Yarmouth to Beccles Line
Encyclopedia
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.
and Beccles
. The scheme was promoted by Samuel Morton Peto
who saw the opportunity to raise the status of Lowestoft
by constructing a line which would give the town more direct access to London
than the existing route via Norwich
which he had also sponsored. On 20 November 1854, a single track line between and opened to goods traffic, and then to passengers on 4 December. Worked by the Eastern Counties Railway
, the line - now known as the East Suffolk Railway
- connected with the Norwich route at . Authorisation was obtained for an extension of the line north-east to Yarmouth
and this was constructed by the newly-formed Yarmouth & Haddiscoe Railway. This opened on 1 June 1859 at the same time as other sections of the East Suffolk Railway between Woodbridge and and Beccles to Lowestoft. In 1862, the Eastern Counties was amalgamated into the Great Eastern Railway
.
The main feature of the line was the pair of swing bridge
s over the River Waveney
, the first at Beccles and the second between Haddiscoe and . These were crossed at walking pace and were, until 1927, operated by signal box
es, with pilotmen on the footplate
for the crossing. The initial service provided was praised by local newspapers for its punctuality and spacious coaches. The line's main revenue came from holiday traffic and by 1883, there were seven or eight daily services, with two or three London services in each direction. A curve installed at Haddiscoe in 1872 allowed through services between Yarmouth and Lowestoft via St Olaves, but the route was only a little less circuitous than the original route via Lowestoft, and the Reedham East Curve, entering via . Expresses from covered the distance to Yarmouth in 2.5 hours in 1904, when regular summer services ferried passengers to the coastal resorts.
Summer Saturday traffic began declining from 1918 as fitted freight stock and diesel power led to increased speeds and capacity which made the longer route to Yarmouth via Lowestoft a viable alternative to the Beccles line. By 1934 the Haddiscoe curve had closed and was lifted early in 1939. The line had passed under the control of the London and North Eastern Railway
on 1 January 1923 following the railway grouping
and subsequently became part of the Eastern Region of British Railways
upon nationalisation
on 1 January 1948. Save for the introduction of interlocking signalling
, the line saw few modifications during the 86-year period of GER and LNER ownership. The cost of maintaining the Yarmouth to Beccles line to express standards for the benefit of holiday traffic became prohibitive, especially once Breydon Viaduct
connecting with closed in 1953 which led to the direct line between Yarmouth and Lowestoft becoming underused. Reports of the line's closure surfaced in 1955, yet it was not until 2 November 1959 that the Beccles line finally closed to regular traffic. Short stretches from Haddiscoe to remained open until after the 1964-65 sugar beet
season and services to and from Lowestoft continued to use until 1970.
close to where the Beccles line crossed over the East Suffolk line. The signal box has been converted and extended into a private residence. From the station site, the remains of the buttress
es which supported St Olaves swing bridge may still be seen. No trace remains of Yarmouth South Town which has disappeared beneath new roads, superstores and industrial units.
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...
market town
Market town
Market town or market right is a legal term, originating in the medieval period, for a European settlement that has the right to host markets, distinguishing it from a village and city...
of Beccles
Beccles
Beccles is a market town and civil parish in the Waveney District of the English county of Suffolk. The town is shown on the milestone as from London via the A145 Blythburgh and A12 road, northeast of London as the crow flies, southeast of Norwich, and north northeast of the county town of...
with 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...
coastal resort 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...
. Forming part of the East Suffolk Railway
East Suffolk Line
The East Suffolk Line is an un-electrified secondary railway line running between Ipswich and Lowestoft in Suffolk, England. The traffic along the route consists of passenger services operated by National Express East Anglia, while nuclear flask trains for the Sizewell nuclear power stations are...
, the line was opened in 1859 and closed 100 years later in 1959.
History
The Halesworth, Beccles & Haddiscoe Railway was formed in 1851 to connect the river ports of HalesworthHalesworth
Halesworth is a small market town in the northeastern corner of Suffolk, England. It is located south west of Lowestoft, and straddles the River Blyth, 9 miles upstream from Southwold. The town is served by Halesworth railway station on the Ipswich-Lowestoft East Suffolk Line...
and Beccles
Beccles
Beccles is a market town and civil parish in the Waveney District of the English county of Suffolk. The town is shown on the milestone as from London via the A145 Blythburgh and A12 road, northeast of London as the crow flies, southeast of Norwich, and north northeast of the county town of...
. The scheme was promoted by Samuel Morton Peto
Samuel Morton Peto
Sir Samuel Morton Peto, 1st Baronet was an English entrepreneur and civil engineer in the 19th century. A partner in Grissell and Peto, he managed construction firms that built many major buildings and monuments in London...
who saw the opportunity to raise the status of 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...
by constructing a line which would give the town more direct access to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
than the existing route via Norwich
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...
which he had also sponsored. On 20 November 1854, a single track line between and opened to goods traffic, and then to passengers on 4 December. Worked by the Eastern Counties Railway
Eastern Counties Railway
The Eastern Counties Railway was an early English railway company incorporated in 1836. It was intended to link London with Ipswich via Colchester, and then on to Norwich and Yarmouth. Construction began in late March 1837 on the first nine miles, at the London end of the line.Construction was...
, the line - now known as the East Suffolk Railway
East Suffolk Line
The East Suffolk Line is an un-electrified secondary railway line running between Ipswich and Lowestoft in Suffolk, England. The traffic along the route consists of passenger services operated by National Express East Anglia, while nuclear flask trains for the Sizewell nuclear power stations are...
- connected with the Norwich route at . Authorisation was obtained for an extension of the line north-east to 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 this was constructed by the newly-formed Yarmouth & Haddiscoe Railway. This opened on 1 June 1859 at the same time as other sections of the East Suffolk Railway between Woodbridge and and Beccles to Lowestoft. In 1862, the Eastern Counties was amalgamated into 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...
.
The main feature of the line was the pair of swing bridge
Swing bridge
A swing bridge is a movable bridge that has as its primary structural support a vertical locating pin and support ring, usually at or near to its centre of gravity, about which the turning span can then pivot horizontally as shown in the animated illustration to the right...
s over the River Waveney
River Waveney
The Waveney is a river which forms the border between Suffolk and Norfolk, England, for much of its length within The Broads.-Course:The source of the River Waveney is a ditch on the east side of the B1113 road between the villages of Redgrave, Suffolk and South Lopham, Norfolk...
, the first at Beccles and the second between Haddiscoe and . These were crossed at walking pace and were, until 1927, operated by 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...
es, with pilotmen on the footplate
Footplate
The footplate of a steam locomotive is a large metal plate that rests on top of the frames and is normally covered with wooden floorboards. It is usually the full width of the locomotive and extends from the front of the cab to the rear of cab or coal bunker just above the buffer beam. The...
for the crossing. The initial service provided was praised by local newspapers for its punctuality and spacious coaches. The line's main revenue came from holiday traffic and by 1883, there were seven or eight daily services, with two or three London services in each direction. A curve installed at Haddiscoe in 1872 allowed through services between Yarmouth and Lowestoft via St Olaves, but the route was only a little less circuitous than the original route via Lowestoft, and the Reedham East Curve, entering via . Expresses from covered the distance to Yarmouth in 2.5 hours in 1904, when regular summer services ferried passengers to the coastal resorts.
Summer Saturday traffic began declining from 1918 as fitted freight stock and diesel power led to increased speeds and capacity which made the longer route to Yarmouth via Lowestoft a viable alternative to the Beccles line. By 1934 the Haddiscoe curve had closed and was lifted early in 1939. The line had passed under the control of 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...
on 1 January 1923 following the 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...
and subsequently became part of 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...
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...
on 1 January 1948. Save for the introduction of interlocking signalling
Interlocking
In railway signalling, an interlocking is an arrangement of signal apparatus that prevents conflicting movements through an arrangement of tracks such as junctions or crossings. The signalling appliances and tracks are sometimes collectively referred to as an interlocking plant...
, the line saw few modifications during the 86-year period of GER and LNER ownership. The cost of maintaining the Yarmouth to Beccles line to express standards for the benefit of holiday traffic became prohibitive, especially once 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:...
connecting with closed in 1953 which led to the direct line between Yarmouth and Lowestoft becoming underused. Reports of the line's closure surfaced in 1955, yet it was not until 2 November 1959 that the Beccles line finally closed to regular traffic. Short stretches from Haddiscoe to remained open until after the 1964-65 sugar beet
Sugar 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...
season and services to and from Lowestoft continued to use until 1970.
Present day
and St Olaves stations have been lost to residential redevelopment, but the St Olaves station sign may still be seen on the wall of a local petrol station. Until a few years ago the one-time St Olaves stationmaster Eddie Stimpson occupied one of the bungalows constructed on the station site. Haddiscoe station still remains open for services on the East Suffolk line, and the remains of may be still be found on an embankmentEmbankment (transportation)
To keep a road or railway line straight or flat, and where the comparative cost or practicality of alternate solutions is prohibitive, the land over which the road or rail line will travel is built up to form an embankment. An embankment is therefore in some sense the opposite of a cutting, and...
close to where the Beccles line crossed over the East Suffolk line. The signal box has been converted and extended into a private residence. From the station site, the remains of the buttress
Buttress
A buttress is an architectural structure built against or projecting from a wall which serves to support or reinforce the wall...
es which supported St Olaves swing bridge may still be seen. No trace remains of Yarmouth South Town which has disappeared beneath new roads, superstores and industrial units.