Bure Valley Railway
Encyclopedia
The Bure Valley Railway is a minimum gauge heritage railway
in Norfolk, within The Broads National Park.
The railway runs from Wroxham
to Aylsham
(9 miles (14.5 km)) and is Norfolk's longest railway of less than standard gauge
. It uses both steam
and diesel locomotive
s. There are intermediate halts at Brampton
, Buxton
and Coltishall
. There are 17 bridges, including a 105 ft (32 m) long girder bridge over the River Bure
in Buxton with Lammas as well as Aylsham Bypass Tunnel
under the A140
at Aylsham
.
(ENR). The ENR started in 1877 when the East Norfolk Railway opened from Norwich to Cromer
, with an extension from Wroxham
to Aylsham
in 1880. The ENR was taken over by the Great Eastern Railway
in 1882, which was amalgamated into the London & North Eastern Railway in 1923. The railway was nationalised in 1948.
In 1952 the passenger service stopped, but the freight
service continued. , as it was then known, closed for goods in 1964, and Aylsham and Coltishall
in 1974.
Freight trains continued to run over the line after this for two principal sources of traffic. The line west of Aylsham via Cawston
and Reepham originally went further to a junction at County School Station
; by this time it instead turned south via a new curve at Themelthorpe to join a fragment of the old Midland and Great Northern
system to reach and .
Coal
traffic continued to be carried from via Aylsham
to Norwich City - a fantastic trip around Norfolk just to cross Norwich! There was also regular traffic from Lenwade in the form of concrete building components.
This traffic ended in 1981 and the line through Aylsham formally closed on 6 January 1982. A weed-killing train ran in 1983 and track-lifting trains ran the following year.
) opened alongside it in 1991. It is currently home to Norfolk's only operational
railway tunnel, which carries the railway under the Aylsham Bypass
. The only other tunnel
, in Cromer
, is disused.
When the railway first opened, several locomotives were hired from the Romney, Hythe and Dymchurch Railway
, including: Southern Maid, Samson and Winston Churchill.
On Monday 30 May 2011 a train on the line suffered a derailment
at Brampton, during which wheels from one of the coaches were reported to have come up through the floor of the vehicle. The Rail Accident Investigation Branch
were called in to conduct a preliminary examination into the incident.
Heritage railway
thumb|right|the Historical [[Khyber train safari|Khyber Railway]] goes through the [[Khyber Pass]], [[Pakistan]]A heritage railway , preserved railway , tourist railway , or tourist railroad is a railway that is run as a tourist attraction, in some cases by volunteers, and...
in Norfolk, within The Broads National Park.
The railway runs from 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...
to Aylsham
Aylsham
Aylsham is a historic market town and civil parish on the River Bure in north Norfolk, England, about north of Norwich. The river rises near Melton Constable, upstream from Aylsham and continues to Great Yarmouth and the North Sea, although it was only made navigable after 1779, allowing grain,...
(9 miles (14.5 km)) and is Norfolk's longest railway of less than standard gauge
Standard gauge
The standard gauge is a widely-used track gauge . Approximately 60% of the world's existing railway lines are built to this gauge...
. It uses both steam
Steam
Steam is the technical term for water vapor, the gaseous phase of water, which is formed when water boils. In common language it is often used to refer to the visible mist of water droplets formed as this water vapor condenses in the presence of cooler air...
and diesel locomotive
Diesel locomotive
A diesel locomotive is a type of railroad locomotive in which the prime mover is a diesel engine, a reciprocating engine operating on the Diesel cycle as invented by Dr. Rudolf Diesel...
s. There are intermediate halts at Brampton
Brampton, Norfolk
Brampton is a small village and parish in the county of Norfolk, England, in the Bure Valley, east of Aylsham.Brampton station is an intermediate halt on the Bure Valley Railway.Its church, St Peter, is one of 124 existing round-tower churches in Norfolk...
, Buxton
Buxton, Norfolk
Buxton is a village in Norfolk, located between Norwich and Aylsham. The village is mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1085. Buxton is adjacent to the village of Lammas. The two villages are separated by the River Bure at Buxton Mill but are otherwise indistinguishable...
and Coltishall
Coltishall
Coltishall is a village on the River Bure, west of Wroxham, in the English county of Norfolk, within the Norfolk Broads.Coltishall was a place of note even when the Domesday Book was compiled. For 250 years it was a centre of the malting industry...
. There are 17 bridges, including a 105 ft (32 m) long girder bridge over the River Bure
River Bure
The River Bure is a river in the county of Norfolk, England, most of it in The Broads. The Bure rises near Melton Constable, upstream of Aylsham, which was the original head of navigation. Nowadays, the head of navigation is downstream at Coltishall Bridge...
in Buxton with Lammas as well as Aylsham Bypass Tunnel
Aylsham Bypass Tunnel
The Aylsham Bypass Tunnel is the only railway tunnel in Norfolk, England currently open to trains. It carries the narrow gauge Bure Valley Railway under the Aylsham Bypass...
under the A140
A140 road
The A140 is an 'A-class' road in Norfolk and Suffolk, East Anglia, England partly following the route of the Roman Pye Road. It runs from the A14 near Needham Market to the A149 south of Cromer. It is of primary status for the entirety of its route. It is approximately 56 miles in length...
at Aylsham
Aylsham
Aylsham is a historic market town and civil parish on the River Bure in north Norfolk, England, about north of Norwich. The river rises near Melton Constable, upstream from Aylsham and continues to Great Yarmouth and the North Sea, although it was only made navigable after 1779, allowing grain,...
.
History
The railway is built on the trackbed of the East Norfolk RailwayEast Norfolk Railway
The East Norfolk Railway was a standard gauge 25 mile, mostly single track, railway running between Norwich Thorpe railway station and Cromer in the English county of Norfolk. It opened in 1874, reaching Cromer three years later, and remains mostly operational...
(ENR). The ENR started in 1877 when the East Norfolk Railway opened from Norwich 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...
, with an extension from 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...
to Aylsham
Aylsham
Aylsham is a historic market town and civil parish on the River Bure in north Norfolk, England, about north of Norwich. The river rises near Melton Constable, upstream from Aylsham and continues to Great Yarmouth and the North Sea, although it was only made navigable after 1779, allowing grain,...
in 1880. The ENR was taken over by 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 1882, which was amalgamated into the London & North Eastern Railway in 1923. The railway was nationalised in 1948.
In 1952 the passenger service stopped, but the freight
Freight train
A freight train or goods train is a group of freight cars or goods wagons hauled by one or more locomotives on a railway, ultimately transporting cargo between two points as part of the logistics chain...
service continued. , as it was then known, closed for goods in 1964, and Aylsham and Coltishall
Coltishall
Coltishall is a village on the River Bure, west of Wroxham, in the English county of Norfolk, within the Norfolk Broads.Coltishall was a place of note even when the Domesday Book was compiled. For 250 years it was a centre of the malting industry...
in 1974.
Freight trains continued to run over the line after this for two principal sources of traffic. The line west of Aylsham via Cawston
Cawston, Norfolk
Cawston is a small village located approximately North of Norwich, off the B1149 main road to Holt. Nearby villages are Reepham and Aylsham.-Church of St Agnes:...
and Reepham originally went further to a junction 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:...
; by this time it instead turned south via a new curve at Themelthorpe to join a fragment of the old Midland and Great Northern
Midland and Great Northern Joint Railway
The Midland and Great Northern Joint Railway, was a joint railway owned by the Midland Railway and the Great Northern Railway in eastern England, affectionately known as the 'Muddle and Get Nowhere' to generations of passengers, enthusiasts, and other users.The main line ran from Peterborough to...
system to reach and .
Coal
Coal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds or coal seams. The harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure...
traffic continued to be carried from via Aylsham
Aylsham
Aylsham is a historic market town and civil parish on the River Bure in north Norfolk, England, about north of Norwich. The river rises near Melton Constable, upstream from Aylsham and continues to Great Yarmouth and the North Sea, although it was only made navigable after 1779, allowing grain,...
to Norwich City - a fantastic trip around Norfolk just to cross Norwich! There was also regular traffic from Lenwade in the form of concrete building components.
This traffic ended in 1981 and the line through Aylsham formally closed on 6 January 1982. A weed-killing train ran in 1983 and track-lifting trains ran the following year.
Re-opening
The Bure Valley Railway opened on 10 July 1990, and a long distance footpath (rail trailRail trail
A rail trail is the conversion of a disused railway easement into a multi-use path, typically for walking, cycling and sometimes horse riding. The characteristics of former tracks—flat, long, frequently running through historical areas—are appealing for various development. The term sometimes also...
) opened alongside it in 1991. It is currently home to Norfolk's only operational
Aylsham Bypass Tunnel
The Aylsham Bypass Tunnel is the only railway tunnel in Norfolk, England currently open to trains. It carries the narrow gauge Bure Valley Railway under the Aylsham Bypass...
railway tunnel, which carries the railway under the Aylsham Bypass
Bypass (road)
A bypass is a road or highway that avoids or "bypasses" a built-up area, town, or village, to let through traffic flow without interference from local traffic, to reduce congestion in the built-up area, and to improve road safety....
. The only other tunnel
Cromer Tunnel
The Cromer Tunnel was built by the Norfolk and Suffolk Joint Railway to take their Cromer Beach to Mundesley line under the Great Eastern's Cromer High to Norwich line...
, in 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...
, is disused.
Locomotives
| No. | Name | Livery | Locomotive type | Wheel arr. |
In Traffic? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wroxham Broad | Light Blue | Steam | 2-6-4T | Yes |
| 6 | Blickling Hall | Midland Crimson Lake | Steam | 2-6-2 2-6-2 Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 2-6-2 represents the wheel arrangement of two leading wheels, six coupled driving wheels and two trailing wheels.Other equivalent classifications are:... |
Yes |
| 7 | Spitfire | Brunswick Green | Steam | 2-6-2 2-6-2 Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 2-6-2 represents the wheel arrangement of two leading wheels, six coupled driving wheels and two trailing wheels.Other equivalent classifications are:... |
No - Undergoing 10 yr overhaul |
| 8 | Thunder | BR Lined Black | Steam | 2-6-2T | Yes |
| 9 | Mark Timothy | Madderlake | Steam | 2-6-4T | No - Undergoing 10 yr overhaul |
| 3 | 2nd Air Division USAAF | Golden Ochre | Diesel | Bo-Bo | Yes |
| 4 | Awaiting Naming | Orange | Diesel | 0-4-0 | Yes |
| 5 | Toby | Brown | Diesel | 0-4-0 | Rarely |
When the railway first opened, several locomotives were hired from the Romney, Hythe and Dymchurch Railway
Romney, Hythe and Dymchurch Railway
The Romney, Hythe & Dymchurch Railway is a gauge light railway in Kent, England. The line runs from the Cinque Port of Hythe via Dymchurch, St...
, including: Southern Maid, Samson and Winston Churchill.
Operations
The track is laid to a gauge of . The railway is operated by a fleet of five steam and three diesel locomotives. Passenger rolling stock consists of 26 fully enclosed bogie carriages and two four-wheel brake vans. Trains almost always include carriages capable of accommodating wheelchairs. Approximately half the carriages are equipped with electric heating, for winter services.On Monday 30 May 2011 a train on the line suffered a derailment
Derailment
A derailment is an accident on a railway or tramway in which a rail vehicle, or part or all of a train, leaves the tracks on which it is travelling, with consequent damage and in many cases injury and/or death....
at Brampton, during which wheels from one of the coaches were reported to have come up through the floor of the vehicle. The Rail Accident Investigation Branch
Rail Accident Investigation Branch
The Rail Accident Investigation Branch is a government agency that became operational on 17 October 2005. Its primary role is the investigation of rail accidents in the United Kingdom and the Channel Tunnel in order to find a cause, not to lay blame. The agency has operational centres in The...
were called in to conduct a preliminary examination into the incident.