North Norfolk Railway
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

The North Norfolk Railway (NNR) – also known as the "Poppy Line" – is a heritage steam railway in
Norfolk Norfolk () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in East Anglia in England. It borders Lincolnshire to the north-west, Cambridgeshire to the west and south-west, and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the No ...
,
England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
, running between the towns of
Sheringham Sheringham (; population 7,367) is an English seaside town within the county of Norfolk, United Kingdom.Ordnance Survey (2002). ''OS Explorer Map 252 - Norfolk Coast East''. . The motto of the town, granted in 1953 to the Sheringham Urban Distr ...
and Holt. The North Norfolk Railway is owned and operated as a
public limited company A public limited company (legally abbreviated to PLC or plc) is a type of public company under United Kingdom company law, some Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth jurisdictions, and the Republic of Ireland. It is a limited liability company ...
, originally called Central Norfolk Enterprises Limited. The railway is listed as exempt from the UK Railways (Interoperability) Regulations 2000.


History


Route history

The line once formed part of the
Midland and Great Northern Joint Railway The Midland and Great Northern Joint Railway (M&GNJR) was a railway network in England, in the area connecting southern Lincolnshire, the Isle of Ely and north Norfolk. It developed from several local independent concerns and was incorporated ...
's
Melton Constable Melton Constable is a village and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk. It covers an area of and had a population of 518 in 225 households at the 2001 census. The population had increased to 618 at the 2011 Census. For the purposes of ...
to Cromer Beach branch line. The first section, from Melton to Holt, was opened on 1 October 1884. After a suspension of work, the Holt to Cromer section of line was completed by direct labour, and opened on 16 June 1887. A through Kings Cross to Cromer express started running in August 1887, and although the construction had been expensive, the boost to revenue from the new line was considerable. A second train was put on the following year, in the down direction consisting of coaches slipped at Peterborough from a GNR Manchester train. The time from Kings Cross to Cromer was typically hours, but the GER did Liverpool Street to Cromer in hours. The
Lynn & Fakenham Railway The Eastern and Midlands Railway was formed in 1881 by the amalgamation of several small railways in the Isle of Ely, Cambridgeshire, Lincolnshire and Norfolk, England, including the Yarmouth and North Norfolk Railway, the Lynn and Fakenham Railw ...
had proposed a branch from this line, at Kelling, to Blakeney, via
Cley Cley next the Sea (, , is a village and civil parish on the River Glaven in English county of Norfolk, north-west of Holt and east of Blakeney. The main A149 coast road runs through the centre of the village, causing congestion in the su ...
and
Wiveton Wiveton is a village and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk. It is situated on the west bank of the River Glaven, inland from the coast and directly across the river from the village of Cley next the Sea. The larger village of Blake ...
. The decision was taken not to go ahead with this line, but land for the proposed junction at Kelling had already been secured. Ballast sidings for the company developed in the Kelling area to service the needs of the company. In 1903 a station was added at Weybourne, having previously been refused. Under the
Railways Act 1921 The Railways Act 1921 (c. 55), also known as the Grouping Act, was an Act of Parliament enacted by the British government and intended to stem the losses being made by many of the country's 120 railway companies, by "grouping" them into four la ...
, the line, along with the rest of the M&GN, was jointly managed by the LMS and
LNER LNER may refer to: * London and North Eastern Railway, a railway company in the United Kingdom from 1923 until 1947 * London North Eastern Railway, a train operating company in the United Kingdom since 2018 * Liquid neutral earthing resistor, a typ ...
, retaining its own directors and staff. This continued until 1935, when the parent companies agreed that local administration should be undertaken by the LNER. The line became part of the Eastern Region of
British Railways British Railways (BR), which from 1965 traded as British Rail, was a state-owned company that operated most of the overground rail transport in Great Britain from 1948 to 1997. It was formed from the nationalisation of the Big Four British rai ...
under the
Transport Act 1947 The Transport Act 1947 (10 & 11 Geo. 6 c. 49) was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Under the terms of the Act, the railway network, long-distance road haulage and various other types of transport were nationalised and came under ...
. In 1954 British Railways announced the closure of the former
Great Eastern Railway The Great Eastern Railway (GER) was a pre-grouping British railway company, whose main line linked London Liverpool Street to Norwich and which had other lines through East Anglia. The company was grouped into the London and North Eastern R ...
terminus at Cromer High, with all traffic being routed into the M&GN station at Cromer Beach. The majority of the M&GN system was closed to passengers on 28 February 1959, 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 Norwich () is a cathedral city and district of Norfolk, England, of which it is the county town. Norwich is by the River Wensum, about north-east of London, north of Ipswich and east of Peterborough. As the seat of the See of Norwich, with ...
. The
Beeching Report Beeching is an English surname. Either a derivative of the old English ''bece'', ''bæce'' "stream", hence "dweller by the stream" or of the old English ''bece'' "beech-tree" hence "dweller by the beech tree".''Oxford Dictionary of English Surnames' ...
or April 1963 called for the end of passenger services between Melton Constable and Sheringham, and this was approved on 6 April 1964. In television Part of the line was used in the 1972 M.R. James ghost story 'A warming to the curious'.


Preservation history

The Midland & Great Northern Joint Railways Preservation Society formed in April 1959, initially hoping to save the 22-mile long North Walsham to Yarmouth section, then the North Wlasham to
Aylsham Aylsham ( or ) is a historic market town and civil parish on the River Bure in north Norfolk, England, nearly north of Norwich. The river rises near Melton Constable, upstream from Aylsham and continues to Great Yarmouth and the North Sea, ...
section, and later the section between Themelthorpe and Melton Constable. After these plans proved impossible, attention turned to the section of line between Sheringham and Weybourne. In 1963 the Society formed the 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. 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. Work on rebuilding the line started in 1965, and Sheringham station was leased by the society following closure in 1967 with two
steam locomotive A steam locomotive is a locomotive that provides the force to move itself and other vehicles by means of the expansion of steam. It is fuelled by burning combustible material (usually coal, oil or, rarely, wood) to heat water in the locomot ...
s, two diesel railbuses and the LNER Quad-Art set being delivered on 4 June 1967. Initially trains were only operated for members. Operations over the line were later authorised through a
Light Railway Order The Light Railways Act 1896 (59 & 60 Vict. c.48) was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. History Before the Act each new railway line built in the country required a specific Act of Parliament to be ob ...
, the first issued in 1975 under control of British Rail, and independently from 1976. 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. At
Sheringham Sheringham (; population 7,367) is an English seaside town within the county of Norfolk, United Kingdom.Ordnance Survey (2002). ''OS Explorer Map 252 - Norfolk Coast East''. . The motto of the town, granted in 1953 to the Sheringham Urban Distr ...
the line has now been reconnected to the
National Rail National Rail (NR) is the trading name licensed for use by the Rail Delivery Group, an unincorporated association whose membership consists of the passenger train operating companies (TOCs) of England, Scotland, and Wales. The TOCs run the p ...
network station via an 'occasional use'
level crossing A level crossing is an intersection where a railway line crosses a road, Trail, path, or (in rare situations) airport runway, at the same level, as opposed to the railway line crossing over or under using an Overpass#Railway, overpass ...
.NNR Sheringham Level Crossing
.
Occasional uses by charter trains and visiting
rolling stock The term rolling stock in the rail transport industry refers to railway vehicles, including both powered and unpowered vehicles: for example, locomotives, freight and passenger cars (or coaches), and non-revenue cars. Passenger vehicles can b ...
are anticipated not to exceed 12 times a year. The North Norfolk Railway also operate a number of dining trains over the entire surviving section of the M&GN, between Holt and Cromer, during Summer months. Services began in 2016, working in partnership with the
North Yorkshire Moors Railway The North Yorkshire Moors Railway (NYMR) is a heritage railway in North Yorkshire, England, that runs through the North York Moors National Park. First opened in 1836 as the Whitby and Pickering Railway, the railway was planned in 1831 by Geor ...
, who were already a licensed operator on Network Rail. The Tourist information Centre and public toilets that sat on the footprint of part of the trackbed between the station and the network rail link were demolished and rebuilt in the style of the station, releasing the trackbed alignment for this development.


Closure Threat

In 2001 it was announced that the railway was in danger of closure, 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.


Present day

The NNR operates both
steam Steam is a substance containing water in the gas phase, and sometimes also an aerosol of liquid water droplets, or air. This may occur due to evaporation or due to boiling, where heat is applied until water reaches the enthalpy of vaporization ...
- and
diesel Diesel may refer to: * Diesel engine, an internal combustion engine where ignition is caused by compression * Diesel fuel, a liquid fuel used in diesel engines * Diesel locomotive, a railway locomotive in which the prime mover is a diesel engin ...
-hauled services, and organises a programme of seasonal special events including steam galas, diesel galas, Santas, "Day Out With Thomas" and an annual beer festival. There are two stations between Sheringham and Holt – Weybourne (about from the village) and
Kelling Heath Kelling Heath is an biological Site of Special Scientific Interest between Holt and Weybourne in Norfolk. It is in the Norfolk Coast Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Geology Kelling Heath lies on the Cromer Ridge, a glacial moraine forme ...
. The main restoration sheds, including the former locomotive shed from
Norwich City Norwich City Football Club (also known as The Canaries or The Yellows) is an English professional football club based in Norwich, Norfolk. The club competes in the EFL Championship following their relegation from the Premier League in the 20 ...
, are at Weybourne. They have room to accommodate four standard length British Railways Mark 1 coaches and six large steam or diesel locomotives. New carriage storage sheds have been built near Holt with £308,000 Heritage Lottery funding. These have the capacity to store the equivalent of 18 Mark 1 coaches. A
museum A museum ( ; plural museums or, rarely, musea) is a building or institution that cares for and displays a collection of artifacts and other objects of artistic, cultural, historical, or scientific importance. Many public museums make these ...
has been built at Holt to display artifacts from the Midland and Great Northern Joint Railway. The station building at Holt was originally built at
Stalham Stalham is a market town and civil parish on the River Ant in the English county of Norfolk, in East Anglia. It covers an area of and had a population of 2,951 in 1,333 households at the 2001 census, the population increasing to 3,149 at the 20 ...
in 1883 and was moved, brick by brick in 2002, to be re-erected in its current location. This project was awarded second place in the 2006 railway buildings competition by the
Heritage Railway Association Heritage Railway Association (HRA) is an umbrella organisation representing the majority of the heritage and tourist railways, railway museums, steam centres and railway preservation groups in the UK and Ireland. Groups and individuals involved ...
of the UK. The
signal box In signal processing, a signal is a function that conveys information about a phenomenon. Any quantity that can vary over space or time can be used as a signal to share messages between observers. The ''IEEE Transactions on Signal Processing'' ...
at the station is over 100 years old and was restored on-site. The full
signalling In signal processing, a signal is a function that conveys information about a phenomenon. Any quantity that can vary over space or time can be used as a signal to share messages between observers. The ''IEEE Transactions on Signal Processing'' ...
system at Holt, with 14 signals as well as the box, was commissioned in 2009 – winning the HRA signalling award for that year. The box was formerly at Upper Portland Sidings in the East Midlands. The Holt site also includes a reconstructed 'carriage house' (completed late 2009), a relocated example of the houses made with old railway carriages in the war years and a
weighbridge A truck scale (US), weighbridge (non-US) or railroad scale is a large set of scales, usually mounted permanently on a concrete foundation, that is used to weigh entire rail or road vehicles and their contents. By weighing the vehicle both emp ...
recovered from
Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a university city and the county town in Cambridgeshire, England. It is located on the River Cam approximately north of London. As of the 2021 United Kingdom census, the population of Cambridge was 145,700. Cambridge bec ...
. The railway is operated mainly by volunteers. The railway occasionally runs theme train outings such as a ghost train outing at Halloween.


Awards

* 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 * 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.


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 ''Dad's Army'' is a British television British sitcom, sitcom about the United Kingdom's Home Guard (United Kingdom), Home Guard during the World War II, Second World War. It was written by Jimmy Perry and David Croft (TV producer), David Crof ...
''. In 1983, the railway and the then-unrestored Quad-Art set were used as locations in the filming of the adaption of ''
Coot Club ''Coot Club'' is the fifth book of Arthur Ransome's Swallows and Amazons series of children's books, published in 1934. The book sees Dick and Dorothea Callum visiting the Norfolk Broads during the Easter holidays, eager to learn to sail and ...
'', part of the BBC series ''
Swallows and Amazons Forever! ''Swallows and Amazons Forever!'' is a 1984 BBC children's television series based on two children's novels from the ''Swallows and Amazons series'' by Arthur Ransome: ''Coot Club'' (1934) (four episodes), and ''The Big Six'' (1940) (four episode ...
''. 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 ''The Lost Prince'' is a British television drama about the life of Prince John – youngest child of Britain's King George V and Queen Mary – who died at the age of 13 in 1919. A Talkback Thames production written and directed by Stephen ...
'', ''
All The King's Men ''All the King's Men'' is a 1946 novel by Robert Penn Warren. The novel tells the story of charismatic populist governor Willie Stark and his political machinations in the Depression-era Deep South. It was inspired by the real-life story of U.S ...
'', ''Sherlock Holmes'' and '' Reel History of Britain''.


Route details

Starting from Sheringham station, the lines follows the coast westwards, soon passing over the Automatic Open Crossing at Sweetbriar Lane, where the private road leading to ''Sheringham Golf Club'' crosses the line. The line climbs a 1 in 97 gradient, with the golf course, and Skelding Hill, on the seaward side of trains, while the A149 can be seen on the landward side of trains, roughly paralleling the tracks with
Upper Sheringham Upper Sheringham is a village and a civil parish in the English county of Norfolk. The village is north-north-west of Norwich, west of Cromer and north-north-east of London. The village is from the town of Sheringham. The nearest railway sta ...
visible in the distance. During
WW2 World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
, Skelding Hill was the location for an emergency coastal battery, complete with an underground headquarters bunker. 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 Kelling Heath is an biological Site of Special Scientific Interest between Holt and Weybourne in Norfolk. It is in the Norfolk Coast Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Geology Kelling Heath lies on the Cromer Ridge, a glacial moraine forme ...
, 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. The project has already seen a footbridge replaced. 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,
diesel multiple units A diesel multiple unit or DMU is a multiple-unit train powered by on-board diesel engines. A DMU requires no separate locomotive, as the engines are incorporated into one or more of the carriages. Diesel-powered single-unit railcars are also ...
, passenger coaches and goods wagons. Most of these are typical of the
London and North Eastern Railway The London and North Eastern Railway (LNER) was the second largest (after LMS) of the " Big Four" railway companies created by the Railways Act 1921 in Britain. It operated from 1 January 1923 until nationalisation on 1 January 1948. At th ...
(LNER) branch lines in Norfolk. Some are owned by the railway itself, but most are owned by various individuals or voluntary groups. The line is also regularly visited by locomotives based elsewhere; some people come for a day on a railtour, others for a few days or weeks to take part in a special gala, but a few stay for many months and form part of the stock working scheduled trains.


Accidents

On 30 October 1984, a volunteer died after falling from bridge 303 during the rebuilding of the structure, which crosses the Coast Road. On 19 September 2015,
London & North Eastern Railway London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a major se ...
Class B12 4-6-0 No. 8572, running
light engine Rail terminology is a form of technical terminology. The difference between the American term ''railroad'' and the international term ''railway'' (used by the International Union of Railways and English-speaking countries outside the United St ...
, 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 The Great Eastern Railway (GER) was a pre-grouping British railway company, whose main line linked London Liverpool Street to Norwich and which had other lines through East Anglia. The company was grouped into the London and North Eastern R ...
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. The car driver was later fined for his involvement.


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. In April 2013, the line was awarded £99,500 from the
National Lottery Heritage Fund The National Lottery Heritage Fund, formerly the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF), distributes a share of National Lottery funding, supporting a wide range of heritage projects across the United Kingdom. History The fund's predecessor bodies were ...
(NLHF) to further its restoration and education programmes, specifically to show the impact railways had on the development of the London suburbs. 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. 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. In July 2020, the line was given a grant of £46,500 towards reinstating train services from the NLHF Emergency appeal. In October 2020, the line was awarded £360,000 from the
Culture Recovery Fund The Culture Recovery Fund is a grants programme issued by the UK Government as a response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The fund aims to financially support cultural organisations in England (such as theatres, museums, and music venues) which had bec ...
(from the Heritage and the Heritage Stimulus Fund), funded by the government and administered by
Historic England Historic England (officially the Historic Buildings and Monuments Commission for England) is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport. It is tasked wit ...
and the NLHF.Two heritage railways given £550,000 to help them survive Covid
/ref>


See also

*
Bressingham Steam and Gardens Bressingham Steam & Gardens is a steam museum A museum ( ; plural museums or, rarely, musea) is a building or institution that cares for and displays a collection of artifacts and other objects of artistic, cultural, historical, or sci ...
*
Bure Valley Railway The Bure Valley Railway is a minimum gauge visitors' attraction in Norfolk, England. It was created on the original disused full-gauge bed of a defunct passenger service to incorporate a new, adjacent pedestrian footpath. The railway runs from ...
*
Mid-Norfolk Railway The Mid-Norfolk Railway (MNR) is a preserved standard gauge heritage railway, one of the longest in Great Britain. Preservation efforts began in 1974, but the line re-opened to passengers only in the mid-1990s as part of the "new generation" ...
*
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-next-the-Sea and the inland village of Walsingham. The railway occupies a section of the trackbed of the former ...
*
Whitwell & Reepham railway station Whitwell and Reepham railway station, also known as Whitwell station, is a former station situated in Norfolk, England. The station closed in 1959 and is a notable stop on the Marriott's Way long-distance footpath. It is being restored as a ra ...
*
Yaxham Light Railway Yaxham Light Railway is a narrow gauge light railway ( heritage railway) situated adjacent to Yaxham railway station on the Mid-Norfolk Railway. It is located in the village of Yaxham in the English county of Norfolk. The railway is listed a ...
*
Barton House Railway The Barton House Railway (BHR) is a miniature railway in Wroxham, Norfolk; it is open on the third Sunday of each month from April until October, plus special events throughout the year. History The initial gauge track was laid in 1960; the ...


References


External links


North Norfolk Railway

The Midland & Great Northern Joint Railway SocietyNorth Norfolk Railway webcamsPoppy Line Web RingHeritage Railway Association
{{coord, 52.9345, 1.1545, type:landmark_dim:7500_region:GB-NFK, display=title North Norfolk Heritage railways in Norfolk Standard gauge railways in England