GE LINES UPDATE – June/July GE LINES NEWS: The new timetable introduced on 21st May did not generate any additional services north of Colchester (such as the short-lived Norwich in 90 and the 0648 ex-Norwich and the 1810 ex-Liverpool St all withdrawn during the Covid pandemic). However the Stansted Airport services were increased to 4 trains per hour, rather than the two per hour previously, during peak times and this has necessitated the diagrammed use of more of the 10 Class 745/1s than hitherto – these had helped operate the Norwich – London Intercity service as the 10 Class 745/0s (First Class, Café bar and tables) could not cover all the diagrams. Post May 2023, 10 of the daily 35 weekday services from Norwich have to be covered either by 745/1s or more likely a multiple formation of bi-mode 755s – at least the latter have tables but the catering trolley, if there is one, currently finds itself stranded in either the 3 or 4 car unit into which it is loaded in Norwich. Trivia: The on-train public address warning passengers to take care when using the raised seating area uses the word “seated” instead of “seating” which is displayed on the information screens. Closure of Ticket Offices: On 5th July it was announced that a 3 week duration consultation period - but subsequently extended to 1st September - would run enabling the general public to make representations regarding the proposed closure of more than 1000 ticket offices nationally (TfL closed all of its ticket offices on the London Underground in 2015 and Swedish Railways did the same in 2021). Apparently 7 out of 8 tickets are now sold online or via ticket machines. It is claimed that the Ticket Office staff will move out to the station concourses to be able to assist passengers with information and tickets. Ticket machines do not offer the full range of tickets and one is unable to use these to obtain seat reservations or to arrange assistance for those with mobility or visual problems. The Government is concerned about the post-Covid imbalance between railway industry costs and fare income which is estimated to be some £2bn pa. Crown Point Depot: In 2022 the Depot celebrated the 40th anniversary of its formal opening ceremony on 27th October 1982 conducted by the then Chairman of the British Railways Board, Sir Peter Parker KBE LVO. In early June 2023 it was noticed that the Depot building was adorned with a logo resembling a V with two vertical lines within the V. Apparently the logo is meant to depict a Crown and the point of the V becoming the Point ! Network Rail news: New stations at Beaulieu Park and Cambridge South: By mid-April both sites showed extensive ground works had already commenced and at Cambridge South piles were in the course of being installed for the new OLE stanchions. The Cambridge South project officially started on 5th June 2023 with a media event on site coinciding with the announcement that the project would be receiving £211m funding from Government. By mid-July some 20 OLE masts had been erected on the Down/west side of the existing GEML at Beaulieu Park – at least 6 with horizontal spans capable of providing future double track electrification. 1 Founded 1955 www.norfolkrailwaysociety.org.uk Norfolk Railway Society Volume 68 No.4 NEWSLETTER July - August 2023 1 In This Issue Track report National Network 1 Heritage Narrow-gauge and Miniature 3 Pick-up Goods 4 Feature - A Day Trip to Yorkshire (Matt Goodrum) 15 NRS News 16 Working Timetable 16 National Network ____________TRACK REPORT - News from railways in and around Norfolk On 15th July the Branch Line Society Merry Wherry railtour originating in the East Midlands visited the Wherry Lines. Seen here at Lowestoft soon after arrival with Hanson & Hall Class 50 50007 on the rear. The day provided the rare opportunity of seeing all three platforms occupied with Greater Anglia Class 755/3 Stadlers standing in platforms 3 & 4 awaiting departure to Ipswich and Norwich. For more see page 10 (Andrew Wright).
East-West Rail: The restoration of a railway formation between Oxford and Cambridge (previously known as “The Varsity Line”) is already seeing the reinstatement of the railway between Oxford and Bletchley/Milton Keynes (half the track had been installed by late June 2023) with opening before 2025 – however the railway route will not be electrified as had been hoped. The existing Bletchley-Bedford line is to be upgraded but it would appear that the 60mph speed limit will not be improved. The missing link is at the eastern end of the route, east of Bedford, which has seen considerable development – including a series of large telescope structures for Cambridge University – along the former Bedford-Sandy-Cambridge formation. The Chancellor of the Exchequer has announced in connection with a “Life Science for Growth” programme that the restoration of the East- West Railway would assist the potential to unlock £103bn of growth through new homes, businesses and job opportunities and the EWR would be constructed on a preferred route linking Bedford (initially running parallel and east of the MML north of Bedford Midland station) – this would necessitate the demolition of 65 homes - to a new station on the ECML at Tempsford (provision of slow line platforms only), south of St Neots, then eastwards to a new station at Cambourne before joining the Royston-Cambridge route east of Foxton station preferably at a grade separated junction before joining the Liverpool St line at Shepreth Branch Junc and then serving Cambridge South and Cambridge stations. Statutory Consultation will take place by 2024 then followed by an application for a Development Consent Order as a Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project (NSIP) under the Planning Act 2008 – this should shorten the time taken to obtain the necessary planning approvals. Railway Industry strike action: The year-long industrial dispute by the rail unions continues in respect of the 14 or so TOCs in England which are ultimately controlled by the Department of Transport (settlement on revised pay and terms of employment has been reached the devolved undertakings in Scotland and Wales plus several private companies). RMT members were striking on 20th/22nd & 27th July whilst Aslef members had an overtime ban in place during the week commencing 17th July. There appears to be no immediate prospect of the Department of Transport reaching a settlement unless improved pay increases are tabled. GREATER ANGLIA HAPPENINGS: Monday 22nd May: A locally based Starlings lorry definitely came off second best when it struck the bridge at North Walsham. Norwich-Sheringham services were subject to delays of more than 60 minutes and cancellations. The Norwich-bound unit trapped north of the bridge returned to Cromer and worked a shuttle service to Sheringham and back before heading for Norwich. Sunday 11th June: There was a signalling fault between Somerleyton and Lowestoft. Network Rail advised numerous axle counter failures between Reedham and Lowestoft. First trains affected were the 1107 Norwich to Lowestoft, 1146 Lowestoft to Norwich and the 1200 Lowestoft to Ipswich. The axle counters played up on other days when afternoon temperatures were high. GA’s website kindly provided the following information: “What is an Axle Counter? Axle counters make up part of the signalling system. They count the number of train wheels through a section of track. This data can provide speed, direction of travel and the time it takes for the train to travel”. Monday 12th June: 57002 suffered wheel flats during the 2022 RHTT season being initially left in the headshunt at Stowmarket. An attempt was made to turn the wheels at Ipswich WMF but this proved unsuccessful and a further attempt to move it on 10th May failed because of brake issues. 47712 and 66424 were noted at Norwich early on 12th June having participated in the NNR Mixed Traffic Gala that weekend. The 47 returned LE to Crewe whilst 66424 ran to Stowmarket to collect 57002 which was stabled at Stowmarket attached to two Mk2 vehicles and an open wagon presumably to provide brake force. The train then made its way to Worksop where the Class 57 was placed in storage. Thursday 15th June: The 1358 Crewe-Felixstowe container service failed between Ingatestone and Chelmsford. 1Z99 reached Chelmsford at 2215 and then ran wrong line to attach to the front of the failed train. GA services were delayed by up to 45 minutes whilst using the bi-directionally signalled Up line but the delays increased to more than an hour whilst the recovery operation was in progress. Tuesday 20th June: Trespassers were recorded between Spooner Row and Eccles Road which caused delays of up to 30 minutes between 1500-1545. Monday 3rd July: The 0834 Manningtree to Manningtree via Shenfield (RR) and Cambridge (RR), Bury (RR), Ely (RR) and return to Manningtree formed by one of three former EMR Class 153 units purchased by Network Rail for engineering test train use was running before time until it came to a stand about 1015 on the Down line just north of Manningtree. The 0930 ex-London was held at Colchester for 112 minutes and then a further 32 minutes at Manningtree departing 145L – perhaps running wrong line to Ipswich. The 1000 and 1030 to Norwich services were terminated at Colchester and the 1002 to Ipswich at 2 ____________TRACK REPORT NORFOLK RAILWAY SOCIETY (Founded 1955) President: Ken Mills, Esq. Committee and Officers 2022-23 Telephone Chairman Andrew Wright 07988 209021 Vice-Chairman Richard Keeys 01603 926178 Past Chairman Brian Kirton 01603 926212 Secretary Shared by committee Treasurer John Laycock 01603 720125 Membership Sec Mike Handscomb 01953 605068 Newsletter Editor & Indoor Programme Edward Mann 01603 456372 Show Manager Peter Willis 01508 492562 Visits Organiser Malcolm Wright 01508 492535 Committee Members Trevor Wilcox 01603 439983 Brian Cornwell 01508 492596 Norfolk Railway Society Newsletter Editor: Edward Mann 16 Chestnut Hill, Eaton, Norwich, NR4 6NL. Tel: 01603 456372. Email: [email protected] Layout: Andrew Wright 33 St Mary’s Road, Poringland, Norwich, NR14 7SR Tel No: 07988 209021. Email: [email protected] Distribution: Graham Smith 7 Caistor Lane, Poringland, Norwich, NR14 7QT Tel: 01508 492096. Email: [email protected] Please contact Graham if the next edition does not arrive by 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: 5th October 2023 Copy Date: 21st September 2023
Manningtree. The 1100 and 1130 ex-London passed Manningtree about 85L with the following 1200 and 1300 departures cancelled. The 1230 reached Ipswich almost 1½ hours late. The 1100 ex-Norwich was terminated at Ipswich and the 1232, 1430 and 1530 ex-Norwich were cancelled with the 1530 starting from Colchester as did the 1500 ex-London to Norwich. A rather testing day for all manner of reasons! Tuesday 11th July: A trespasser on the GEML meant that the 1330 ex-Norwich was delayed for over an hour before reaching Diss and the train was terminated at Colchester where it formed the 1600 ex-Liverpool St. The 1230 ex-London was held at Diss for ¾ hour and the following 1300 ex-London was terminated at Ipswich. Tuesday 11th July: An evening trespasser in the Romford area seriously affected GEML trains with the 1932 and 2000 from Norwich being terminated at Colchester and other Up services held at Chelmsford, Witham and Colchester. The 2030 exLondon was held at Romford for 40 minutes with 5 trains held around Harold Wood. The 2100 ex-London was held at Liverpool St for half-an-hour and the 2130 service was cancelled. Wednesday 12th July: The loss of signalling between Brandon and Ely for 3 hours from 1345 led to severe delays particularly those trains approaching Ely from the King’s Lynn and Norwich directions. The driver of the 1509 Trowse-Tunstead return aggregate empties must have been delighted to leave Trowse over 2 hours early but less so to pass Thetford an hour late! The 1354 Norwich-Liverpool LS departed Thetford ½ hour late, and was almost 2 hours late at Ely. The 1442 King’s Lynn-King’s Cross was held at Littleport for 80 minutes whilst the 1427 Norwich-Stansted Airport was held at Brandon for 82 minutes with the following 1456 Norwich-Liverpool LS held at Thetford for just over an hour. The 1448/1537/1648/1751 Stansted Airport-Norwich services were cancelled with the 1627 NorwichStansted Airport resuming services from Norwich. Thursday 13th July: A freight train having experienced trouble approaching Bury St Edmunds, passed 98L, came to a stand. 66719 then restarted its train to pass Thurston over 4 hours late. Two following GA services were reversed via Chippenham Junc. Given the severe delays GA advised passengers not to attempt to travel until late afternoon. A following Felixstowe-bound container train was held on the approach to Chippenham Junc. (Peter Adds) Mid Norfolk Railway The MNR resumed train services between Dereham and Thuxton on and from 29th April, and in mid-July consideration was being given to extending Pacer type services to either Hardingham or Kimberley as this could be achieved in the Thuxton turnround time. The MNR’s “Back on Track” Emergency Appeal seeking donations of £95,000 launched on 13th March to help fund the restoration of the Crownthorpe bridge and associated works to fully reopen the railway for train services had passed £20,000 by late April, £28,000 by mid-June and £33,000 by mid-July. A car boot sale was held at Dereham station to support fund raising activities – this realised £200 boosted by a grant of £300 from Tesco Stores. The Mid-Norfolk Railway has announced that their present Commercial Manager Graham Watts will be taking over as Chairman of The Mid-Norfolk Railway Preservation Trust after the AGM in September when the present Chairman, Charlie Robinson, steps down at his request. Graham’s working life saw him rise to director at Cambridge City Council managing a wide range of public services. He will also be joined on the Trust Council by two new Co-opted members - Andy Parsons who is a career railwayman who has risen to senior management positions with railway infrastructure companies after first starting as a BR Apprentice. Andy is joined by Mark Radda, a corporate branding specialist with huge experience with major companies, charities, and heritage organisations. (Peter Adds) North Norfolk Railway The NNR were loaned DH D9537 Eric for the Mixed Traffic Gala and the locomotive is to remain on the NNR for the peak summer season to provide support to the home steam locomotive fleet particularly during high fire risk periods. In midJuly only the Y14, 76084 and 92203 steam locomotives were serviceable. (Peter Adds) Class 14 D9537 Eric arrives at Sheringham with its train comprising DMU vehicles 56352, 51188 & 51228 with a service from Holt on 12th June (Andrew Wright). 3 ____________TRACK REPORT Heritage, Narrow-gauge and Miniature Darjeeling Himalayan Railway loco 19B was imported to the UK by the late Adrian Shooter. This loco and two replica carriages, built at Boston Lodge Works on the Ffestiniog, used to operate on Adrian's Beeches Light Railway in his garden. The rolling stock was recently sold at auction and the locomotive was purchased by people wishing to retain it in the UK - it sold for £250,000 and the two carriages for £35,000 each. The locomotive is now on display within the roundhouse of the Statfold Barns Railway, near Tamworth, where it was photographed by Peter Adds on 12th July.
Presentations by the Ipswich & District Historical Transport Society – “The V1 & V2 Missiles of World War 2” - Mervyn Russen & “D-Day 75 – June 2019 Commemorative Events” - David & Sylvia Kerridge (18th May) I think anyone would struggle to summarise Mervyn’s excellent technical exposition of German rocketry, so instead of summarising it – and probably leaving important gaps – a copy of his presentation is available to those interested if you email me at [email protected]. After the break, David’s presentation covered the D-Day 75th Commemorative Service, with particular reference to his fatherin-law Fred Lynch who David interviewed about his war service. Fred had joined the Navy as a stoker in 1941, and then trained as an engineer on landing craft assault vehicles which were powered by 2 x V8 petrol engines. These vehicles held up to 30- 35 soldiers. Before the D-Day landings (he was assigned to Gold Beach) he was involved in the landings in N. Africa, and at Sicily/Salerno. His D-Day work took him on 6 trips from & to the “mother” ship, H.M.S. Orion. After D-Day he was transferred to Harwich to shoot down V-1s. He went on to become a railway fireman at Aldeburgh before becoming an engineer at Cliff Quay Power Station. His health was failing when the commemorative events took place but he was able to make the trip to Dunkerque – there was a full programme of events each day. Hearing the veterans’ reminiscences was remarkable. On arrival back at Portsmouth there was the main UK event on 5 th June. In attendance over the weekend were President Macron, Prime Minister May and Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. The weather was unkind, so Fred was unable to get to Gold Beach but everyone who attended at Bayeux received a special medal. Many thanks to David for putting this presentation together - he had clearly spent many hours watching TV, recording, editing and so forth and produced an excellent result. Finally, many thanks to Andy Wright for making sure both presentations ran smoothly. (EM) Apologies In the last issue I failed to give Mike Handscomb any credit for writing the 3 meeting reports. Sorry, Mike. The IDHTS report in this issue is my work so you can compare and contrast. East Anglia Transport Museum Following the conclusion of our indoor meeting season in May we ventured out to Carlton Colville on Thursday 1st June. Malcolm Wright arranged the visit and guided tour of the site. A good number of members attended arriving in time for museum to open at 12:00 and together with other visitors assisted in forming a substantial queue at the entrance! Once inside those who wished to joined the tour and we were all also able to enjoy rides on the trams, trolley bus and train as well as explore the considerable range of artifacts and exhibits. Images: Below - top: Members gather in the tram depot for the start of the tour; the East Suffolk Railway with loco No.5 Orfordness and its train returning to Chapel Road station; and trams No.159 (1927), No, 474 (1929) and trolleybus No. 313 wait to start their journeys. (Andrew Wright) NDSME BBQ On 5th July members of the Society and the NDSME tucked in to a BBQ at Eaton Park. Thankfully, the weather was much improved from the previous day and rides were available behind some of the NDSME locomotives. The smell of cooking burgers was quite overpowering at times! Thanks to everyone who helped make the event such a success, especially the ladies who provided some delicious cakes, and the cook who was busy throughout. (Edward Mann) Society Visits 4 ____________PICK-UP GOODS A miscellany of news and members’ contributions Recently at URC Hall
Kimberley Park and Hardingham Stations On 7th July we visited two stations on the MNR, now in use as private dwellings. After meeting at Hardingham, owned by member Nigel Teulon, we split into two groups to provide manageable numbers with one visiting Kimberley Park, home to members Martin and Karen Care, first and then swopping over. After a guided tour of each station we met back at Hardingham for refreshments. Kimberley Park station was acquired by Martin & Karen early in 2020 just as the Covid pandemic was getting underway. Despite the challenges the consequent restrictions imposed they have made very considrable progress in restoring the building, taking advice from the likes of English Heritage and the National Trust along the way. I had not heard of heritage double glazing before and it is easily missed if not pointed out. This is just one small example of achieving modern standards of construction in restoration whilst remaing true to the look of the original. As well as dealing with long term problems with damp, original brick and flint work has been restored, chimneys rebuilt and the canopy over the platform reconstructed. As with Nigel’s restoration of Hardingham the standard of work is superb and the attention to detail really needs to be seen to be appreciated. At Hardingham, which a number of members will have visited before, Nigel is engaged in a new phase of work having recently acquired the station master’s house. Here we saw the extent of work involved in stripping out false ceilings, discovering and restoring original features of the building and hearing about Nigel’s plans to reconfigure the living accommodation he will have available. Outside we saw saw the challenge of removing render from the walls to expose the original brick and flint. There are also a number of windows to be restored to their original style having had modern style uPVC replacements fitted by a previous owner. But the work at both stations is not just about physical restoration. In many respects as important is to research and explore the history of the buildings and the people who worked and lived there. At Kimberley Park access to local archive records has helped considerably and Karen’s keen interst in social history was very much in evidence. Each group had just over an hour at each station to hear a general overview of the work being done and a tour. Inevitably there were many questions, and as Martin has said some Kimberley Park Station - (above) looking north towards Dereham. The brickwork in the foreground is undergoing restoration, and (below) in the opposite direction the view towards Wymondham. On the left of the track in the distance are the remains of the southbound platform. The phrase “picture window” takes on a new meaning! (Andrew Wright) 5 ____________PICK-UP GOODS The restored chimneys at Kimberley Park (Andrew Wright). Hardingham Station (above). On the left is the more recently acquired part of the building and (below) the start of exposing the original brick and flint work by removal of the render (Andrew Wright).
visitors may like more information. If so he would be happy to arrange a return visit. At the end of a most enjoyable evening I offered thanks to Martin, Karen and Nigel for allowing us into their homes, being so generous with their time and giving a fascinating insight into the restoration of these two railway stations. Thanks also go to Mike Handscomb and Malcolm Wright for making arrangements with them. (Andrew Wright) The King’s Visits to Wales (Mike Roach) After many decades as heir to the throne Charles, Prince of Wales and Duke of Cornwall, became King Charles III on the afternoon of Thursday 8th September last when The Queen passed away at Balmoral at the age of 96 years. There was an amazing amount of pomp and ceremony over the next 11 days leading up to the funeral on Monday 19th September. Even before the funeral King Charles visited all four countries in the United Kingdom including Wales. It was his first visit to the Principality as Monarch and took place on Friday 16th September. The date of the King's visit was well chosen or badly chosen depending on your point of view. 16th September is celebrated by some in Wales as Owain Glyndwr Day to mark the day his followers proclaimed him Prince of Wales in the year 1400. Owain Glyndwr was the last native born Welshman to hold the title Prince of Wales. The new King spent several hours in Cardiff and was warmly and enthusiastically received everywhere he went. King Charles told the Senedd in Welsh: “It was a privilege to be Prince of Wales for so long. Now, my son William will bear the title. He has a deep love for Wales..... Like my beloved Mother before me, I know we all share a love for this special land.” He also visited Llandaff Cathedral and Cardiff Castle. It is believed that the King and Queen Consort travelled to and from Wales by helicopter. The Queen's coffin travelled by road the 175 miles from Balmoral to Edinburgh and by RAF plane from Edinburgh to London. It is thought that at no stage in the proceedings was the Royal Train used despite the fact that many years earlier one of the carriages in the Royal Train had been adapted to carry a coffin. It would have been logical to use the Royal Train to carry the coffin from Scotland to London, perhaps via the Settle & Carlisle and the Midlands where millions would have been able to witness the funeral train passing, as they did with the funeral train of Winston Churchill in 1965. Watching the proceedings in Cardiff on television took me back 86 years to an earlier visit by a new King which I had read about in the GWR Magazine. It was on the morning of 18th November 1936 that Edward VIII stepped out of a GWR sleeping car at Llantwit Major station to begin a 2-day tour of Wales. At His Majesty's request the journey was made as informal as possible and the GWR's ordinary rolling stock was used throughout. The King's special train left Paddington at 0055 that day and ran in front of the 0055 Paddington to Swansea. The special consisted of a corridor brake first, two sleeping cars, two saloons and a corridor brake compo making a total of six coaches hauled by 5056 Ogmore Castle (as it then was). The special arrived at Llantwit Major station on time at 0535 and was berthed in a siding in the goods yard. It was a perfect autumn day, and after breakfasting and doing his ablutions the King appeared at the top of the wooden steps and posed for the assembled photographers before setting out by car for the day's engagements. The train was soon moved to Cardiff for cleaning, watering etc and was later moved on to Mountain Ash (Cardiff Road). Here the King rejoined the train which departed just before 1800 and travelled for about an hour to a secluded station for the night, where it could be more easily guarded and secured. The train was stabled at Usk on the line from Pontypool Road to Monmouth convenient for the King to begin the second day of his tour at Cwmbran station. The day ended at Rhymney where the King rejoined the train for the 3 hour 25 minute journey to Paddington. King Edward VIII had ascended to the throne on 20th January 1936 and just three weeks after his trip to Wales he abdicated after a very difficult time for him because of his friendship with Mrs Simpson. The next major royal event was the Coronation of King George VI in May 1937 on the same day that had already been chosen for the Coronation of Edward VIII had he remained King. Parking ticket sales may have benefited the line…then again… The long-closed branch line from Gilling to Malton (N. Yorks) lost its passenger service from 1st January 1931. Its intermediate stations – Hovingham Spa, Slingsby, Barton-le-Street and Amotherby – were issued with 10 car parking tickets on 11th April 1929. Optimistically, the printed year date read 192-! Was another printing to be made to cover the 1930s? What we do know, however, is that no car parking tickets had been issued at any of the 4 stations by 1962!!! Gilling, incidentally, was on the Pickering-York (via Helmsley) line which closed to passengers from 2nd February 1953. In the “good old days” it was the nearest station to Ampleforth College, 6 ____________PICK-UP GOODS Above: Nigel Teulon shows us various plans and photographs of the station (Mike Fordham). Below: The restored signal box for which Nigel and friends won The First Group Craft Skills Award in 2014 (Andrew Wright).
Harringworth Viaduct A very short break, based in Oakham, was not railwayorientated but a few points are worthy of your attention. In the east of the county, Essendine was close to Mallard’s record-breaking exploits of 1938 but the most notable structure is probably Harringworth or Welland Viaduct, situated between Corby and Melton Mowbray. It sits astride the Northamptonshire/Rutland border, but travel over it can best be described as difficult! The EMR website says there are no direct trains and it’s necessary to change at Kettering, Leicester or Wellingborough. This isn’t strictly true as there’s a 1938 from Kettering to Corby which goes on to terminate at Melton Mowbray at 2017 (SSuX). Perhaps this is to retain route knowledge. However, the well-heeled can cross the viaduct on “The Harringworth Shuttle” (no, it’s not a dance) on Saturday 23rd September top’n’tailed by 7029 Clun Castle and 37240. There are various dining alternatives, including Pullman which includes a 3-course lunch @ £85! The round trip leaves Melton Mowbray at 1245 and returns at 1502. The hotel I stayed at seemed to have a connection with Leicestershire County Cricket Club who were playing Worcestershire at Oakham School. Sadly, Worcestershire ran out easy winners. Rutland County Museum and Rutland Water are well worth visiting if you’re nearby. 7 ____________PICK-UP GOODS a leading Catholic boarding school, and, notwithstanding closure, there was considerable outward traffic (passengers and luggage) at term-ends. Presumably “the Good Doctor” soon had this traffic in his sights! I read this item in a recent issue of Branch Line News. Another Mystery Solved! Adrian Fordham took this image of 50022 Anson but neither Mike Fordham nor yours truly had any idea of when the visit occurred etc. As always, that fount of local knowledge – Richard Adderson – has come to the rescue. We go back to 3rd July 1988 when 50022 visited with “The Suffolkman” railtour organised by Pathfinder Tours and which ran from and to Bristol. The loco worked throughout but ran from Ipswich to Norwich whilst the tour took the East Suffolk line behind a Class 37. Two of Richard’s images of 50022’s visit to Norwich are shown above. Thanks, Richard. Harringworth Viaduct in all its glory on 19th February 1995. The first shows a HST on the 0915 St Pancras-Sheffield during Midland Main Line diversions. At the time, the route was normally freight-only. The second shows the closed Seaton station in the foreground with the viaduct in the distance (Richard Adderson).
GCR 50th Anniversary 17th June (Mike Fordham) Several members travelled to this event by car as the coach trip was cancelled due to lack of support. Working the intensive service were: BR 9F 92214 – Standard class 5 73156 – Standard 2MT 78018 – Stanier class 8 48305 – Peak type 4 D123 – class 37 D6700 – single car Derby lightweight M79900 “Iris - a 3 car DMU & 0-4-0ST Colin McAndrew. These enabled 4 passenger trains and 3 goods trains to operate and also give the chance to drive the saddle tank for a tenner. The high spot of the day was the 50 wagon goods train which left Loughborough at 1235 behind 92214 - at Rothley Brook the train was split into 3 trains. These were made up of mineral wagons, box vans & mixed wagons and then spent the afternoon running between the passenger trains. In the rain (which was a surprise as in Norfolk it had been dry for weeks) I (and hundreds more) watched the long train pass at Quorn & Woodhouse. Moving on to Rothley station road bridge there were fewer people and a better view. At Loughborough the works was open and full of dismantled engines including 70013. Walking past the works you could cross the refurbished Canal Bridge but view forward to the unbuilt flyover was blocked by very tall weeds. Below are a selection of Mike’s images. 8 ____________PICK-UP GOODS
9 ____________PICK-UP GOODS NNR Mixed Traction Gala Andrew Wright visited the gala on Sunday 11th June. Although a mixed traction event steam was in short supply so a selection of diesel traction is shown. Aniti-clockwise from left: DRS supplied 66424 Driver Paul Scrivens is approaching Weybourne with a train from Holt. 47712 Lady Diana Spencer in BR Scotrail Blue livery and Home Fleet member Classs 31 D5631 at Sheringham. At Holt visitor Class 14 D9537 Eric runs round its train. Eric’s cab. From the footbridge at Sheringham 47712 is preparing to run round its train while across Station Road Greater Anglia Stadler 755338 arrives with a service from Norwich.
10 ____________PICK-UP GOODS The Merry Wherry Branch Line Society Railtour (Andrew Wright) On Saturday 15th July the Branch Line Society railtour from the East Midlands visited Norwich, Lowestoft (twice) and Great Yarmouth. A pristine rake of air-conditioned Mk 3 coaches was top and tailed by Class 50 locomotives 50007 Hercules and 50008 Thunderer. Many photographers and videographers were out on the route and I spent the day at Lowestoft Station to support Brian Kirton and Richard Keeys who had set-up the NRS Publicity Stand in the Parcels Office (below). We’re grateful to Martin Halliday, Community Rail Development Officer for giving us the opportunity to set-up our stall. The Merry Wherry began its journey in Derby calling at Leicester, East Midlands Parkway, Nottingham and Grantham before arriving in Norfolk. After a short stop in Norwich it continued to Lowestoft where it was met by a good crowd of enthusiasts whose numbers were boosted by passengers from the recently arrived Greater Anglia services from Ipswich and Norwich, some probably wondering what the fuss was about! Timings were such that we had the rare opportunity of seeing all three platforms occupied by passenger trains (see page 1). After a break the railtour returned to Norwich and then to Yarmouth and Reedham where it reversed to Lowestoft for a second visit before returning to the East Midlands. Images clockwise from top right: 50007 in Hanson and Hall livery stands at platform 2 with the train waiting for departure to Norwich as Greater Anglia 755337 departs from platform 3. GBRf 50007 on the rear of the train. During its second stop at Lowestoft 50007 stands in platform 4 while 755404 is ready to depart from platform 2 (Andrew Wright). The train crosses the swing bridge at Reedham (Chris Eve). 50007 Hercules had two identities bearing the name Furious and 50034 on the other side (Andrew Wright).
11 ____________PICK-UP GOODS A wave from the driver signals the final departure of 50008 (left) as the train pulls out from platform 4 passing the redundant signal box and towards the new Gull Wing bridge (under construction) in the distance (Andrew Wright) The Icknield Line (Andrew Wright) A week spent in Wallingford, Oxfordshire in June provided the opportunity to travel on the Chinnor and Princes Risborough Railway. Known originally as the Watlington and Princes Risborough Railway Company it was constructed as a light railway opening on 15th August 1872. It ran for just over 8 miles to Pyrton just outside Watlington. Like a number of other railways it soon ran into financial difficulties and was acquired by the Great Western Railway in July 1883. The last day of regular passenger operation was 1st July 1957 but the stations remained open for goods and parcels traffic until January 1961. The section from Chinnor to Watlington closed and the track was lifted although the remainder of the branch was left to serve Chinnor Cement Works. The current Chinnor Station is a replica of the original built by the C&PRR’s volunteers. An adjacent car park makes for easy access. The station was busy when we arrived for the first train of the day as a coach party had just arrived. However there was plenty of space for everyone. The railway’s volunteers were friendly and helpful and refreshments were available on board even though it is a relatively short journey. There are two halts on route at Wainhill and Bledlow Bridge and three level crossings. Outside Chinnor views open up on both sides of the line. To the right is the ancient Upper Icknield Way At Thame Junction the train proceeds onto a Network Rail siding to access the railway’s rebuilt platform at Princes Risborough. A project is underway to enable the original Watlington trackbed, over which the C&PRR has a loig term lease, to be reinstated. Fund raising is underway to complete the project. On the approach to Princes Risborough station the train passes the Grade II listed Princes Risborough North Signal box which volunteers are continuing to restore. W55024 built in 1960 arrives at Chinnor (above). Class 37227 was called into service for what should have been the second steam service after 4144 sparked a small lineside fire (below) GWR Large Praire 4144 at Chinnor Station.
12 ____________PICK-UP GOODS Royal Ephemera Down the Years (Barry Gayton) The recent death of Her Majesty the Queen and the subsequent Coronation captured media interest for a time - as well as contributions to this Newsletter - before things moved on and other events took over. Other than sightseers and visitors bringing in modest additional income to the coffers, the railway operating authorities coped easily and the service was relatively unaffected. That was not the case in days gone by however; in those more deferential times when there was little alternative to rail travel, royal events had a massive impact on both the working and public timetables, railway marketing departments ever eager to make a few bob grasped the opportunity. King Edward VII was crowned in Westminster Abbey on 9th August 1902 - what is remarkable though is that he was actually crowned at all. The original Coronation date was set at 28th June but a week before he went down with peritonitis which required emergency surgery; the usually fatal condition was successfully treated and the event went ahead 6 weeks later. Edward was a charismatic personality, as Prince of Wales he led a reputedly dissolute lifestyle which was largely unreported to the general public who held him in high esteem. The accompanying handbill style brochure from The Great Northern Railway provides details of additional services including places from Halifax to Hitchin and over the 4 days an additional 60 trains were scheduled to arrive at and leave King’s Cross. All had to be cancelled and the exercise repeated in August - however an estimated 300,000 lined the Coronation route, original footage survives and makes fascinating viewing. Edward was succeeded in 1911 by his second son George Duke of York; a totally different character from his father he collected stamps instead of mistresses and ruled in a low-key fashion for the next 25 years. Surviving posters from the M&GN are very rare indeed but the example covering the Silver Jubilee of George V confirms the respect to which the King was held, the ordinary train service for the day being cancelled. Sadly though, like the poster, the King was by this time extremely frail and finally succumbed to a thrombosis 8 months later at Sandringham, his funeral was held at Windsor and the handbill published by the GWR gives information as to alterations to the train service. Finally, I couldn’t resist including the blank memo card from THE ROYAL TRAIN. Bearing the personal arms of Queen Elizabeth II one can only speculate what might have been scribbled upon it, matters of high state only for the eyes of the Prime Minister of the day perhaps or, I suspect, more prosaically: “Don’t forget to feed the corgis”. A Puzzling Special Train? Barry Gayton’s article about railway exhibitions (last issue p.7) made me wonder why a special train had been laid on from Suttonin-Ashfield and Mansfield to Lincoln on Sunday 28th May 1933. It was soon explained after consulting a contemporary timetable. The line had no Sunday service and, at most, 5 services on a weekday. Whether anyone not interested in railways would use the excursion to spend 5 hours in Lincoln is questionable!
13 ____________PICK-UP GOODS I recently had a visit from Robin Bailey of the NDSME, who told me that the roof of Trowse Parcels Office had been removed and some railway ephemera discovered in the roof (whether the roof should have been demolished is questionable). He had recovered some LNER Staff material going back to the 1926 General Strike, which I suggested might interest the Great Eastern Railway Society (you’ll recall we don’t have an archive), as well as these wagon cards of even earlier vintage which are selfexplanatory. Thanks to Andy for scanning these. Maybe our eBay consultant thinks they have a value, but I doubt it. Eight-coupled Mike Roach took this fine study of 3849, probably recently ex-works, at Laira on 12th May 1962 (4703 is behind). 3849 spent just 3 months at Laira (April-July 1962) before moving on to Banbury and, finally, Croes Newydd from where it was withdrawn in May 1965. Mike goes on to say that Laira normally had just 2 of the 28xx on its books, but more worked in from other depots. Similarly, Norwich had about 2 WD 2-8-0s on its allocation from time to time – the only other 2-8-0s would be 01s working in from Whitemoor. Another local connection is that King’s cut up several 47xx 2-8-0s. Trowse Discoveries For the bus expert… My neighbour, Robin Thomas, has sent me this image of a Thornycroft A4 Long with a Strachan body & him carrying out some restoration over 60 years ago. Thankfully, the bus has been restored – but rebodied – as will be apparent from the second image.
14 ____________PICK-UP GOODS Farewell to the Championship! (Steve Cane) Rotherham's New York Stadium was a football ground I'd not visited, so when the fixture there came up on 18th April I bought tickets for both match and train. An open return to Doncaster cost quite a lot more than petrol would have done by car but I treated myself! A friend of mine had told me about the new Danum Gallery, Library and Museum in Doncaster and that part of the museum featured railway memorabilia and a couple of static locos. This sounded worth a visit so I travelled from Norwich on Friday 17th April using EMT to Peterborough and then my first Azuma ride to Doncaster. The journey from Peterborough takes no time at all these days, no sooner do you sit down than the train pulls into Donny. On arrival the heavens opened and after just half an hour on the station I decided to get a bus to my hotel which was situated close to Doncaster Rovers football ground. I was extremely pleased that the bus interchange had a seamless covered entrance from the station concourse meaning I kept dry! The following morning the rain had stopped and I had a few hours to visit the Danum museum before getting the train to Rotherham. The Danum building is on the site of the former Doncaster Girls’ High School, the facade of which has been cleverly incorporated into the new construction. The Rail Heritage Centre contains wide-ranging artefacts from the Doncaster Grammar School’s famous heritage collection started in 1930 by the school’s railway society. There are also two static locomotives both built at the Doncaster plant works - Atlantic No 251 built in 1902 and Green Arrow, designed by Sir Nigel Gresley and built in 1936. The former was at Bressingham Steam Centre for a while and, before the move to the Danum, was at Shildon. A helpful guide told me that both locos were transported to Doncaster very early on Sunday mornings and winched into their current positions in 2021 during on-going Covid restrictions. The time was getting on so I made my way to the station to catch the 1135 train to Rotherham. Alas it had been cancelled and, with only one train an hour stopping at Rotherham, I waited for the 1235. Hatters fans were already arriving on East Coast trains from Stevenage and by the time the 1235 pulled in the platform was very crowded. We all got on and I luckily got a seat but it was the most uncomfortable twenty minute train journey I'd ever been on. In retrospect I should have used a Rotherham bus from the interchange! The Millers’ ground is a short walk from Rotherham station and is located between the River Don on one side and the Doncaster to Sheffield railway line on the other. Just beyond the railway line is C F Booth’s famous metal recycling plant responsible for the scrapping of many diesel and electric locomotives since the 1960's. Next to the stadium stands a derelict factory which once belonged to the Guest and Chrimes Foundry which closed in 1999. Some Lamps & finials. The nameplate from B17 61657. V2 2-6-2 60800 Green Arrow. A striking display of A3 Pacific names. These names have something else in common – each represents the name of a St Leger winner, and Isinglass, Persimmon & Donovan also won the Derby.
Heaton Lodge Junction is a truly spectacular layout of a genuine location situated just West of Mirfield in West Yorkshire and is where the L&Y's Calder Valley & LNWR's Leeds to Huddersfield lines converge. Having read about it in several publications and seen various video clips of it, at the start of the year I finally resolved that we should attempt to view it. A brief view of the website for upcoming appearances included the Harrogate model engineering show on the 11th March which looked quite promising. Harrogate sits on an indirect branch between Leeds and York which I suspect was lucky to survive the 1960s when all other routes in the area were eradicated. My OS New Popular edition from the 1950s shows many lines around Harrogate including the lamented route to Northallerton via Ripon. This and local geography has left the town itself on a curious kink in the remaining line including the impressive Crimple Valley Viaduct. Having not covered any of this branch before, I booked split tickets travelling out via Leeds and home via York with the section to York as an anytime allowing us to take it whenever ready to leave. In the days leading up to 11th March much of the country was blanketed in snow disrupting services with the advice to travel only if absolutely necessary. However, things seemed to improve at the end of the week and by the night before the trains were showing as running. Nevertheless, it was an early and slightly nervous start as we arrived at Norwich for the 0548 to Peterborough. Here we met up with friends who were also heading to the show and quickly spotted a declassified first class section in one of the units with a single 4 seat table so when the doors were opened a couple of minutes before departure we sent the boys on to claim these comfy seats. At Peterborough we waved a temporary goodbye to our travelling companions as they had booked the conventional route via York. Our route was to change again at Grantham then direct via an Azuma to Harrogate via a stop at Leeds. Approaching our destination snow-covered hills were all around and even the town still had a covering of the white stuff. Disappointingly at Harrogate we found the advertised free bus to the event had been cancelled due to snow, The taxi rank was empty so we had a 45 minute wait for a service bus to the gates of the agricultural show ground giving a chance to walk around the town but sadly not to take breakfast at Betty’s tea rooms. The actual event halls turned out to be over a mile from the front gate bus stop and many visitors were taking this walk with us disappointed at the lack of promised direct bus. Having finally made it to the halls we weren’t disappointed by the scale of the event. Norfolk shows tend to feature layouts that we might have seen several times but travelling up to Yorkshire ensured more variety on entry we found an excellent O gauge model of Loughborough Derby Road and an excellent model of Outwell on the Wisbech & Upwell Tramway. Eventually we made our way over to the main event, Heaton Lodge Junction and I certainly wasn’t disappointed. The scale is truly breathtaking, an O gauge loco and 10 carriages; maybe 18’ long looks small on this landscape, taking several minutes to traverse the scenic length. The details are excellent backed up by various information boards and real location pictures along the length and it is great to watch - however realistic running and the sheer size means that standing out front there are periods where nothing is happening, Eventually I concluded that I was pleased to have seen it but I won’t be hurrying back to see it again. Hall 1 was full of model railways; Hall 2 featured model engineering, everything from 7¼” gauge to tanks (in action) ships and various beautifully created models of all sorts. Leaving together, Google maps indicated that it was a shorter walk directly to the station than back to the bus stop (if only we had known this sooner!). So we headed this way and were just in time to catch the late running 1435 to York, passing over the scenic Knaresborough viaduct looking down on the river. A short walk across from York Station of course is the National Railway Museum so we headed there. The station hall side has closed for repairs so we had to use the original entrance directly from A Day Trip to Yorkshire (Matt Goodrum) ____________FEATURE 15 say the New York Stadium was named after the iconic red fire hydrants made at the foundry which can still be seen dotted around the streets of New York City. The following day I made my way back to Doncaster station for my journey home. The council has transformed the station forecourt into a high quality public space which reflects the town’s proud rail and racing heritage. At the road end of the forecourt are 47 steel plate monoliths, 28 of which have detailed names of past St. Leger winners which honour locomotives designed by Sir Nigel Gresley. The Hatters won the game 2-0 which maintained their push for promotion through the play-offs. When you read this, Luton will be playing in the Premier League, so look out for travels around the country to new venues such as Liverpool, Newcastle and Brighton! COYH! ____________PICK-UP GOODS
16 _______WORKING TIMETABLE ____________NRS News Printed by Pride Press Ltd. Tel: 01603 665045. Society & Transport Group Meetings Details will be emailed to current Society members a few days before the event. Starting time for all Society and Transport Group meetings will be 1930. All will be in-person at the URC. Thu 21st Sept – Norfolk Railway Society – “Railway History of the North West” – Presentation by Peter Willey. Thu 28th Sept – NRS Transport Group – Members’ Evening (no railway material please) Thu 5th Oct – Norfolk Railway Society – Members’ Evening (railway material only please.) 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. New member We are pleased to welcome Richard Thorne from Staffordshire (a Society first?), and trust that he enjoys our Newsletters. Can you help? We hope to have the NRS Publicity stand at the M&GN Joint Railway Society model railway show Sheringham High School on Saturday 2nd September. Brian Kirton hopes to be able to attend and we have 3 hours offer of help from another member but we could do with more. Also on Sunday 24th September we hope to take the stand to the Bressingham Model Railway Day. Richard Keeys hopes to attend but some additional support would be very welcome. If you can assist please let me know, ideally by email: [email protected]. Andrew Wright Editor’s Plea This Newsletter consists entirely of contributions from “regulars” who perform a fine job as “roving reporters”. Even so, it was a struggle to fill our usual 16 pages. It is now the height of the holiday season and so I’d like to think that some more of you will be able to put fingers to keyboards and/or send some images which will give us a wider pool of material from which to draw. Text submissions should be made in Word if at all possible. Thank you. Subscription time is here again…. Your subscription for the year 2023/2024 will be due on September 1st. And here’s some good news in this time of rampant inflation: at our last AGM it was agreed to keep the rates unchanged from the current year: ● £20 for adults ● £33 for two adults at the same address ● £10 for under-18s The Committee hopes you’ll agree that membership gives excellent value for money, and that you’ll renew. We encourage you to pay electronically rather than writing a cheque (and completing the form enclosed with this issue), as this will save you both time and money. Mike Handscomb Membership Secretary Leeman Road into the Great Hall, where even the workshops and ECM viewing gallery have closed for redevelopment so it was slightly disappointing compared to previous visits. But there is still much to see so we could enjoy viewing locos and collections until closing time. Here we said goodbye to our travelling companions as Albert and I had opted for the latest train possible (2001). York is always worth a visit so we took a walk along the impressive city walls dropping down to see the Minster and Shambles before heading for dinner and then back to the station for the train home. The hustle and bustle of a major station while waiting for a train is always entertaining but York on a Saturday night (particularly when you are with your own child) is something else. I hope they were prepared for all those hen parties falling off the trains! Finally arriving home just before midnight by Azuma to Peterborough, Sprinter to Norwich and then car home was tiring but a satisfying end to a long day. ____________FEATURE