Wells Harbour Railway
Fleet size | 4 |
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Stations called at | 2 |
Stations operated | 2 |
Technical | |
Track gauge | 10+1⁄4 in (260 mm) |
Length | 1.1 km (0.68 mi) |
Wells Harbour Railway | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The Wells Harbour Railway was a 10+1⁄4 in (260 mm) gauge railway that ran at Wells-next-the-Sea, Norfolk, England. It was 1,200 yards (1,100 m) long, running between Wells Harbour and Pinewoods. The line operated for 45 years, from 1976 to 2021, when it was closed and replaced with a bus service.
History
The Wells Harbour Railway was established in 1976 by
Over 80,000 passengers were carried in the first two years of operation. In January 1978, a storm washed away over 1⁄2 mile (800 m) of track. The railway was rebuilt and reopened in July that year.
The railway was sold again in 1988, the new owners finding that it was in poor condition. In 1998, new carriages were supplied by
Closure
In April 2021 it was announced that the future of the railway was in doubt due to the retirement of the operators and landowner, the
In September 2021 the railway closed, without fanfare, despite protest, with Holkham Estate issuing a briefing repeating closure,[5] saying that all the railway equipment had been sold on to a different location in the UK and that there will be a "replacement service" for transport between the town and the harbour by 2022 season.
The track and rolling stock were removed over a 6–day period in early November 2021 with the support of staff from the purchasers, Lappa Valley Steam Railway[6] where the rail will be reused to renew the life expired aluminium rail presently installed on the 10.25" railway and the locomotives and carriages supporting the existing fleet.
In February 2022, it was announced that an electric bus would replace the railway, with services augmented by a vintage open top bus during busy times.[7]
In December 2021, one of the former locomotives Densil was purchased by the Watford Miniature Railway despite it leaving on the same lorry bound for Cornwall with the track and other rolling stock.
Operation
The Wells Harbour Railway operated at weekends from Easter to the May Day bank holiday, then daily until the end of September, using a published timetable. It then operated at weekends until the end of October.[2] The railway claims to hold the record of being the first railway of its gauge (or any smaller gauge) to operate a scheduled timetable passenger service.[8]
Rolling stock
Locomotives
Name | Wheel arrangement | Year built & builder | Notes | Photograph |
---|---|---|---|---|
Densil | DH
|
1998 Alan Keef
|
Steam outline diesel locomotive.[2] Powered by a one-litre 3-cylinder Perkins engine.[9] Now at the Watford Miniature Railway. |
|
Howard | DH
|
2005 Alan Keef |
Steam outline diesel locomotive. Lappa Valley Railway .
|
|
The Duke | DH
|
2014 Alan Keef |
Diesel locomotive.[2] Powered by a one-litre 3-cylinder Perkins engine. Now at the Lappa Valley Railway. |
Former locomotives
Name | Wheel arrangement | Year built & builder | Notes | Photograph |
---|---|---|---|---|
Edmund Hannay | ST
|
1972 David King |
Steam locomotive.[9] Sold in 2011, and located at Knebworth House, and then the Vanstone Woodland Railway, it is now at Hastings Miniature Railway. | |
Weasel | PM
|
1980 David King |
Petrol mechanical locomotive.[2] Powered by an Alfa Romeo petrol engine, driving all four wheels.[9] Weasel has now been sold, and its present location is North Cornwall Miniature Railway. |
Carriages
The original carriages used on the line were made by David King, who was the engineer who built Edmund Hannay. They were two open carriages and two covered carriages with wooden bodies on steel underframes. In 1998, four new covered carriages were made by Alan Keef. These have steel bodies on steel underframes.[3]
References
- ^ a b c "Wells Harbour Railway". Steam Railway Lines. Retrieved 25 April 2011.
- ^ a b c d e f g "Wells Harbour Railway 10 1/4 inch". Miniature Railway World. Retrieved 25 April 2011.
- ^ a b "Wells Harbour Railway History". Wells Harbour Railway. Retrieved 25 April 2011.
- ^ Devastating: Wells Harbour Railway could face closure, Holkham Estate confirms
- ^ "Wells-next-the-Sea Beach | Plan Your Visit". Holkham.
- ^ Senior, Matthew (26 July 2022). "Iconic engines from Wells-next-the-sea railway find new home". Norfolk Live.
- ^ Baldwin, Laura (9 February 2022). "Wells Harbour Railway to be replaced by electric bus from this summer". Eastern Daily Press. Archant. Retrieved 9 February 2022.
- ^ "Wells Harbour Railway Homepage". Wells Harbour Railway. Retrieved 4 May 2011.
- ^ a b c "Wells Harbour Railway Engines". Wells Harbour Railway. Retrieved 25 April 2011.
External links
- Wells Harbour Railway Official website.