1. Family walk to Sheringham-25.10.15

THE ARCHIVE FILES > Archive-2015 > 61. Holiday in Norfolk-24-30.10.15 > 1. Family walk to Sheringham-25.10.15

We took a walk, broadly following the route of the North Norfolk Railway to Sheringham from Kelling Heath. Whilst I took the train back in order to get the car, my wife and son enjoyed frittering away their coppers in the amusement arcades!

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985, 76084, 564 & D6732, stabled, Weybourne yard
An interesting and eclectic collection of motive power is seen in Weybourne yard. Y7 number 985 was built in 1923 by the LNER to an 1888 NER design for work on short coal trains primarily shunting them around collieries and docks of the northeast. For ease of sighting when backing up to wagons notice 985 has no rear bunker having small ones located within the cab itself. 985 was in use until withdrawal came in 1964 after many years of industrial use. Dominating the view is former GER Y14 number 564. It is quite at home here in Norfolk as it spent its entire fifty-one years of operation in East Anglia being based at many different depots. It was withdrawn in 1963 when steam in East Anglia was eliminated whilst acting as a Liverpool Street station pilot. At this point, it had outlived many much more modern designs. Behind the two vintage locomotives is the black hulk of the far more modern 4MT 76084. This Mogul had a working life of a mere ten years from 1957 to 1967. It was constructed with a forty-year operating life span expected by Horwich works. This would have meant that withdrawal would have been anticipated by 1997 only four years before Voyagers arrived on our railway! Hiding behind the three steam locomotives is Type 3 D6732. This dates from 1962 and is in regular operation on the North Norfolk Railway. As 37032 it was variously based around the northeast spending many years at Thornaby.
Keywords: 985 76084 564 D6732 Weybourne yard

D3940, stabled, Weybourne yard
With the North Sea in the background, the view looking across Weybourne yard sees one of the NNR's resident shunters behind the water tower. D3940 was built at Derby in 1960 and was initially allocated to York. Later it moved to Gateshead, Percy Main (Jarrow) and Thornaby where it was withdrawn in 1994. Dominating this photograph is the superb GE wooden somersault bracket signal to the eastern end of Weybourne station. The main arm is the station starter and the submissive arm permits access to the yard
Keywords: D3940 Weybourne yard shunter class 08 sumersault signals

92203, 10.30 Sheringham-Holt, Weybourne station
Possibly representing the pinnacle of steam locomotive development is the 2-10-0 Riddles designed 9F? They were powerful and relatively efficient and able to haul extremely heavy loads for which they were designed. 92203 'Black Prince', a name it never carried during its British Railways career, arrives at Weybourne with the first service of the day, the 10.30 Sheringham to Holt. On withdrawal in 1967 after a mere nine years of working life 92203 was purchased by the wildlife artist and railway enthusiast David Shepherd who has owned it ever since. There are rumours that the locomotive is going to be purchased from him by the NNR to join their home fleet.

NB David Shepherd CBE passed away in Septemeber 2017 and indeed the NNR now owns this fine locomotive. Without the foresight and effort of people like David Shepherd, we would not enjoy many of the steam locomotives still in use today.
Keywords: 92203 10.30 Sheringham-Holt Weybourne station Black Prince David Shepherd

M56352 & M51192, 10.30 Holt-Sheringham, Weybourne
The 10.30 Holt to Sheringham service arrives at Weybourne not particularly well framed it has to be said by the two ex. GE somersault signals! The train is worked by a Class 101 DMU combination formed of M56352 (leading) and M51192. The leading car still wears its BR (non-operational) high-intensity centre light and small yellow warning panel and is in green so represents three different eras throughout its operational life. Despite it being largely in the shade I love the lighting in this photograph that could only have been taken in the autumn.
Keywords: M56352 M51192 10.30 Holt-Sheringham Weybourne Class 101 DMU

92203, 10.30 Sheringham-Holt, Weybourne
With the DMU safely in Weybourne station behind the bridge, 92203 'Black Prince' can get underway and attack Kelling bank working the 10.30 Sheringham to Holt service. In tricky lighting, it gets away from the station making quite a racket as it does. Such a powerful locomotive can make a gentle start away from the station and gather pace relatively easily than smaller and less powerful ones that demand a more determined start from the station.

There is an audio recording of this event on my youtube channel, see.... https://youtu.be/8bmVP9Ytlwc
Keywords: 92203 10.30 Sheringham-Holt, Weybourne Black Prince 2-10-0 9F

M51192 & M56352, 11.15 Sheringham-Holt, Weybourne station
M51192 leads M56352 into Weybourne station working the 11.15 Sheringham to Holt North Norfolk Railway service. With its two-character headcode box, the front end of the leading car than the trailing one that retains its BR high-intensity light. However, looks can be deceiving as this panel has only recently been fitted and is a dummy with the display fixed reading B2. Ex GER 564 puts in an appearance in the station yard to the left of the water tower.
Keywords: M51192 M56352 11.15 Sheringham-Holt Weybourne station NNR Poppy Line Class 101 DMU

92203, 12.00 Sheringham-Holt, The North Norfolkman dining train, Weybourne Wood TG127424
Throughout the season on Sundays, the North Norfolk Railway operates The North Norfolkman dining train. My wife, son and I have travelled on this special dining train and found it to be well patronised offering a great service. The railway simply attaches two dining coaches with a full kitchen to its 12.00 and 13.30 Sheringham to Holt and return service trains to avoid the expense of operating a 'special' working. 92203 'Black Prince' leads the 12.00 service along the coast 'twixt sea and pine' as their strapline proclaims near Weybourne Wood.
Keywords: 92203 12.00 Sheringham-Holt, The North Norfolkman dining train, Weybourne Wood TG127424 9F Black Prince

M51192 & M56352, 12.45 Sheringham-Holt, Sheringham Golf Club
With the manicured greens of Sheringham Golf Club in the foreground, M51192 leads M56352 working the 12.45 Sheringham to Holt train. Notice the Sheringham fixed distant signal to the left on its slotted concrete post.
Keywords: M51192 M56352 12.45 Sheringham-Holt Sheringham Golf Club class 101 DMU

M56352 & M51192, 15.00 Holt-Sheringham, Sheringham station
In lovely soft afternoon sunshine, the 15.00 from Holt arrives at Sheringham station. The service is being worked by a pair of the NNR's resident DMU fleet cars M56352 and M51192. Sheringham station is large by heritage railway standards and has a superb period feel about it. It is popular with visitors as is the whole of the North Norfolk Railway or 'Poppy Line' as it is dubbed.
Keywords: M56352 M51192 15.00 Holt-Sheringham Sheringham station Class 101 DMU

M51192 & M56352, 15.45 Sheringham-Holt, Sheringham station
Rather than walk back to Kelling to collect the car I decided on this occasion to take the train as the 15.45 to Holt was about to leave Sheringham station as I was passing! Here the train formed by former Class 101 DMU cars M51192 and M56352 waits to leave Sheringham that I am going to board. Notice the concrete milepost on the platform showing forty-two and three-quarter miles from the now-closed Norwich City station following the former M&GN route via Holt and Melton Constable.
Keywords: M51192 M56352 15.45 Sheringham-Holt Sheringham station Class 101 DMU

M51192 & M56352, 15.45 Sheringham-Holt, Dead Man`s Hill bridge
One can see the attraction of first-generation DMUs to heritage lines and their many visitors in this photograph. They offer unrivalled front and rear views through the driver's cab (if the blinds are not drawn!) of the routes that the lines follow, in the case of the NNR a mixture of coastal views, heathland and Norfolk countryside. Taken through the leading window of M51192 the unusually named Dead Man's Hill bridge is about to be passed that is a favourite vantage point for many photographers.
Keywords: M51192 M56352 15.45 Sheringham-Holt Dead Man`s Hill bridge Class 101 DMU

Driver`s desk, M51192, 15.45 Sheringham-Holt, between Sheringham & Weybourne
The driver's control desk of M51192 is seen through the bulkhead window as the 15.45 Sheringham to Holt approaches Weybourne. Behind the power controller is the speedometer, close examination reveals that the train is travelling at the prerequisite maximum twenty-five miles per hour speed for heritage lines.
Keywords: Driver`s desk M51192 15.45 Sheringham-Holt between Sheringham & Weybourne Class 101 DMU

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