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News archive May/Jun 2008
National Network
ATOC sees development at Cambridge but ignores NorfolkA report by the Association of Train Operating Companies (ATOC) has set out how the UK’s rail network must expand to cope with the predicted rise in passenger numbers.
The Billion Passenger Railway: Lessons From The Past: Prospects For The Future makes no mention of upgrading the London – Norwich route. Cambridge, on the other hand, becomes a much more important rail centre. Jim Steer, former SRA strategy director, proposes several new and/or upgraded high-speed lines, such as ‘HS3’ which would link London with Stansted–Cambridge, Nottingham, Sheffield, Leeds Newcastle and Edinburgh. Prominent among his ‘Critical New Connections’ is Oxford – Cambridge, the middle section of the long-awaited East-West link, as well as a new line between Stansted and Colchester.
Loco-hauled coastal shuttles cancelled – but Yarmouth drags are on
It appears that Cotswold class 47s will not now operate a diagram between Norwich and the east coast (see 47s prepare for coastal train duties, NRS Newsletter Mar/Apr). Instead the service will remain dmu-only.
However the start of the summer timetable has seen the resumption of Class 47s dragging main line stock between Norwich and Great Yarmouth. On the first Saturday, May 24, no. 47813 John Peel hauled three trainsets to and from the coast. Locos and DVTs involved were 90015 and 82121; 90004 and 82118; and 90005 and 82133.
Bittern boost for Brandon
A prestigious visitor to Norfolk on May 4 was ex-LNER A4 4-6-2 no. 60019 Bittern which brought Steam Dreams’ Cathedrals Express from King’s Cross to Norwich and back. A popular location to watch the ‘streak’ pass was Brandon, where the Friends of Brandon Station had set up a marquee. The hot drinks on offer were very welcome as the special reached Norfolk an hour late.
‘I was amazed that about 150 people turned up – and nine of them joined FoBS', said chairman Stephen Dean.
Green visitor to Wherry lines
An unusual visitor to the region on May 14 was Riviera Trains’ no.D1916 (47812). The green-liveried loco arrived at Norwich, having travelled from Exeter via the GW and GE main lines. The following morning it ran a route-learning trip to Yarmouth and back for Serco Railtest, after which it returned back south.
D1916’s ‘heritage’ two-tone green livery was applied in November 2005 to commemorate its fortieth anniversary.
Liverpool Street closed after ELL bridge fall
Trains in and out of Liverpool Street were cancelled on May 28 after a bridge accident just outside the station.
Newly-built bridge no.GE19 crosses the main line at Shoreditch and will form part of the new East London line when it reopens in 2010. While the bridge was being inched into its final position, a concrete slab fell on to the tracks below and was hit by Southend-bound unit no. 321333.
Thousands of homegoing passengers had their journeys delayed, and the disruption lasted into the following morning peak.
‘Mac90’ sees GEML service
Trainsets on the Norwich – London route are once more in a transitional phase while they undergo repainting from one livery into NXEA colours. Extra confusion may have been caused in April by EWS ‘Mac90’ no. 90021, which wears First ScotRail branding from its days working Caledonian Sleeper services. After its arrival on April 5 at Crown Point depot, no.90021 was a regular GEML performer. It left the area on April 28, when RfD-liveried classmate no. 90036 returned from owners EWS.
Norwich sidings electrified to ease Crown Point pressure
As siding space at Crown Point depot is at a premium, electrification masts and wires have been erected over two sidings in the ‘low level’ adjacent to Norwich station. Work began over the weekend of April 12/13. Some observers are puzzled by the fact that the two sidings chosen are the shortest ones – the Royal Dock and its immediate neighbour – which cannot accommodate a loco and Mk 3 rake. There has been speculation that emus will be drafted in for extra Norwich-Liverpool St peak-hour services later this year, and the sets will be stabled in the newly-wired sidings.
Special train laid on for Trawler Boys fans
Of the 15,000 Suffolk football fans who journeyed to Wembley on May 11 to watch Lowestoft Town take on Kirkham & Wesham in the FA Vase final, 500 travelled by special NXEA train from Lowestoft.
The train, a sell-out, was formed of 3-car dmus nos. 170204/05/07. It left Lowestoft at 09.14 and was routed via Norwich, Thetford and Cambridge to avoid GEML engineering work. From Cambridge to London it wore a ‘West Anglian Enterprise’ headboard.
The return train left on time at 19.00, but was delayed by an incident near Bethnal Green, and again when a refreshment trolley overturned on the platform at Cambridge.
Unfortunately for Trawler Boys supporters, Kirkham & Wesham scored twice in the final seven minutes, overcoming an early Lowestoft goal and winning the trophy.
Poor maintenance caused Croxton derailment
An official report has blamed poor maintenance and an inadequately-fixed surface panel for the derailment at Croxton-Kilverstone Heath level crossing in September 2006. The Breckland line was closed for nearly 24 hours after an early-morning Norwich to Cambridge train derailed at the crossing (NRS Newsletter Sep/Oct 2006) .
The Rail Accident Investigation Branch concluded that the ‘Holdfast’ surface panel which caused the derailment had not been fitted properly and had been dislodged by a lorry minutes beforehand. Network Rail said that since the incident it had improved training for maintenance staff and inspected all similar level crossings.
Oh, what a circus!
Passengers at Norwich station witnessed the extraordinary sight on May 1 of the NoFitState circus troupe performing on the station concourse. The music and acrobatics laid on by the contemporary circus company marked the official launch and curtain raiser to the 2008 Norfolk and Norwich Festival. NXEA is the Festival's principal sponsor.
Track-grinder blamed for lineside fire
A family living near the line at Whitlingham Junction was left distraught after a spark from the railway ignited a fire which burnt down their garden sheds and killed their chickens. The spark is thought to have come from a night-time track-grinding train. The family, from Bungalow Lane in Thorpe St Andrew, is likely to receive compensation from Network Rail.
Breckland leapfrogs Bittern in track renewal programme
Having renewed the track between Sheringham and Cromer last year, Network Rail had planned to do the same between Cromer Jct and North Walsham in 2009/10. However the company has now put the work back by at least a year.
In a letter to north Norfolk MP Norman Lamb, Network Rail chief executive Iain Coucher says priority will go to the Ely to Norwich line, which sees twice as many passengers on a weekday as the Bittern line, and also has speed restrictions in place. Track renewal between North Walsham and Cromer Junction won’t now take place until 2010/11 at the earliest.
NXEA launches JourneyCheck - and asks for help to catch fare-dodgers
National Express East Anglia has launched two initiatives which take advantage of modern technology.
The company can now provide customers with more up-to-date information through its JourneyCheck service. After a simple registration process NXEA sends alerts, via SMS or email, to warn of impending delays or expected disruption to train services. This will help passengers to make better and more timely decisions about their journey.
Customers can sign up at the website: www.journeycheck.com/nationalexpresseastanglia/registration. John Brodribb, chairman of the East Suffolk Community Rail Partnership, welcomed the new service, calling it ‘Simple, but a great idea.’.
On a less savoury note, NXEA has asked passengers to send a text message to 60006 if they see someone trying to avoid paying their fare. When a “fare-dodge” text message is received, the company’s revenue-protection department will investigate, maybe by sending someone quickly to check tickets on a particular train. NRS member and president of Railfuture Peter Lawrence was doubtful about the scheme. He said the answer was more ticket inspectors, on-train inspections and ticket barriers. Passengers, he declared, should not have to do the company’s job.
Whistling along the East Suffolk
Fifty yars ago, on April 18 1958, English Electric Type 4 no.D200, complete with ‘FIRST 2,000hp DIESEL, LONDON – NORWICH’ headboard, made its inaugural passenger run from Liverpool Street. Thirty years on, the last such journey took place (see NRS Newsletter May/Jun 2007, p8)
To celebrate 50 years of the class, Pathfinder Railtours joined forces with with the Class Forty Preservation Society to run The East Anglian from Birmingham New Street to Lowestoft on April 12. In charge was ‘Whistler’ no 40145 East Lancashire Railway, in large-logo blue with yellow ends. The railtour ran (as 1Z40) outward via Ipswich and returned via Ely to Didcot Parkway.
As part of the campaign by East Suffolk Travellers’ Association to prevent Lowestoft station being relocated, ESTA members joined the train at Ipswich and encouraged passengers to sign a leaflet addressed to Waveney District Council. Relocating the station inland would be contrary to the interests of rail passengers, claimed the leaflet.
FoBS to take over their station
Network Rail has told the Friends of Brandon Station that it will grant them a lease on the station until March 2010. To pay the ‘modest’ rent, FoBS will be helped by a Lottery award and support from local councils.
The building could house a café/tea shop; antique shop; tourist centre; community room – and, of course, a waiting room for rail passengers. However it is in poor condition: dry rot and holes in the floor have been discovered. FoBS have to find funds to restore the building before March 2010, otherwise Network Rail will take it back. A feasibility study, on which FoBS will base appeals to fundholders, is being prepared by Keystone Development Trust.
Better information at Wymondham and Attleborough
With the recent installation of departure screens and public address systems, passengers at Wymondham and Attleborough stations can for the first time obtain ‘real time’ train running information. Norfolk County Council paid for most of the equipment, and NXEA will fund maintenance and communications costs. For added security, CCTV has also been laid on at the two stations.
Heritage, Narrow-Gauge and Miniature
‘Teddy Bear’ takes a bow on the MNRYet another ex-BR diesel class has made its first appearance on the Mid-Norfolk Railway. On May 21 Class 14 'teddy bear' diesel-hydraulic no. D9521, which is normally based on the Barry Island Railway, arrived for a six-week stay. Its duties over the bank holiday weekend. May 24 - 26, culminated appropriately, in the family-oriented Teddy Bears’ Picnic Special.
A total of 56 Class 14 locos were built at Swindon in 1964/5 for short-trip freight duties, but by the end of the 1960s the class was extinct on BR, most having been sold to the Coal Board, British Steel and other industrial users.
No. D9521 is due to work various weekend services during June. On July 5-6 it will star in a Western Region weekend alongside visiting 0-6-0PT no. 9466.
Hoe milestone
Sunday May 4 was an important date for the Mid-Norfolk Railway when an engineers' train reached Hoe level crossing, two miles north of Dereham. This was the first train there since BR’s last freight working to North Elmham in 1989. Shunter no.08631 Eagle and two wagons travelled to Hoe to prepare for the renewal of the level crossing in conjunction with a road widening scheme. It also collected a trainload of flytipped scrap for its return to Dereham.
The MNR continues to seek volunteers to help reopen its northern section, while armchair supporters can sponsor a sleeper: see www.mnr.org.uk/help/sleeper/
Second Garratt planned for Wells line
Over the last 21 years, the Wells & Walsingham Light Railway’s 2-6-0+0-6-2 Garratt Norfolk Hero has notched up over 21,000 miles. Now it is to be joined by a sister engine on the 10 1/4”-gauge line.
In September the Engineering Dept of Norwich City College will begin a two-year project to construct a second Garratt. The work will be free, with materials supplied by the WWLR. The new loco will be painted in crimson lake. Its name is still to be chosen, but it will be prefixed 'Norfolk'.
On-track plant at Dereham
Recent users of the inspection pit at the Mid-Norfolk Railway’s Dereham yard have included specialised on-track plant.
On May 3 the MNR’s normal Saturday passenger service was joined by an unusual ‘extra’: the 12:23 Wymondham Abbey - Dereham, consisting of Windhoff Multi-Purpose Vehicle (MPV) no. DR98910/60. Specialist contractor JSD Rail uses the MPV for weedkilling duties in the Anglia region, and the company is said to be planning return visits to Dereham.
The evening of May 19 saw DRS nos. 57010 and 57009 arrive at Dereham with the 6Z57 12:00 from Ashford, their payload consisting of Harsco Stoneblower no. DR80301. The vehicle, which lifts track and blows small stones under the sleepers to keep the track level, was visiting the MNR for commissioning tests.
Death of Bressingham chairman
The engineer who led the restoration project of ex-LMS 4-6-0 no.6100 Royal Scot has died after a long illness.
Bevan Braithwaite, 68, was chairman of Bressingham Steam Preservation Trust. During his time at Bressingham he procured an ex-NCB 1991 Hunslet battery-electric locomotive and three bogie coaches (NRS Newsletter Jul/Aug 2007), and masterminded improvements to facilities for visitors. Sadly he did not live to see the realisation of his major project, the return to steam of Royal Scot.
Long trip for Bramley’s GatEx stock
The ex-Gatwick Express coaches which were stored at March East Yard for three years have been sold to the Ocean Beach Railway in New Zealand. On May 9 two were seen heading south on the M11.
Date set for quad-arts’ return to service
The remaining two quad-art coaches have arrived back on the North Norfolk Railway from their painstaking restoration at Carnforth. On April 22 all four coaches of the the unique wooden-bodied set were connected for the first time in five years and made a test run behind Class 25 no. 25057/D5207. Two days later WD 2-10-0 no.90775 was in charge when the set replaced the normal BR Mk 1 stock on the 12.00 Sheringham – Holt and 12.45 Holt – Sheringham.
The set is due formally to enter public service on the weekend of July 12/13, the second day of which is the NNR’s ‘Vintage Transport Day’. Special timetables will operate, and there will be a £1 supplement to travel in the quad-art set.
Go behind the scenes on the NNR
On Wednesday evenings in June the North Norfolk Railway is operating Behind The Scenes tours of the railway. Passengers travel in a dmu or railbus from Sheringham to Holt before returning as far as Weybourne, where they have a guided tour of the loco and carriage sheds and a visit to the signalbox. The train then returns to Sheringham. The tour costs £6.00, and early booking is advised.
BVR’s Wroxham Broad changes hands
2-6-4T no. 1 Wroxham Broad has been bought from the Bure Valley Railway by a group of BVR volunteers and staff. At an official ceremony on April 26, the the locomotive was handed over to the No.1 Wroxham Broad Preservation Group.
Wroxham Broad has undergone radical changes since it was built by Guest Engineering in 1964. Originally a diesel-powered 2-6-2 called Tracey Jo, it was rebuilt as a steam engine and converted to a 2-6-4 in 1992 by Winson Engineering. It will continue to be based at the BVR on long-term loan, and will occasionally visit other 15”-gauge railways.
Away from the tracks
New home sought for
East Winch boxHalesworth, Snettisham, North Wootton, Dereham.....recently East Anglia’s surviving signalboxes have been enjoying a game of musical chairs. Now East Winch is to join the fun.
Since closure of the Dereham – Kings Lynn line in 1968, East Winch box has become semi-derelict and covered by foliage. Thanks to internet auction site eBay, it’s found a new owner. ‘It was a bargain which I couldn’t resist,’ the buyer told the NRS Newsletter, ‘All I need is somewhere to put it! Ideally on a local railway and not sent north as North Wootton was. I’m only interested in saving this unique little piece of local railway history. If it goes to a heritage line, I'll pay for the transport to move it and be as little or as much involved in its restoration as required’.
The box has to be moved by June 30. The brick base may prove impossible to rescue. If so the wooden superstructure may have to be mounted on blockwork, similar to the ex-Halesworth box at County School, and given a brick or timber cladding.
Included in the sale, and also in need of good homes, were two substantial hollow concrete level-crossing posts and a 1930s-style ‘railway’ road sign.
The site at East Winch is likely to be developed as an industrial estate.
New venue a success, says NORHAMS
Moving the annual Norwich Model Railway Show to the Hewett School seems to have been a success. The show’s organising body, Norwich Railway Heritage and Model Society, says that it attracted over 900 visitors. NORHAMS has decided to hold its 2009 show at the same venue, on Saturday April 4.
M&GN Society maps its past
Newly available from the M&GNJR Society is a reproduction map of the Midland and Great Northern Joint Railway in around 1900. Printed on A3 size 170gsm paper, it shows every M&GN station. It costs £1.00 + £1.60 p&p and can be obtained by mail order or from the Society Shop at Weybourne station.
Carriage proposal at Burnham Market
It saw its last passenger trains over fifty years ago, but now the old station at Burnham Market is being renovated – as a boutique hotel. Owner Paul Whittome has successfully applied to put a 19th-century railway carriage next to the station building. The original plan was to make the carriage into a bedroom, but this won’t now happen as too many original fittings would need to be insulated.
The planning application provoked just one comment, from the M&GN Circle’s John Hobden. He supported the scheme but asked in the interests of authenticity that ‘any cosmetic underframe fitted to a vehicle of this length should have four or six wheels rather than the eight shown’.
Said Mr Whittome: ‘We’d like to get an old signalbox put in as well’
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