1.
British Rail Class 86
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The British Rail Class 86 was the standard electric locomotive built during the 1960s. One hundred of these locomotives were built from 1965 to 1966 by either English Electric at Vulcan Foundry, Newton-le-Willows, or British Rail at their Doncaster works. The class was built to haul trains on the newly electrified West Coast Main Line, from London Euston, to Birmingham, Crewe, Manchester Piccadilly, Liverpool and later Preston. They helped to replace steam locomotives, which were withdrawn by BR in 1968. Under the earlier BR classification system, the type was given the designation AL6, in 1968, this was changed to Class 86, when BR introduced the TOPS classification system. The AL6 featured design elements pioneered on the classes, such as the general construction of the bodies and bogies. However some design features were unique, such as front ends. Another difference was the lack of a second pantograph, the cooling fans on the AL6 were also specially designed to produce less noise than the earlier locos. The Class was officially introduced into service in August 1965, the entire fleet was delivered into service within 24 months of that date. In the early years the locomotives became notorious for track damage, being fitted with traction motors. This additional unsprung mass was causing damage at high speeds, in 1969 number E3173, was fitted experimentally with the large helical flexicoil springs which can be seen on present day versions, giving it the nickname Zebedee. Trials carried out under the direction of the British Rail Research Division proved successful, within a short time a further batch was modified to the new specification, 86040-86048 were renumbered 86253-86261. These locomotives are capable of 110 mph running, throughout the 1970s, the class saw use on both express passenger and freight services. In 1974, demand for electric locomotives grew due to the extension of electrification north from Preston to Carlisle, from 1978 onwards, BR started to name some of their Class 86 fleet, many of them after cities or counties along the lines that they worked. In the early 1980s, electrification from London Liverpool Street to Cambridge, in addition, many of the freightliner trains to Felixstowe were also hauled as far as Ipswich by Class 86 locomotives working in multiple. By the end of the 1980s, the need for a standard fleet saw all remaining Class 86/0 and Class 86/3 locomotives fitted with improved suspension and these locomotives were now inter-operable with Class 86/2, and thus gave greater operational flexibility. A later development saw Class 86/2 and 86/4 locomotives fitted with TDM to enable them to operate passenger trains. The 86/4s were already fitted with an older multiple-working system and this was phased out after TDM was fitted across the fleet
2.
British Railways Mark 2
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The Mark 2 family of railway carriages were British Rails second design of carriages. They were built by British Rail workshops between 1964 and 1975, other changes of design, such as the window units, were for the same reason, which had become a serious problem in Mark 1 vehicle maintenance costs. Revised painting methods were part of this, which coincided with the change of livery from maroon to the blue. The Mark 2 coach was one of the mainstays of the InterCity network, since their withdrawal from most main line duties, Mark 2 coaches have played an increasing role on private rail tours, charter trains, and on heritage railways. Since 1996, over 140 Mark 2 carriages have been exported to New Zealand, the prototype Mark 2, FK13252, was built in 1963, now preserved by the National Railway Museum and located at the Mid-Norfolk Railway. The final Mark 2 carriage was departmental 999550, in 1977, as of 20 July 2009 it is still in service with Network Rail as a Track Recording Coach. The later versions look similar to the later Mark 3 design. The Mark 3 is longer, has a large skirting between the bogies to conceal the ancillary equipment, and has a roof as opposed to the smooth roof of the Mark 2. Mark 2 carriages were used on the Manchester Pullman service from 1966 until withdrawal in 1985 and these luxuriously-appointed first class carriages had several unusual features, such as inward opening doors and some interior walnut panelling. The livery was grey with blue window surrounds, a reversal of the standard British Rail blue. A Liverpool Pullman service was operated, using the same type of carriages. As of August 2016, Mark 2 coaches are still in use on services on the UK rail network. Abellio Greater Anglia operate Direct Rail Services Mark 2s on Wherry Lines services from Norwich to Great Yarmouth and Lowestoft top, abellio ScotRail operate two sets of six Riviera Trains Mark 2s hauled by a Class 68 on peak hour services on the Fife Circle Line. Caledonian Sleeper use Mark 2 coaches as seated and lounge cars on its sleeper trains, Network Rail operate Mark 2s as brake force carriages on its test trains. Northern operate Direct Rail Services Mark 2s on Cumbrian Coast Line services from Preston to Carlisle with a Class 37, Riviera Trains and West Coast Railway Company both operate Mark 2s on charters, many of the formers are still painted in Anglia Railways and Virgin Trains liveries. Unlike the Mark 1, few multiple unit classes were based on the Mark 2 bodyshell, most were electric multiple units with British Railways, and which operated under AC using overhead wires. The first of these were Class AM10 in 1966 operating commuter services from London Euston, the introduction of TOPS saw these units reclassified Class 310. Northern Ireland Railways used the Mark 2 bodyshell as the basis for the 80 Class DEMU, thirteen 5 car electric multiple units were built in 1976 for Taiwan, the Taiwan Railway EMU100 series
3.
Stowmarket railway station
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Stowmarket railway station is on the Great Eastern Main Line in the East of England, serving the town of Stowmarket, Suffolk. It is 80 miles 46 chains down-line from London Liverpool Street and is situated between Needham Market to the south and Diss to the north and it is also the junction where the Ipswich to Ely Line joins the GEML. Its three-letter station code is SMK, the station is currently operated by Abellio Greater Anglia, which also runs all trains serving the station. The station was opened by the Ipswich & Bury Railway in 1846 with red brick buildings in a flamboyant Jacobean manner by Frederick Barnes. Building the railway from Ipswich to Bury St Edmunds proved challenging, when the Eastern Union Railway opened the line to Ipswich Stoke Hill railway station in 1846 this was located south of the existing tunnel. The railway employed George Stephenson’s solution for the Chat Moss bog, the River Gipping was also diverted to aid the project. On 26 November 1846 the first test train ran to Bury St Edmunds with stops at most stations on the route, the official opening followed on 7 December 1846 when a special train ran from Shoreditch to a temporary station at Bury St Edmunds. The Board of Trade inspection took place on the 15 December 1846, Stowmarket now had links to Bury St Edmunds and Norwich. The EUR was in trouble and effectively hemmed in by the Eastern Counties Railway making further expansion difficult. Following negotiations in 1853, The ECR took over the working of the EUR on 1 January 1854,1854 also saw the completion of the link from Bury St Edmunds to Cambridge thus linking Ipswich and Stowmarket to Cambridge. Thus Stowmarket became a GER station in 1862, the line from Chippenham Junction to Snailwell Junction near Newmarket opened on 1 April 1880 giving Stowmarket a direct link to Ely and the Midlands. From 1883 the North Country Continental used this route to Manchester, up until 1913 all shunting was performed by either the train locomotive or horses. From that year a local shunting engine was employed additionally and this also covered shunting duties at nearby Needham Goods Yard, additional sidings were installed during World War One for the increased demand in explosive traffic and both the down and up side goods facilities remodelled. Following the Railways Act 1921 Stowmarket station was operated by the London, during the mid-1920s the LNER rebuilt the two track timber goods shed and a number of industrial concerns were built south of the station on the up side all of which were rail served. A third signal box – Stowmarket Works – was opened to serve these facilities in 1941, following nationalisation in 1948, Stowmarket station became part of the Eastern Region of British Railways. Stowmarket Works signal box closed in October 1957, some shunting at Stowmarket was carried out by horses as late as 1958. The buildings, which were Grade II listed in 1972, were restored in 1987, Goods traffic lasted until the mid-1970s, the yard being shunted by a Norwich based British Rail Class 03 locomotive. Some ICI traffic lasted a few years longer, the line through the station was electrified and resignalled by British Rail in 1985 using the 25KV AC electric system
4.
Great Eastern Main Line
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Its numerous branches also connect the main line to such destinations as Braintree, Harwich, Southminster, and Sudbury. The line is heavily used by leisure travellers, as it and its branches serve a number of seaside resorts, shopping areas. The route also provides the main artery for freight traffic to and from Felixstowe and Harwich. The London terminus was moved in July 1840 to Shoreditch in the Metropolitan Borough of Bethnal Green, a further 34 miles of track was added out to Colchester by 1843. The original gauge for the line was 5 ft, but this was converted to 1,435 mm standard gauge in 1844, the section of line between Colchester and Ipswich was built by the Eastern Union Railway to standard gauge and opened to passenger traffic in June 1846. Its sister company, the Ipswich and Bury Railway, built a line to Bury St Edmunds, both companies shared the same office, many directors and key staff, and started operating as a unified company with the EUR name from 1 January 1847. In the late 19th century the main line was expanded with additional tracks being added to cope with more traffic. In 1854 a third track was added between Bow junction and Stratford to help accommodate London, Tilbury and Southend Railway services which at time were operating via Stratford. Until 1860 trains serving the town of Ipswich used a station called Ipswich Stoke Hill which was located south of the Stoke tunnel, the towns current station is located to the north of the tunnel. From November 1872 Bishopsgate became a terminus to relieve the main high level Bishopsgate station while the GER was building its new permanent terminus at Liverpool Street. The latter opened in stages from February 1874, beginning with the first four platforms, at that time the original 1840 Bishopsgate station closed to passengers and was converted into a goods yard. By the 1870s suburbia in the Forest Gate area was developing quickly and these were followed by trains from Fenchurch Street in 1877. By 1882 these services had been extended and were terminating at Ilford, Romford or Brentwood, in 1877 a fourth track was added between Bow junction and Stratford and two goods-only tracks were added between Stratford and Maryland Point. The four-track Bow junction to Stratford section was extended back to James Street junction in 1884 and it was also in this year that two extra tracks were added between Bethnal Green and Liverpool Street which were for the use of West Anglia Main Line services. These tracks were built through the basement warehousing associated with Bishopsgate station located above, the line was quadrupled to Ilford in 1895 and in 1899 out to Seven Kings. In 1902 the quadruple track was extended from Seven Kings to Romford, but it wasn’t until 1913 that four-tracking out to Shenfield was suggested, in 1903 the Fairlop Loop opened and a number of services that had previously terminated at Ilford were extended onto it. These services generally looped round and back to the GEML at Stratford, the GER was grouped in 1923 into the London and North Eastern Railway. In 1931/32 the LNER quadrupled the tracks to Shenfield which became the terminus for inner-suburban operation, the new arrangement also facilitated cross-platform interchange with the Central line at Stratford, with services commencing in 1946
5.
Bittern Line
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The Bittern Line is a railway line from Norwich to Cromer then Sheringham in Norfolk, England. It is one of the most scenic in the East of England traversing the Norfolk Broads on its route to the Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty on the North Norfolk Coast. The line is part of the Network Rail Strategic Route 7 and it is named after the bittern, a rare bird found in the reedy wetlands of Norfolk. The line was opened between Norwich and North Walsham in 1874 by the East Norfolk Railway, and reached Cromer by 1877, the rest of the line, between Cromer and Sheringham, was opened in 1887 using a section of the Midland and Great Northern Joint Railway line. The Bittern Line Partnership was set up by Norfolk County Council in 1997, in November 2006 track renewal work began with whole lengths of the old track being lifted and new rails and sleepers being installed, along with new level crossing points. The work will improve the comfort and safety and reduce noise levels for those living near to the track. The work was carried out by Balfour Beatty on behalf of Network Rail, the line was designated a community rail line by the Department for Transport on 28 September 2007. The towns and villages served by the route are listed below, Norwich Salhouse Hoveton and WroxhamConnection with the narrow-gauge Bure Valley heritage railway. Worstead North Walsham Gunton Roughton Road Cromer West Runton for Beeston Regis Sheringham also for Beeston Regis Passenger services are operated by Abellio Greater Anglia, the line is also used by freight services which are operated by GB Railfreight, part of Groupe Eurotunnel S. A. The line also sees freight services taking gas condensate from a terminal at North Walsham to Harwich, a service was in place that sent spent ballast to North Walsham for onwards sale and disposal. This service has now ceased as the contract with Frimstone for spent TfL ballast has finished. The line is double track from Norwich to Hoveton and Wroxham where the line single track, with a passing loop at North Walsham. The line is not electrified, has a gauge of W8 between Norwich and Roughton Road and W6 from Roughton Road to Sheringham, and a line speed of between 40-75 mph. The line was resignalled in 2000, leading to the closure of a number of signal boxes with control moving to a panel in the Trowse Swing Bridge control room. This saw the end of one of the few remaining sections of single main line controlled by tokens. It is arguable that this is not an improvement since there have been a number of serious failures causing full or partial suspension of service during electrical storms. This is due to the system using high frequency pulses in the rail as opposed to track circuits to operate level crossings. The resignalling meant that Cromer signal box, the last surviving M&GN example, was decommissioned, the line uses Class 153, Class 156 and Class 170 diesel multiple units
6.
Wherry Lines
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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, SRS07.11 and is classified as a rural line. The name of the line is taken from the Norfolk wherries, the line was first opened from Norwich to Great Yarmouth by the Norwich and Yarmouth Railway in 1844, running via Reedham. The link from Reedham to Lowestoft was added in 1847 by Samuel Morton Peto as part of the Norfolk Railway, finally, the northern route from Norwich to Great Yarmouth was added in 1882 by the Great Eastern Railway. The lines from Norwich to Brundall and on to Lowestoft are double track with the lines between Brundall and Great Yarmouth and Reedham and Great Yarmouth being single track. The line is not electrified, has a gauge of W8 except between Lowestoft and Oulton Broad North junction where it is W6, and has a line speed of between 40-60 mph. Passenger services are provided by Abellio Greater Anglia, using Class 153 Super Sprinter, in 2015 Abellio Greater Anglia introduced DRS class 37 locomotive hauled services due to a shortage of rolling stock as the route is not electrified. Nearly all services on the line run to/from Norwich, some summer Saturday services were extended to/from Liverpool Street via Norwich which ran to/from Great Yarmouth. These services were formed of British Rail Class 90 electric locomotives with Mk3 Coaching Stock, the Wherry Lines YARMOUTH AND NORWICH RAILWAY – Parliamentary debate –1842 Hansard A Map with the locations of the stations
7.
Breckland line
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The Breckland line is a secondary railway line in the east of England that links Cambridge in the west to Norwich in the east. The line runs through three counties, Cambridgeshire, Suffolk and Norfolk and it takes its name from the Breckland region of Norfolk, and passes through Thetford Forest. The line is 51 miles 8 chains in length from where it branches off the Fen line north of Ely to where it joins the Great Eastern Main Line south of Norwich, there are 12 stations on the line including the termini. The line is part of the Network Rail Strategic Route 5, SRS05.09 and it is classified as a secondary line, except between Cambridge and Ely, which is classified as a London and South East commuter line. Passenger services on the Breckland line are operated by Abellio Greater Anglia, CrossCountry, East Midlands Trains, following the successful opening of the Yarmouth and Norwich Railway, the Norwich & Brandon Railway was incorporated in 1844 to build a line between those two places. The Eastern Counties Railway was at the time building a route from Newport in Essex through Cambridge via Ely to Brandon. This route would be the first route between Norwich and London, a month before opening the Yarmouth and Norwich Railway and the Norwich & Brandon Railway merged to become the Norfolk Railway. Through services from Shoreditch to Norwich Thorpe station started on 15 December 1845, although it was expected that locomotive changes would take place between the two companies at Brandon where an engine house had been built, the Norfolk Railway in fact operated trains to Ely. The ECR and its rival the Eastern Union Railway were both sizing up the NR to acquire and expand their railway empire, the ECR trumped the EUR by taking over the NR, and became responsible for operating the services from 8 May 1848. The system settled down for the six decades, apart from the disruption of the First World War. The difficult economic circumstances after the war led the Government to pass the Railways Act 1921 which led to the creation of the Big Four railway companies, the GER amalgamated with other railways to create the London and North Eastern Railway on 1 January 1923. Accidents at Norwich Thorpe and Trowse, and those at Ely, Waterbeach, on 9 January 1847, two ballastmen were killed when the wagon they were travelling on broke up near Lakenheath. On 5 January 1854, two trains were in collision near Thetford, on 1 July 1865, a passenger train was derailed as it passed under the viaduct carrying the Great Eastern Main Line at Lakenham, Norfolk. On 12 October 1870, a train collided with a freight train at Brandon. On 9 January 1875, a train ran into the rear of a freight train at Thetford. At least five people were injured, on 1 June 1875, a cattle train derailed at Harling Road. On 13 January 1879, a train ran into the rear of a passenger train at Wymondham. On 19 January 1880, a train ran into the rear of another at Brandon
8.
East Suffolk line
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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 services operated by Abellio Greater Anglia. It and the Wherry Lines are the easternmost railway lines in Great Britain, the original section of the line opened between Halesworth and Haddiscoe in 1854 with the rest of the current route opening on 1 June 1859. In 1847 the Ipswich & Bury Railway secured the rights to build the line from Ipswich to Woodbridge with the passing of the Ipswich & Bury Railway Act, the works were delayed for financial reasons and the Ipswich & Bury Railway was absorbed by the Eastern Union Railway in 1847. The moves may have been encouraged by the fact the people of Woodbridge issued a Manifesto of discontent which included the claim the town was losing money because it had no railway, however it was not until 1856 that work on the link between Ipswich and Woodbridge started. The Halesworth, Beccles & Haddiscoe Railway was incorporated in 1851, the East Suffolk Railway, which had been incorporated on 3 July 1854, took over the powers of the Halesworth, Beccles & Haddiscoe Railway and the route opened on the 4 December 1854. It was originally built as a line and continued north to Haddiscoe to a junction on what is now part of the Wherry Lines. This line was closed from 17 May 1858 to 1 June 1859 to enable doubling, in the early 1850s the EUR was struggling financially and on 1 January 1854 had been leased by the Eastern Counties Railway - a move later ratified by a parliamentary act of 7 August 1854. The third part of the East Suffolk line was the Lowestoft - Beccles section, the Lowestoft and Beccles Railway was formed on 26 October 1855. The original terminus of the line was going to be near to St John’s church in South Lowestoft, the East Suffolk Act of 28 June 1858 gave the company permission to build a viaduct over Lake Lothing subject to various Admiralty conditions. This meant that the railway would have access to the existing Lowestoft Central station, the following month a parliamentary act received royal assent on 23 July 1858 and the LBR and East Suffolk Railway merged. The Beccles–Lowestoft branch line was opened as a single line branch on 1 June 1859. The following branch lines opened on this date, Framlingham branch. From opening the line was operated by the Eastern Counties Railway although the East Suffolk Railway continued to exist until 1862, the branch to Lowestoft south side opened later in 1859. The final section of the Waveney Valley line opened linking Bungay to Beccles on 2 March 1863, on 26 September 1865 a light engine returning from Great Yarmouth to Ipswich derailed between Darsham and Halesworth killing the driver and fireman. The Felixstowe branch line opened on 1 May 1877 with a junction at Westerfield Junction, on 24 December 1891 an accident occurred at Barnby Box with three killed and four injuries. In 1896 the Lowestoft branch track was extended from Lowestoft Line Junction directly into Beccles leading to the closure of the signal box. The Lowestoft–Beccles section was doubled in 1899 and a track laid between Beccles station and the divergence of the Lowestoft route
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