referred me to a website image of a rather differently. Thus 30A was Glasgow Corkerhill (67A) with
Caledonian 4-4-0 at Forres in 1949 carrying a 32A shed-plate, the Ayrshire sheds following on. 31A was St Rollox (65B) with
which the website attributed to Norwich. Norwich (32A) would Central Belt sheds following on and – wait for it – 32A was
have been correct in the 1950s/1960s, but the website seemed Inverness, with Aviemore being 32B & Forres 32C.
to take it at face value. A history lesson is called for.
Station Names set in Stone
When the railways were “grouped” with effect from 1st January
1923, Scotland was split between the LMS & LNER. The In NRS 66/4 p.9 Peter Adds illustrated the Carbis Bay station
Highland Railway, centred on Inverness, went into the LMS name and wondered if any similar signs existed in East Anglia.
group, and the LMS later introduced the shed-plate system I
think most of us are familiar with. The other members of the “Big Although not stone, Snettisham’s name was picked out in a fine
Four” used a system of abbreviations or the full name. piece of topiary – go to the DVD John Betjeman Goes by Train.

____________FEATURE

A Buddicom at the Festival Of Britain on its own power at a speed up to 58 miles per hour from Paris
(Mike Handscomb) to Dunkirk, where it was ferried to Dover. Tonbridge drivers were
impressed by the beautiful condition of the engine, which is
It’s amazing what you can find in someone else’s books. I sell named the Buddicom after its English designer. B. Wittall, a boy
secondhand books on behalf various vendors, and tucked into cleaner, of Pembury, helped M. Monnier, the Frenchman in
the pages there’s often a bookmark, and occasionally something charge, to polish the brasswork while it was in Tonbridge. The
more interesting. Here’s a cutting from a Tonbridge local paper photograph was taken by Mr. S. Collins, of 85 Lavender Hill,
which I came across recently: Tonbridge.

I knew that there was a good display of locomotives at the
Festival, among them ‘Britannia’ no.70004 (fresh out of Crewe),
a North British-built 2-8-2 destined for India and a London
Transport prototype car, later to be known as ‘R49 stock’. But I’d
not been aware of this visitor from across the Channel. A 'Crewe
type' 2-2-2, it was built in 1844 for the Paris-Rouen Railway,
after a design by William Buddicom, Locomotive Superintendent
of the Grand Junction Railway. Allcard, Buddicom and Co had
opened a locomotive manufacturing plant in Rouen where
Buddicom oversaw the construction of 40 locomotives for the
new Paris-Rouen line. They were equipped with a large,
centrally-aligned drive axle and a brass round-topped boiler
above the firebox.

The caption below the picture reads:

Tonbridge railwaymen admiring the 107-year-old engine which No. 3 at Bricklayers Arms picture: supplied
stopped in the Tonbridge locomotive yards on Wednesday of
last week. Built by British engineers for the French railways, it is
the only one of its type in the world. Brought from France for the
Festival of Britain Exhibition on the South Bank of the Thames, it
will he exhibited side by side with one of the latest giant British
Railways engines. During its journey to London, the engine ran

14

____________FEATURE

For the Festival, the French Railway Museum put no.3 into
steam, after which it travelled from Paris St Lazare to Achères
(amazingly, a film of it steaming out of St Lazare exists on
YouTube). It was then hauled to Dunkerque for the sea
crossing. Once on English soil, No.3 was hauled towards
London – by what, one wonders? – but obviously it paused at
Tonbridge. After arriving at Bricklayers Arms depot, it steamed
again and was formally welcomed by descendants of the
builders.

The Buddicom seems to have survived its 1951 cross-channel
exploits. In 1966, it was restored at the SNCF Sotteville
workshop, and appeared in 2003 on the Champs Elysées for
the “Train Capitale” exhibition. Now spruced up, renumbered
’33’ and named St Pierre, it is an exhibit in Europe’s biggest
railway museum, La Cité du Train - Patrimoine SNCF at
Mulhouse.

____________NRS News ’St Pierre’ at La Cité du Train picture: Wikipedia Creative
Commons.
Have you renewed…

…your Norfolk Railway Society membership for 2021/2022? Society Christmas Meal – Preliminary Notice

The last issue (Jul/Aug 2021) contained a blue Membership Covid (and everything else that is making the news at the
Renewal form with instructions on how to renew. If you’ve not moment) makes the planning of our Christmas meal
yet done so, please pay by bank transfer (details on the form) or exceptionally difficult, but Malcolm Wright is hoping we can get
by cheque as soon as possible. If you don’t, this Sep/Oct issue together at the Old Feathers, Framingham Earl (on the A146) on
will unfortunately be your last NRS Newsletter. Monday 6th December @ 1830 for a 1900 start.

The Committee hopes very much that you will renew. The The menu/cost will follow later – if you’re not on email it’s
benefits are considerable. Our regular meetings - some in the especially important that you contact Malcolm to advise of your
NRS’s traditional home at the URC Hall, and some using Zoom - interest, and Malcolm’s contact details are
are geared to appeal to a wide range of tastes, and the NRS [email protected] or tel. 01508-492535.
Newsletter continues to appear every two months.
Annual General Meeting
Mike Handscomb, Membership Secretary
Our first AGM since April 2019 will take place on Thursday 18th
New & rejoined members November at URC Hall. If further Covid restrictions prevent us
from meeting in-person we will hold the meeting online via
We are pleased to welcome Terry Leggett of Norwich, and hope Zoom.
he enjoyed our September meeting. We are also pleased to
welcome Lyn Moore as a joint member with her husband Jon. Please find enclosed with the Newsletter an AGM pack. This
includes minutes of the last AGM, Agenda, officers’ reports and
In addition, Gordon Bruce & Simon Roy have rejoined us. the accounts. Please bring it with you to the meeting as
spare copies will not be available.
NRS Show 2022
We intend to keep the formal AGM short but will have time for
The show has been booked for Saturday 19 March 2022 at the discussion about the future of the Society when formal business
Poringland Community Centre provided no Covid restrictions are has been concluded. After the break we will have a speaker -
in place. see Working Timetable p.16.

The show is primarily there for NRS members to display their In order to keep the Society running we need a group of active
collections of railway related items, railway photo images or members to serve on the committee. If you wish to stand for
model railways. election or are able to nominate someone (with their consent)
please let me know by email: [email protected]
So that we can judge the interest from the members and decide or phone: 07988 209021.
who else we need to invite we would ask members who would
like to take part to please register their interest with Peter Willis, Having lost our Chairman and having no Vice-Chairman, the
Exhibitors Coordinator, by phone on 01508 492562 or email at committee has operated by dividing jobs between those able to
[email protected] by 15 November 2021. do them. Unless there are specific nominations for the
committee in advance of the AGM we will propose that the
The show team comprises Mike Fordham who will be looking current committee is re-elected en bloc.
after the catering, Richard Keeys who is the “Fixer in Chief” and
I will be Show Manager coordinating the event. Andrew Wright, Secretary

We will need help with setting up the show and also with ticket
sales at the door and sales of raffle tickets. Any members who
like to help please contact Richard by email at
[email protected]

Thank You, Brian Cornwell

15

_____________WORKING TIMETABLE

a selective look ahead at local railway events

Society & Transport Group Meetings

I think you will know that the Society is planning to alternate its Zoom meetings (1st Thursday) with our physical meetings (3rd
Thursday), subject to there being no Covid-related interventions.

Details will be emailed to current Society members a few days before the event. All Transport Group meetings are intended to be
physical meetings. Starting time for all Society and Transport Group meetings will be at 1930 but expect an earlier finish by 2130.

Thu 7th October – Norfolk Railway Society – Zoom Meeting – “Tramways of the Czech Republic and Slovakia. Part 1:
Prague, Plzeň and Most-Litvínov” – Presentation by Robert Pritchard, Editor of Today’s Railways UK.

Thu 14th October – Norfolk Transport Group – Gauge 1 Model Railways - bring friends along.

Thu 21st October – Norfolk Railway Society – URC – “The Bressingham Story” – Presentation by Philip Rooke.

Thu 28th October – Norfolk Transport Group – Slide evening - bring yours along.

Thu 4th November – Norfolk Railway Society – Zoom Meeting – “The East Anglian Railway Museum” – Presentation by
Mike Stanbury from the EARM.

Thu 11th November – Norfolk Transport Group – Models and toys - bring yours along.

Thu 18th November – Norfolk Railway Society – URC – Annual General Meeting followed by “Railway Video Roundup
2020” - Chris Eve presents a selection of his videos from around East Anglia.

Thu 25th November – Norfolk Transport Group – Team Quiz Night.

Thu 2nd December – Norfolk Railway Society – Zoom - Speaker to be confirmed.

Thu 9th December – Norfolk Transport Group – The Arthur Barrett Christmas Evening.

Thu 16th December – Norfolk Railway Society – URC – “The Other Side of the Wall” – Presentation by David Pearce.

Your contacts: NRS – Andrew Wright – [email protected] or Edward Mann (see p.2).

Transport Group – Mike Fordham – [email protected]

Meeting Venue: United Reformed Church Hall, Ipswich Road, Norwich, NR4 6QR.

Services on our Local Railways

In case local railway contact details are required they are set out below. Please follow-up with a phone call or website check if
you’re planning a visit.

Barton House Railway: Hartwell Road, Wroxham, NR12 8TL. The Mid-Suffolk Light Railway: Brockford Station,
For information: www.bhrw.org.uk or tel: 01603-782008. Please Wetheringsett, IP14 5PW. For information: www.mslr.org.uk or
note that, for the 2021 season, it’s intended to open from tel: 01449-766899.
1300-1630 on Sundays. Other opening times will be
unchanged. The North Norfolk Railway: Station Approach, Sheringham,
NR26 8RA. For information: www.nnrailway.co.uk or tel:
Bressingham Steam & Gardens: Low Road, Bressingham, 01263-820800.
IP22 2AA. For information: www.thebressinghamgardens.com or
tel: 01379-686900. The Norwich & District Society of Model Engineers: Eaton
Park, Norwich. For information: www.ndsme.org
The Bure Valley Railway: Aylsham Station, Norwich Rd,
Aylsham, NR11 6BW. For information: www.bvrw.co.uk or tel: The Wells & Walsingham Light Railway: Stiffkey Road, Wells-
01263-733858. next-the-Sea, NR23 1QB. For daily information: www.wwlr.co.uk
or tel: 01328-711630 (up to 1700 please).
The Mid-Norfolk Railway: Dereham Station, Station Rd,
Dereham, NR19 1DF. For information: www.mnr.org.uk or tel: The Whitwell & Reepham Railway: Whitwell Rd, Reepham,
01362-851723. NR10 4GA. For information: www.whitwellstation.com or tel:
01603-871694.

16

_________Norfolk Transport Group

Contributions from NTG Members

The End of the Transport Group Supplement

All good things must come to an end, so the saying goes. We are sorry to say that this will be
the last of the Supplements. They began as a means of maintaining contact with those members
whose interests embraced air, road and sea transport, but the resumption of our Transport
Group face-to-face meetings means that they are no longer necessary. Thanks to everyone who
has contributed over the past 16 months and we hope you have enjoyed their articles.

Some thoughts on Flying Pigs. This particular “bee in the bonnet” surfaced again, in early
(Richard Adderson) August, but this time I was not at all irritated. The “Flying Pig”
nickname has also historically been applied to the Dennis Ace
At the outset I must admit that, as I get older, I become less and buses, of which Eastern Counties operated 18. These were
less tolerant of things which to me aren’t “right”, and one of my supplied during 1938 and 1939, and had a very short career,
pet moans to anybody who’ll listen concerns the nickname with the last one being withdrawn in 1952. I knew that the
“Flying Pig”, which has become synonymous with the Severn Ipswich Transport Museum owned an example, and maybe a
Valley Railway’s Ivatt class 4 2-6-0 no. 43106. I don’t know decade ago I’d seen it at the Museum, looking very much the
where this derogatory and seemingly universal nickname worse for wear and a seemingly a very long-term preservation
originated, but it certainly wasn’t in our part of the world, where project. However, it has now been restored to running order, and
this engine and many of its classmates were responsible for the was advertised as an attraction at Brockford on 8th August. This
majority of train workings over the M&GN system in the 1950s. was too good an opportunity to miss, so I headed off along the
OK, the engines weren’t beautiful, but they were rugged, A140 to take a look at it. The bus was certainly a sight to
functional, efficient and to me at least, far from displeasing to the behold, full of character, beautifully restored and offering trips
eye. The engine has made two visits to the NNR, and each time round the country lanes as a bonus. It is a 20-seater vehicle,
the local media have gleefully jumped on to the F***** P** almost contemporary with the classic Bedford OB, but lacking
description. the undeniably elegant looks of that type of vehicle. In fact, as
we can see from the picture, it is very easy to see how the
nickname originated!

43106 makes an effortless ascent of Kelling bank during a visit The interior of the bus – note the Art Deco light shades
to the North Norfolk Railway on 10th September 2011. Why does (Richard Adderson).
this engine deserve such an uncomplimentary soubriquet?
(Richard Adderson) 1915 Model T Ford (Mike Fordham)

While on a visit to Parklands Miniature Railway my attention
was drawn to a smart Ford model T which turned out to belong
to one of the visitors Nigel Surman from Buckinghamshire.
When I spoke to him he immediately offered to take us on a trip
round Hemsby, which was very interesting and great fun riding
round at 35mph in the open top with no seatbelts or air bags.
He had owned the car for around 15 years and was very skilled
at driving it. Without indicators fitted it was the passengers job
to give hand signals using a wooden board which all added to
the fun of riding round in a 106 year old car.

The Eastern Counties version at Brockford on 8th August 2021 BZ 7991 was a 1915 3 door touring model T with a 3 speed
(Richard Adderson). gear box - 2 forward and reverse a 2.9Lt 4cylinder 20hp engine
and a top speed of around 40mph. This model was one of the
first to be fitted with electric lights replacing the oil or acetylene
ones on earlier models. By 1919 starter motors had become
available and one had been fitted to the engine which made
starting much easier. But this was still interesting as when the

17

_________Norfolk Transport Group

engine fired the car would jump forward 12 inches held only by pedal is released, the Model T enters high gear, but only when
the hand brake. the lever is fully forward – in any other position, the pedal only
moves up as far as the central neutral position. This allows the
The rear wheel drive car has only a transmission brake control car to be held in neutral while the starter motor or driver cranks
by the right floor pedal or the hand brake, there are no brakes the engine by hand. The car can thus cruise without the driver
on the wheels. A low-voltage magneto and trembler coils provide having to press any of the pedals. The middle pedal engages
the ignition system to drive the spark plugs. The petrol fuel flows reverse gear when the car is in neutral, I would have loved to
by gravity from the tank under the front seats to the engine. have given it a test drive.
Nigel did say that when the tank was low on fuel hills became a
problem. The car also managed to return around 30 miles to the
gallon.

The Model T's transmission is controlled by floor-mounted When this car came off the assembly line at the Ford Piquette
pedals and a lever mounted to the road side of the driver's seat. Avenue Plant, Detroit in 1915 it cost $390 (£7041 today). Henry
The throttle is controlled by a lever on the steering wheel. The Ford’s model T were built from 1908 – 1927 the 1908 models
left-hand pedal is used to engage the transmission. With the cost $825 (£16,771 today). The car was to become the first
floor lever in either the mid position or fully forward and the mass-produced car built from interchangeable parts on a moving
pedal pressed and held forward, the car enters low gear. When assembly line. 15 million model T's in many variants were built
held in an intermediate position, the car is in neutral. If the left and at one time a car came off the assembly line every 3
minutes (a build time of 93 minutes). The best production year
was 1923 at 2,011,125 units and the cheapest year to buy was
1925 $260 (£2708 today).

Maureen Adele Chase Dunlop de Popp
(Malcolm Cooper)

Possibly a strange title and you could be forgiven for asking who
indeed this lady is. She was a ‘Spitfire Woman’ who spent the
latter part of her working life in Norfolk.

The story has to be introduced by briefly describing the Air
Transport Auxiliary (ATA) in the Second World War. The wartime
ATA was set up as an organisation to transport both new,
damaged and withdrawn aircraft around the country.

When I put together my talk on Wartime Norfolk, because of this
famous lady’s Norfolk connection, I felt justified in including a
small section on the ATA’s female branch. This is a fascinating
story and there are several books on the subject, indeed,
another has just been written. I will only give a brief outline here.
I think I gave my Norfolk wartime talk at the club some time
ago?

18

_________Norfolk Transport Group

The ATA initially had only older male pilots, generally beyond In 1955 she a
front-line fighting age. There were, however, some female married retired
qualified pilots around and, while initially frowned upon, through Romanian
the constant nagging efforts of one lady to her relative, a cabinet diplomat Serbian
minister, they were allowed in providing they had 500 hours Victor Popp,
flying experience. Most were relatively ‘well to do’ ladies who hence her
could afford flying lessons. Eventually 166 ladies flew in the ATA. somewhat
Initially they were limited on aircraft types, but, as time went on lengthy complex
they flew everything from heavy bombers to Spitfires. name. They had
a son and two
They all, as does every pilot, loved the Spitfire. As one of the daughters, raised
last lady survivors, who passed away recently said ‘the Spitfire on their stud farm
was such a wonderful and forgiving aeroplane, you didn’t the Milla Lauquen
actually fly it as such, you ‘wore’ it!’ Maureen Dunlop was one of Stud in Argentina.
these ATA pilots.

In 1973 her Norfolk connection started when her whole family
moved to this county to set up a stud in South Norfolk to breed
horses. Her husband died in 2000.

In 2003 Maureen was one of only three female ATA pilots to be
awarded the Guild of Air Pilots and Air Navigators Master Air
Pilot Award.

Like many ex ATA ladies she lived to a good age and passed
away at her home in 2012.

Yet another to join the ranks of famous Norfolk people with
transport connections.

Port of Felixstowe

Seen at Felixstowe on 1st October:

Maureen was born in 1920 in Argentina to Australian farm
manager Eric Chase Dunlop (a World War One veteran) and his
English wife Jessimin. She had a sister, Joan and a brother,
Eric. While on holiday in England in 1936 she started flying
lessons. On returning to Argentina the story is she backdated
her birth certificate in order to continue flying lessons. Women
were required to have 500 hours, twice that of men, to join the
ATA and she continued flying in Argentina until she had the
necessary hours.

In 1942 Maureen and her sister travelled to England on a neutral

ship, where her sister joined the BBC and Maureen became an

ATA pilot. She initially operated out of No 6 Ferry Pool at RAF

Ratcliffe where she qualifed to fly 38 types of aircraft. She At Berths 8&9 (above) MSC Alexandra is being assisted by two

always said one of her favourites was the Mosquito. Later she tugs as it sets sail for Bremerhaven. Ahead of it is Cosco
was moved to the all-female Ferry Pool at Hamble, Shipping Galaxy which arrived from Yantian (China) the
Southampton, delivering exclusively Spitfires from previous day after a voyage of 25 days and 22 hours. Below,
Supermarine’s new factory. In all Maureen clocked up 800 hours Alexandra passes the beach in front of the Visitor Centre as it
ATA flying. It is often not realised most of the aircraft ATA pilots heads for open water (Andrew Wright).

flew had no radios or navigation aids at all, other than a ground

map.

Maureen was a very attractive lady and accidentally became the
‘cover girl’ of the ATA when a photographer took a chance
picture of her pushing her hair out of her face as she left the
cockpit of a Fairey Barracuda. As with many famous
photographs it was not posed in any way and was totally natural.
The picture went world wide when in 1944 it was selected to be
on the cover of an issue of Picture Post magazine. It is
occasionally still used today. Indeed it was recently used on the
cover of Izzy’s War, a wartime set ‘love storyish’ novel.

After the war Maureen qualified as an instructor at RAF Luton
before returning to Argentina, where she instructed and flew for
the Argentinian Air Force.

19

_________Norfolk Transport Group

Above, At the South Freightline terminal a Kalmar 45-ton
reachstacker with a telescopic Bromma spreader has just lifted
a container from the train and is about to lower it onto a tractor
unit, which will move it to another part of the port for loading on
to a container ship. Top right, DFDS Suecia Seaways arrives
from Vlaardingen. This Ro-Ro cargo vessel was built in 1999
and is 197m long. Right, MP The Edelman, a 294m long
container ship built in 2005 has sailed from Antwerp.
(Andrew Wright)

Late Arrival at Port of Felixstowe
(Andrew Wright)

On Tuesday 23rd March the Suez Canal was blocked by
the container ship Ever Given operated by Evergreen
while it was en-route to Europe. A large transit backlog
of ships built up at either end of the waterway during the
six days it took to refloat the vessel and some operators
diverted their ships via the Cape of Good Hope. Little
did we know then that “disruption to the supply chain”
would become such a familiar phenomenon during
2021.

When refloated the ship was detained while a lengthy Ever Given being unloaded at Trinity Terminal on 4th August. Below,
legal fight over compensation took place between the one of the holds where containers are stored below deck can be seen
Japanese ship owner and the Suez Canal Authority. towards the bow of the vessel (Andrew Wright).
Once resolved Ever Given spent 5 days at Port Said
undergoing an examination before sailing for Europe on
12th July. To comply with guidance in its seaworthiness
certificate it had to travel at lower speeds than usual.

Nearly 4 months later than scheduled Ever Given
docked at the Port of Rotterdam on 29th July. Carrying
more than 18,000 containers, around half were
unloaded before the ship continued to Felixstowe where
it arrived on 3rd August.

Ever Given was built in 2018 and sails under the flag of
Panama. It is 399.94m long by 59m wide with a carrying
capacity of 20,000 TEU (Twenty-foot equivelent units).

By chance I had the opportunity to go flying on 4th
August and we decided to go to Felixstowe where I was
able to photograph Ever Given unloading. It left the port
the following day and passed through the Suez Canal
again on the 20th August without incident. At the time of
writing (3rd October) the vessel is in the Yellow Sea off
the port city of Qingdao in the Shandong province of
China, where it is awaiting repairs.

Printed by Pride Press Ltd. Tel: 01603 665045.
20