Wymondham to Wells branch
Encyclopedia
The Wymondham to Wells branch was a railway built in stages by the Norfolk Railway and Eastern Counties Railway
between 1847 and 1857. The railway ran from Wymondham
in the south, through Dereham
and Fakenham
to the coastal town of Wells-next-the-Sea
; more specifically, the line ran from Wymondham South Junction, where it met the present-day Breckland Line
. Passenger services along the line lasted until 1969; the railway continued to be used for freight until 1989. The southern section of the railway now forms the Mid-Norfolk Railway
, with part of the northern section serving as the narrow gauge
Wells and Walsingham Light Railway
.
", when railways were being built across the whole country. The Norfolk Railway, building its line from Wymondham, reached Dereham first, and opened its railway to passengers on the 15 February 1847; the line from King's Lynn
had to wait until 11 September 1848.
The King's Lynn line was originally operated by the Lynn & Dereham Railway
, but in 1848 the Eastern Counties Railway
leased the Norfolk Railway and both lines were absorbed. In 1857 the line between Dereham and Wells
opened. The entire line became part of the Great Eastern Railway
in 1862. The line between Wymondham and Dereham was provided with double track
in 1882, the line north of there remaining single track
. The intermediate stations were rebuilt as part of the 1882 doubling scheme, being provided with new up platforms and additional glass-fronted buildings and canopies on the original down platforms.
At Dereham, many trains reversed and headed west to Swaffham
and King's Lynn
. An avoiding double track line was built to the south of Dereham station, running between Dereham West and Dereham South signal boxes, in 1886. This allowed the Wymondham to King's Lynn line to operate as a cross-country route, with the avoiding line being used by freight, excursion and diverted main-line trains. A further branch, to Wroxham
, left the line at County School station
, while a branch from joined at Wells.
As part of the Great Eastern Railway, the branch became part of the Southern Area of the London and North Eastern Railway
at The Grouping in 1923. At this time the coaches used on the Dereham line were still ex-GER 6 wheelers, although these were gradually replaced with bogie
stock. Arguably the most evident change was that the GER Royal blue
locomotives and crimson coaches were replaced by LNER black locomotives and brown carriages.
The line was heavily used during World War I and World War II, with extra Air Ministry sidings provided at Dereham in 1943. In the early days of the war, Dereham was used as a reception centre for the construction materials used to build the local airfields. In early 1944 Dereham was handling an average of 75 wagon loads of construction material per day. The line was also defended by an armoured train
, reporting as Train G, based at Heacham and using F4 2-4-2
tank locomotive 7189 as motive power. The armoured train was frequently used on the Wells line, and once collided with some empty coaches at Wells.
nationalised the "Big Four
" railway companies, and the branch line became part of the Eastern Region of British Railways
on 1 January 1948. The branch line between County School and closed to passengers on 15 September 1952, with the section between and closing to goods as well. The eastern section of line, between Wroxham
and the Themelthorpe Curve
, remained open for goods traffic until 1981. A stub of the western section, between County School and Foulsham remained open for goods until 31 October 1964, being busiest in the sugar beet season.
The 1955 Modernisation Plan resulted in the line's last steam passenger services. The final regular steam journey ran on 17 September 1955. Diesel units
took over next day, with faster trains and a more frequent service. For the first few weeks, some extra Saturday services continued to be steam-operated. Steam-hauled freight continued into the early 1960s. The final steam-hauled passenger train to Dereham was an RCTS railtour hauled by LNER Class J17 no 65567 in March 1962.
By 1960 there was an hourly passenger service to Norwich taking between 32 and 40 minutes. Despite this, increased use of road transport led to a decline in passengers, causing the service to became one of many threatened by the "Beeching Report" in 1963. Beeching intended to retain the Kings Lynn - Dereham - Norwich line for express trains and freight: the local stations (that is all but Dereham and Swaffham) however, were recommended for closure.
Goods traffic continued after the passenger closure, with public delivery sidings remaining at Dereham and Fakenham and private sidings at North Elmham
and Great Ryburgh
. Traffic to Fakenham consisted mostly of coal deliveries, with the section of line between Ryburgh and Fakenham closing on 1 January 1980. The last freight train worked from Ryburgh in August 1981. Dereham locomotive depot was demolished in 1969, and the site used for the construction of a rail served fertiliser depot. Until 1979 a second fertiliser company unloaded their goods in Dereham at the former cattle dock north of Norwich Road level crossing. Until 1981, when the site of the sidings was claimed for a road-building scheme, coal traffic was being handled at Dereham in a yard accessed from the remains of the King's Lynn branch
.
By 1880 Dereham boasted a two road wooden locomotive shed and a 45 foot turntable believed to have dated from the late 1860s and known to have replaced an earlier structure. The depot operated as an outstation of Norwich. In 1888 three locomotives were based at the depot. In 1926 the engine shed was rebuilt in brick. Dereham depot was closed as a steam shed on 19 September 1955—when DMU stock was introduced to the line. The shed was used to stable DMU stock until 1 September 1968. The shed was later demolished, and the site used for the construction of a rail-served fertilizer depot. This has since been demolished and the site is now the Dereham Leisure Centre.
Wells shed
Wells was provided with a combined engine and goods shed, with the locomotives having use of the whole shed when not required for goods. Wells also operated as an outstation of Norwich depot, and there were up to five locomotives based there. In 1929 the original 42 foot turntable was replaced by a second-hand 45 foot version. The shed officially closed in September 1955 and has since been demolished.
Before the preservation of the line a number of special trains and demonstration services were operated over the line by the Wymondham & Dereham Rail Action Committee (WyDRAC) and the Railway Development Society (RDS) to help maintain pressure for the restoration of passenger services over the route. By the line's closure, twenty special trains and carried over 5,000 passengers. The first of these was a 6-car DMU service between Dereham and Norwich, which operated on April 8, 1978. This special carried 330 passengers from the branch and into the city, while the outward journey to Dereham carried 200 people. This included a party of ramblers, who used the service as far as Thuxton. The majority of the passengers were local.
On April 21, 1979 the RDS, WyDRAC and the newly-formed Fakenham and Dereham Railway Society chartered a four-car Class 105
DMU set to operate the 'Fakenham Flyer'. This train left Norwich carrying 200 people, picking up a further 40 at Dereham, before heading to Fakenham. The DMU then operated a shuttle service to Ryburgh, County School, North Elmham and Dereham for Fakenham residents before returning to Norwich. 440 people were carried, most of them local people. This was the first passenger train at Fakenham since the line closed, and proved to be the last such train as the line was closed the following year.
A special service, using a 4-car DMU, was operated from Dereham to Lowestoft
on July 22, 1979 - with tickets being sold from the former bookstall at Dereham station. 260 people boarded the train at Dereham, with 70 more joining at the intermediate stations on the route. The stock movement to Dereham also carried 22 members of a local cycle club and their bicycles. On December 1, 1979 a Christmas Shopping special operated from Dereham to Norwich, followed, on April 26, 1980, by the 'Breckland Express', formed of a Class 37
and ten coaches, which carried 570 people to London
. On July 27, the 'Broadsman' carried 250 passengers between Dereham and Sheringham
.
Three trains were operated in 1981. The first, on May 30, was a 9 coach Class 37-hauled special to York
which carried 455 people. The second, operated by the Fakenham and Dereham Railway Society, was a DMU special from Ryburgh to the coastal resort of Clacton, which carried 160 people. The third event in 1981 was 'Rail Day' on September 19. The RDS and WyDRAC chartered a Class 101
DMU for the day and operated a four-train service between Dereham and Norwich. All crossings were manned, and tickets were issued on the train by conductor guards. 600 passengers used the service, with even the 07.27 service from Norwich to Dereham carrying 5 passengers. On May 15, 1982 a Class 37 and nine coaches left Dereham bound for Matlock in the Derbyshire Dales
, carrying 300 people. On June 20 the Fakenham and Dereham Railway Society chartered a DMU from Ryburgh to Norwich, where it joined a DMU special from Sheringham before continuing together to the Nene Valley Railway
. 200 passengers travelled on this special. The final train of 1982 ran on August 22, and was a Class 105 DMU carrying 170 people to Felixstowe
.
In 1983 the Eastern Region of British Rail announced that they would ban all special services over freight lines. After a campaign by the RDS they agreed to allow a maximum of two excursion trains per year to use these routes. On October 1, 1983 400 people boarded a Class 31
-hauled ten coach train bound for Portsmouth
. Although the Class 31 broke down at Woking
, the delayed service made the complete journey. In 1984, due to stock shortages and economic factors, only one special was operated, when a four-car Class 101 DMU carried 200 people between Dereham and Clacton. In 1985 a Class 101 DMU carried 100 passengers from Dereham to Cambridge
. While the Dereham passengers were in the city, the DMU ran a rail tour to North Elmham, carrying 100 people from Cambridge. In 1986 a 4-car DMU carried 220 people to Cromer
and Sheringham as part of the Dereham Festival and on June 21, 1987 220 people boarded another 4-car DMU bound for Lowestoft
, with the train starting from Seaman's grain siding in the goods yard at North Elmham as the station platform had been sold.
In 2010 the original station building at Wells
was a second-hand bookshop and pottery, with the site of the platforms used as an industrial estate known as Great Eastern Way. The old corn mill was used as a furniture warehouse, before being converted into flats. Part of the ground floor is occupied by Wells Antiques Centre and Glaven Veterinary Centre.
Work on rebuilding a section of the line as the narrow gauge Wells and Walsingham Light Railway
between a point south of the former level crossing over the A149 Coast Road at Wells and a point just north of the original Walsingham station
started in 1979. A section of the route, known locally as 'Barnard's Cutting', had been filled with refuse and had to be excavated before the track could be restored. The excavation of 3,000 tons of waste did not return the trackbed to its original level, resulting in a severe 1 in 29 gradient that had not existed when the line was originally in use. Services over this section resumed on 6 April 1982, with purpose built steam locomotive
Pilgrim, an 0-6-0T engine built at North Walsham
, launching the public service.
The 1 in 29 gradient created during the restoration of the route was restored to the original 1 in 60 by engineers from the National Construction Training College removing 17,000 tons of material in 1999. The original station building at Walsingham
is currently (2010) home to St. Seraphim
's Russian Orthodox church.
The line between Walsingham and County School railway station
is derelict, although the track bed is mostly intact from County School to Fakenham
, and is reserved by the local council for railway use. County School station has been restored to LNER condition and is open to the public, but is isolated from the rest of the line and no trains operate at the site. The 11.5 miles (18.5 km) line between Dereham
and Wymondham
are owned and operated by the Mid-Norfolk Railway
, and this Trust also owns the further 6 miles (10 km) of disused railway to County School station
near North Elmham
, although there is a break of around a mile between North Elmham and County School where the track is no longer in situ. This makes the Mid-Norfolk Railway one of the longest heritage railways in the United Kingdom
.
Eastern Counties Railway
The Eastern Counties Railway was an early English railway company incorporated in 1836. It was intended to link London with Ipswich via Colchester, and then on to Norwich and Yarmouth. Construction began in late March 1837 on the first nine miles, at the London end of the line.Construction was...
between 1847 and 1857. The railway ran from Wymondham
Wymondham
Wymondham is a historic market town and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk. It lies 9.5 miles to the south west of the city of Norwich, on the A11 road to Thetford and London.- Before The Great Fire :...
in the south, through Dereham
Dereham
Dereham, also known as East Dereham, is a town and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk. It is situated on the A47 road, some 15 miles west of the city of Norwich and 25 miles east of King's Lynn. The civil parish has an area of and in the 2001 census had a population of...
and Fakenham
Fakenham
Fakenham is a town and civil parish in Norfolk, England. It is situated on the River Wensum, some north east of King's Lynn, south west of Cromer, and north west of Norwich....
to the coastal town of Wells-next-the-Sea
Wells-next-the-Sea
Wells-next-the-Sea, known locally simply as Wells, is a town, civil parish and seaport situated on the North Norfolk coast in England.The civil parish has an area of and in the 2001 census had a population of 2,451 in 1,205 households...
; more specifically, the line ran from Wymondham South Junction, where it met the present-day Breckland Line
Breckland Line
The Breckland Line runs from Cambridge in Cambridgeshire to Norwich in Norfolk, in East Anglia, England. It is so called because it runs through the Breckland region of Norfolk. The line also passes through Thetford Forest. The line is part of the Network Rail Strategic Route 5, SRS 05.09 and part...
. Passenger services along the line lasted until 1969; the railway continued to be used for freight until 1989. The southern section of the railway now forms the Mid-Norfolk Railway
Mid-Norfolk Railway
The Mid-Norfolk Railway or MNR is a heritage railway in the English county of Norfolk. Opening as a tourist line in 1997, it is often referred to as a "New Generation" heritage railway....
, with part of the northern section serving as the narrow gauge
Narrow gauge
A narrow gauge railway is a railway that has a track gauge narrower than the of standard gauge railways. Most existing narrow gauge railways have gauges of between and .- Overview :...
Wells and Walsingham Light Railway
Wells and Walsingham Light Railway
The Wells and Walsingham Light Railway is a gauge heritage railway in Norfolk, England running between the coastal town of Wells and Walsingham which is further inland...
.
Construction and development
The Lynn and Dereham Railway and the Norfolk Railway both obtained Parliament's permission to build lines to Dereham in 1845, at the height of the so-called "Railway ManiaRailway Mania
The Railway Mania was an instance of speculative frenzy in Britain in the 1840s. It followed a common pattern: as the price of railway shares increased, more and more money was poured in by speculators, until the inevitable collapse...
", when railways were being built across the whole country. The Norfolk Railway, building its line from Wymondham, reached Dereham first, and opened its railway to passengers on the 15 February 1847; the line from King's Lynn
King's Lynn
King's Lynn is a sea port and market town in the ceremonial county of Norfolk in the East of England. It is situated north of London and west of Norwich. The population of the town is 42,800....
had to wait until 11 September 1848.
The King's Lynn line was originally operated by the Lynn & Dereham Railway
Lynn and Dereham Railway
The Lynn and Dereham Railway was a standard gauge single track railway running between King's Lynn and Dereham in the English county of Norfolk...
, but in 1848 the Eastern Counties Railway
Eastern Counties Railway
The Eastern Counties Railway was an early English railway company incorporated in 1836. It was intended to link London with Ipswich via Colchester, and then on to Norwich and Yarmouth. Construction began in late March 1837 on the first nine miles, at the London end of the line.Construction was...
leased the Norfolk Railway and both lines were absorbed. In 1857 the line between Dereham and Wells
Wells-On-Sea railway station
Wells-next-the-Sea railway station served the small seaside port of Wells-next-the-Sea in North Norfolk, England. It was opened in 1857 by the Wells & Fakenham Railway, later part of the Great Eastern Railway's Wymondham to Wells branch, and became a junction in 1866 with the arrival of the West...
opened. The entire line became part of the Great Eastern Railway
Great 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...
in 1862. The line between Wymondham and Dereham was provided with double track
Double track
A double track railway usually involves running one track in each direction, compared to a single track railway where trains in both directions share the same track.- Overview :...
in 1882, the line north of there remaining single track
Single track (rail)
A single track railway is where trains in both directions share the same track. Single track is normally used on lesser used rail lines, often branch lines, where the traffic density is not high enough to justify the cost of building double tracks....
. The intermediate stations were rebuilt as part of the 1882 doubling scheme, being provided with new up platforms and additional glass-fronted buildings and canopies on the original down platforms.
At Dereham, many trains reversed and headed west to Swaffham
Swaffham
Swaffham is a market town and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk. The town is situated east of King's Lynn and west of Norwich.The civil parish has an area of and in the 2001 census had a population of 6,935 in 3,130 households...
and King's Lynn
King's Lynn
King's Lynn is a sea port and market town in the ceremonial county of Norfolk in the East of England. It is situated north of London and west of Norwich. The population of the town is 42,800....
. An avoiding double track line was built to the south of Dereham station, running between Dereham West and Dereham South signal boxes, in 1886. This allowed the Wymondham to King's Lynn line to operate as a cross-country route, with the avoiding line being used by freight, excursion and diverted main-line trains. A further branch, to Wroxham
Wroxham
Wroxham is a village and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk. The civil parish of Wroxham has an area of 6.21 square kilometres and in 2001 had a population of 1532 in 666 households. The village is situated within the Norfolk Broads on the south side of a loop in the middle reaches of...
, left the line at County School station
County School railway station
County School is a railway station approximately one mile north of the village of North Elmham in the English county of Norfolk. The station is part of a line being gradually restored by the Mid-Norfolk Railway from East Dereham to Fakenham.-History:...
, while a branch from joined at Wells.
Grouping – the London & 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...
at The Grouping in 1923. At this time the coaches used on the Dereham line were still ex-GER 6 wheelers, although these were gradually replaced with bogie
Bogie
A bogie is a wheeled wagon or trolley. In mechanics terms, a bogie is a chassis or framework carrying wheels, attached to a vehicle. It can be fixed in place, as on a cargo truck, mounted on a swivel, as on a railway carriage/car or locomotive, or sprung as in the suspension of a caterpillar...
stock. Arguably the most evident change was that the GER Royal blue
Royal blue
Royal blue describes both a bright shade and a dark shade of azure blue. It is said to have been invented by millers in Rode, Somerset, a consortium of which won a competition to make a dress for the British queen, Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz....
locomotives and crimson coaches were replaced by LNER black locomotives and brown carriages.
The line was heavily used during World War I and World War II, with extra Air Ministry sidings provided at Dereham in 1943. In the early days of the war, Dereham was used as a reception centre for the construction materials used to build the local airfields. In early 1944 Dereham was handling an average of 75 wagon loads of construction material per day. The line was also defended by an armoured train
Armoured train
An armoured train is a train protected with armour. They are usually equipped with railroad cars armed with artillery and machine guns. They were mostly used during the late 19th and early 20th century, when they offered an innovative way to quickly move large amounts of firepower...
, reporting as Train G, based at Heacham and using F4 2-4-2
2-4-2
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 2-4-2 represents the wheel arrangement of two leading wheels on one axle, four powered and coupled driving wheels on two axles, and two trailing wheels on one axle...
tank locomotive 7189 as motive power. The armoured train was frequently used on the Wells line, and once collided with some empty coaches at Wells.
Nationalisation – British Railways
Following the war, the railways were in a very run-down state. The 1947 Transport ActTransport Act 1947
The Transport Act 1947 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Under it the railways, long-distance road haulage and various other types of transport were acquired by the state and handed over to a new British Transport Commission for operation...
nationalised the "Big Four
Big Four British railway companies
The Big Four was a name used to describe the four largest railway companies in the United Kingdom in the period 1923-1947. The name was coined by the Railway Magazine in its issue of February 1923: "The Big Four of the New Railway Era".The Big Four were:...
" railway companies, and the branch line became part of the Eastern Region of British Railways
Eastern Region of British Railways
The Eastern Region was a region of British Railways from 1948. The region ceased to be an operating unit in its own right in the 1980s and was wound up at the end of 1992...
on 1 January 1948. The branch line between County School and closed to passengers on 15 September 1952, with the section between and closing to goods as well. The eastern section of line, between Wroxham
Wroxham
Wroxham is a village and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk. The civil parish of Wroxham has an area of 6.21 square kilometres and in 2001 had a population of 1532 in 666 households. The village is situated within the Norfolk Broads on the south side of a loop in the middle reaches of...
and the Themelthorpe Curve
Themelthorpe
Themelthorpe is a civil parish in the English county of Norfolk, north west of Reepham.It covers an area of and had a population of 65 in 27 households as of the 2001 census.For the purposes of local government, it falls within the district of Broadland....
, remained open for goods traffic until 1981. A stub of the western section, between County School and Foulsham remained open for goods until 31 October 1964, being busiest in the sugar beet season.
Diesel multiple unit
A diesel multiple unit or DMU is a multiple unit train consisting of multiple carriages powered by one or more on-board diesel engines. They may also be referred to as a railcar or railmotor, depending on country.-Design:...
took over next day, with faster trains and a more frequent service. For the first few weeks, some extra Saturday services continued to be steam-operated. Steam-hauled freight continued into the early 1960s. The final steam-hauled passenger train to Dereham was an RCTS railtour hauled by LNER Class J17 no 65567 in March 1962.
By 1960 there was an hourly passenger service to Norwich taking between 32 and 40 minutes. Despite this, increased use of road transport led to a decline in passengers, causing the service to became one of many threatened by the "Beeching Report" in 1963. Beeching intended to retain the Kings Lynn - Dereham - Norwich line for express trains and freight: the local stations (that is all but Dereham and Swaffham) however, were recommended for closure.
Decline and closure
The passenger service between Dereham and Wells ended on 5 October 1964. Dereham became an intermediate station for Norwich and King's Lynn services. In June 1965, the Wymondham to Dereham section was reduced to single track with a passing loop at Hardingham. The passenger service from King's Lynn ended on 9 September 1968, with the Midland & Great Northern Joint Railway Society operating the 'East Anglian Branch Line Farewell' DMU special on the final Saturday. The withdrawal of the remaining passenger services, between Wymondham and Dereham, followed in October 1969.Goods traffic continued after the passenger closure, with public delivery sidings remaining at Dereham and Fakenham and private sidings at North Elmham
North Elmham
North Elmham is a village and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk.It covers an area of and had a population of 1,428 in 624 households as of the 2001 census. For the purposes of local government, it falls within the district of Breckland....
and Great Ryburgh
Great Ryburgh
Great Ryburgh is a village in the English county of Norfolk. Administratively the village is within the civil parish of Ryburgh along with Little Ryburgh, in the district of North Norfolk....
. Traffic to Fakenham consisted mostly of coal deliveries, with the section of line between Ryburgh and Fakenham closing on 1 January 1980. The last freight train worked from Ryburgh in August 1981. Dereham locomotive depot was demolished in 1969, and the site used for the construction of a rail served fertiliser depot. Until 1979 a second fertiliser company unloaded their goods in Dereham at the former cattle dock north of Norwich Road level crossing. Until 1981, when the site of the sidings was claimed for a road-building scheme, coal traffic was being handled at Dereham in a yard accessed from the remains of the King's Lynn branch
Lynn and Dereham Railway
The Lynn and Dereham Railway was a standard gauge single track railway running between King's Lynn and Dereham in the English county of Norfolk...
.
Locomotive sheds
Dereham shedBy 1880 Dereham boasted a two road wooden locomotive shed and a 45 foot turntable believed to have dated from the late 1860s and known to have replaced an earlier structure. The depot operated as an outstation of Norwich. In 1888 three locomotives were based at the depot. In 1926 the engine shed was rebuilt in brick. Dereham depot was closed as a steam shed on 19 September 1955—when DMU stock was introduced to the line. The shed was used to stable DMU stock until 1 September 1968. The shed was later demolished, and the site used for the construction of a rail-served fertilizer depot. This has since been demolished and the site is now the Dereham Leisure Centre.
Wells shed
Wells was provided with a combined engine and goods shed, with the locomotives having use of the whole shed when not required for goods. Wells also operated as an outstation of Norwich depot, and there were up to five locomotives based there. In 1929 the original 42 foot turntable was replaced by a second-hand 45 foot version. The shed officially closed in September 1955 and has since been demolished.
Charter trains
On April 21, 1979 the RDS, WyDRAC and the newly-formed Fakenham and Dereham Railway Society chartered a four-car Class 105
British Rail Class 105
The British Rail Class 105 diesel multiple units were built by Cravens Ltd. of Sheffield from 1956 to 1959. The class were built with a side profile identical to British Railways Mark 1 carriage stock, using the same doors and windows. None were selected for refurbishment...
DMU set to operate the 'Fakenham Flyer'. This train left Norwich carrying 200 people, picking up a further 40 at Dereham, before heading to Fakenham. The DMU then operated a shuttle service to Ryburgh, County School, North Elmham and Dereham for Fakenham residents before returning to Norwich. 440 people were carried, most of them local people. This was the first passenger train at Fakenham since the line closed, and proved to be the last such train as the line was closed the following year.
A special service, using a 4-car DMU, was operated from Dereham to Lowestoft
Lowestoft
Lowestoft is a town in the English county of Suffolk. The town is on the North Sea coast and is the most easterly point of the United Kingdom. It is north-east of London, north-east of Ipswich and south-east of Norwich...
on July 22, 1979 - with tickets being sold from the former bookstall at Dereham station. 260 people boarded the train at Dereham, with 70 more joining at the intermediate stations on the route. The stock movement to Dereham also carried 22 members of a local cycle club and their bicycles. On December 1, 1979 a Christmas Shopping special operated from Dereham to Norwich, followed, on April 26, 1980, by the 'Breckland Express', formed of a Class 37
British Rail Class 37
The British Rail Class 37 is a diesel-electric locomotive. Also known as the English Electric Type 3, the Class was ordered as part of the British Rail modernisation plan....
and ten coaches, which carried 570 people to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. On July 27, the 'Broadsman' carried 250 passengers between Dereham and Sheringham
Sheringham
Sheringham is a seaside town in Norfolk, England, west of Cromer.The motto of the town, granted in 1953 to the Sheringham Urban District Council, is Mare Ditat Pinusque Decorat, Latin for "The sea enriches and the pine adorns"....
.
Three trains were operated in 1981. The first, on May 30, was a 9 coach Class 37-hauled special to York
York
York is a walled city, situated at the confluence of the Rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. The city has a rich heritage and has provided the backdrop to major political events throughout much of its two millennia of existence...
which carried 455 people. The second, operated by the Fakenham and Dereham Railway Society, was a DMU special from Ryburgh to the coastal resort of Clacton, which carried 160 people. The third event in 1981 was 'Rail Day' on September 19. The RDS and WyDRAC chartered a Class 101
British Rail Class 101
The British Rail Class 101 diesel multiple units were built by Metro-Cammell at Washwood Heath in Birmingham from 1956 to 1959, following construction of a series of prototype units. This class proved to be the most successful and longest-lived of all BR's First Generation DMUs, with the final five...
DMU for the day and operated a four-train service between Dereham and Norwich. All crossings were manned, and tickets were issued on the train by conductor guards. 600 passengers used the service, with even the 07.27 service from Norwich to Dereham carrying 5 passengers. On May 15, 1982 a Class 37 and nine coaches left Dereham bound for Matlock in the Derbyshire Dales
Derbyshire Dales
Derbyshire Dales is a local government district in Derbyshire, England. Much of the district is situated in the Peak District, although most of its population lies along the River Derwent....
, carrying 300 people. On June 20 the Fakenham and Dereham Railway Society chartered a DMU from Ryburgh to Norwich, where it joined a DMU special from Sheringham before continuing together to the Nene Valley Railway
Nene Valley Railway
The Nene Valley Railway is a preserved railway in Cambridgeshire, England, running between Peterborough Nene Valley and Yarwell Junction. The line is currently seven and a half miles in length...
. 200 passengers travelled on this special. The final train of 1982 ran on August 22, and was a Class 105 DMU carrying 170 people to Felixstowe
Felixstowe
Felixstowe is a seaside town on the North Sea coast of Suffolk, England. The town gives its name to the nearby Port of Felixstowe, which is the largest container port in the United Kingdom and is owned by Hutchinson Ports UK...
.
In 1983 the Eastern Region of British Rail announced that they would ban all special services over freight lines. After a campaign by the RDS they agreed to allow a maximum of two excursion trains per year to use these routes. On October 1, 1983 400 people boarded a Class 31
British Rail Class 31
The British Rail Class 31 diesel locomotives, also known as the Brush Type 2 and originally as Class 30, were built by Brush Traction from 1957-62.- Description :...
-hauled ten coach train bound for Portsmouth
Portsmouth
Portsmouth is the second largest city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire on the south coast of England. Portsmouth is notable for being the United Kingdom's only island city; it is located mainly on Portsea Island...
. Although the Class 31 broke down at Woking
Woking
Woking is a large town and civil parish that shares its name with the surrounding local government district, located in the west of Surrey, UK. It is part of the Greater London Urban Area and the London commuter belt, with frequent trains and a journey time of 24 minutes to Waterloo station....
, the delayed service made the complete journey. In 1984, due to stock shortages and economic factors, only one special was operated, when a four-car Class 101 DMU carried 200 people between Dereham and Clacton. In 1985 a Class 101 DMU carried 100 passengers from Dereham to Cambridge
Cambridge
The city of Cambridge is a university town and the administrative centre of the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It lies in East Anglia about north of London. Cambridge is at the heart of the high-technology centre known as Silicon Fen – a play on Silicon Valley and the fens surrounding the...
. While the Dereham passengers were in the city, the DMU ran a rail tour to North Elmham, carrying 100 people from Cambridge. In 1986 a 4-car DMU carried 220 people to Cromer
Cromer
Cromer is a coastal town and civil parish in north Norfolk, England. The local government authority is North Norfolk District Council, whose headquarters is in Holt Road in the town. The town is situated 23 miles north of the county town, Norwich, and is 4 miles east of Sheringham...
and Sheringham as part of the Dereham Festival and on June 21, 1987 220 people boarded another 4-car DMU bound for Lowestoft
Lowestoft
Lowestoft is a town in the English county of Suffolk. The town is on the North Sea coast and is the most easterly point of the United Kingdom. It is north-east of London, north-east of Ipswich and south-east of Norwich...
, with the train starting from Seaman's grain siding in the goods yard at North Elmham as the station platform had been sold.
The route today
Wells-On-Sea railway station
Wells-next-the-Sea railway station served the small seaside port of Wells-next-the-Sea in North Norfolk, England. It was opened in 1857 by the Wells & Fakenham Railway, later part of the Great Eastern Railway's Wymondham to Wells branch, and became a junction in 1866 with the arrival of the West...
was a second-hand bookshop and pottery, with the site of the platforms used as an industrial estate known as Great Eastern Way. The old corn mill was used as a furniture warehouse, before being converted into flats. Part of the ground floor is occupied by Wells Antiques Centre and Glaven Veterinary Centre.
Work on rebuilding a section of the line as the narrow gauge Wells and Walsingham Light Railway
Wells and Walsingham Light Railway
The Wells and Walsingham Light Railway is a gauge heritage railway in Norfolk, England running between the coastal town of Wells and Walsingham which is further inland...
between a point south of the former level crossing over the A149 Coast Road at Wells and a point just north of the original Walsingham station
Walsingham railway station
Walsingham was a railway station on the Wells and Fakenham Railway, later part of the Great Eastern Railway. It opened on 1 December 1857, and served the villages of Great Walsingham and Little Walsingham. It closed on 5 October 1964. The station building is currently home to St...
started in 1979. A section of the route, known locally as 'Barnard's Cutting', had been filled with refuse and had to be excavated before the track could be restored. The excavation of 3,000 tons of waste did not return the trackbed to its original level, resulting in a severe 1 in 29 gradient that had not existed when the line was originally in use. Services over this section resumed on 6 April 1982, with purpose built steam locomotive
Steam locomotive
A steam locomotive is a railway locomotive that produces its power through a steam engine. These locomotives are fueled by burning some combustible material, usually coal, wood or oil, to produce steam in a boiler, which drives the steam engine...
Pilgrim, an 0-6-0T engine built at North Walsham
North Walsham
North Walsham is a market town and civil parish in Norfolk, England in the North Norfolk district.-Demographics:The civil parish has an area of and in the 2001 census had a population of 11,998. For the purposes of local government, the parish falls within the district of North...
, launching the public service.
The 1 in 29 gradient created during the restoration of the route was restored to the original 1 in 60 by engineers from the National Construction Training College removing 17,000 tons of material in 1999. The original station building at Walsingham
Walsingham railway station
Walsingham was a railway station on the Wells and Fakenham Railway, later part of the Great Eastern Railway. It opened on 1 December 1857, and served the villages of Great Walsingham and Little Walsingham. It closed on 5 October 1964. The station building is currently home to St...
is currently (2010) home to St. Seraphim
Seraphim of Sarov
Saint Seraphim of Sarov , born Prokhor Moshnin , is one of the most renowned Russian monks and mystics in the Orthodox Church. He is generally considered the greatest of the 19th century startsy and, arguably, the first...
's Russian Orthodox church.
The line between Walsingham and County School railway station
County School railway station
County School is a railway station approximately one mile north of the village of North Elmham in the English county of Norfolk. The station is part of a line being gradually restored by the Mid-Norfolk Railway from East Dereham to Fakenham.-History:...
is derelict, although the track bed is mostly intact from County School to Fakenham
Fakenham
Fakenham is a town and civil parish in Norfolk, England. It is situated on the River Wensum, some north east of King's Lynn, south west of Cromer, and north west of Norwich....
, and is reserved by the local council for railway use. County School station has been restored to LNER condition and is open to the public, but is isolated from the rest of the line and no trains operate at the site. The 11.5 miles (18.5 km) line between Dereham
Dereham railway station
Dereham railway station is a railway station in the town of Dereham in the English county of Norfolk. The station is served by heritage services on the Mid-Norfolk Railway from Dereham to Wymondham.- History :...
and Wymondham
Wymondham
Wymondham is a historic market town and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk. It lies 9.5 miles to the south west of the city of Norwich, on the A11 road to Thetford and London.- Before The Great Fire :...
are owned and operated by the Mid-Norfolk Railway
Mid-Norfolk Railway
The Mid-Norfolk Railway or MNR is a heritage railway in the English county of Norfolk. Opening as a tourist line in 1997, it is often referred to as a "New Generation" heritage railway....
, and this Trust also owns the further 6 miles (10 km) of disused railway to County School station
County School railway station
County School is a railway station approximately one mile north of the village of North Elmham in the English county of Norfolk. The station is part of a line being gradually restored by the Mid-Norfolk Railway from East Dereham to Fakenham.-History:...
near North Elmham
North Elmham
North Elmham is a village and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk.It covers an area of and had a population of 1,428 in 624 households as of the 2001 census. For the purposes of local government, it falls within the district of Breckland....
, although there is a break of around a mile between North Elmham and County School where the track is no longer in situ. This makes the Mid-Norfolk Railway one of the longest heritage railways in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
.