Lynn and Dereham Railway
Encyclopedia
The Lynn and Dereham Railway was a standard gauge
26+1/2 mi single track railway running between King's Lynn
and Dereham
in the English
county of Norfolk
. The Lynn to Dereham line opened in 1846 and closed in 1968, although the section between Middleton Towers
and King's Lynn
remains open to freight.
and Swaffham
, was given the Royal Assent
on 21 July 1845, opening in stages between 1846 and 1848; this later became part of the Great Eastern Railway
. Only the section of line between King's Lynn and Narborough was opened under the L&DR, on 17th October 1846. The remainder of the line was opened in stages by the L&DR's immediate successor, the East Anglian Railway. The original intention of the company had been to extend their line to Great Yarmouth
, via Norwich
, but this plan was blocked by the rival Wymondham to Dereham scheme proposed by the Norfolk Railway.
The line was closed to passenger and freight services by the Eastern Region of British Railways on Saturday 7 September 1968, save for a three-mile section for sand
freight from King's Lynn to Middleton, however Wendling station and its road bridge became immortalised on film for all time in several episodes of the British situation comedy Dad's Army
, as it continued for a short while as a filming location.
, where the original station building was replaced by the current building in 1871, and has remained largely unchanged since; the original was a somewhat rudimentary timber
building on the site of the goods yards of the time. Leaving the station the line passed through the goods yard, passed the locomotive shed and the harbour branch before crossing over the junction for the lines to Hunstanton
and Cambridge
.
Soon after leaving King's Lynn the route passed under the former Midland and Great Northern Joint Railway
. The first station on the route was at Middleton
. This small station remains in use as a freight terminus, and the station has been the destination of a number of charter trains. The following station was at East Winch
, which was provided with two platforms and a passing loop. Although there had briefly been an intermediate station between them, the next station for most of the line's existence was a Narborough and Pentney
. This was the terminus of the partially completed line when it opened in 1846, and was equipped with two platforms and a large canopy.
The next station was , where there was a branch line service to Watton
and Thetford
. The route then passed through (closed 1850), , , and (closed 1850) before arriving at on the line between Wymondham
and Fakenham
.
burners. The first four were delivered in 1846, with the remaining locomotives being delivered in 1847. The two goods locomotives arrived in 1848.
.
Most stations survive as a private residences, although Swaffham's large yard and junction has been redeveloped as an industrial estate the station building survives in community use. Dunham station was used as a museum for a number of years, although this has now closed. Fransham still has a short section of track and some rolling stock in what is now a private garden, and the route into Dereham has been partially redeveloped for housing and an inner link road. Dereham station itself survives as the headquarters for the Mid-Norfolk Railway
.
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...
26+1/2 mi single track railway running between King's Lynn
King's Lynn railway station
King's Lynn railway station serves the town of King's Lynn in Norfolk. The station is the terminus of the Fen Line from Cambridge, which is electrified at 25 kV AC overhead...
and 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 :...
in the English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
county of Norfolk
Norfolk
Norfolk is a low-lying county in the East of England. It has borders with Lincolnshire to the west, Cambridgeshire to the west and southwest and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the North Sea coast and to the north-west the county is bordered by The Wash. The county...
. The Lynn to Dereham line opened in 1846 and closed in 1968, although the section between Middleton Towers
Middleton Towers railway station
Middleton Towers railway station was a station in Middleton, Norfolk. It was on the line between Swaffham and King's Lynn, and closed along with the rest of the line in 1968....
and King's Lynn
King's Lynn railway station
King's Lynn railway station serves the town of King's Lynn in Norfolk. The station is the terminus of the Fen Line from Cambridge, which is electrified at 25 kV AC overhead...
remains open to freight.
History
The Lynn & Dereham Railway, which weaved a 26.5 miles (42.6 km) route to East Dereham via NarboroughNarborough, Norfolk
Narborough is a village of 1405 hectares in the Breckland district of Norfolk, England with a population of 1095 as of the 2001 census. It is situated in the Nar Valley, with the river Nar flowing through on its way to the River Great Ouse....
and 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...
, was given the Royal Assent
Royal Assent
The granting of royal assent refers to the method by which any constitutional monarch formally approves and promulgates an act of his or her nation's parliament, thus making it a law...
on 21 July 1845, opening in stages between 1846 and 1848; this later 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...
. Only the section of line between King's Lynn and Narborough was opened under the L&DR, on 17th October 1846. The remainder of the line was opened in stages by the L&DR's immediate successor, the East Anglian Railway. The original intention of the company had been to extend their line to Great Yarmouth
Great Yarmouth
Great Yarmouth, often known to locals as Yarmouth, is a coastal town in Norfolk, England. It is at the mouth of the River Yare, east of Norwich.It has been a seaside resort since 1760, and is the gateway from the Norfolk Broads to the sea...
, via Norwich
Norwich
Norwich is a city in England. It is the regional administrative centre and county town of Norfolk. During the 11th century, Norwich was the largest city in England after London, and one of the most important places in the kingdom...
, but this plan was blocked by the rival Wymondham to Dereham scheme proposed by the Norfolk Railway.
The line was closed to passenger and freight services by the Eastern Region of British Railways on Saturday 7 September 1968, save for a three-mile section for sand
Sand
Sand is a naturally occurring granular material composed of finely divided rock and mineral particles.The composition of sand is highly variable, depending on the local rock sources and conditions, but the most common constituent of sand in inland continental settings and non-tropical coastal...
freight from King's Lynn to Middleton, however Wendling station and its road bridge became immortalised on film for all time in several episodes of the British situation comedy Dad's Army
Dad's Army
Dad's Army is a British sitcom about the Home Guard during the Second World War. It was written by Jimmy Perry and David Croft and broadcast on BBC television between 1968 and 1977. The series ran for 9 series and 80 episodes in total, plus a radio series, a feature film and a stage show...
, as it continued for a short while as a filming location.
Route
The line starts at King's LynnKing'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....
, where the original station building was replaced by the current building in 1871, and has remained largely unchanged since; the original was a somewhat rudimentary timber
Timber
Timber may refer to:* Timber, a term common in the United Kingdom and Australia for wood materials * Timber, Oregon, an unincorporated community in the U.S...
building on the site of the goods yards of the time. Leaving the station the line passed through the goods yard, passed the locomotive shed and the harbour branch before crossing over the junction for the lines to Hunstanton
Hunstanton
Hunstanton, often pronounced by locals as and known colloquially as 'Sunny Hunny', is a seaside town in Norfolk, England, facing The Wash....
and 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...
.
Soon after leaving King's Lynn the route passed under the former Midland and Great Northern Joint Railway
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...
. The first station on the route was at Middleton
Middleton, Norfolk
Middleton is a civil parish in the English county of Norfolk.It covers an area of and had a population of 1,516 in 621 households as of the 2001 census.For the purposes of local government, it falls within the district of King's Lynn and West Norfolk....
. This small station remains in use as a freight terminus, and the station has been the destination of a number of charter trains. The following station was at East Winch
East Winch railway station
East Winch railway station was a station on in East Winch, Norfolk on the line between King's Lynn and Swaffham. It closed in 1968, as part of the Beeching Axe; although Beeching's report intended to retain the Kings Lynn - Dereham - Line the local stations were recommended for closure in the...
, which was provided with two platforms and a passing loop. Although there had briefly been an intermediate station between them, the next station for most of the line's existence was a Narborough and Pentney
Narborough and Pentney railway station
Narborough and Pentney railway station was a station in Norfolk, serving the villages of Narborough and Pentney. It was on the line between King's Lynn and Swaffham. It was closed as part of the Beeching Axe, and now exists as a private residence...
. This was the terminus of the partially completed line when it opened in 1846, and was equipped with two platforms and a large canopy.
The next station was , where there was a branch line service to Watton
Watton railway station
Watton railway station was located in Watton, Norfolk. It was on the Great Eastern Railway line between Swaffham and Thetford, and closed in 1964 as part of the Beeching Axe.Former Services-External links:*...
and Thetford
Thetford railway station
Thetford railway station is a railway station serving the town of Thetford in the English county of Norfolk. It is served by local services operated by National Express East Anglia on the Breckland Line and Long distance East Midlands Trains services. It lies 49 km west of Norwich on the line to...
. The route then passed through (closed 1850), , , and (closed 1850) before arriving at on the line between Wymondham
Wymondham railway station
Wymondham is a railway station in the town of Wymondham in the English county of Norfolk. The station is served by local services operated by East Midlands Trains and National Express East Anglia on the Breckland Line 17 km west of Norwich to Peterborough and Cambridge.Wymondham station is...
and Fakenham
Fakenham East railway station
Fakenham East railway station was a railway station in the market town of Fakenham in the English county of Norfolk.This station is one of the possible sites protected in local plans in case it is needed to be restored as part of the Mid-Norfolk Railway's eventual plans to return to Fakenham...
.
Locomotives
The L&DR was initially operated by eight 2-2-2 passenger engines and two 0-4-2 goods engines, all of which being cokeCoke (fuel)
Coke is the solid carbonaceous material derived from destructive distillation of low-ash, low-sulfur bituminous coal. Cokes from coal are grey, hard, and porous. While coke can be formed naturally, the commonly used form is man-made.- History :...
burners. The first four were delivered in 1846, with the remaining locomotives being delivered in 1847. The two goods locomotives arrived in 1848.
| Number & Name | Description | Builder | Delivered | Scrapped |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 'Eagle' | 2-2-2 2-2-2 Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 2-2-2 represents the wheel arrangement of two leading wheels on one axle two powered driving wheels on one axle, and two trailing wheels on one axle. The wheel arrangement both provided more stability and enabled a larger firebox... |
Sharp Brothers of Manchester Sharp, Roberts and Company Sharp, Stewart and Company was a steam locomotive manufacturer, initially based in Manchester, England. The company was formed in 1843 upon the demise of Sharp, Roberts & Co. and moved to Glasgow, Scotland in 1888, eventually amalgamating with two other Glasgow-based locomotive manufacturers to... |
1846 | July 1875 |
| 2 'Vulture' | 2-2-2 | Sharp Brothers of Manchester | 1846 | June 1867 |
| 3 'Ostrich' | 2-2-2 | Sharp Brothers of Manchester | 1846 | January 1870 |
| 4 'Falcon' | 2-2-2 | Sharp Brothers of Manchester | 1846 | September 1868 |
| 5 'Hawk' | 2-2-2 | Sharp Brothers of Manchester | 1847 | October 1869 |
| 6 'Kite' | 2-2-2 | Sharp Brothers of Manchester | 1847 | October 1869 |
| 7 'Raven' | 2-2-2 | Sharp Brothers of Manchester | 1847 | March 1870 |
| 8 'Heron' | 2-2-2 | Sharp Brothers of Manchester | 1847 | January 1870 |
| 13 'Lion' | 0-4-2 0-4-2 Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 0-4-2 represents the wheel arrangement with no leading wheels, four powered and coupled driving wheels on two axles, and two trailing wheels on one axle... |
Sharp Brothers of Manchester | 1848 | - |
| 14 'Tiger' | 0-4-2 | Sharp Brothers of Manchester | 1848 | - |
Present day
The majority of the route remains unobstructed. All of the stations, other than Wendling, remain in good order, and large sections of the route remain in transport use as roadways and drives. While track remains between King's Lynn and Middleton, the remainder has been lifted and the section of line between Dereham and Wendling has been claimed by the A47 roadA47 road
The A47 is a trunk road in England originally linking Birmingham to Great Yarmouth. Most of the section between Birmingham and Nuneaton is now classified as the B4114.-Route:...
.
Most stations survive as a private residences, although Swaffham's large yard and junction has been redeveloped as an industrial estate the station building survives in community use. Dunham station was used as a museum for a number of years, although this has now closed. Fransham still has a short section of track and some rolling stock in what is now a private garden, and the route into Dereham has been partially redeveloped for housing and an inner link road. Dereham station itself survives as the headquarters for 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....
.