Wells and Walsingham Light Railway

The line, which is 4 miles (6.44 km) long, is now the longest 10+1⁄4 in (260 mm) gauge railway in the world. It runs from the coastal town of Wells-next-the-Sea to the village of Walsingham, famous as a centre of pilgrimage to the Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham. Owing to the difficulty of obtaining authority to operate across main roads via level crossings, the railway operates between a new-build station located on the A149 approximately 1⁄2 mile (0.80 km) south of the original terminus at Wells, and a similar new terminus at Walsingham situated a short distance north of the original GER station, and within sight of it.

Trains run daily between March and November,[2] with the timetable intensifying during the high season period. Trains are mostly steam-operated, although diesel motive power is also utilised.

Driver refilling the water tank of the Norfolk Heroine at Wells

The Norfolk Railway established a line from Wymondham to Dereham in 1847, which the nominally independent Wells and Fakenham Railway extended to Walsingham and Wells-next-the-Sea ten years later, in 1857.[3] During the consolidation of minor railway companies in England, the line became part of the Great Eastern Railway, and during the 1923 Big Four grouping became in turn part of the London and North Eastern Railway.[4]

The Transport Act 1947 nationalised the British rail network, and the branch line became part of the Eastern Region of British Railways on 1 January 1948. The line's final steam passenger service ran on 17 September 1955, services then continued using Diesel units. The Beeching Report of 1963 recommended the retention of parts of the line for freight and express passenger services but recommended closure of all passenger facilities for local services. The local passenger service between Dereham and Wells ended on 5 October 1964.[5]

Weasel at Walsingham in the 1990s, before rebuilding.

Local railway enthusiast Lt Cdr Roy Francis had already built and opened the 10+1⁄4 in (260 mm) gauge Wells Harbour Railway in 1976, and in 1979 he set about restoration of the railway service south from Wells, towards Walsingham. Ground works and track laying took three years to complete, and the railway opened on 6 April 1982.[6] A section of the route, known locally as 'Barnard's Cutting', had been filled with refuse and had to be excavated before the track could be restored. The excavation of 3,000 tons of waste did not return the trackbed to its original level, resulting in a severe 1 in 29 gradient that had not existed when the line was originally in use.[7]

Significant developments during the history of the line have included the abandoning of locomotive turning facilities (the line was originally envisaged with turntables at both ends, and locomotives always operating in the forwards direction) in favour of the operationally simpler system of locomotives operating forwards on their outward journey, and backwards on their return journey, after running round the train by means of a headshunt and run-round loop. At the same time, Walsingham station was totally remodelled, with the platform on the opposite (western) side.

In 1987, a redundant signal box was moved from Swainsthorpe to Wells, and converted. The ground floor now provides a shop, tearoom, and waiting room, whilst the upper floor provides office and staff rooms.

In 2005, an intermediate station named Wighton was closed. At the same time the nearby intermediate station named Seton's Halt was renamed Wighton, which had been its original name in LNER operating days.

In 2013, construction began on a large new shed at Wells, which opened in 2014. This serves as a locomotive running shed during the summer, and as a coach storage shed during the winter. It has engineering facilities, including access to heavy lifting gear outside the shed. Two other engine sheds are available at Wells.

On 2 September 2008 vandals blocked the flangeways of Barnard's crossing, near Walsingham and used a level crossing gate to derail locomotive No 3 Norfolk Hero. The passengers and train crew were not injured in this attack, and a diesel locomotive was sent from Wells to recover the stranded passenger train - although some passengers chose to ignore advice from the train crew and walked to Walsingham. Norfolk Hero was repaired and restored to service by the end of the month.[15]

In December 2017 severe weather conditions led to a landslide near Warham. The large collapse of earth and mud engulfed locomotive No 6 Norfolk Heroine, but there were no injuries. Due to the extent of the landslide, it was necessary to abandon the train, which was recovered the following day. The locomotive required minor repairs, and volunteers formed a working party to dig out the mud, and return the line to usable condition. Following test trains in January 2018, the service was fully restored.

A winter diesel-hauled train arriving at Wells.

The current line starts at Wells station, on the A149 coast road just south of the town. After leaving the station trains begin to climb the 1 in 80 gradient to Warham, passing the remains of the Leicester Lime Works and The Midden Halt, a small request stop station serving a camp site, before passing under a road bridge carrying the Wells to Walsingham road.

At Warham the line starts to descend, and passes over a level crossing before reaching the request stop at Warham station. Chickens roam free around the station, and are often on the line as trains approach this very rural location. Leaving the station the line passes through a cutting, and under a road bridge (the site of Wighton Station from 1982 to 2005), then over an embankment close to the Warham Camp hill fort, before reaching the original and current Wighton station, which was temporarily renamed Seton's Halt between 1982 and 2005, when the alternative Wighton Station was in use. A passing loop is due to be installed at Wighton in 2016 to enable two-train operation on the line.

After three level crossings, 'Barnard's Cutting' is reached. The 1 in 29 gradient created during the restoration of the route has been restored to the original 1 in 60 by engineers from the National Construction Training College removing 17,000 tons of material in 1999.

After passing over a high embankment and a brick underbridge the line enters the outskirts of Little Walsingham, before arriving at Walsingham station.

• Bressingham Steam and Gardens
• Bure Valley Railway
• Mid-Norfolk Railway
• North Norfolk Railway
• Whitwell & Reepham railway station
• Yaxham Light Railway
• Barton House Railway

• Oppitz, Leslie (Autumn 1989). "East Anglia Railways Remembered". Countryside Books. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
• Jenkins, S. (1993). "The Lynn and Dereham Railway". Middleton Press. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
• Tuddenham, E. (March 1965). "Railway World". Ian Allan. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)

• Railway Website.

52.9277°N 0.8774°E / 52.9277; 0.8774