News archive
September/October 2006
National Network
Heritage, Narrow-Gauge
and Miniature
Away from the tracks
National Network
Wherry and Bittern pain to bring
continuous welded gain
Passengers on the Wherry and Bittern lines face disruption this autumn,
when Network Rail carries out a programme of improvements to the lines,
replacing the old track with continuous welded rail.
No trains will run between Norwich, Yarmouth and Lowestoft from October
20 to November 5. Replacement bus services will be laid on, but the
timings will be slower. At peak periods some buses are likely to run
non-stop between Norwich and the coastal towns, but as the A47 Acle
straight will be undergoing major works at the same time, road
congestion seems likely.
A month later it’ll be the turn of the Bittern Line to face three weeks
of partial closure. From December 2 to 16 the North Walsham –
Sheringham section will be out of action, and from December 16 to 23
the Cromer – Sheringham stretch will be closed. Bus replacements will
operate during both phases.
one loses patience with NR after third Essex OHL failure
Local MPs have joined one in demanding answers from Network
Rail after three separate OHL faults in seven days severely delayed
many services including Norwich – London trains.
On August 30 a failure on the down line near Hatfield Peverel caused
delays of up to two hours. Then on September 1 services were thrown
into disarray after 500m of cable was brought down between Ingatestone
and Chelmsford. The situation was made worse by a 25 kV wire causing
signalling cables to short-circuit. Thousands of passengers were
stranded in trains or at stations. At Liverpool Street passengers were
advised to travel to Stansted Airport, but too few buses had been laid
on to take them from Stansted to their destinations. Many people
criticised one for failing to provide accurate and up-to-date
information. The next day buses replaced trains between Chelmsford and
Shenfield, with only the occasional diesel-hauled freight operating.
Through passenger services were restored at 16.00.
Desiro units nos. 360104 and 360103 were badly damaged, but a Network
Rail spokesman accepted that the infrastructure, not the train, was to
blame.
The third OHL fault, this time near Ingatestone, occurred on September
5. It forced speed restrictions and a 40-minute line closure.
‘Inadequate repairs’ made after the September 1 fault were said to be
the cause. one was quick to blame Network Rail but the two
companies later patched up their differences and issued an apologetic
statement. They pledged to work together to improve train service
performance and prevent such extensive and repeated delays in future.
Before this catalogue of failures, heavy rainfall had destabilised
embankments between Manningtree and Colchester on August 22,
necessitating single-line working and reducing main-line trains to one
an hour.
Super Saturday for 47s
Saturday September 9 – what a day for Class 47 fans! Not only was it
the final day of this year’s ‘Yarmouth drags’ – Cotswold Rail’s no.
47818 powered two return trips between Norwich and Great Yarmouth as
well as the ecs workings at each end of the day – but four other class
members were on excursion duties in Norfolk.
FM Rail’s nos. 47703 Hermes and 47709 Dionysos were in
charge of a NENTA Traintours excursion from Dereham to York and
Scarborough. Arrival at York was 45 mins early because a planned
diversion off the ECML had to be cancelled after signal cables on the
diversionary route were stolen.
Two more FM Rail 47s, nos. 47832 Driver Tom Clarke OBE and
47712 Artemis took Hertfordshire Rail Tours’ flagship Blue
Pullman set to Lowestoft to tie in with the East Anglian Transport
Museums trolleybus gala. The excursion travelled from King’s Cross via
Welwyn, Cambridge, Ely, Norwich’s Wensum curve and Reedham, and arrived
at Lowestoft at 11:40. The return trip, which left just after at 16.00,
went via Diss, Stratford, Dalston Jc and Finsbury Park to Welwyn Garden
City.
Poet commemorated by loco naming
one has joined in the celebrations marking the centenary of Sir John
Betjeman’s birth. In a ceremony at Liverpool Street station on
September 8, the poet’s daughter Candida Lycett Green unveiled the name
‘Sir John Betjeman’ on Class 90 loco no. 90007.
This is not the first time the name has been carried by a locomotive.
In 1983 the poet himself unveiled his name on no. 86229 at St Pancras
station. It was the first electric locomotive to visit St Pancras –
such was Betjeman’s dislike of its usual haunt, Euston, that he
declined to perform the naming ceremony there. His name is still
carried by preserved Class 20 no. 20227.
No. 90007 was previously named after Lord Stamp, LMS chairman, and
transport journalist Keith Harper.
Rubber paving block to blame for derailment?
The Norwich to Cambridge line was closed for nearly 24 hours after a
derailment near Thetford on September 12.
The 05:33 Norwich to Cambridge train, formed of ‘hybrid’ 2-car unit
nos. 79207 and 79101, was travelling at over 80mph when the front car’s
leading bogie derailed at Kilverstone Heath crossing, where the line
crosses the A1075 road. The seven passengers and five rail staff on
board were unhurt. Ironically, both cars of the dmu were the undamaged
‘survivors’ of previous collisions (NRS Newsletter
May/Jun).
Passengers travelling between Norwich and Cambridge were advised to to
go via Stowmarket. Hourly buses operated between Norwich and Ely, while
trains shuttled between Norwich and Attleborough.
Later that day the dmu was re-railed by a Toton EWS crew and hauled
back to Crown Point depot, Norwich. Network Rail engineers worked
through the night and reopened the line in time for the start of the
following morning’s service, but a 20 mph speed limit was imposed, and
a watchperson was posted at the crossing to stop drivers from ‘dodging
the barriers’.
British Transport Police said that the likely cause of the derailment
was a dislodged block of rubber paving at the crossing. Motorists were
quoted in the press as having reported the faulty block days
beforehand.
Awards for one, Wymondham and Brandon
It’s been a busy time for presentations!
Top award at the 2006 National Community Rail Awards. has gone to one.
The award recognises achievement in meeting the three key objectives of
the DfT’s Community Rail Strategy: increasing revenue and usage of
local lines, reducing their operating costs and building community
involvement. one received the award at Locomotion (the NRM’s Shildon
museum) on September 22 as part of the second National Community Rail
Festival, held in and around Darlington.
Wymondham station has been a regular award-winner since piano expert
and restaurateur David Turner revived its derelict buildings. Now it’s
picked up the title ‘Best Small Station’. The judges praised David’s
enthusiasm, the tidy platforms, the floral displays and the
introduction of part-time ticket staff.
Another prize-winner is Brandon, named by one as 'Most Improved
Station'. The Friends of Brandon Station have painted doors and window
panels, tidied access routes and put up floral displays, giving the
station a new lease of life and encouraging people to use it.
Get out those cameras again!
Hot on the heels of one’s photographic competition earlier this
year, the Wherry Lines Community Rail Partnership is running a similar
contest. A first prize of a digital camera and a second prize of a
3-day oneAnglia Plus family ticket are on offer for the best
‘Wherry Lines Destination’ photograph taken in 2006.
Photos, along with with where and when they were taken and your Wherry
Lines tickets (one per picture, up to a maximum of 4 per entrant),
should be sent by December 10 to:
Wherry Lines Destinations Competition
c/o Planning & Transportation Dept
PTU County Hall, Norwich NR1 2SG
Winners will be notified by post and the winning pictures used in
Wherry Lines publicity in 2007. Full rules can be found on the Wherry
lines website: www.wherrylines.org.uk
By request only
The tiny wayside stations of Spooner Row, Lakenheath and Shippea Hill
already have as sparse a service as can be imagined. When the annual
timetables change on December 10, things will will get even bleaker:
all stops will become ‘request’ rather than mandatory.
Memorial to Watlington campaigner
A plaque commemorating a west Norfolk rail campaigner has been unveiled.
Watlington station, between King’s Lynn and Ely, was closed in 1968
but, largely thanks to the efforts of a small local group led by
railwayman Ron Callaby, it reopened in 1975. In memory of Mr Callaby, a
signalman and later a supervisor at King's Lynn, the East Anglian
branch of campaign group Railfuture helped raise funds towards the
provision of a cycle shed at the station. On August 19 a plaque to
recognise Mr Callaby’s efforts was formally unveiled by his widow
Dorothy.
Mike returns to Crown Point
Mike Watkins has been named as one’s new Depot Manager at Crown Point
Maintenance Depot. Mike joined the rail industry from school in 1979,
and was a Shift Supervisor at Crown Point in the mid 1980s. He rejoins one
from Interfleet Technology where he led a maintenance project on
e.m.u.’s for India Railways.
Flower-power 156
one has emphasised its sponsorship of the Anglia in Bloom
competition for towns and villages by putting a floral design on a dmu.
Unit no. 156402 was first observed in its new guise at the end of July.
Another hurdle for photographers
The railway press has been full of stories about over-zealous officials
treating railway photographers as potential terrorists. At Norwich
station another deterrent – Health and Safety – has been brought into
play. Platforms 1 and 2 are useful for observing unusual visitors to
the low-level sidings, but since they have had new train-watering
equipment installed, they are out of bounds to the casual observer or
photographer while London trains are serviced.
Current practice seems to be to keep passengers on the main circulating
area until servicing of their train is complete. The barrier is
sometimes opened just as the next train from London arrives, causing
crowds of people to battle in opposite directions .
Heritage,
Narrow-Gauge and Miniature
Dereham welcomes
main-line visitors - but is it ‘skid-pan’ finale?
Star guest at the Mid-Norfolk Railway’s diesel gala on September 23/4
was Direct Rail Services Class 37/0 no. 37259. The loco arrived from
Wembley on the Friday. Bearing a headboard ‘DRS Anglia - on a mission’
it worked nearly all the gala trains, either solo or in tandem with
resident locos nos. 31538 and 50019 Ramillies.
An extra attraction at Dereham was the first one-liveried
railcar to visit the MNR. Car no. 153306 was there ready for the annual
‘skid-pan’ exercises the following week, when one drivers practised
stopping on slippery rails in preparation for the leaf-fall season. The
exercise took place between Hardingham and Kimberley stations.
Travelling in the down direction, the drivers aimed to stop at an
imaginary platform marked by road cones.
This may be the last year of the ‘skid-pan’, reports correspondent
Steve Goodrum, as one plans to have driving simulators in operation
before next autumn.
One 'King' steams again....
In south Norfolk a ‘King’ is once again in steam. However this is no
mighty Swindon product but a Norwegian two-cylinder 2-6-0, no. 377 King
Haakon VII, which is back in working order at Bressingham Steam
& Gardens for the first time in 20 years.
The loco, which worked for Norwegian State Railways, was brought to
England in 1970, and moved from the Great Central Railway to
Bressingham in 1986. The restoration project in Bressingham’s workshops
included repairing the boiler, building a new tank for the tender and
repainting..
King Haakon VII’s name comes from the story that it hauled the
train carrying the Norwegian king into exile when the Nazis invaded in
1940. It will be in steam each Sunday until the end of October.
...while another takes a seaside break
Briefly at the North Norfolk Railway – but taken away again before this
year’s Steam Gala – was Hunslet 0-6-0ST no.2409 King George. It
visited from the East Anglian Railway Museum at Chappel as part of a
loan exchange for the J15. Despite its small size, King George proved
valuable on several occasions when it was the railway’s only steam
engine available.
The NNR’s steam gala, held a month later than normal on October 6 – 8,
saw five locos in steam. Regulars WD 2-10-0 no.90775, J15 0-6-0
no.65462 and N7 0-6-2 no. 69621 were joined by two visitors: USA S160
2-8-0 no.5197 and (on loan from the North Yorkshire Moors Railway) BR
4MT 2-6-4 tank no. 80135. A NNR ‘first’ during the weekend was the
simultaneous use of both platforms at Holt.
Historic locos and stock helped by special interest clubs
The M&GNJRS owns four steam locos – B12 4-6-0 no. 61572, J15 0-6-0
no. 65462, WD 2-10-0 no. 90775 and 0-6-0T Wissington – as well
as Class 31 no. 31207 and some historically important coaches and
wagons.
Each vehicle or project has attracted its own supporters, who have
formed groups. The Society has now rationalised things by publishing a
recruitment leaflet for these Special Interest Clubs. The clubs, which
each offer different benefits such as certificates or footplate
experiences, are:
The B12 'Wandering 1500' Club
Friends of 90775 Club
31 Club
J15 and B12 200 Clubs (monthly prize draw)
Joint Heritage Coach Fund (no membership; GER no. 295 is a prime object
of funds)
The ‘Dedicated Special Interest Clubs’ leaflet can be obtained from
Sheringham Station.
Gresley buffet back in service
After months of hard work by the NNR’s Carriage & Wagon department,
Gresley wooden-bodied buffet car no 51767 has returned to duty. It now
wears BR ‘blood and custard’ livery, and carries its BR number E9128E.
Work on the 1937-built coach included replacing and repairing rotted
wooden body parts. It was completed in time for the Annual Carriage
Restorers' Convention on September 9, which attracted C&W
specialists from many preserved railways.
Away from the tracks
New era – or demolition –
for derelict Whitwell station?
For years its decaying brickwork and the encroaching vegetation have
intrigued walkers on the adjacent Marriott’s Way. Now the old M&GN
Whitwell & Reepham station is being offered for sale by Norfolk
County Council, at a guide price of £250,000.
The station, on the old Melton Constable – Norwich line, opened in 1882
and closed, along with most of the M&GN, in 1959. The 3.15 hectare
site for sale includes the station building, southbound platform and
goods shed (dubbed ‘engine shed’ in the sale particulars). Agent NPS
Property Consultants says that, subject to planning, the land has
potential for a variety of uses. Reports suggest that Broadland
District Council may buy it and establish a travellers’ site there.
Offers have to be tendered by November 6. More details are available at
www.nps.co.uk
Consultation document ignores Norfolk Orbital project
North Norfolk District Council has began consultation on its Local
Development Framework.
Its proposals to safeguard disused railway trackbeds from non-rail
development only extend to the “Sheringham gap” and the Mid Norfolk
Railway’s extension to Fakenham. The study has not identified the
trackbed between High Kelling and Fakenham “owing to questions over
deliverability of the scheme and concerns that it may cause unnecessary
blight to properties potentially affected."
The Holt, Melton Constable and Fakenham Railway Co. urges interested
parties to make their voice heard so that the Orbital route is not
obstructed by other development.
Marriott Museum opens its doors
Loco numberplates, enamel advertisements and handlamps are among the
exhibits at the new William Marriott Museum at Holt station.
William Marriott retired in 1924 after along career in charge of the
M&GN’s engineering and traffic departments. The museum contains a
variety of railway items from East Anglia, and was officially opened on
August 24 by two of Marriott’s grand-daughters, Sheila Malkin and Anne
Fenner.
The museum is housed in the ‘goods shed ‘ – a re-creation of the
building which once stood at Thursford. It opens whenever NNR trains
run, and entry costs £1. On November 2 its curator Dave King will
give a talk to the NRS entitled ‘A Journey Through Time’.
‘Jube’ under the hammer at Aylsham
Included in G A Key’s auction of collectors’ items at Aylsham salerooms
on August 24 was a scratch-built live steam 6”-gauge model of LMS
‘Jubilee’ class 4-6-0 no. 5552 Silver Jubilee. Finished in
wartime black, the model made £3,300.
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