North Norfolk Railway: Difference between revisions

v t e North Norfolk Railway
Legend
Bittern Line to Cromer Sheringham Level crossing connecting to NR line Sheringham Church Street bridge (No. 304) Sweetbriar Lane LC (AOCL) A149 bridge (No. 303) Weybourne Station Road bridge (No. 302) Kelling Camp Halt Kelling Heath Park Bridge Road bridge (No. 299) Holt Holt (original) Midland & Great Northern Jt Rly to Melton Constable

The North Norfolk Railway (NNR) – also known as the "Poppy Line" – is a 5+1⁄4-mile (8.4 km) heritage steam railway in Norfolk, England, running between the towns of Sheringham and Holt. The North Norfolk Railway is owned and operated as a public limited company,^[1] originally called Central Norfolk Enterprises Limited. The railway is listed as exempt from the UK Railways (Interoperability) Regulations 2000.^[2]

History

Route history

The line once formed part of the

The

In 1954, British Railways announced the closure of the former Great Eastern Railway terminus at Cromer High, with all traffic being routed into the M&GN station at Cromer Beach.^[11] The majority of the M&GN system was closed to passengers on 28 February 1959,^[12] although the line between Melton Constable and Cromer retained a good level of passenger service - becoming an extension of the former GER line from Norwich.^[13]

The

The Midland & Great Northern Joint Railways Preservation Society formed in April 1959, initially hoping to save the 22-mile long North Walsham Town to Yarmouth Beach section; later, the North Walsham to Aylsham North and Themelthorpe to Melton Constable sections.^[15] After these plans proved impossible, attention turned to the 3 miles (4.8 km) section of line between Sheringham and Weybourne.^[16] In 1963, the Society formed North Norfolk Railways Limited, initially required to be titled the Central Norfolk Enterprises due to not owning any railway, to preserve and operate the line.^[17]

Sheringham station was still being used by British Rail services and, by the time the purchase had been completed, track lifting had taken place at Weybourne and some way towards Sheringham.^[18] Work on rebuilding the line started in 1965 and Sheringham station was leased by the society following closure in 1967^[19] with two steam locomotives, two diesel railbuses and the LNER Quad-Art set being delivered on 4 June 1967.^[18]

Initially, trains were only operated for members. Operations over the line were later authorised through a Light Railway Order; the first was issued in 1975, under control of British Rail, and independently from 1976.^[20] An amendment order was issued in 1987, relating to the extension of the NNR to a new station site at Holt - using a parcel of land originally purchased as the junction for the never-built Blakeney branch.^[21]

At

In 2001, it was announced that the railway was in danger of closure; this was due to the landlords of Sheringham station reportedly wanting to sell the site for redevelopment and the railway's lease on the site expiring in June of that year. The railway was able to raise £290,000 to purchase the site, with offered funding including an interest-free, 5-year private loan of £150,000.[26]

Present day

There are two stations between Sheringham and Holt:

The NNR operates both steam- and diesel-hauled services; it organises a programme of seasonal special events including steam galas, diesel galas, Santa and Norfolk Lights expresses.

The main restoration sheds, including the former locomotive shed from

• 2009 - NRHA: The National Rail Heritage Awards Volunteers Award, for Holt signal box
• 2009 - NHRA: The Invensis Rail Signalling Award: Structure, Holt signal box
• 2016 - Hoseasons Tourism Awards: Best 'large attraction' in Norfolk and Suffolk[31]
• 2016 - Heritage Railway Association: Annual Award (Large Groups), for extending steam services of the main line between two major coastal resorts and extending the boundaries of railway preservation
• 2018 - Heritage Railway Association: Coiley Locomotive Engineering Award, Runner-up, for 90775 major overhaul.
• 2022 - Queens Award for Voluntary Service in recognition of their outstanding voluntary work in the community. ^[32]

Television, film and theatre use

• In May 1973, the railway was the scene of filming for the episode "The Royal Train" of the popular TV programme Dad's Army.^[33]
• In 1983, the railway and the then-unrestored Quad-Art set were used as locations in the filming of the adaption of Coot Club, part of the BBC series Swallows and Amazons Forever!.
• In 1994, the railway provided a location for the BBC's Love on a Branch Line.
• Other productions that have used the line include The Lost Prince, All The King's Men, Sherlock Holmes and Reel History of Britain.^[34]

Route details

Starting from

The train then begins a 1 in 100 descent, passing under a farm occupation bridge and passing through a cutting on the edge of Deadman's Hill, reputedly the burial place for plague victims from Weybourne village. After crossing over the A149 on Bridge 303 the train begins to climb a 1 in 80 gradient, and turns slightly inland. The village of Weybourne can be seen on the seaward side of the line.

The train next arrives at Weybourne, where the large locomotive and carriage works can be seen on the seaward side of the running line. The signal box was recovered from Holt, as the original was accidentally demolished by British Railways contractors after the line had been purchased by the North Norfolk Railway.

Leaving Weybourne, the train continues to climb a 1 in 80 gradient, passing the wooded site of the former Weybourne Springs Hotel that the station was built to serve. Kelling Heath Park is soon reached. This is a single coach platform, built during the restoration of the line, and sits on the gradient, so most locomotive-hauled trains only stop here when running in the down direction (towards Sheringham).

After passing through a deep cutting, the gradient eases and the train passes over a level crossing on Kelling Heath, turning further inland as it heads towards Holt. After passing under a road bridge, a modern carriage shed is passed on the inland side of the line. This area had once featured a number of ballast sidings used by the M&GN.

The train now approaches the Holt station, with a signal box and reconstructed goods shed visible on the "seaward" side of the train. The line terminates here, but it is possible to see where the line originally continued towards Melton Constable.

The future

With the level crossing at Sheringham reinstated, one of the next projects is to rebuild the demolished buildings on platform 2 at Sheringham station; the stanchions for the project are at Weybourne. This is seen as a medium to long-term project, but a start may be made soon on erecting the stanchions.^[38] The project has already seen a footbridge replaced.^[39]

Holt station is also being developed, with projects including erecting a footbridge. Currently awaiting restoration and installation is a 60 ft turntable from Hull (Botanic Gardens), purchased from the South Devon Railway.

Rolling stock

There are a variety of preserved steam and diesel locomotives,

• On 30 October 1984, a volunteer died after falling from bridge 303 during the rebuilding of the structure, which crosses the Coast Road.^[40]

• On 19 September 2015,
  light engine
  , collided with the buffers at the Holt terminus of the line. The buffers were partially demolished, and the fire service attended. The fireman was slightly injured and was checked over in hospital.

• On 17 November 2018, Great Eastern Railway Class Y14 0-6-0 locomotive 564 was in collision with a car on the level crossing accessing Sheringham golf course, while travelling at about 10 mph. The car was badly damaged, but nobody was hurt and the train and rail infrastructure was not damaged. This automatic open level crossing, controlled by lights which were working properly at the time, is the only one in regular use on the railway.^[41] The car driver was later fined for his involvement.^[42]

Funding and associated bodies

The railway relies on a variety of sources to fund its operation. Funding sources have included:

A £419,000 carriage store (Bridge Road Carriage Sheds) was constructed close to Holt with the help of a 2006 grant of £308,000 from the Heritage Lottery Fund. A path from Holt station was included, but stops just before the sheds, with no public access to the site being possible.^[43]

In April 2013, the line was awarded £99,500 from the National Lottery Heritage Fund (NLHF) to further its restoration and education programmes, specifically to show the impact railways had on the development of the London suburbs.^[44]

In 2016, the line was celebrating the completion of a new Tourist Information Centre at Sheringham and a new boiler shop at Weybourne, which were made possible by a £498,000 award from the government's Coastal Community Fund. North Norfolk District Council also awarded £154,000 towards the work.^[45]

In April 2020, the Midland and Great Northern Joint Railway Society, backers of the North Norfolk Railway, purchased Hunslet 0-6-0ST locomotive No. 1982, "Ring Haw" and a crane from the company in order to release funds for the line and ensure that the vehicles remained on the North Norfolk Railway.^[46]

In July 2020, the line was given a grant of £46,500 towards reinstating train services from the NLHF Emergency appeal.^[47]

In October 2020, the line was awarded £360,000 from the Culture Recovery Fund (from the Heritage and the Heritage Stimulus Fund), funded by the government and administered by Historic England and the NLHF.^[48]

See also

• Bressingham Steam and Gardens
• Bure Valley Railway
• Mid-Norfolk Railway
• Wells and Walsingham Light Railway
• Whitwell & Reepham railway station
• Yaxham Light Railway
• Barton House Railway

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to North Norfolk Railway.

• North Norfolk Railway Archived 18 August 2021 at the Wayback Machine
• The Midland & Great Northern Joint Railway Society
• North Norfolk Railway webcams
• Poppy Line Web Ring
• Heritage Railway Association

52°56′04″N 1°09′16″E / 52.9345°N 1.1545°E / 52.9345; 1.1545