Southwold narrow gauge railway trust suffolk

[Dave S 56F]

I see the railway society the Southwold railway intending to try open the Southwold railway from halesworth to southwold in stages along a former 8 mile 3ft gauge line opened in 1879 and closed in 1929.
Has been refused by Suffolk Council and local residents in blythburgh saying they don't want a nasty dirty noisy railway in their community and got permission off the local council to use the former trackbed as a right of way for wheelchair friendy user and cyclists however the Southwold railway society have offered a similar scheme to like peak rail trains running alongside public right of way and the local residents and council have refused that option.
So now the Southwold railway are looking at appealing for the right of way to be deviated away from the former Southwold railway trackbed which could take a few years to process even if the the railway society are successful in doing this 3rd option. Although they have a 0.80 km half mile track near the former wenhaston site of track recreating the blythburgh station site to run demonstration freight trains on their 3ft track.with their kerr stewart loco blyth built by the north bay railway in 2021. A bit sad to hear this about the Southwold railway Trust which I further dident know was the Southwold railway society was formed in 1994 and Southwold railway Trust in 2006.

Once again I read the information regarding the Southwold railway on national preservation forums thread as Southwold railway. And my information regarding the Southwold railway history of the Southwold railway society and Trust I read on Wikipedia (I can download a link for proof if needed moderators.)

 

[Cesarcollie]

I see the railway society the Southwold railway intending to try open the Southwold railway from halesworth to southwold in stages along a former 8 mile 3ft gauge line opened in 1879 and closed in 1929.
Has been refused by Suffolk Council and local residents in blythburgh saying they don't want a nasty dirty noisy railway in their community and got permission off the local council to use the former trackbed as a right of way for wheelchair friendy user and cyclists however the Southwold railway society have offered a similar scheme to like peak rail trains running alongside public right of way and the local residents and council have refused that option.
So now the Southwold railway are looking at appealing for the right of way to be deviated away from the former Southwold railway trackbed which could take a few years to process even if the the railway society are successful in doing this 3rd option. Although they have a 0.80 km half mile track near the former wenhaston site of track recreating the blythburgh station site to run demonstration freight trains on their 3ft track.with their kerr stewart loco blyth built by the north bay railway in 2021. A bit sad to hear this about the Southwold railway Trust which I further dident know was the Southwold railway society was formed in 1994 and Southwold railway Trust in 2006.

Once again I read the information regarding the Southwold railway on national preservation forums thread as Southwold railway. And my information regarding the Southwold railway history of the Southwold railway society and Trust I read on Wikipedia (I can download a link for proof if needed moderators.)

Unfortunately there are two ‘competing‘ societies (not unlike the Welsh Highland all over again). The one mentioned above. And the other with a base in Southwold itself. Sadly the NIMBY mentality means there is a risk neither will achieve very much in the way of recreating the line.

 

[Teds]

There are two societies. The organisations are quite separate although there is a degree of cooperation, for example, the Trust suppied the drawing for their replica steam locomotive 'Blyth' so that the Halesworth Society could build one of their own. The Southwold Railway Trust run the Steamworks site in Southwold and owns the site at Wenhaston.
The second organisation is the Halesworth to Southwold Narrow Gauge Railway Society. They are concentrating on restoring the western end of the line. They have a small site which they maintain at Halesworth and a larger site at Blythburgh. They do not own either site but work with the landowners.
They applied for planning permission to extend the track at Blythburgh a short distance along the trackbed westwards towards Halesworth. It seems unjust in a way because the Society have improved the footpath and the station site which used to be a scruffy blackberry patch. The Society do not own the site or the path but have the permission and support of the landowner.This is the report about the refused planning application in the local paper https://www.eadt.co.uk/news/25410556.blythburgh-track-plans-refused-east-suffolk-council/

Blythburgh track plans refused by East Suffolk Council​

25th August 2025
Heritage
Southwold
Suffolk


By Dominic BarehamGeographic Specialist Reporter
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Plans to reinstate railway track facilities to create a heritage centre have hit the buffers due to concerns about a public footpath.


East Suffolk Council has refused the Halesworth Southwold Narrow Gauge Railway (HSNGR) Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO) permission to lay track at the Recycling Centre in Station Road, Blythburgh.
The HSNGR is recreating a microcosm of the former Southwold railway station facilities and trackwork at Blythburgh.
READ MORE: Suffolk railway lines and stations that have been lost

https://ad.doubleclick.net/ddm/trac...DPR_CONSENT_755};ltd=;dc_tdv=1?obOrigUrl=true


In December, the CIO received retrospective permission to develop a heritage centre for the study of the original line and its purpose.
This approval covered the laying of track from the recycling centre to the Church Path and through the surviving platform at Blythburgh, retention of the signal hut, wooden platforms next to the Coal Shed and a storage container.

The latest application was to complete some 250m of track along the remainder of the track bed, on an infill basis, so that uninterrupted pedestrian and vehicle access could be maintained.
On days when trains were operating, a temporary fence would be erected to enable a footpath to be maintained, while vehicle access would be suspended for the period of operation.

A planning statement with the application said: "These limited works complete the display planned for eventual public train operations once the necessary exemption from licence and acceptance of the safety management system by the Office of Road and Rail has been issued.
"These are designed to enhance the tourism offer and historic reconstruction of the former Southwold Railway facilities, helping the sustainability of the current development."
But the proposals attracted criticism, with the council receiving 14 objection letters.

Blythburgh resident Dr Alan Mackley expressed concern about the impact of the track on the church path.
He added: "The extension of track to the Church Path will introduce railway paraphernalia to a quiet spot which has a seat by the river and should not be permitted.

"There is a serious threat to a footpath enjoyed for decades by villagers and walkers from further afield.
"The footpath could be closed not only on the 12 open days per year, but whenever the society chooses to move rolling stock on the line."
In its refusal letter, the council said the footpath was being investigated by Suffolk County Council as to whether it constituted a Public Right of Way (PROW) and until this investigation had been completed, it would not be possible to tell how wide the PROW would be.
Therefore, if the plans were approved, the track could potentially be obstructing a PROW.

Both organisations have had planning difficulties - the Trust are unable to develop their site at Wenhaston so it remains a field.

The site at Blythburgh has a small group of volunteers on site on most weeks who are very happy to talk to visitors. I tried to find which day but couldn't although I went to see them last year. They have a few open days each year. Their website doesn't seem to change much but they post regularly on Facebook.

It is a very well kept small site - worth a visit if you are in the area. It's quite close to Carlton Colville. In comparison, Steamworks in Southwold is larger and has more on display. The site is open on some Sundays. https://www.southwoldrailway.co.uk/public-open-days/

​

 

[Trainlog]

I see the railway society the Southwold railway intending to try open the Southwold railway from halesworth to southwold in stages along a former 8 mile 3ft gauge line opened in 1879 and closed in 1929.
Has been refused by Suffolk Council and local residents in blythburgh saying they don't want a nasty dirty noisy railway in their community and got permission off the local council to use the former trackbed as a right of way for wheelchair friendy user and cyclists however the Southwold railway society have offered a similar scheme to like peak rail trains running alongside public right of way and the local residents and council have refused that option.
So now the Southwold railway are looking at appealing for the right of way to be deviated away from the former Southwold railway trackbed which could take a few years to process even if the the railway society are successful in doing this 3rd option. Although they have a 0.80 km half mile track near the former wenhaston site of track recreating the blythburgh station site to run demonstration freight trains on their 3ft track.with their kerr stewart loco blyth built by the north bay railway in 2021. A bit sad to hear this about the Southwold railway Trust which I further dident know was the Southwold railway society was formed in 1994 and Southwold railway Trust in 2006.

Once again I read the information regarding the Southwold railway on national preservation forums thread as Southwold railway. And my information regarding the Southwold railway history of the Southwold railway society and Trust I read on Wikipedia (I can download a link for proof if needed moderators.)

Once Blyth is in steam, it would be interesting to see how much more interest and attention will be paid towards this line, especially with the centenary of its closure in 2029 coming up.

The objections are unfortunate, as there looks to be plenty of potential behind this line. It's rather reminiscent of the Lynton and Barnstaple line expansions proposals in terms of how this has been rejected.

Another thing to consider is that this line is also promising from a sustainability standpoint. I am sure that Blyth would be trialled with biocoal and oviods not long after its first steaming so coal might not be an issue. Whilst neighbouring counties have a fair few heritage railways, Suffolk only has the Mid Suffolk light railway and with the Southwold being narrow gauge, appealing to narrow gauge enthusiasts, there is 2 pull factors for local enthusiasts to consider volunteering there once the line has more in the way of line length and steam operation.

 

[alxndr]

As someone who grew up in the area I’m honestly surprised it’s got as far as it has. I can’t see it ever becoming more than a few disjointed sites. I’ve walked the bank of the Blyth between Blythford and Wenhaston, and various parts between Wenhaston and Halesworth and it didn’t strike me as particularly well suited for a railway, even at a narrow gauge.

The Southwold-Walberswick portion might have more legs as it could be marketed as additional crossing point between the two settlements, but that would require a larger investment and skill set to re-establish a bridge and neither original station site is of great use for visitors.

 

[Teds]

As someone who grew up in the area I’m honestly surprised it’s got as far as it has. I can’t see it ever becoming more than a few disjointed sites. I’ve walked the bank of the Blyth between Blythford and Wenhaston, and various parts between Wenhaston and Halesworth and it didn’t strike me as particularly well suited for a railway, even at a narrow gauge.

The Southwold-Walberswick portion might have more legs as it could be marketed as additional crossing point between the two settlements, but that would require a larger investment and skill set to re-establish a bridge and neither original station site is of great use for visitors.

I would love the Railway to succeed but I have to agree with comment above. The section from Blythburgh to Southwold would be great for preserved railway. It is suitable distance and offers great views of the estuary. It would also mean diverting the public footpath which occupies most of the trackbed which probably means it is a non-starter.

 

[Trainlog]

As it's relevant to the Southwold Railway, they have just announced that they are constructing a 4-wheel coach to serve as a passenger carriage for Blyth to pull once the loco is up and running.

Seeing as the coach is fairly small, I wonder if they would take Blyth and the coach to visit other heritage railways at some point on a demonstration track, similar to the narrow-gauge setup at the Greatest Gathering last year or the 2017 National Garden Railway show at Peterborough?

Southwold Railway Trust launches plans for a new passenger carriage

The Southwold Railway Trust has launched an appeal for the construction of a new passenger carriage inspired by those that originally operated the historic Southwold Railway line.

www.railadvent.co.uk

 

[The Pelican]

The carriage at the link looks great- a lot like some of the LGB G scale four wheel carriages!

 

[Trainlog]

Granted, this was a couple of weeks ago; however, the new-build steam loco 'Blyth' has officially steamed in preservation.

TLDR of the blog post: Blyth officially steamed over the course of the May bank holiday, with the first departure of the train being announced by a bell that was used to depart trains on the original Southwold railway. The steaming was successful, though further steaming dates are yet to be announced by the railway.

Whilst this is certainly great news for the railway, the current short length of the line Blyth runs on probably still limits its pull factor for many unless you are living/staying within an hour's radius of the line. The Railway, however, does have a decent online shop, with many Blyth-related products such as posters, for those who wish to contribute to the line but can't justify travelling to the line yet.

Personally, I would quite like Oxford Rail to give 'Blyth' the Isle of Man locos treatment, where they produced static 1:76 models of some of the IOM Beyer Peacock locos, but in this case, it would be models of the Southwold locos. Would certainly be an interesting item to sell in the gift shop.

First Southwold Steam Departure in 97 Years – Southwold Railway Trust

www.southwoldrailway.co.uk

Shop - Southwold Railway Trust Online Shop

shop.southwoldrailway.co.uk