Yaxham railway station
Encyclopedia
Yaxham is a railway station in the village of Yaxham
in the English
county of Norfolk
. The station is served by heritage services operated by the Mid-Norfolk Railway
and is the site of the Yaxham Light Railway
.
The station is the only one on the line that retains a majority of its original features, the signalbox (not owned by the MNR) still stands and the platform shelters on the up platform are still in situ, although those on the down platform used by the present service have been demolished. The original stationmaster's house survives as a private residence, as does the original railway hotel on the opposite side of the road to the station.
The station’s survival is mostly due to the late Mr D.C. Potter who took over the tenancy of the buildings, thereby saving them from demolition. Mr Potter opened the site's first narrow gauge line in the former goods yard in 1967. This was constructed for his Hunslet 0-4-0ST, "Cackler", and the disused tracks of this line can still be seen from passing trains on the Mid-Norfolk Railway.
In 1969 the loco was moved across the standard gauge line to the Yaxham Park Light Railway (YPLR), which ran for over ½ a mile in meadows beyond the station, eventually being replaced by today's Yaxham Light Railway.
The station was equipped with two goods yards, both on the down side of the formation. The main yard was to the south of the level crossing, equipped with a goods shed
, coal wharf, cattle pen and end-loading dock A smaller set of private sidings to the north of the level crossing served a granary
.
Only the down platform remains in railway use, with its waiting room having been demolished. The brick-built goods shed
survives, now isolated from the railway, being used by a company restoring steam locomotives and traction engine
s. The up line waiting room is used by an upholsterer.
Narrow gauge steam locomotives
Narrow gauge diesel locomotives
Standard gauge goods wagons
Future Services
Yaxham
Yaxham is a village and civil parish in centre of the English county of Norfolk. The parish includes the village of Yaxham, together with the neighbouring community of Clint Green. Together, they lay some south of Dereham and west of Norwich....
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 station is served by heritage services operated by 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....
and is the site of the Yaxham Light Railway
Yaxham Light Railway
Yaxham Light Railway is a narrow gauge light railway situated adjacent to Yaxham railway station on the Mid-Norfolk Railway. It is located in the village of Yaxham in the English county of Norfolk.- History :...
.
The station is the only one on the line that retains a majority of its original features, the signalbox (not owned by the MNR) still stands and the platform shelters on the up platform are still in situ, although those on the down platform used by the present service have been demolished. The original stationmaster's house survives as a private residence, as does the original railway hotel on the opposite side of the road to the station.
History
In 1969 the loco was moved across the standard gauge line to the Yaxham Park Light Railway (YPLR), which ran for over ½ a mile in meadows beyond the station, eventually being replaced by today's Yaxham Light Railway.
Facilities
Yaxham was a two-platform station. The main building, which included the Stationmaster's house was built by the Norfolk Railway. The Great Eastern Railway later added glass-fronted waiting rooms to the platforms.The station was equipped with two goods yards, both on the down side of the formation. The main yard was to the south of the level crossing, equipped with a goods shed
Goods shed
A goods shed is a railway building designed for storing goods before or after carriage in a train.A typical goods shed will have a track running through it to allow goods wagons to be unloaded under cover, although sometimes they were built alongside a track with possibly just a canopy over the door...
, coal wharf, cattle pen and end-loading dock A smaller set of private sidings to the north of the level crossing served a granary
Granary
A granary is a storehouse for threshed grain or animal feed. In ancient or primitive granaries, pottery is the most common use of storage in these buildings. Granaries are often built above the ground to keep the stored food away from mice and other animals.-Early origins:From ancient times grain...
.
Only the down platform remains in railway use, with its waiting room having been demolished. The brick-built goods shed
Goods shed
A goods shed is a railway building designed for storing goods before or after carriage in a train.A typical goods shed will have a track running through it to allow goods wagons to be unloaded under cover, although sometimes they were built alongside a track with possibly just a canopy over the door...
survives, now isolated from the railway, being used by a company restoring steam locomotives and traction engine
Traction engine
A traction engine is a self-propelled steam engine used to move heavy loads on roads, plough ground or to provide power at a chosen location. The name derives from the Latin tractus, meaning 'drawn', since the prime function of any traction engine is to draw a load behind it...
s. The up line waiting room is used by an upholsterer.
Signal box
| Location | Original location | Built by | Notes | Photograph |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yaxham | - | 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 station was originally provided with a signal box to the north of the station. The signal box survives in private ownership, although missing its 26 lever McKenzie & Holland lever frame Lever frame Mechanical railway signalling installations rely on lever frames for their operation to interlock the signals and points to allow the safe operation of trains in the area the signals control... and is the only original signal box remaining on the route.. The 'box is currently used by the Mid-Norfolk Railway as a crossing cabin. |
 |
Rolling stock
Standard gauge steam- 2525 Cockerill 0-4-0WT Tram Engine, built 1907, stored out of use
Narrow gauge steam locomotives
- YLR No.1 – “Coffee Pot” – vertical boilered locomotive built at Yaxham
- YLR No. 16 – “Elin” – Hunslet “Small Quarry” Class 0-4-0 Saddle tank built 1899
- YLR No. 20 – “Kidbrooke” – W G Bagnall Ltd 0-4-0 built 1917
Narrow gauge diesel locomotives
- YLR No. 2 – “Rusty” – Lister “Rail-Truck” built 1948
- YLR No. 3 – “Pest” – Lister “Rail-Truck” built 1954
- YLR No. 4 – “Goofy” – Orenstein & Koppel with a Single Cylinder Crude Oil Engine
- YLR No. 6 – “Colonel” – Ruston & Hornsby built 1940
- YLR No. 7 – Ruston & Hornsby 16hp class, built 1934
- YLR No. 10 – “Ousel” – Motor Rail Ltd ‘20/28hp’ plate frame type, built 1937
- YLR No. 13 – Motor Rail Ltd ‘20/28hp’ plate frame type, built 1940
- YLR No. 14 – “Coldmeece” – Ruston & Hornsby class ‘20DL’, built 1943
- YLR No. 18 – “Planet” – F.C. Hibberd & Co Ltd type 39, built 1962
- YLR No. 19 – “Penlee” – Hudson Hunslet 25hp, built 1942
Standard gauge goods wagons
- GWR 126977 MOGO Cars Wagon, grounded body and former narrow gauge locomotive shed.