The Wells and Walsingham Light Railway

In a nutshell

Gauge:          10¼" (260mm)

Length:       4 miles (6.4km)

Opened:      1857 (Standard gauge) 6 April 1982 (present railway)

Location:   

Wells & Walsingham Light Railway
Stiffkey Road
Wells-next-the-Sea
Norfolk
NR23 1QB

Web:      https://www.wwlr.co.uk

Email:    wellswalsinghamrailway@gmail.com

Tel:         01328 711630

 

Date of visit:     24th - 25th September 2021

Key Facts

• The railway claims to be the longest 10¼ inch gauge railway and the smallest gauged public railway in the world
  
• The trackbed for the line was once the standard gauge railway which ran from Wymondham to Wells where there was a terminus
• Wells on Sea Station was also the terminus for the Heacham to Wells branchline
• The original railway was built quite cheaply and so follows the undulations of the landscape and hence includes some fairly stiff gradients (up to 1 in 66)
• The Wells and Walsingham Railway was established by Lieutenant-Commander Roy Wallace Francis  (1922 - 2015) a former British naval office
• The railway's principal locomotives are two 2-6-0+0-6-2 Garratt steam locomotives (Norfolk Hero and Norfolk Heroine) and a Bo-Bo diesel loco (Norfolk Harvester)
• The railway runs five trains each way during the summer season and four trains each way during the spring and autumn
• There is a shop with a small range of refreshments available at Wells on Sea station
• There is a large, free car park at Wells and the village (pay and display) car park at Walsingham is a five minute walk from the station

 

Route

My Impressions

I started my visit by going straight to the main station at Wells, where I familiarised myself with its layout and facilities.

The ground floor of the signal box includes a shop and a café serving a basic array of drinks and snacks.

Immediately behind the signal box is the engine shed and turning to the opposite end of the platform is the carriage shed. Spare stock is also stored on the siding behind the platform loop.

There is a large grassy car park, picnic facilities a play area for children and a gift shop selling locally produced paintings, ornaments and clothing accessories.

Ere long, a steam whistle announced the imminent arrival of a train from Walsingham.

I watched the train disgorge its passengers and the rather magnificent Garratt loco (Norfolk Heroine) run round its train.....

A few minutes later, the train departed for Walsingham

Most of the passengers decided to sit in the open topped carriages to make the most of the gorgeous late September sunshine with which we were blessed during my visit.

The following day, I revisited the line. This time going straight to Walsingham station where a large group of passengers was patiently awaiting the arrival of the first train of the day.

Once more, Norfolk Heroine had been rostered ......

.... and, after running-round, ........

...... she made a swift and efficient departure with quite a heavy train.

I hastened back to my car and then sped up the road, parked and was able to observe the train passing through Wighton

Returning to the car, I was then able to watch the train climbing the bank out of Warham

Another short car journey and I was able to catch the train's arrival into Wells, where the loco ran round and took on more coal and water.

Before long, the train departed once more.

I then drove down to Wells harbour where I found a very pleasant eatery and bought a few essential supplies, before returning to the station for my afternoon's adventure. .......

..... a cab ride!

Despite its diminutive size, the cab, while cosy, was sufficiently large to accommodate myself and the driver who described in detail the actions required to keep the locomotive performing at its optimum.

A 1 in 80 gradient out of the station is followed by a very short 1 in 440 gradient .........

...... then another 1 in 76 gradient - all within the first mile!

There then followed a 1 in 66 decent then a 1 in 96 ascent, and so the driver (who acts as fireman) has his work cut out ensuring the correct balance between fire and water level, as it runs from one end of the boiler to the other, maintains sufficient steam pressure for the climbs, without wasting steam on the descents.

In addition, there are five ungated level crossings and two intermediate halts to contend with so the train's speed has to be optimised for the conditions and there is much rather creative use of the whistle to alert drivers and warn potential passengers of the train's imminent arrival.

After three miles, there is a long and steady 1 in 80 climb .........

...... into Walsingham station, where a knot of passengers was awaiting our arrival.

After a sprightly run-round, we departed ......

There was time to admire the surrounding landscape which, at this time of year is quite picturesque with the lengthening shadows from the afternoon sun.

The passengers also seemed to be enjoying the sunshine and vistas of the Norfolk countryside - not to mention the ride!

As we approached Wells, I was alerted by the driver to a local avian resident perched on a branch just above the track.

On cue, the buzzard swooped down the track ahead of the train before swerving off to the left. A rather poignant and impressive end my rail-borne experience.

We slowly and, to my mind, rather majestically, coasted into the station.

This is an experience which will live with me for a long time. What a lovely little railway in a beautiful setting and an extremely picturesque part of the world. 

I can thoroughly recommend this railway for a visit. There is plenty to see and do in the area for all ages - and I can also endorse the quality of the dressed crab sandwiches available from the eateries in the town.

Video

Lappa Valley Steam Railway

In a nutshell

Gauge:         15"

Length:      1 mile

Opened:      1974 (Original railway opened in 1905)

Location:   

Lappa Valley Steam Railway & Leisure Park

St Newlyn East

Newquay

Cornwall

TR8 5LX

Web:      http://www.lappavalley.co.uk/

Email:    info@lappavalley.co.uk
Tel:        01872 510317 

 

Date of visit:     12 June 2015

 

Key Facts

• The Lappa Valley Steam Railway is built on the trackbed of the Treffry Tramways branch line which ran to East Wheal Rose
• The first tramway from East Wheal Rose operated from 1849 using horse-drawn wagons. 
• In 1874 the tramway was taken over by the Cornwall Minerals Railway and steam locomotives ran on the railway for the first time
• The railway was acquired by the Great Western Railway in 1896, and re-opened in 1905.
• The branch was closed on 4 February 1963 as part of Beeching's 'reorganisation' of British Railways.
• In the early 1970s, the trackbed was acquired by Eric Booth who cleared the thick undergrowth and laid the 15" (381 mm) gauge track between Benny Halt and East Wheal Rose. 
• Zebedee, the line's first steam locomotive, was built by Severn Lamb in early 1974 and the railway opened to the public on 16 June 1974 with four locally built coaches. 
• In 1975 the East Wheal Rose area was landscaped and the boating lake was dug to help drain the land. 
• In 1976, the line acquired some locomotives from Longleat with more carriages also being built at the time. 
• During the 1970s, a 7¼" (184 mm) gauge railway was laid around a smaller lake
• In May 1995 10¼" (260 mm) gauge railway was constructed for half a mile along the next length of the old tramway trackbed.
• In 2014 the Lappa Valley Railway was bought by Keith Southwell who aims to continue the work which Eric Booth started
• The railway presently has two 15" gauge steam locomotives (Severn Lamb 0-6-4T Zebedee and Berwyn Engineering 0-6-0 Muffin), one 15" gauge diesel loco (0-4-0 Arthur), two 10¼" gauge diesel locos (Alan Keef 0-4-0 Eric, Severn Lamb 4-4w Duke of Cornwall) and one 7¼" gauge train (a representation of an APT built by Mardyke Miniature Railway)
• UPDATE: A third 15" gauge steam loco (Exmoor Steam 0-4-2T Ruby) was added to the roster in July 2015
• In addition to the two other railways at East Wheal Rose, there are two lakes (one for boating and the other for wildlife), a crazy golf course, children's play areas, a gift shop, a café, and a series of walks through the valley.

Route

 

My Impressions

When I arrived at the main car park for the Lappa Valley Steam Railway, the sun was occasionally finding its way between the clouds and the weather was reasonably warm.

After buying my ticket in the shop and ticket office, there was time to take a few snaps of the station area before the train arrived.

One of the line's two steam locomotives (0-6-0 Muffin) was sitting outside the main engine shed, waiting to be admired (another steam loco arrived in July, shortly after my visit) .......

..... and the lie's 0-4-0 diesel was sitting on a siding.

Before long (trains run every 40 minutes), the line's other steam loco (0-6-2T Zebedee), hove into view with its impressive train of five bogie coaches.

There was time to admire the diminutive loco.......

.... as she was turned ........

..... before running round the train.

 The mile long journey to the other end of the line at East Wheal Rose took us through mature woodland, .....

...... running for a short distance beside the parallel track from the reverse loop ........

......... before swinging round the boating lake, to pull into the station.

By the time the train had discharged its passengers and the loco taken on board more water, the heavens had opened.

I decided to take the train back to the main station, to fetch my waterproof from the car.

The train negotiated the reverse loop and then rejoined the main line back down to Benny Halt.......

..... where we pulled into the main platform once more.

 On my second journey down the line, the loco experienced some wheel-slip as she climbed the gradient on the approach to East Wheel Rose. The driver coaxed her over the summit ........

 ..... and we arrived once more at the station, where quite a large crowd of slightly damp visitors was waiting to make the journey back back to their cars.

 I took the opportunity to explore the visitor attractions at the site. The 7¼" railway which winds its way around the smaller of the two lakes ........

..... and the 10¼" gauge railway which runs for a further half a mile along the trackbed of the original railway.

 From the cafe, it was possible to get an elevated view of the site. The rain was easing by this time ......

 ...... but I decided I had exhausted the supply of attractions. It would have been different if I had been accompanied by children - there was plenty to keep them entertained and interested. The distant whistle announced the approach of Zebedee with another trainload of visitors ........

....... and so I climbed aboard once more, taking a quick look back over the boating lake as we negotiated the reverse loop.

There was time to shoot the departure of the next Down train, before browsing through the books and nick-knacks in the shop. I decided against having a Cornish Ice Cream, the rain having decided to teem down once more.

I enjoyed my visit to the Lappa Valley Steam Railway, but then I have a particular soft spot for 15" gauge railways since learning about their history (see A brief chronology of minimum gauge railways). There seemed to be plenty of attractions for younger visitors and for those who might want to explore the various nature trails and walks in the area. It was a pity that the weather was so unpredictable - the rain had not been forecast - and it was as much an irritation for the railway staff as for the visitors.

It was certainly well worth the visit - and when the grandchildren appear on the scene ........

Video