Downham and Stoke Ferry Railway
Encyclopedia
The Downham and Stoke Ferry Railway was a branch line in western Norfolk
, England
.
(GER). It ran from a junction with the GER at Denver
(to the south of Downham
), to a terminus at . There were two intermediate stations: and Abbey
(latterly known as Abbey and West Dereham).
On 6 August 1897 an Act of Parliament
authorised the GER to absorb the D&SF, which they did on 1 January 1898. Being part of the GER, the line passed to the London and North Eastern Railway
(LNER) at the Grouping
on 1 January 1923. The LNER withdrew the passenger service on 22 September 1930.
At , a privately-owned line, the Wissington Tramway, branched off. It opened and mostly closed in 1957.
Norfolk
Norfolk is a low-lying county in the East of England. It has borders with Lincolnshire to the west, Cambridgeshire to the west and southwest and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the North Sea coast and to the north-west the county is bordered by The Wash. The county...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.
History
The Downham and Stoke Ferry Railway (D&SF) was just over 7 miles (11.3 km) long. It was authorised on 24 July 1879, and opened on 1 August 1882, being worked by the Great Eastern RailwayGreat Eastern Railway
The Great Eastern Railway was a pre-grouping British railway company, whose main line linked London Liverpool Street to Norwich and which had other lines through East Anglia...
(GER). It ran from a junction with the GER at Denver
Denver railway station (Great Eastern)
Denver railway station was a station in Denver, Norfolk on the Great Eastern Railway route between King's Lynn and Cambridge, commonly known as the Fen Line. It was also the beginning of a small branch to Stoke Ferry.-History:...
(to the south of Downham
Downham Market railway station
Downham Market railway station serves the town of Downham Market in the English county of Norfolk. The station lies on Fen Line from Cambridge to King's Lynn, which is electrified at 25 kV AC overhead...
), to a terminus at . There were two intermediate stations: and Abbey
Abbey and West Dereham railway station
Abbey and West Dereham railway station was a railway station on the line between Downham Market and Stoke Ferry. It served the village of West Dereham and the nearby abbey, in Norfolk, England.-History:...
(latterly known as Abbey and West Dereham).
On 6 August 1897 an Act of Parliament
Acts of Parliament in the United Kingdom
An Act of Parliament in the United Kingdom is a type of legislation called primary legislation. These Acts are passed by the Parliament of the United Kingdom at Westminster, or by the Scottish Parliament at Edinburgh....
authorised the GER to absorb the D&SF, which they did on 1 January 1898. Being part of the GER, the line passed to the London and North Eastern Railway
London and North Eastern Railway
The London and North Eastern Railway was the second-largest of the "Big Four" railway companies created by the Railways Act 1921 in Britain...
(LNER) at the Grouping
Railways Act 1921
The Railways Act 1921, also known as the Grouping Act, was an enactment by the British government of David Lloyd George intended to stem the losses being made by many of the country's 120 railway companies, move the railways away from internal competition, and to retain some of the benefits which...
on 1 January 1923. The LNER withdrew the passenger service on 22 September 1930.
At , a privately-owned line, the Wissington Tramway, branched off. It opened and mostly closed in 1957.