Caveat / confession: I am not greatly knowledgeable about / interested in the modern rail scene and what works it -- a recent couple of days on the Norfolk / Suffolk system which is branded as the "Wherry Lines" (basically Norwich / Great Yarmouth / Lowestoft), resulted from an invitation by a friend of mine, to join him on same. He had lately been made aware of some passenger turns on these lines being worked -- an unusual thing of quite recent date, and not likely to obtain for very much longer -- by ageing class 37 diesel-electric locos, hauling coaches (under aegis of Direct Rail Services, working for Abelio Greater Anglia). My friend wished to see this phenomenon and record it photographically while it still obtained. I -- not a "photter" -- tagged along largely because I love East Anglia, and have fond memories of line-bashing in the area long ago. The undertaking was essentially set about by car: friend's basic method is rail photography conducted by car-chasing between photo-spots.
Our spell in the actual are was Jan 17th / 18th / an early "little"of 19th, 2018 -- all "week-work-days". We found just one set, with blue 37s "fore-and-aft", working a three-coach rake, on a number of turns per day on the lines concerned; everything else, was diesel units. Forgiveness for my ignorance of stock details, is begged: for me, those diesel units were just that -- varyingly one, two, or three cars -- and will be described as such. The coaches worked by the 37s: oldish ex-BR "Mark somethings" (my friend -- whom I will call "Y." -- is not either, a super-learned rolling-stock scholar). Have no doubt that numerous erudite RailUKForums participants will be able and eager to fill in the gaps here.
The one set running daily comprised -- as recounted above -- three coaches, with a 37 at each end: 37419 Carl Haviland and 37425 Concrete Bob. We discovered bit by bit (Y. would have been glad from his photographic point of view, to have been able to have the data "earlier and sooner") that at the time of our visit, said set had usual-but-not-invariable regular weekday "slots", as follows (all 37-worked runs between Norwich and Great Yarmouth were via Acle). 0836 Norwich -- Great Yarmouth and 0917 return; 1036 Norwich -- GY and 1117 return; 1236 Norwich -- GY and 1317 return; 1455 Norwich -- Lowestoft and 1548 return; 1736 Norwich -- GY and 1817 return; and 1902 Norwich -- Lowestoft and 1955 return. Both locos were powered, but the rear one "remote-fashion" thus, without crew.
Of three nights away, the first two were spent at the railway-station house of the still open station at Lingwood, on the Norwich -- Great Yarmouth via Acle route; station house having been acquired by private owners who operate it as a B & B. (No vacancy there for the third night, which had to be spent in accommodation a little way south of Norwich.) Our Lingwood room was on the first floor, looking right out on to the station platform; excellent for seeing trains, and hearing them. "On the same page" as a current thread in the "Traction & Rolling Stock" sub-forum: the roar of the 37s' motors and exhaust was impressive, and an instant recognition tool distinguishing them from the more numerous, demurely quiet dmus. (Even our landlady at Lingwood -- for sure, no gricer -- was moved to remark on how this difference had impressed itself on her.)
Arrival at Lingwood was after dark on the evening of Jan. 16th (midwinter not a 100% ideal time for "railwaying" ventures, by reason of the limited daylight hours). The following morning, after some photography at Lingwood, we caught the 0933 departure (37s, 0917 ex Great Yarmouth) for Norwich: to make sure of a little travel with 37 haulage, and with view to -- hopefully -- picking up some intelligence from rail staff, including at Norwich station, about the 37s' movements. At Norwich, Y. and I split up for the rest of daylight, to concentrate on respective / divergent goals /interests: he -- having gleaned some info about loco workings -- to get a train back to Lingwood and the car, to carry out road-borne photography.
The "Wherry Lines" have a slightly odd configuration: basically running east from Norwich, splitting at Brundall not quite six miles out, to head for Great Yarmouth via Lingwood and Acle; and for Lowestoft. Somewhat under halfway to Lowestoft, at Reedham, a single-track line branches off north-eastward, to rejoin the Great Yarmouth route a mile or so before said terminus. The Reedham -- GY line runs through Tolkien's "empty lands where no men are": scenes of delightfully unfrequented watery flatness. Its only intermediate station is Berney Arms -- quite celebrated on these forums, largely for being one of the British national network's few stations with no road access. In winter at all events, for six days of the week this section carries the sparsest of services: a couple of Norwich -- Reedham -- Great Yarmouth workings each way per day, calling at Berney Arms only by request (considerably more workings take this route, with the BA request stop, on Sundays). Some surprise cannot but be felt at the Reedham -- GY section's survival up to the present day...
At all events, the idea appealed to me of actually using Berney Arms Station. I thus embarked on one of the day's two eastbound workings, which served it: the 1136 Norwich -- Great Yarmouth via Reedham, composed of a single diesel unit. Alighting at Berney Arms would give me a little over three hours in the "watered wastes" -- with adjacent to the station, a Royal Society for the Protection of Birds reserve, offering hopes of agreeable creature-watching. The highly conscientious and attentive guard took note of my wish to get out at BA, and made sure of my being at the exit-appropriate front end of the unit, in good time for the station call. Unsurprisingly, I was the only passenger "off or on". Berney Arms must be not only one of the national network's least accessible and least-used stations, but one of its tiniest: essentially, one (single-line) short platform, and a nameboard. One feels that the place classes more properly as a "Halt": but it would seem that none of its owners since opening, have ever given it that designation.
A third of a mile over faint footpaths brought me to the -- currently closed -- eponymous pub, situated by the confluence of the rivers Yare and Waveney at the landward end of their joint estuary. Some pub-garden-type seats-cum-tables, afforded a pleasant place to put oneself. The bird-life department proved very disappointing -- comprising in toto and throughout, numerous mallard ducks, numerous gulls, and a couple of robins; but on a cold but sun-bright day, it was perfectly agreeable to sit and enjoy a couple of hours' solitude in the fresh air, just alternately reading, and enjoying the quiet immensity of the flat, vacant land / water / cloud-scapes. Would-be birdwatchers have to accept that their quarry does not come with any guarantee... Y.'s point of view, from his very-much photographer's perspective, is "To hell with wildlife -- photting trains is difficult and frustrating enough, and they're supposed to run to a timetable..."
Back to the station in very ample time for the 1524 departure (1517 ex Great Yarmouth) -- with this line's timetable, missing said departure would be liable to have one in much bother. I -- the only boarding passenger -- was at great pains to stand right at the Great Yarmouth end of the tiny platform, and make a super-clear hand-and-arm signal to the approaching train. This proved to be a two-car job; and a bit surprisingly, two fellows alighted from it -- they had rather an air of being "naturalist types". Punctual arrival at Brundall 1542, gave me a four-minute connection on to the next GY-via-Lingwood (dmu) working, bringing me to Lingwood 1551; with planned rendezvous-ing in the course of time with Y., back at the "digs".
His day's pursuit of 37 workings had taken him alongside the route via Lingwood and Acle, to Great Yarmouth. The "water everywhere" nature of the Norfolk Broads region can make getting about by road, often limiting and difficult: his only practiacble way on to Lowestoft, to see 37s arriving and departing there, had had to be via the coast road; and back the same way, in order to regain Lingwood. A decent amount of 37 action seen; but frustratingly limited scope for photographic access to it.
The 17th had been-- as recounted -- cold but sunny: for January, clement conditions. That night, however; and carrying on into the morning; there were heavy rain and fierce gales. Train movements through Lingwood morning of the 18th were clearly -- checked against the timetable -- considerably disrupted. It was discovered in course of time, that the gales had blown a tree down across the line at Brundall -- effectively screwing things up for the whole of the "Wherry Lines". We finished up driving into Norwich -- investigating en route, potential phot-spots, against the hoped-for contingency of things getting back to normal before hugely long. A couple of hours were spent in Norwich on non-rail pursuits.
Given normal and stable conditions, original intention had been that -- as on the 17th -- Y. and I would part company for a lot of the time. I had not been to this part of the world, for a couple of decades or more; although I had, back then or still earlier, travelled over the whole "Wherry" system, I had a hankering to cover again by rail, the Norwich -- Lowestoft route. The way things turned out on the 18th, kyboshed that -- largely by reason of my being an elderly "dinosaur" who cannot cope with mobile phones as they are in this present era -- I don't have one. (I have little doubt that a couple of hundred years ago, I would have been a bitter enemy of these newfangled "rail-roads" and their steam-powered haulage devices, merrily and dangerously spewing fire and pollutant smoke everywhere they went.) With matters on this day being somewhat confused and confusing; and with our needing to move on that evening, to the final night's different quarters -- it was figured best that Y. and I stick together for the day. My return rail trip to Lowestoft was thus not to be; but such is life.
In time on the 18th, the fallen tree was shifted, and services started running again; but for some hours, they proved to be considerably messed-up. We drove out from Norwich, following as far as possible the rail route up until Reedham (prospecting en route for phot-spots, Y. being always unstoppably hopeful in this context). We observed and photographed various workings at Reedham -- still somewhat fouled-up timings-wise, but including a 37s-worked movement. After that, stumps drawn for the day. Morning of the 19th -- heading-for-home day -- we returned for a couple of hours to the "standard" Great Yarmouth route, doing some 37 photography at the attractive Acle station, and a little later, in the environs of Brundall; after which, undelayable farewell to the "Wherry Lines".
A very interesting feature of these lines -- aside from unusual motive power -- was at any rate at the time of our recent visit, their being a prominent stronghold of semaphore signalling, and (still rarer nowadays) widespread and numerous level crossings protected by old-fashioned manually operated white-with-red-warning-totems, gates. The chaps in charge of these gates -- with a couple of whom we conversed at varying lengths -- would seem to be very much representatives of a dying trade. They are now obliged to wear, top-to-toe, virulent-orange "safety gear", making them look per my gut feeling, somewhat nursery-ish and ridiculous -- but this is how things are in 2018, like it or not. We heard on our brief visit, various and conflicting "gen" about how, shortly (precisely "when", seemed very uncertain) a big "purge" is expected to come about, to do away with and replace with modern equivalents, gated LCs and / or semaphore signals -- general feeling taken away, was "who knows?".
Our spell in the actual are was Jan 17th / 18th / an early "little"of 19th, 2018 -- all "week-work-days". We found just one set, with blue 37s "fore-and-aft", working a three-coach rake, on a number of turns per day on the lines concerned; everything else, was diesel units. Forgiveness for my ignorance of stock details, is begged: for me, those diesel units were just that -- varyingly one, two, or three cars -- and will be described as such. The coaches worked by the 37s: oldish ex-BR "Mark somethings" (my friend -- whom I will call "Y." -- is not either, a super-learned rolling-stock scholar). Have no doubt that numerous erudite RailUKForums participants will be able and eager to fill in the gaps here.
The one set running daily comprised -- as recounted above -- three coaches, with a 37 at each end: 37419 Carl Haviland and 37425 Concrete Bob. We discovered bit by bit (Y. would have been glad from his photographic point of view, to have been able to have the data "earlier and sooner") that at the time of our visit, said set had usual-but-not-invariable regular weekday "slots", as follows (all 37-worked runs between Norwich and Great Yarmouth were via Acle). 0836 Norwich -- Great Yarmouth and 0917 return; 1036 Norwich -- GY and 1117 return; 1236 Norwich -- GY and 1317 return; 1455 Norwich -- Lowestoft and 1548 return; 1736 Norwich -- GY and 1817 return; and 1902 Norwich -- Lowestoft and 1955 return. Both locos were powered, but the rear one "remote-fashion" thus, without crew.
Of three nights away, the first two were spent at the railway-station house of the still open station at Lingwood, on the Norwich -- Great Yarmouth via Acle route; station house having been acquired by private owners who operate it as a B & B. (No vacancy there for the third night, which had to be spent in accommodation a little way south of Norwich.) Our Lingwood room was on the first floor, looking right out on to the station platform; excellent for seeing trains, and hearing them. "On the same page" as a current thread in the "Traction & Rolling Stock" sub-forum: the roar of the 37s' motors and exhaust was impressive, and an instant recognition tool distinguishing them from the more numerous, demurely quiet dmus. (Even our landlady at Lingwood -- for sure, no gricer -- was moved to remark on how this difference had impressed itself on her.)
Arrival at Lingwood was after dark on the evening of Jan. 16th (midwinter not a 100% ideal time for "railwaying" ventures, by reason of the limited daylight hours). The following morning, after some photography at Lingwood, we caught the 0933 departure (37s, 0917 ex Great Yarmouth) for Norwich: to make sure of a little travel with 37 haulage, and with view to -- hopefully -- picking up some intelligence from rail staff, including at Norwich station, about the 37s' movements. At Norwich, Y. and I split up for the rest of daylight, to concentrate on respective / divergent goals /interests: he -- having gleaned some info about loco workings -- to get a train back to Lingwood and the car, to carry out road-borne photography.
The "Wherry Lines" have a slightly odd configuration: basically running east from Norwich, splitting at Brundall not quite six miles out, to head for Great Yarmouth via Lingwood and Acle; and for Lowestoft. Somewhat under halfway to Lowestoft, at Reedham, a single-track line branches off north-eastward, to rejoin the Great Yarmouth route a mile or so before said terminus. The Reedham -- GY line runs through Tolkien's "empty lands where no men are": scenes of delightfully unfrequented watery flatness. Its only intermediate station is Berney Arms -- quite celebrated on these forums, largely for being one of the British national network's few stations with no road access. In winter at all events, for six days of the week this section carries the sparsest of services: a couple of Norwich -- Reedham -- Great Yarmouth workings each way per day, calling at Berney Arms only by request (considerably more workings take this route, with the BA request stop, on Sundays). Some surprise cannot but be felt at the Reedham -- GY section's survival up to the present day...
At all events, the idea appealed to me of actually using Berney Arms Station. I thus embarked on one of the day's two eastbound workings, which served it: the 1136 Norwich -- Great Yarmouth via Reedham, composed of a single diesel unit. Alighting at Berney Arms would give me a little over three hours in the "watered wastes" -- with adjacent to the station, a Royal Society for the Protection of Birds reserve, offering hopes of agreeable creature-watching. The highly conscientious and attentive guard took note of my wish to get out at BA, and made sure of my being at the exit-appropriate front end of the unit, in good time for the station call. Unsurprisingly, I was the only passenger "off or on". Berney Arms must be not only one of the national network's least accessible and least-used stations, but one of its tiniest: essentially, one (single-line) short platform, and a nameboard. One feels that the place classes more properly as a "Halt": but it would seem that none of its owners since opening, have ever given it that designation.
A third of a mile over faint footpaths brought me to the -- currently closed -- eponymous pub, situated by the confluence of the rivers Yare and Waveney at the landward end of their joint estuary. Some pub-garden-type seats-cum-tables, afforded a pleasant place to put oneself. The bird-life department proved very disappointing -- comprising in toto and throughout, numerous mallard ducks, numerous gulls, and a couple of robins; but on a cold but sun-bright day, it was perfectly agreeable to sit and enjoy a couple of hours' solitude in the fresh air, just alternately reading, and enjoying the quiet immensity of the flat, vacant land / water / cloud-scapes. Would-be birdwatchers have to accept that their quarry does not come with any guarantee... Y.'s point of view, from his very-much photographer's perspective, is "To hell with wildlife -- photting trains is difficult and frustrating enough, and they're supposed to run to a timetable..."
Back to the station in very ample time for the 1524 departure (1517 ex Great Yarmouth) -- with this line's timetable, missing said departure would be liable to have one in much bother. I -- the only boarding passenger -- was at great pains to stand right at the Great Yarmouth end of the tiny platform, and make a super-clear hand-and-arm signal to the approaching train. This proved to be a two-car job; and a bit surprisingly, two fellows alighted from it -- they had rather an air of being "naturalist types". Punctual arrival at Brundall 1542, gave me a four-minute connection on to the next GY-via-Lingwood (dmu) working, bringing me to Lingwood 1551; with planned rendezvous-ing in the course of time with Y., back at the "digs".
His day's pursuit of 37 workings had taken him alongside the route via Lingwood and Acle, to Great Yarmouth. The "water everywhere" nature of the Norfolk Broads region can make getting about by road, often limiting and difficult: his only practiacble way on to Lowestoft, to see 37s arriving and departing there, had had to be via the coast road; and back the same way, in order to regain Lingwood. A decent amount of 37 action seen; but frustratingly limited scope for photographic access to it.
The 17th had been-- as recounted -- cold but sunny: for January, clement conditions. That night, however; and carrying on into the morning; there were heavy rain and fierce gales. Train movements through Lingwood morning of the 18th were clearly -- checked against the timetable -- considerably disrupted. It was discovered in course of time, that the gales had blown a tree down across the line at Brundall -- effectively screwing things up for the whole of the "Wherry Lines". We finished up driving into Norwich -- investigating en route, potential phot-spots, against the hoped-for contingency of things getting back to normal before hugely long. A couple of hours were spent in Norwich on non-rail pursuits.
Given normal and stable conditions, original intention had been that -- as on the 17th -- Y. and I would part company for a lot of the time. I had not been to this part of the world, for a couple of decades or more; although I had, back then or still earlier, travelled over the whole "Wherry" system, I had a hankering to cover again by rail, the Norwich -- Lowestoft route. The way things turned out on the 18th, kyboshed that -- largely by reason of my being an elderly "dinosaur" who cannot cope with mobile phones as they are in this present era -- I don't have one. (I have little doubt that a couple of hundred years ago, I would have been a bitter enemy of these newfangled "rail-roads" and their steam-powered haulage devices, merrily and dangerously spewing fire and pollutant smoke everywhere they went.) With matters on this day being somewhat confused and confusing; and with our needing to move on that evening, to the final night's different quarters -- it was figured best that Y. and I stick together for the day. My return rail trip to Lowestoft was thus not to be; but such is life.
In time on the 18th, the fallen tree was shifted, and services started running again; but for some hours, they proved to be considerably messed-up. We drove out from Norwich, following as far as possible the rail route up until Reedham (prospecting en route for phot-spots, Y. being always unstoppably hopeful in this context). We observed and photographed various workings at Reedham -- still somewhat fouled-up timings-wise, but including a 37s-worked movement. After that, stumps drawn for the day. Morning of the 19th -- heading-for-home day -- we returned for a couple of hours to the "standard" Great Yarmouth route, doing some 37 photography at the attractive Acle station, and a little later, in the environs of Brundall; after which, undelayable farewell to the "Wherry Lines".
A very interesting feature of these lines -- aside from unusual motive power -- was at any rate at the time of our recent visit, their being a prominent stronghold of semaphore signalling, and (still rarer nowadays) widespread and numerous level crossings protected by old-fashioned manually operated white-with-red-warning-totems, gates. The chaps in charge of these gates -- with a couple of whom we conversed at varying lengths -- would seem to be very much representatives of a dying trade. They are now obliged to wear, top-to-toe, virulent-orange "safety gear", making them look per my gut feeling, somewhat nursery-ish and ridiculous -- but this is how things are in 2018, like it or not. We heard on our brief visit, various and conflicting "gen" about how, shortly (precisely "when", seemed very uncertain) a big "purge" is expected to come about, to do away with and replace with modern equivalents, gated LCs and / or semaphore signals -- general feeling taken away, was "who knows?".
