Yarmouth-Lowestoft Line
Encyclopedia
The Yarmouth to Lowestoft line was an East Anglia
n railway line which linked the coastal towns of Yarmouth
and Lowestoft
. It opened on 13 July 1903 as the first direct railway link between the two towns and was constructed by the Great Eastern Railway
and the Midland and Great Northern Railway in the hope of encouraging the development of holiday resorts along the coast. In the event, although the line was built to high standards and not insubstantial cost, intermediate traffic refused to develop and competition from buses and trams eroded the little that had been generated. Fish traffic was carried in large quantities until the 1930s when it fell into decline. In 1953, when major repairs to the Breydon Viaduct
were required, it was decided to discontinue through services from the Midland and Great Northern to Lowestoft and to divert London trains to Lowestoft via Norwich. After the Midland and Great Northern and Yarmouth to Beccles Line
closed to passengers in 1959, the Yarmouth to Lowestoft line was upgraded to accommodate the diverted traffic, but after services were switched to in 1962, it was singled and the stations made unstaffed halts. With only a local service running between vandalised stations, the decision was taken to close the route on 4 May 1970 in favour of bus services which were judged adequate for most of the year.
and the Midland and Great Northern Joint Railway
formed the Norfolk and Suffolk Joint Committee
in July 1898 to control as a joint railway
projected extensions between and as well as Yarmouth
and Lowestoft
. The second line would create the first direct coastal link between the Norfolk
and Suffolk
coastal towns, and the railway companies also hoped that it would stimulate the development of holiday resorts along the coast. It opened on 13 July 1903 and immediately supplanted the more circuitous route between the two towns provided by the Yarmouth to Beccles Line
via the Haddiscoe East curve and St Olaves station
.
As part of the agreement, the GER would build a direct line between Yarmouth and Lowestoft, while the M&GN would construct a link from Caister Road near its Yarmouth Beach terminus
across the Wherry Lines
and the Beccles line to a junction near Gorleston North station
.
The scheme to construct the M&GN link was entitled the Lowestoft Junction Railway and entailed the construction of three viaducts: Breydon Viaduct
over Breydon Water
, a smaller viaduct across the River Bure
and the Vauxhall Viaduct across the GER's East Suffolk line. In total, £159,758-12-4d (£ as of ) was spent in constructing 2 miles (3.21868 km), not taking account of the costs of alterations made to Yarmouth Beach station to accommodate the new connection. The track was at first double but became single for the 800 feet (243.8 m) Breydon Viaduct, now the most important engineering structure on the M&GN, before becoming double again to join the GER curve from Yarmouth South Town station
at Gorleston North Junction. The contractors for the line were Oliver & Sons of Rugby
and John Wilson from the GER was appointed as engineer.
As the Joint Committee had no rolling stock of its own, services between Yarmouth and Lowestoft or either and Beccles typically consisted of two coaches hauled by a small tank locomotive
such as the M&GN 4-4-2Ts. The M&GN initially ran four daily services to and from Lowestoft, while the GER laid on three trains; the M&GN used Yarmouth Beach and the GER South Town. The GER services were withdrawn during the First World War.
The M&GN also operated two holiday expresses: a morning service to Leicester
and Birmingham
and an afternoon one to Derby
, Manchester
and Liverpool
. Neither called at or Corton stations
. Consequently, although and Gorleston North stations
received around 10,000 passengers between them and Lowestoft Central
around 25,000 passengers during the pre-First World War period, Hopton and Corton saw little traffic. In fact, Corton station had less than 10,000 passengers during 1911, which corresponded to less than half a passenger for each M&GN stopping service. There were no Sunday passenger services except during Summer, although a to Yarmouth service in October did run until 1905 for the benefit of daytrippers. Between January 1917 and July 1919, all GER services were withdrawn between Yarmouth South Town and Lowestoft Central as a First World War economy measure.
Although the M&GN remained a joint line after the 1923 railway grouping
, it was now operated by the London Midland and Scottish Railway and the London and North Eastern Railway
. The same year, the LMS introduced a new service which connected and with Yarmouth and Lowestoft. The journey time between Manchester and Yarmouth was 6 hours 25 minutes. A variety of Great Eastern
, Great Northern and Great Central
tanks were used to provide a regular but poorly-patronised service. During the Second World War, single line working was introduced between Gorleston-on-Sea and Lowestoft North as the other line was needed to store wagons; normal service was restored in March 1948. Gorleston North was so badly damaged by enemy bombing that it was subsequently closed; the station was inconveniently sited in relation to the town and had suffered from bus and tram competition. The post-war timetable gave the line its poorest level of service than at any previous point: four trains ran from South Town and two from Yarmouth Beach. At this time, a two-coach unit was suitable for most workings except Summer Saturdays. Holiday excursions returned after the war and M&GN services to the East Midlands
and Birmingham were popular. Service levels rose after the closure of the M&GN and the introduction of DMUs
and the Winter 1957-58 timetable showed 15 hourly departures from South Town between 7.29am and 9.29pm, rising to 20 in 1963-64 after the closure of the line to Beccles. By the final winter of 1969-70, this number had fallen to 12.
shoot at Hopton-on-Sea in 1913. In the same year, a new 12-coach spur was installed at Gorleston-on-Sea to accommodate passengers for the Suffolk Show. A new station was opened at in 1914 to serve the adjacent golf club which paid the costs of construction. Fish traffic declined during the First World War, but overall goods traffic increased as a result of war requirements and the diversion to rail of traditionally seaborne traffic to Yarmouth, Lynn
and Wisbech
. The volume of goods carried by rail declined significantly in the post-war period due to agricultural and industrial depression, coupled with the growth of road competition to which the line was vulnerable due to the short distances over which traffic was conveyed. Between 1923 and 1936 the M&GN provided the goods service over the line which consisted of two or three trains per day together with fish trains. The denationalisation of road transport by the Transport Act 1953 dealt a further blow to goods traffic by facilitating long-distance transportation by motor vehicles.
upon nationalisation
in 1948. They were assigned to the Eastern Region of British Railways
which corresponded very much to the southern region of the LNER. Reliance on summer traffic was not enough and a programme of closures and economies was put into action from 1953 with the closure of the first section of the Norfolk and Suffolk between Cromer and Mundesley, followed by the closure of Breydon Viaduct from 21 September due to the costs of maintenance. This resulted in the withdrawal of Lowestoft coaches on the expresses from Leicester, the M&GN freight trains and the ordinary passenger service between Yarmouth Beach and Lowestoft. A service between the coastal towns was maintained from South Town, as was a through service to Lowestoft from Birmingham on Saturdays; the Leicester service was reintroduced the following summer, running from Derby to Gorleston and Lowestoft via the Beccles line.
Passenger services on the M&GN were the next to be withdrawn in February 1959, followed by those on the Yarmouth to Beccles line. This led to the re-routing of London to Yarmouth expresses via Lowestoft where they reversed and ran along the coast to Yarmouth South Town. This avoided the division of trains at Beccles and also provided Gorleston holidaymakers with a direct link to London; it also served the camps and caravan parks at Hopton and Corton. At this time there were expectations that the line would become the main London to Yarmouth route and in preparation for the additional traffic bridges were strengthened and track improved. However, following improvements to Yarmouth Vauxhall station and dieselisation
in 1962, the bulk of the London service was re-routed via Norwich Thorpe
and the Wherry Lines. There was still however enough holiday traffic in 1964 to justify nine services to and from South Town from on Saturdays. This declined in the face of the rationalisations and elimination of surplus rolling stock
recommended by the Beeching Report which had the effect of greatly reducing the number of Saturday specials.
From September 1966, the line - which had long been plagued by an imbalance between summer and winter patronage - saw the introduction of diesel-sets with conductor-guards. In reality, this was no more than a pay train
serving weed-infested and vandalised stations. The stations at Gorleston-on-Sea, Hopton, Corton and Lowestoft North were also made unstaffed. In the following year the line was singled and the daily goods pick-up at Lowestoft Central and Yarmouth South Town was discontinued. The last Norfolk and Suffolk signal box
at Lowestoft North was also closed, those at Gorleston, Hopton and Corton having already been switched out. By this time, the line was losing £34,000 a year (£ as of ) and with no through services served only local interests. In the absence of any realistic prospect of traffic improvement, closure came on 4 May 1970. An attempt was made by a local group to purchase the line with a view to running year-round commuter services and summer steam-hauled tourist trains, but this came to nothing.
The site of Yarmouth South Town has disappeared beneath new roads, superstores and industrial units, whilst that of Gorleston-on-Sea was swept away in 1991 to make way for a roundabout on the A12 Gorleston inner relief road. The road follows the former railway alignment from Yarmouth Beach to a point to the south of the former Gorleston station, and includes a new drawbridge
near the site of Breydon Viaduct. The site of Gorleston Links Halt is similarly unrecognisable and have disappeared under residential development. A housing estate has been built across the track at the site of Hopton-on-Sea station; the stationmaster's house still stands as do the gates to the goods yard to the right of the house. Corton is the only former station on the line still standing; it is in use as a private residence, although the platform canopy is very rundown. Lowestoft North has disappeared under residential development and a road named "Beeching Drive" occupies the former alignment; to the west a section of the line has become a non-vehicular right of way.
The absence of a direct rail connection between Yarmouth and Lowestoft remains keenly felt today.
East Anglia
East Anglia is a traditional name for a region of eastern England, named after an ancient Anglo-Saxon kingdom, the Kingdom of the East Angles. The Angles took their name from their homeland Angeln, in northern Germany. East Anglia initially consisted of Norfolk and Suffolk, but upon the marriage of...
n railway line which linked the coastal towns of 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...
and 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...
. It opened on 13 July 1903 as the first direct railway link between the two towns and was constructed 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...
and the Midland and Great Northern Railway in the hope of encouraging the development of holiday resorts along the coast. In the event, although the line was built to high standards and not insubstantial cost, intermediate traffic refused to develop and competition from buses and trams eroded the little that had been generated. Fish traffic was carried in large quantities until the 1930s when it fell into decline. In 1953, when major repairs to the Breydon Viaduct
Breydon Viaduct
Breydon Viaduct was a railway bridge across the River Yare near Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, England that was built by the Midland and Great Northern Joint Railway .-History:...
were required, it was decided to discontinue through services from the Midland and Great Northern to Lowestoft and to divert London trains to Lowestoft via Norwich. After the Midland and Great Northern and Yarmouth to Beccles Line
Yarmouth to Beccles Line
The Yarmouth to Beccles Line was a railway line which linked the Suffolk market town of Beccles with the Norfolk coastal resort of Yarmouth. Forming part of the East Suffolk Railway, the line was opened in 1859 and closed 100 years later in 1959.- History :...
closed to passengers in 1959, the Yarmouth to Lowestoft line was upgraded to accommodate the diverted traffic, but after services were switched to in 1962, it was singled and the stations made unstaffed halts. With only a local service running between vandalised stations, the decision was taken to close the route on 4 May 1970 in favour of bus services which were judged adequate for most of the year.
Construction
The Great Eastern RailwayGreat 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...
and the 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...
formed the Norfolk and Suffolk Joint Committee
Norfolk and Suffolk Joint Railway
The Norfolk and Suffolk Joint Railway was a British joint railway company.The NSJR was owned by the Great Eastern Railway and the Midland and Great Northern Joint Railway and consisted of two distinct sections: a line between North Walsham and Cromer via Mundesley, and a coastal section running...
in July 1898 to control as a joint railway
Joint railway
A joint railway is a railway operating under the control of more than one railway company: those companies very often supplying the traction over the railway.-United Kingdom:There are many examples of joint railway working in the United Kingdom...
projected extensions between and as well as 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...
and 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...
. The second line would create the first direct coastal link between the 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...
and Suffolk
Suffolk
Suffolk is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in East Anglia, England. It has borders with Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south. The North Sea lies to the east...
coastal towns, and the railway companies also hoped that it would stimulate the development of holiday resorts along the coast. It opened on 13 July 1903 and immediately supplanted the more circuitous route between the two towns provided by the Yarmouth to Beccles Line
Yarmouth to Beccles Line
The Yarmouth to Beccles Line was a railway line which linked the Suffolk market town of Beccles with the Norfolk coastal resort of Yarmouth. Forming part of the East Suffolk Railway, the line was opened in 1859 and closed 100 years later in 1959.- History :...
via the Haddiscoe East curve and St Olaves station
St Olaves railway station
St Olaves was a station in St. Olaves. It was on the Great Eastern Railway between Great Yarmouth and London. It was first opened in June 1859. After just over a century it was closed in November 1959 when the connection it stood on was cut, and services transferred to another route to make roughly...
.
As part of the agreement, the GER would build a direct line between Yarmouth and Lowestoft, while the M&GN would construct a link from Caister Road near its Yarmouth Beach terminus
Yarmouth Beach railway station
Yarmouth Beach railway station is a former railway station in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk. It was opened in 1877 by the Great Yarmouth & Stalham Light Railway...
across the Wherry Lines
Wherry Lines
The Wherry Lines are railway lines in England, from Norwich to Great Yarmouth and Lowestoft. These lines pass through The Broads. The line is part of the Network Rail Strategic Route 7, SRS 07.11 and is classified as a rural line...
and the Beccles line to a junction near Gorleston North station
Gorleston North railway station
Gorleston North railway station was a former station on the Norfolk and Suffolk Joint Railway connecting Great Yarmouth with Lowestoft. It was located on the northern outskirts of Gorleston-on-Sea, close to Great Yarmouth...
.
The scheme to construct the M&GN link was entitled the Lowestoft Junction Railway and entailed the construction of three viaducts: Breydon Viaduct
Breydon Viaduct
Breydon Viaduct was a railway bridge across the River Yare near Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, England that was built by the Midland and Great Northern Joint Railway .-History:...
over Breydon Water
Breydon Water
Breydon Water is a massive stretch of sheltered estuary at Great Yarmouth in Norfolk, England. It is at gateway to the Norfolk Broads. It is the UK's largest protected wetland. It is 5 km long and more than 1.5 km wide in places...
, a smaller viaduct across 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...
and the Vauxhall Viaduct across the GER's East Suffolk line. In total, £159,758-12-4d (£ as of ) was spent in constructing 2 miles (3.21868 km), not taking account of the costs of alterations made to Yarmouth Beach station to accommodate the new connection. The track was at first double but became single for the 800 feet (243.8 m) Breydon Viaduct, now the most important engineering structure on the M&GN, before becoming double again to join the GER curve from Yarmouth South Town station
Yarmouth South Town railway station
Yarmouth South Town, sometimes known as Yarmouth Southtown, was a railway station in Great Yarmouth, England, that is now closed. It was one of three major stations in the town, the others being Yarmouth Vauxhall and Yarmouth Beach, of which only Yarmouth Vauxhall now remains.Yarmouth South Town...
at Gorleston North Junction. The contractors for the line were Oliver & Sons of Rugby
Rugby, Warwickshire
Rugby is a market town in Warwickshire, England, located on the River Avon. The town has a population of 61,988 making it the second largest town in the county...
and John Wilson from the GER was appointed as engineer.
Passenger traffic
Tank locomotive
A tank locomotive or tank engine is a steam locomotive that carries its water in one or more on-board water tanks, instead of pulling it behind it in a tender. It will most likely also have some kind of bunker to hold the fuel. There are several different types of tank locomotive dependent upon...
such as the M&GN 4-4-2Ts. The M&GN initially ran four daily services to and from Lowestoft, while the GER laid on three trains; the M&GN used Yarmouth Beach and the GER South Town. The GER services were withdrawn during the First World War.
The M&GN also operated two holiday expresses: a morning service to Leicester
Leicester
Leicester is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England, and the county town of Leicestershire. The city lies on the River Soar and at the edge of the National Forest...
and Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
and an afternoon one to Derby
Derby
Derby , is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands region of England. It lies upon the banks of the River Derwent and is located in the south of the ceremonial county of Derbyshire. In the 2001 census, the population of the city was 233,700, whilst that of the Derby Urban Area was 229,407...
, Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
and Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
. Neither called at or Corton stations
Corton railway station
Corton was a station in Corton, Suffolk on the line between Great Yarmouth and Lowestoft. It closed in 1970 with the rest of the line, removing the direct link between these two towns.For several years Corton had a static Camping coach in a siding...
. Consequently, although and Gorleston North stations
Gorleston North railway station
Gorleston North railway station was a former station on the Norfolk and Suffolk Joint Railway connecting Great Yarmouth with Lowestoft. It was located on the northern outskirts of Gorleston-on-Sea, close to Great Yarmouth...
received around 10,000 passengers between them and Lowestoft Central
Lowestoft railway station
Lowestoft railway station, formerly known as Lowestoft Central railway station, is a staffed railway station serving the town of Lowestoft in Suffolk. It is the terminus of the Wherry Line from Norwich and the East Suffolk Line from Ipswich. It is the easternmost station on the National Rail network...
around 25,000 passengers during the pre-First World War period, Hopton and Corton saw little traffic. In fact, Corton station had less than 10,000 passengers during 1911, which corresponded to less than half a passenger for each M&GN stopping service. There were no Sunday passenger services except during Summer, although a to Yarmouth service in October did run until 1905 for the benefit of daytrippers. Between January 1917 and July 1919, all GER services were withdrawn between Yarmouth South Town and Lowestoft Central as a First World War economy measure.
Although the M&GN remained a joint line after the 1923 railway grouping
Railways Act 1921
The Railways Act 1921, also known as the Grouping Act, was an enactment by the British government of David Lloyd George intended to stem the losses being made by many of the country's 120 railway companies, move the railways away from internal competition, and to retain some of the benefits which...
, it was now operated by the London Midland and Scottish Railway and the London and 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...
. The same year, the LMS introduced a new service which connected and with Yarmouth and Lowestoft. The journey time between Manchester and Yarmouth was 6 hours 25 minutes. A variety of Great Eastern
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...
, Great Northern and Great Central
Great Central Railway
The Great Central Railway was a railway company in England which came into being when the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway changed its name in 1897 in anticipation of the opening in 1899 of its London Extension . On 1 January 1923, it was grouped into the London and North Eastern...
tanks were used to provide a regular but poorly-patronised service. During the Second World War, single line working was introduced between Gorleston-on-Sea and Lowestoft North as the other line was needed to store wagons; normal service was restored in March 1948. Gorleston North was so badly damaged by enemy bombing that it was subsequently closed; the station was inconveniently sited in relation to the town and had suffered from bus and tram competition. The post-war timetable gave the line its poorest level of service than at any previous point: four trains ran from South Town and two from Yarmouth Beach. At this time, a two-coach unit was suitable for most workings except Summer Saturdays. Holiday excursions returned after the war and M&GN services to the East Midlands
East Midlands
The East Midlands is one of the regions of England, consisting of most of the eastern half of the traditional region of the Midlands. It encompasses the combined area of Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Rutland, Northamptonshire and most of Lincolnshire...
and Birmingham were popular. Service levels rose after the closure of the M&GN and the introduction of DMUs
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:...
and the Winter 1957-58 timetable showed 15 hourly departures from South Town between 7.29am and 9.29pm, rising to 20 in 1963-64 after the closure of the line to Beccles. By the final winter of 1969-70, this number had fallen to 12.
Goods traffic
The line did initially deal with substantial goods traffic: nearly 20,000 tons of coal a year and 5,000 tons annually of Lowestoft fish traffic, around 10% of the total generated. and Gorleston North stations became important coal depots, while potential for new traffic was created by the construction of a sugar beetSugar beet
Sugar beet, a cultivated plant of Beta vulgaris, is a plant whose tuber contains a high concentration of sucrose. It is grown commercially for sugar production. Sugar beets and other B...
shoot at Hopton-on-Sea in 1913. In the same year, a new 12-coach spur was installed at Gorleston-on-Sea to accommodate passengers for the Suffolk Show. A new station was opened at in 1914 to serve the adjacent golf club which paid the costs of construction. Fish traffic declined during the First World War, but overall goods traffic increased as a result of war requirements and the diversion to rail of traditionally seaborne traffic to Yarmouth, 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....
and Wisbech
Wisbech
Wisbech is a market town, inland port and civil parish with a population of 20,200 in the Fens of Cambridgeshire. The tidal River Nene runs through the centre of the town and is spanned by two bridges...
. The volume of goods carried by rail declined significantly in the post-war period due to agricultural and industrial depression, coupled with the growth of road competition to which the line was vulnerable due to the short distances over which traffic was conveyed. Between 1923 and 1936 the M&GN provided the goods service over the line which consisted of two or three trains per day together with fish trains. The denationalisation of road transport by the Transport Act 1953 dealt a further blow to goods traffic by facilitating long-distance transportation by motor vehicles.
Decline and closure
Both the M&GN and Norfolk and Suffolk Joint Committee were transferred to the British Transport CommissionBritish Transport Commission
The British Transport Commission was created by Clement Attlee's post-war Labour government as a part of its nationalisation programme, to oversee railways, canals and road freight transport in Great Britain...
upon nationalisation
Transport 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...
in 1948. They were assigned to 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...
which corresponded very much to the southern region of the LNER. Reliance on summer traffic was not enough and a programme of closures and economies was put into action from 1953 with the closure of the first section of the Norfolk and Suffolk between Cromer and Mundesley, followed by the closure of Breydon Viaduct from 21 September due to the costs of maintenance. This resulted in the withdrawal of Lowestoft coaches on the expresses from Leicester, the M&GN freight trains and the ordinary passenger service between Yarmouth Beach and Lowestoft. A service between the coastal towns was maintained from South Town, as was a through service to Lowestoft from Birmingham on Saturdays; the Leicester service was reintroduced the following summer, running from Derby to Gorleston and Lowestoft via the Beccles line.
Passenger services on the M&GN were the next to be withdrawn in February 1959, followed by those on the Yarmouth to Beccles line. This led to the re-routing of London to Yarmouth expresses via Lowestoft where they reversed and ran along the coast to Yarmouth South Town. This avoided the division of trains at Beccles and also provided Gorleston holidaymakers with a direct link to London; it also served the camps and caravan parks at Hopton and Corton. At this time there were expectations that the line would become the main London to Yarmouth route and in preparation for the additional traffic bridges were strengthened and track improved. However, following improvements to Yarmouth Vauxhall station and dieselisation
Dieselisation
Dieselisation or dieselization is a term generally used for the increasingly common use of diesel fuel in vehicles, as opposed to gasoline or steam engines.-Water Transport:...
in 1962, the bulk of the London service was re-routed via Norwich Thorpe
Norwich railway station
Norwich is a railway station serving the city of Norwich in the English county of Norfolk. The station is the northern terminus of the Great Eastern Main Line from London Liverpool Street. It is also the terminus of railway lines from Ely, Sheringham, Great Yarmouth and Lowestoft.-History:At one...
and the Wherry Lines. There was still however enough holiday traffic in 1964 to justify nine services to and from South Town from on Saturdays. This declined in the face of the rationalisations and elimination of surplus rolling stock
Rolling stock
Rolling stock comprises all the vehicles that move on a railway. It usually includes both powered and unpowered vehicles, for example locomotives, railroad cars, coaches and wagons...
recommended by the Beeching Report which had the effect of greatly reducing the number of Saturday specials.
From September 1966, the line - which had long been plagued by an imbalance between summer and winter patronage - saw the introduction of diesel-sets with conductor-guards. In reality, this was no more than a pay train
Parliamentary train
A Parliamentary train or Parly is, nowadays, a British English term for a train that operates a Parliamentary service - that is to say a token service to a given station, thus maintaining a legal fiction that either the station or, in some cases, the whole line is open, although in reality the...
serving weed-infested and vandalised stations. The stations at Gorleston-on-Sea, Hopton, Corton and Lowestoft North were also made unstaffed. In the following year the line was singled and the daily goods pick-up at Lowestoft Central and Yarmouth South Town was discontinued. The last Norfolk and Suffolk signal box
Signal box
On a rail transport system, signalling control is the process by which control is exercised over train movements by way of railway signals and block systems to ensure that trains operate safely, over the correct route and to the proper timetable...
at Lowestoft North was also closed, those at Gorleston, Hopton and Corton having already been switched out. By this time, the line was losing £34,000 a year (£ as of ) and with no through services served only local interests. In the absence of any realistic prospect of traffic improvement, closure came on 4 May 1970. An attempt was made by a local group to purchase the line with a view to running year-round commuter services and summer steam-hauled tourist trains, but this came to nothing.
Present day
Drawbridge
A drawbridge is a type of movable bridge typically associated with the entrance of a castle surrounded by a moat. The term is often used to describe all different types of movable bridges, like bascule bridges and lift bridges.-Castle drawbridges:...
near the site of Breydon Viaduct. The site of Gorleston Links Halt is similarly unrecognisable and have disappeared under residential development. A housing estate has been built across the track at the site of Hopton-on-Sea station; the stationmaster's house still stands as do the gates to the goods yard to the right of the house. Corton is the only former station on the line still standing; it is in use as a private residence, although the platform canopy is very rundown. Lowestoft North has disappeared under residential development and a road named "Beeching Drive" occupies the former alignment; to the west a section of the line has become a non-vehicular right of way.
The absence of a direct rail connection between Yarmouth and Lowestoft remains keenly felt today.