Goods services to Swaffham began on 20 September 1875 but it was not until nearly two months later that the supervising authorities were satisfied that the new embankments at Neaton were safe for passenger traffic to commence: it did so on 15 November. On 7 July 1869, the company had obtained an additional Act that allowed its trains running powers on Great Eastern tracks from Roudham Junction to Thetford and to form a junction with the Bury St. Edmunds and Thetford Railway at Thetford. The Thetford branch closed on 15 June 1964, and the station closed to passengers on 9 September 1968. The Sharp locomotives being scrapped in 1891 and the tank engines in the late 1880s.[11]. 'Inspired by the BBC series, Railway Walks with Julia Bradbury, this section aims to document the surviving remnants of Britain's many disused railways (unfortunately without the assistance of Julia Bradbury). Rose (NLA), 18 February 2002.Holme Hale station is preserved intact, including a signal to the east. 1974-1988. The Bury and Thetford (Swaffham Branch), also known as the Crab and Winkle Line,[1] was a railway line in England. Then with a S-Train to Dsseldorf main Station. The line would be worked by the Thetford and Watton company. The railways were all closed as part of the Beeching Axe, though the possibility of rebuilding a direct rail link from Norwich to King's Lynn via Swaffham is occasionally raised. Along with the very picturesque Thompson Water, a man-made lake,this is a very picturesque walkin amongst marshy woodland and wetland, walking on part of an old Roman Road called thePeddars Wayand across Thompson Common and finally finishing up along a disused railway line where you pass some incredible beautiful swamps. Freight services commenced in January 1869, with passenger services in October 1869. The engines were housed in a shed at Watton. Goods traffic continued on the line as far as Watton until 19 April 1965 and Swaffham lost all of its goods trains in 1966. It has five galleries exhibiting local history and local geology as well as an Egyptology room about Howard Carter and the Ancient Egyptians, celebrating the centenary year of Howard Carter discovering the Tomb of Tutankhamun in 1922. [4] As a result of this prosperity, the town has a large market place. A short distance beyond the engine servicing area a second signal box was later provided on the south side to control the junction of the Lynn & Dereham Railway and the Watton & Swaffhams line. Indeed, on weekdays, a traveller might reach Swaffham only as late as 9.44 pm, whilst on Sunday evening it was midnight exactly when the second train reached the town! When she was completing her 47th and final race, Orford became so excited that he fell off his horse and died. The section of line between Stow Bedon and Wretham was intended to be used for a new road, and Stow Bedon station was demolished as part of this plan. (Tim Chant). Located in the centre of historic Swaffham and originally a coaching inn in the 16th century, the hotel offers a range of bedroom styles and sizes. Crossing the line of the railway from Swaffham to Dereham Now officially only a bridleway, but hardly any worse than the road. And let's not forgetNorwich, the region's only city. The turbines were originally associated with the EcoTech Centre, a visitor centre which was opened in 1999. It was given to the town by Lord Orford in 1783. Opposite them was a two-road engine shed, opened with the line and entered by way of a locomotive turntable. Drive from Kent to Swaffham. An exhibition of Carters work in Egypt can be seen in the town museum, which also serves as the tourist information centre. The Fairlie Steam Carriage was instead successfully tested in July 1869 at the, "Fairlie's Steam Carriage. It remained a stabling point (including overnight at weekends in particular), with water, turning and basic servicing facilities, until final closure on 2 April 1962. With what may seem like undue haste Ernest Marples, Minister of Transport, received a report on 9 January 1965 and gave his consent to closure on 27 February. To the east of the level crossing there were two sidings shunted from the station direction; these lay on the north side of the running lines. Common. Civil Liability insurance should not be confused with accident insurance: it does not cover members for accidents, but for things such as any damage that our visit might cause to private property, unlikely though that is. Swaffham to Sheringham - 3 ways to travel via train, taxi, and car The clue is in the name! 10 Minute Walk From Wells Town . Click here for a brief history of the Lynn & Dereham Railway The North Norfolk Railway (NNR) - also known as the "Poppy Line" - is a heritage steam railway in Norfolk, England, running between the coastal towns of Sheringham and Holt. The Leeds engines were 0-6-0 tanks with three-foot driving wheels. Its a remarkably handsome house with a high gatehouse and surrounded by a wide moat. is very dog friendly, as I wanted to discover walks that didn't require much road walking or time on leads. Swaffham Station signal box was at the east end of the Up platform, alongside the footbridge, controlling the station area with the crossing gates being hand-worked. If you know of a railway line near you that is accessible to horse traffic and/or carriage driving, please let us have the information. [22] It was also built with an observation deck just below the nacelle which was open for the public to climb during the 2000s and 2010s, the only wind turbine in the world to have such a facility. When you reach the A47, cross it (very carefully) and aim for the lane opposite and slightly to the right, passing beneath the wind turbine on your left. Our walks are open to all members from any area of the club. She is thought to be the ancestor of every pure greyhound alive today. The 1953 steam-worked timetable shows six through trains with no extra services to or from Watton. Apr 2023 - Watton-Swaffham railway . Newsquest Media Group Ltd, 1st Floor, Chartist Tower, Upper Dock Street, Newport, Wales, NP20 1DW Registered in England & Wales | 01676637 |. This is Downton station, the first stop south of Salisbury on the LSWRs cross-country line from Salisbury to Wimborne, whence most services continued to Bournemouth West (although Dorchester and Weymouth could also be reached directly). Generally, you should have a reasonable level of fitness and be able to manage 7 or 8 miles at about 3 miles per hour. In 1897 it was fully absorbed into the Great Eastern Railway and became part of the London & North Eastern Railway at grouping of the nations railways on 1 January 1923. Part of the extraction site was flooded and became known locally as Loch Neaton, allegedly after the Scots navvies who built the railway. This is now part of the Peddars Way Long Distance Trail. Swaffham to Wells-next-the-Sea - 2 ways to travel via taxi, and car Powered by HBSMR-web and the HBSMR Gateway from exeGesIS SDM Ltd, and mojoPortal CMS Get your free copy of the "Quick Guide To Norfolk Beaches". The new route running. [12], One of the ballast quarries created during the construction of the railway through Watton was converted into a leisure park and bathing lake known as Loch Neaton. Coal and other produce not locally available arrived by train. Throughout its life there was little change in the number and frequency of passenger trains on the branch. East of the A1065 another unsightly business park lies over the running lines and northern sidings. inaccuracy or intrusion, then please Timetables from Alan Young . Pretty much everywhere you walk, theres water! A proposal has been made to re-purpose the former railway line between Watton and Swaffham. And they pointed to the 18-mile Camel Trail in Cornwall, used byaround 400,000 people each year and generatingroughly 3m of expenditure in local businesses. These were 0-6-0 tank locomotives with 3-foot driving wheels and 11-inch cylinders. For Swaffham Bulbeck in Cambridgeshire, see. Swaffham owes much of its present-day elegance to late 18th-century and Regency times, when it was a centre for well-connected people to attend balls, soires and concerts. We also have a useful Walk Template (see links below). A former Norfolk railway line could become a new walking and cycling route between two of the county's towns, according to newly-published documents. The path crosses the dismantled railway and, after about a mile (1.6km) of peaceful traffic-free walking, comes out on the North Pickenham Road. Parking is normally possible at various places in Turbine Way but near the junction with Brocks Road may be preferable. Future plans drafted for Watton and Swaffham - The Wayland News Keep straight ahead on an old Roman road, now a shady path, passing a Norfolk Songlines Sculpture on your left, to reach a crossroads. Swaffham railway station was located in Swaffham, Norfolk. There's electric heating throughout and an open fire with coal and logs provided. A little further north a brick overbridge is intact crossing Hale Road. Another famous local was Howard Carter, the eminent 20th-century Egyptologist who discovered Tutankhamuns tomb in the Valley of the Kings and is rumoured to have died as the result of the boy-king curse. An express left for Lynn and Peterborough at 8.25am, non-stop to Lynn. The timetable for 1866, nine years before the line through Watton opened, shows that Swaffham saw four up and four down trains each weekday and one each way on Sundays. Luckily they didnt seem to be bothered with me which was a great relief, as I do have a slight fear of walking through fields with cows! Overview. Rose (NAU), 22 September 1986. Beyond it the spans of the Sporle Road bridge have gone although its abutments are partially present. Two sidings shunted from the east lay on the north side of the running lines and there was a long one on the south side. Check out this 3.2-km out-and-back trail near King's Lynn, Norfolk. Streetmap Nat.Grid: TF 817 095 GPS: Lat,Long 52.6535,0.6851 what3words: seated.clerk.corded The new route running along its length would start at Loch Neaton, in the centre of Watton, and finish at the site of Swaffhams old station. . 'Walking your way around Swaffham, you will see many fine examples of historic architecture and you will experience a sense of traditionalism mixed with the energy of modern day life. There are various exhibitions on display throughout the year and children's activities in all A castle mound was raised here by the Earls of Surrey in about ad 1080, and the first stone castle was added around the 11th century. For more information on what we can offer on our Norfolk Walking Holidays, click here. We have developed resources to help our walk leaders design and plan railway walks ranging from straightforward events over official railway paths to walks which require negotiation with landowners. See full article, Click below for an interesting article on New Civil Engineer website titled "Abandoned rail links can boost transport connectivity" See full article, Our Southern Area Coordinators, Keith Lawrie and Kevin Arnold are giving a talk about RR at the Slough & Windsor Railway Society on Friday evening 10th March. In this vast open landscape, it is easy to appreciate the power of the wind. It was formed of the Watton and Swaffham Railway, founded in 1866 as an independent venture by the Thetford and Watton Railway Company. Stow Bedon station retains only a few buildings which may not have been connected with railway.E. The name of the town derives from the Old English Swfa hm = "the homestead of the Swabians"; some of them presumably came with the Angles and Saxons.