National Network
NXEA to phase out ‘perfect fare’
Widespread anger has greeted the news that NXEA’s full restaurant service on the Norwich – London route is to cease. Despite the service being awarded ‘ten out of ten’ and rated the best on the UK rail network (NRS Newsletter Jul/Aug 2008), the company will serve its last on-train restaurant meal on December 19. Buffet facilities will be improved to compensate.
NXEA also intends to close its Grosvenor House call centre. The Transport Salaried Staff Association claims that the moves could see more than 300 people lose their jobs. Gerry Doherty, TSSA general secretary, called it a ’bad blow’ for the region.
Norwich North MP Dr Ian Gibson is among those protesting about the removal of restaurant cars. Norfolk County councillors have supported a motion demanding that National Express ‘reconsiders its proposals and lives up to the expectation of the franchise it has signed’.
Breckland line timetable improvements
With the start of the new timetable on December 14, the early-morning Cambridge – Norwich train has been retimed and arrives earlier in Norwich. At the other end of the day, the last Norwich – Cambridge train now leaves Norwich at 22.40, 30 minutes later than previously, allowing more time for evening entertainment. Operation of these two trains has switched from EMT to NXEA. As this leaves NXEA short of a dmu, the company hires an EMT Class 158 unit to operate certain early-morning Norwich – Lowestoft trains.
EMTs’ 07.27 Cambridge – Liverpool now starts instead from Norwich at 06.52. In the evening its 16:57 Norwich – Manchester train calls at Wymondham, and the 17.54 Norwich – Nottingham calls at both Wymondham and Attleborough.
First Capital Connect’s Sunday service to London on the Fen Line starts as before with the 08:28 from King’s Lynn, but the frequency has doubled to hourly, with extra down workings to balance the stock.
Norwich joins Megatrain fare network
In common with other TOCs, East Midlands Trains will increase a number of its fares on January 2. Regulated fares, which include off-peak tickets, will increase by 6%, whilst unregulated fares will increase by an average of 7.4%.
The company points out that there will be no increase for advance tickets bought on the internet at www.eastmidlandstrains.co.uk. What’s more, in January EMT will extend its bargain-rate ‘megatrain.com’ fares, priced from £1 (plus 50p booking fee), to new routes, which include Sheffield, Chesterfield and Nottingham to Peterborough and Norwich. Instead of paper ticketing, megatrain.com issues either an e-ticket (by email) or m-ticket (by mobile phone), which helps keep down administration costs.
Ticket offices to shut?
Withdrawing staff from stations seems very ‘1970s’ – but, sadly, the principle appears to be alive and kicking. NXEA has proposed closing the small but successful part-time ticket office at Wymondham, North Walsham and Attleborough. The plan is to be discussed with union officials and staff representatives.
Nine-day Lowestoft line closure
A major portion of the Wherry Lines closed for nine days in October to allow track renewal between Cantley and Reedham as well as swing-bridge repairs at Somerleyton and Reedham. From October 18 (Sat) to 26 (Sun) no trains ran between Norwich and Lowestoft, and all Norwich – Yarmouth trains used the Acle route. Replacement bus services were laid on: a fast service linked Norwich and Lowestoft via Oulton Broad North, and other buses ran between Reedham, Cantley and Acle, and between Acle and Oulton Broad North calling at Great Yarmouth and Lowestoft.
Clearance run brings surprise Meridian to Norwich
An unusual visitor to Norwich on Saturday October 12 was East Midlands Trains ‘Meridian’ class 222 dmu no. 222013. The air-conditioned 125mph units normally work EMT’s St Pancras – Sheffield trains, but there are suggestions that they may be used on the Liverpool – Norwich route on summer Saturdays, and the one-off trip was to test clearances. 222013 arrived as the 5Z30 08:22 Etches Park-Norwich via Nottingham, Grantham and Ely and returned as the 5Z31 13:04 Norwich to Nottingham.
Class 57s spearhead leaves-on-the-line campaign
This year's Railhead Treatment Trains (RHTTs) began in East Anglia on October 9. DRS again operated trains out of Stowmarket, with a schedule similar to last year’s, but instead of Class 20s, ex-Freightliner Class 57s were used as well as a pair of Class 37s.
The RHTTs were booked to run through to December 13, with servicing and maintenance carried out at the Mid-Norfolk Railway’s Dereham yard.
Refreshed 158s will please passengers, says Shoveller
East Midlands Trains’ two-car unit no.158783 re-entered passenger service on November 3. EMTs’ 25 Class 158s work between Liverpool and Norwich, and this was the first to have received an extensive refurbishment at DeltaRail (NRS Newsletter Sep/Oct 2008). EMT managing director Tim Shoveller claimed that the refreshed units would ‘transform the travelling environment for our passengers.’
Some Liverpool – Norwich route trains are to be enlarged to four coaches by coupling two 158s together – but only on the Liverpool – Sheffield ‘busy section’.
Thieves make off with Pandrol clips
10,000 Pandrol clips have been stolen from Balfour Beatty’s depot on London Road, Ipswich. The crime follows a rising trend of metal theft from railway sites due to its increasing value. The stolen clips, which secure rails to sleepers, weighed 12 tons and were valued at about £10,000. Most were purple and stamped ‘8SA’, the rest red and stamped ‘8KF’.
Anyone with information about the theft should contact a police hotline on 0800 405040 quoting incident B3 on October 6.
Replacement OHL masts
A section of the Norwich – London line between Diss and Stowmarket, where the ground is particularly soft and marshy, is having new OHL masts installed. The new masts, set unusually far back from the running lines, require extensive pumped concrete foundations to ensure stability.
Capital promotion for Bittern and Wherry Lines
Commuters and tourists at Liverpool Street station, London’s rail gateway to East Anglia, have been encouraged to visit two of our picturesque branch lines.
On October 24 representatives from the Bittern and Wherry Lines manned a display stand by the Broadgate exit near Liverpool Street’s Platform 1. The campaign was timed to fall just before half-term, in order to persuade families to use the routes as part of a day out.
Heritage, Narrow-Gauge and Miniature
Mid-Norfolk’s Christmas treat – a plum Duff
The Stratford Class 47 Group's no. 47580 County of Essex is visiting the Mid-Norfolk Railway for the winter. The immaculate loco arrived at the MNR on December 11, running light from West Ealing after dropping off a tamper. It is scheduled to haul Santa Specials from December 14 and also feature in the post-Christmas Mince Pie Specials. An extra coach will be added to the Santa Special set for enthusiasts wishing to travel behind the ‘Duff’. Normal fares apply or an all-day rover ticket is available for £10. Booking is recommended.
The Stratford 47 Group’s other two locos are both under repair in Norfolk: no. 47 596 Aldeburgh Festival on the MNR, and no.47367 on the North Norfolk Railway.
Double weekend to mark M&GN closure
On February 28 2009 it will be exactly 50 years since the closureof most of the M&GN. The railway’s torchbearer, the North Norfolk Railway, plans to mark the date in style.
Under the banner ‘That’s Yer Lot’, the gloomy graffiti chalked on the last services, the NNR is planning an eight-loco steam gala – its biggest-ever – over two consecutive weekends: February 27 (Fri) to March 1 (Sun) and March 7 and 8 (Sat/Sun). Guest locomotives joining the home-based WD, J15 and N7 will be: ex-LNER B1 4-6-0 no. 1306 Mayflower; BR 4MT 2-6-0 no. 76079 and 2MT 2-6-0 78019; and two 0-6-0 freight locos: Fowler 4F no.44422 and L&YR A Class no.1300.
Army traffic to return to Dereham?
Robertson Barracks at Swanton Morley has not used the Mid-Norfolk Railway’s Dereham station as a railhead for several years, but the arrival of a test train on September 26 suggests that military traffic could resume.
Running as 6Z24 03:05 from Wembley Yard and 6Z25 13:40 return, EWS no. 66105 brought warflats nos.95244 and 95251 and warwell no.95511 to Dereham, where army road vehicles were manoeuvred on and off the wagons to evaluate loading and unloading methods.
New-build B17 cab arrives at Weybourne
On May 1 this year, the North British Locomotive Preservation Group launched an ambitious project to build not just one but two LNER B17 class 4-6-0s – one to main-line specifications, and the other purely for display. Two fully-operational tenders will be built, one GER type and one LNER, so either a 'Sandringham' or a 'Footballer' can be made available for work as required.
The exhibition loco is under construction at the North Norfolk Railway’s Weybourne works. The cab, built by Chapway Fabrications of Hoddesdon, has been delivered (and stored under cover after slight weather damage). The loco will temporarily carry the class’s next sequential number – 61673 – and its first livery will be BR Brunswick green. A suitable football club name for the main line engine will be decided by a shareholders’ vote. Ipswich Town is the current favourite.
By the end of October 220 £50 shares in the project had been sold. Enquiries should be addressed to the Membership Secretary Ken Livermore, Hon. Secretary, Sandringham Project Team on [email protected]
HRA praises NNR’s Quad-Art project
The Heritage Railway Association has given an award to the North Norfolk Railway for the rescue and restoration of its historic Gresley Quad-Art coach set, and the provision of covered accommodation for it. The 84-years-old wooden-bodied train was rebuilt over four years with the help of a grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund.
In charge of the restoration programme was NNR director Clive Morris, who said: ‘This is tremendous recognition for our volunteers and for the craftsman at our contractors, West Coast Railways in Cumbria, whose meticulous workmanship has brought a key piece of railway history vividly alive again.’
Female footplate finalist
Bure Valley Railway driver Juliet Walker reached the ‘Train Driver of the Year’ finals at the RailStaff 2008 award ceremony. Juliet started as a BVR volunteer two years ago and became the railway’s first lady driver earlier this year. At the final, held in Birmingham on November 1, the title went to First Capital Connect driver Adrian Hewitt, but Juliet took consolation from being the only finalist from a heritage railway as well as the only female competitor.
‘Scot’ won't see the main line this year
Lingering hopes that Bressingham’s LMS 4-6-0 no. 6100 Royal Scot might return to steam this year have been dashed by the news that work at Southall has fallen behind schedule. However current plans see it making its first test runs on January 13, with revenue-earning trips pencilled in for February.
A further blow came when project manager Roland Kennington was taken ill while driving to Bressingham, but he has since been reported as making a good recovery.
More coaches at Dereham...
Three more coaches have arrived at the Mid-Norfolk Railway’s Dereham yard – and there are more to come.
Virgin-liveried Mk3 Open First no. 11024 has been bought by National Express. The body will be stripped of useful parts at Dereham, and the bogies will be recovered. Mk 2 TSOs nos. 5267 and 5446 will be used by the MNR for components.
Further vehicles due to come from Crown Point depot include ex Royal Mail Mk1 PCV no. 94320, to be used as a stores vehicle.
...and Whitwell
The rolling-stock collection at the rapidly-growing ex-M&GN Whitwell station preservation site was increased on October 3 when BSK no 34712 and Bogie B Van S272 arrived from the Great Central Railway.
Ashmanhaugh line offers footplate tuition
With nearly all heritage lines offering loco-driving experience courses, the latest to join the scheme is the Ashmanhaugh Light Railway near Wroxham.
The 71/4“gauge line offers afternoon courses which teach the basics of safe railway operation. After helping prepare the loco, a course participant drives it under supervision, with up to four friends riding on the train. He/she returns the loco to the shed and, after helping to drop the fire and clear the tubes, is presented with a commemorative certificate. Prices start from £60, and include refreshments. Further details from NRS member and ALR footplate co-ordinator Alan Ball on 07717 502597.
The ALR has completed its third ‘Lake’ section, which will give visitors a longer and more interesting ride as well as a choice of routes.
Away from the tracks
Southwold ‘steam park’ proposal
The Southwold Railway Trust has for some time endeavoured to re-create the much-missed 3-ft gauge Southwold Railway but has been thwarted at every turn by local opposition.
Having begun a £200,000 project to create a replica 2-4-2 Sharp Stewart tank loco, the Trust has been seeking suitable local premises for its construction and considering how best to raise the money. It has come up with the idea of a Southwold Steam Railway Park in Blyth Road at the town’s western edge.
The 21/2 acre site, once a refuse tip, is currently used by Sole Bay Car Spares. The Trust has applied to convert the existing shed into an engine shed and workshop, office, shop, cafe, kitchen, museum and toilets. Visitors would ride on a looped track in a landscaped garden site, the railway’s gauge (2ft or 2ft 6 in) determined by whatever locomotive can be acquired.
Councillors to ponder Hunstanton rail reopening
Frequented by the royal family and beloved of Sir John Betjeman, the Hunstanton branch closed in May 1969. Now a proposal to reinstate it has appeared on the agenda of West Norfolk Council’s Regeneration and Environment panel. Discussions were to be held, say councillors, to ascertain whether sufficient trackbed remains to make it a feasible project.
Earlier this year a ‘Hunstanton Railway Memories’ exhibition featuring photographs and memorabilia was held at the town’s Coal Shed gallery. The organisers claim that most
NXEA to phase out ‘perfect fare’
Widespread anger has greeted the news that NXEA’s full restaurant service on the Norwich – London route is to cease. Despite the service being awarded ‘ten out of ten’ and rated the best on the UK rail network (NRS Newsletter Jul/Aug 2008), the company will serve its last on-train restaurant meal on December 19. Buffet facilities will be improved to compensate.
NXEA also intends to close its Grosvenor House call centre. The Transport Salaried Staff Association claims that the moves could see more than 300 people lose their jobs. Gerry Doherty, TSSA general secretary, called it a ’bad blow’ for the region.
Norwich North MP Dr Ian Gibson is among those protesting about the removal of restaurant cars. Norfolk County councillors have supported a motion demanding that National Express ‘reconsiders its proposals and lives up to the expectation of the franchise it has signed’.
Breckland line timetable improvements
With the start of the new timetable on December 14, the early-morning Cambridge – Norwich train has been retimed and arrives earlier in Norwich. At the other end of the day, the last Norwich – Cambridge train now leaves Norwich at 22.40, 30 minutes later than previously, allowing more time for evening entertainment. Operation of these two trains has switched from EMT to NXEA. As this leaves NXEA short of a dmu, the company hires an EMT Class 158 unit to operate certain early-morning Norwich – Lowestoft trains.
EMTs’ 07.27 Cambridge – Liverpool now starts instead from Norwich at 06.52. In the evening its 16:57 Norwich – Manchester train calls at Wymondham, and the 17.54 Norwich – Nottingham calls at both Wymondham and Attleborough.
First Capital Connect’s Sunday service to London on the Fen Line starts as before with the 08:28 from King’s Lynn, but the frequency has doubled to hourly, with extra down workings to balance the stock.
Norwich joins Megatrain fare network
In common with other TOCs, East Midlands Trains will increase a number of its fares on January 2. Regulated fares, which include off-peak tickets, will increase by 6%, whilst unregulated fares will increase by an average of 7.4%.
The company points out that there will be no increase for advance tickets bought on the internet at www.eastmidlandstrains.co.uk. What’s more, in January EMT will extend its bargain-rate ‘megatrain.com’ fares, priced from £1 (plus 50p booking fee), to new routes, which include Sheffield, Chesterfield and Nottingham to Peterborough and Norwich. Instead of paper ticketing, megatrain.com issues either an e-ticket (by email) or m-ticket (by mobile phone), which helps keep down administration costs.
Ticket offices to shut?
Withdrawing staff from stations seems very ‘1970s’ – but, sadly, the principle appears to be alive and kicking. NXEA has proposed closing the small but successful part-time ticket office at Wymondham, North Walsham and Attleborough. The plan is to be discussed with union officials and staff representatives.
Nine-day Lowestoft line closure
A major portion of the Wherry Lines closed for nine days in October to allow track renewal between Cantley and Reedham as well as swing-bridge repairs at Somerleyton and Reedham. From October 18 (Sat) to 26 (Sun) no trains ran between Norwich and Lowestoft, and all Norwich – Yarmouth trains used the Acle route. Replacement bus services were laid on: a fast service linked Norwich and Lowestoft via Oulton Broad North, and other buses ran between Reedham, Cantley and Acle, and between Acle and Oulton Broad North calling at Great Yarmouth and Lowestoft.
Clearance run brings surprise Meridian to Norwich
An unusual visitor to Norwich on Saturday October 12 was East Midlands Trains ‘Meridian’ class 222 dmu no. 222013. The air-conditioned 125mph units normally work EMT’s St Pancras – Sheffield trains, but there are suggestions that they may be used on the Liverpool – Norwich route on summer Saturdays, and the one-off trip was to test clearances. 222013 arrived as the 5Z30 08:22 Etches Park-Norwich via Nottingham, Grantham and Ely and returned as the 5Z31 13:04 Norwich to Nottingham.
Class 57s spearhead leaves-on-the-line campaign
This year's Railhead Treatment Trains (RHTTs) began in East Anglia on October 9. DRS again operated trains out of Stowmarket, with a schedule similar to last year’s, but instead of Class 20s, ex-Freightliner Class 57s were used as well as a pair of Class 37s.
The RHTTs were booked to run through to December 13, with servicing and maintenance carried out at the Mid-Norfolk Railway’s Dereham yard.
Refreshed 158s will please passengers, says Shoveller
East Midlands Trains’ two-car unit no.158783 re-entered passenger service on November 3. EMTs’ 25 Class 158s work between Liverpool and Norwich, and this was the first to have received an extensive refurbishment at DeltaRail (NRS Newsletter Sep/Oct 2008). EMT managing director Tim Shoveller claimed that the refreshed units would ‘transform the travelling environment for our passengers.’
Some Liverpool – Norwich route trains are to be enlarged to four coaches by coupling two 158s together – but only on the Liverpool – Sheffield ‘busy section’.
Thieves make off with Pandrol clips
10,000 Pandrol clips have been stolen from Balfour Beatty’s depot on London Road, Ipswich. The crime follows a rising trend of metal theft from railway sites due to its increasing value. The stolen clips, which secure rails to sleepers, weighed 12 tons and were valued at about £10,000. Most were purple and stamped ‘8SA’, the rest red and stamped ‘8KF’.
Anyone with information about the theft should contact a police hotline on 0800 405040 quoting incident B3 on October 6.
Replacement OHL masts
A section of the Norwich – London line between Diss and Stowmarket, where the ground is particularly soft and marshy, is having new OHL masts installed. The new masts, set unusually far back from the running lines, require extensive pumped concrete foundations to ensure stability.
Capital promotion for Bittern and Wherry Lines
Commuters and tourists at Liverpool Street station, London’s rail gateway to East Anglia, have been encouraged to visit two of our picturesque branch lines.
On October 24 representatives from the Bittern and Wherry Lines manned a display stand by the Broadgate exit near Liverpool Street’s Platform 1. The campaign was timed to fall just before half-term, in order to persuade families to use the routes as part of a day out.
Heritage, Narrow-Gauge and Miniature
Mid-Norfolk’s Christmas treat – a plum Duff
The Stratford Class 47 Group's no. 47580 County of Essex is visiting the Mid-Norfolk Railway for the winter. The immaculate loco arrived at the MNR on December 11, running light from West Ealing after dropping off a tamper. It is scheduled to haul Santa Specials from December 14 and also feature in the post-Christmas Mince Pie Specials. An extra coach will be added to the Santa Special set for enthusiasts wishing to travel behind the ‘Duff’. Normal fares apply or an all-day rover ticket is available for £10. Booking is recommended.
The Stratford 47 Group’s other two locos are both under repair in Norfolk: no. 47 596 Aldeburgh Festival on the MNR, and no.47367 on the North Norfolk Railway.
Double weekend to mark M&GN closure
On February 28 2009 it will be exactly 50 years since the closureof most of the M&GN. The railway’s torchbearer, the North Norfolk Railway, plans to mark the date in style.
Under the banner ‘That’s Yer Lot’, the gloomy graffiti chalked on the last services, the NNR is planning an eight-loco steam gala – its biggest-ever – over two consecutive weekends: February 27 (Fri) to March 1 (Sun) and March 7 and 8 (Sat/Sun). Guest locomotives joining the home-based WD, J15 and N7 will be: ex-LNER B1 4-6-0 no. 1306 Mayflower; BR 4MT 2-6-0 no. 76079 and 2MT 2-6-0 78019; and two 0-6-0 freight locos: Fowler 4F no.44422 and L&YR A Class no.1300.
Army traffic to return to Dereham?
Robertson Barracks at Swanton Morley has not used the Mid-Norfolk Railway’s Dereham station as a railhead for several years, but the arrival of a test train on September 26 suggests that military traffic could resume.
Running as 6Z24 03:05 from Wembley Yard and 6Z25 13:40 return, EWS no. 66105 brought warflats nos.95244 and 95251 and warwell no.95511 to Dereham, where army road vehicles were manoeuvred on and off the wagons to evaluate loading and unloading methods.
New-build B17 cab arrives at Weybourne
On May 1 this year, the North British Locomotive Preservation Group launched an ambitious project to build not just one but two LNER B17 class 4-6-0s – one to main-line specifications, and the other purely for display. Two fully-operational tenders will be built, one GER type and one LNER, so either a 'Sandringham' or a 'Footballer' can be made available for work as required.
The exhibition loco is under construction at the North Norfolk Railway’s Weybourne works. The cab, built by Chapway Fabrications of Hoddesdon, has been delivered (and stored under cover after slight weather damage). The loco will temporarily carry the class’s next sequential number – 61673 – and its first livery will be BR Brunswick green. A suitable football club name for the main line engine will be decided by a shareholders’ vote. Ipswich Town is the current favourite.
By the end of October 220 £50 shares in the project had been sold. Enquiries should be addressed to the Membership Secretary Ken Livermore, Hon. Secretary, Sandringham Project Team on [email protected]
HRA praises NNR’s Quad-Art project
The Heritage Railway Association has given an award to the North Norfolk Railway for the rescue and restoration of its historic Gresley Quad-Art coach set, and the provision of covered accommodation for it. The 84-years-old wooden-bodied train was rebuilt over four years with the help of a grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund.
In charge of the restoration programme was NNR director Clive Morris, who said: ‘This is tremendous recognition for our volunteers and for the craftsman at our contractors, West Coast Railways in Cumbria, whose meticulous workmanship has brought a key piece of railway history vividly alive again.’
Female footplate finalist
Bure Valley Railway driver Juliet Walker reached the ‘Train Driver of the Year’ finals at the RailStaff 2008 award ceremony. Juliet started as a BVR volunteer two years ago and became the railway’s first lady driver earlier this year. At the final, held in Birmingham on November 1, the title went to First Capital Connect driver Adrian Hewitt, but Juliet took consolation from being the only finalist from a heritage railway as well as the only female competitor.
‘Scot’ won't see the main line this year
Lingering hopes that Bressingham’s LMS 4-6-0 no. 6100 Royal Scot might return to steam this year have been dashed by the news that work at Southall has fallen behind schedule. However current plans see it making its first test runs on January 13, with revenue-earning trips pencilled in for February.
A further blow came when project manager Roland Kennington was taken ill while driving to Bressingham, but he has since been reported as making a good recovery.
More coaches at Dereham...
Three more coaches have arrived at the Mid-Norfolk Railway’s Dereham yard – and there are more to come.
Virgin-liveried Mk3 Open First no. 11024 has been bought by National Express. The body will be stripped of useful parts at Dereham, and the bogies will be recovered. Mk 2 TSOs nos. 5267 and 5446 will be used by the MNR for components.
Further vehicles due to come from Crown Point depot include ex Royal Mail Mk1 PCV no. 94320, to be used as a stores vehicle.
...and Whitwell
The rolling-stock collection at the rapidly-growing ex-M&GN Whitwell station preservation site was increased on October 3 when BSK no 34712 and Bogie B Van S272 arrived from the Great Central Railway.
Ashmanhaugh line offers footplate tuition
With nearly all heritage lines offering loco-driving experience courses, the latest to join the scheme is the Ashmanhaugh Light Railway near Wroxham.
The 71/4“gauge line offers afternoon courses which teach the basics of safe railway operation. After helping prepare the loco, a course participant drives it under supervision, with up to four friends riding on the train. He/she returns the loco to the shed and, after helping to drop the fire and clear the tubes, is presented with a commemorative certificate. Prices start from £60, and include refreshments. Further details from NRS member and ALR footplate co-ordinator Alan Ball on 07717 502597.
The ALR has completed its third ‘Lake’ section, which will give visitors a longer and more interesting ride as well as a choice of routes.
Away from the tracks
Southwold ‘steam park’ proposal
The Southwold Railway Trust has for some time endeavoured to re-create the much-missed 3-ft gauge Southwold Railway but has been thwarted at every turn by local opposition.
Having begun a £200,000 project to create a replica 2-4-2 Sharp Stewart tank loco, the Trust has been seeking suitable local premises for its construction and considering how best to raise the money. It has come up with the idea of a Southwold Steam Railway Park in Blyth Road at the town’s western edge.
The 21/2 acre site, once a refuse tip, is currently used by Sole Bay Car Spares. The Trust has applied to convert the existing shed into an engine shed and workshop, office, shop, cafe, kitchen, museum and toilets. Visitors would ride on a looped track in a landscaped garden site, the railway’s gauge (2ft or 2ft 6 in) determined by whatever locomotive can be acquired.
Councillors to ponder Hunstanton rail reopening
Frequented by the royal family and beloved of Sir John Betjeman, the Hunstanton branch closed in May 1969. Now a proposal to reinstate it has appeared on the agenda of West Norfolk Council’s Regeneration and Environment panel. Discussions were to be held, say councillors, to ascertain whether sufficient trackbed remains to make it a feasible project.
Earlier this year a ‘Hunstanton Railway Memories’ exhibition featuring photographs and memorabilia was held at the town’s Coal Shed gallery. The organisers claim that most