~Off The Rails~
20th/21st September 2012
Thursday - Karen's Day and a trip to London to take things off the rails. Friday and my choice, a trip to Wymondham in Norfolk to take a look at a "preserved" railway line.
The Numbers Game
Scroll down for photos and a description of the adventures....
Saffron Walden
We started Thursday with a trip to Saffron Walden in Essex. Karen wanted to visit a shop "Mistral" - a boutique with branches in the south of England. Now, even I appreciate this type of shop. Privately owned and quite different from the ubiquitous chain stores. SW is an interesting place, but time did not allow for a full exploration. We caught the London train from Allders End.
Marble Arch, London
Alighting at Liverpool Street Station, we took the Underground to Knightsbridge, visited a corner shop and then strolled across Hyde Park to Marble Arch, formerly at the front of Buckingham Palace, now in front of McDonalds.
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Not Really My Thing
And so to Norfolk the following day....
Tickets to Ride
The Mid-Norfolk Railway runs between Wymondham and Dereham. Finding the station at Wymondham Abbey is a bit of a challenge (bear in mind, I'm staunchly anti-Sat Nav), there are no "brown signs" for the railway, or the abbey.
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WymondhamTown Sign |
Wymondham Abbey |
Wymondham Stuff
After a brew and toasted teacaked in Wymondham, we went down to the station to catch the 12:05 service to Dereham.
Class 47, No.47375
This weekend, the railway was hosting a "Class 47 Event". Class 47's are Diesel Locomotives, do not expect steam to come out of their vents. The first ones were introduced 50 years ago in 1962. I thought this first day of the "event" would be quiet, but the whole area was humming with "enthusiasts". Eight "47's" were in operation. The enthusiasts will refer to class members, like above, as "375", there is no need to offer the common first two digits (47) - this is important and saves breath and time.
Man in Field
During the journey, we saw lots of strange characters stood along the lineside and in fields etc.
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"596" |
"579" |
More '47's
The rail journey was dull and unspectacular through bland Norfolk countryside. Arriving at Dereham, we could either return on the same train or wait an hour or so for the next one.
Dereham Station
Do not adjust your sets, just lean a little to the right. Quickly we decided to catch the same train back to Wymondham, Dereham didn't appeal to us. Many of the anoraks headed to the local Morrisons and the station cafe would also fill up.
UnEnthusiast
Luckily, Karen saw the funny side of it all. All these strange folk, talking in riddles, leaning out of the windows, anxiously waiting for the next opportunity to get off one train and straight onto another. Ill-fitting clothes, unwashed hair, chewed pencils and tatty notebooks - that's the enthusiasts, not the missus.
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Class 31 No.31530 |
Three Class 47's |
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No. 47798 "Prince William" |
More '47's |
Did anyone see the Monty Python support feature "Away From It All"? Generally shown before the "Life of Brian". It came to mind as I saw yet more Class 47's.
Class 50 (left) and Class 47
Look up to the top right of this photo! Class 50's used to haul the West Coast Main Line trains from Euston to Glasgow, prior to electrification. Some Class 37's are still in use on the mainlines.
Class 47, no 47596 at Thuxton Station
All trains were top-and-tailed due to the non-availability of the Wymondham loop, due to a fallen tree. Or that's what they said - I think they just wanted to get more locomotives on the line!
'596
Full credit to the locomotives' owners, they were all well turned out for their birthday party.
Final Photo at Wymondham
All photos copyright Richard Ratcliffe 2012 ©
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