Yarmouth & Norwich Railway

Yarmouth and Norwich Railway Act 1842
Yarmouth and Norwich Railway Act 1842
Act of Parliament
	Parliament of the United Kingdom
Citation	5 & 6 Vict. c. lxxxii

Yarmouth & Norwich Railway
Overview
Dates of operation	1844–1845
Successor	Norfolk Railway
Technical
Track gauge	4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge

Last updated September 06, 2024

The Yarmouth & Norwich Railway (Y&NR) was the earliest railway in Norfolk, England. It was formed after it became apparent that it would be a number of years before the Eastern Counties Railway would extend their railway into Norfolk.

Its act of Parliament, the Yarmouth and Norwich Railway Act 1842 (5 & 6 Vict. c. lxxxii) of 18 June 1842 authorised the issue of £200,000 worth of shares to build a line between the two towns in its name, via Reedham and the Yare valley. The act laid out fees for the carriage of coal (which would arrive at Yarmouth by sea), bricks, iron, stone,fish and cotton as well as passengers.

People

The chairman was George Stephenson and the chief engineer was his son Robert assisted by George Parker Bidder whilst the main contractor was Morton Peto. Shareholders included Sir Edmund Henry Knowles Lacon, John Edward Lacon (banker), Charles John Palmer (solicitor) and William Hurry Palmer (shipbuilder).^[1]^[2]

Opening

Robert Stephenson calculated the line would take around 18 months to build at a cost of £7,000 per mile. Construction started in April 1843 by contractors Grissel and Peto and the 20.5 miles were completed in a year although the cost was £10,000 per mile rather than the forecast £7,000. An inspection/inaugural run on 12 April 1844 and a ceremonial opening on 30 April 1844, where a train ran from Norwich to Great Yarmouth carrying 200 guests and a brass band followed by "an elegant collation" followed by a return journey of 44 minutes and more lavish festivities in the evening.^[3]

Operation

Regular passenger operation began on 1 May 1844 with a passenger service of seven trains each way.

As well as the station at Norwich, which was located next to the existing Norwich station and later served as a goods depot, there were five intermediate stations on the line at:

The terminus at Great Yarmouth later became Yarmouth Vauxhall railway station.

The Y&NR acquired five locomotives and 15 carriages to operate the service.^[4]

The Y&NR was the first railway in the UK to install block signaling making use of the Cooke & Wheatstone Electric telegraph for this purpose. Members of the public were also allowed to use the system to send messages which the company would then deliver to the recipient.

Merger

The Y&NR was merged with the Norwich & Brandon Railway on 30 June 1845, just prior to the opening of the latter, to form the Norfolk Railway, itself a founding constituent of the Great Eastern Railway amalgamation in 1862.^[5] The route is now part of the Wherry Lines.

Related Research Articles

The Eastern Counties Railway (ECR) was an English railway company incorporated in 1836 intended to link London with Ipswich via Colchester, and then extend to Norwich and Yarmouth.

The Wherry Lines are railway branch lines in the East of England, linking Norwich with Great Yarmouth and Lowestoft. There are 14 stations on the lines, including the three termini. They form part of Network Rail Strategic Route 7, SRS 07.11 and are classified as a rural line.

Berney Arms railway station is a stop on the Wherry Lines in the East of England, serving the settlement of Berney Arms on the Halvergate Marshes in Norfolk. It is located 15 miles 71 chains (25.6 km) east of Norwich and is the only station on a short stretch of single line between Reedham and Great Yarmouth. The station is managed by Greater Anglia, which also operates all trains serving it.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Reedham railway station (Norfolk)</span> Railway station in Norfolk, England

Reedham railway station is a stop on the Wherry Lines in the East of England, serving the village of Reedham, Norfolk. It is 12 miles 13 chains (19.6 km) down the line from Norwich; it is situated between Cantley to the west and, to the east, Berney Arms on the branch to Great Yarmouth or Haddiscoe on the branch to Lowestoft. It is commonly suffixed as Reedham (Norfolk) in order to distinguish it from the station of the same name in south London. Its three-letter station code is REE.

Great Yarmouth railway station is one of two eastern termini of the Wherry Lines in the East of England, serving the seaside town of Great Yarmouth, Norfolk. The other terminus at the eastern end of the lines is Lowestoft and the western terminus, to which all trains run, is Norwich.

Norwich railway station is the northern terminus of the Great Eastern Main Line in the East of England, serving the cathedral city of Norwich, Norfolk. It is 114 miles 77 chains (185.0 km) down the main line from London Liverpool Street, the western terminus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cantley railway station</span> Railway station in Norfolk, England

Cantley railway station is a stop on the Wherry Lines in the East of England, serving the village of Cantley, Norfolk. It is 10 miles (16 km) down the line from Norwich on the routes to Lowestoft and Great Yarmouth; it is situated between Buckenham and Reedham. Its three-letter station code is CNY.

Lowestoft railway station serves the town of Lowestoft, Suffolk. It is the eastern terminus of the East Suffolk Line from Ipswich and is one of two eastern termini of the Wherry Lines from Norwich. Lowestoft is 23 miles 41 chains (37.8 km) down the line from Norwich and 48 miles 75 chains (78.8 km) measured from Ipswich; it is the easternmost station on the National Rail network in the United Kingdom.

The Breckland line is a secondary railway line in the east of England that links Cambridge in the west to Norwich in the east. The line runs through three counties: Cambridgeshire, Suffolk and Norfolk. It takes its name from the Breckland region of Norfolk and passes through Thetford Forest.

Wymondham railway station is a stop on the Breckland Line in the East of England, serving the market town of Wymondham, Norfolk. The line runs between Cambridge in the west and Norwich in the east. It is situated between Spooner Row and Norwich, 113 miles 72 chains (183.3 km) from London Liverpool Street via Ely.

Buckenham railway station is a stop on the Wherry Lines, which serves the village of Buckenham in Norfolk, England. It is 7 miles 62 chains (12.5 km) down the line from Norwich on the routes to Lowestoft and Great Yarmouth; it is situated between Brundall and Cantley. Its three-letter station code is BUC.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brundall railway station</span> Railway station in Norfolk, England

Brundall railway station is on the Wherry Lines in the east of England, serving the village of Brundall, Norfolk. It is 5 miles 60 chains (9.3 km) down the line from Norwich on the route to Great Yarmouth and Lowestoft. Its three-letter station code is BDA.

Thetford railway station is on the Breckland line in the east of England, serving the market town of Thetford, Norfolk. The line runs between Cambridge in the west and Norwich in the east.

Attleborough railway station is on the Breckland line in the east of England, serving the market town of Attleborough, Norfolk. The line runs between Cambridge in the west and Norwich in the east. Attleborough is situated between Eccles Road and Spooner Row, 108 miles 19 chains (174.2 km) from London Liverpool Street via Ely.

Brandon railway station is on the Breckland Line in the East of England, serving the town of Brandon, Suffolk, although the station is actually situated across the county boundary in Norfolk. The line runs between Cambridge in the west and Norwich in the east.

The Newmarket and Chesterford Railway Company was an early railway company that built the first rail connection to Newmarket. Although only around 15 miles (24 km) long the line ran through three counties, the termini being in Essex and Suffolk (Newmarket) and all intermediate stations being in Cambridgeshire.

Norwich Victoria was a railway station in Norwich, Norfolk, England, and the former terminus of the Great Eastern Main Line. It was at one time one of three stations located in Norwich, the others being Norwich City and Norwich Thorpe. City station closed in 1969, but Thorpe station, now known simply as Norwich, remains in use.

The Norwich & Brandon Railway (N&BR) was the second railway in Norfolk, England, after the Yarmouth & Norwich Railway (Y&NR). Its Act of Parliament on 10 May 1844 authorised it to build a line between Norwich and the small town of Brandon, actually just across the border in Suffolk.

The Norfolk Railway was an early railway company that controlled a network of 94 miles around Norwich, England. It was formed in 1845 by the amalgamation of the Yarmouth and Norwich Railway opened in 1844, and the Norwich and Brandon Railway, not yet opened. These lines were built out of frustration that the Eastern Counties Railway line that was expected to connect Norwich to London failed to be completed. The Norfolk Railway also leased the Lowestoft Railway and Harbour Company, and built a branch to Dereham and Fakenham, opened in 1846 and 1849 respectively.

The East Suffolk line is a railway in East Anglia with a long history.

References

↑ Allen, Cecil J. (1975). The Great Eastern Railway (6th ed.). Shepperton: Ian Allan.
↑ Cooper, John M (April 1993). "The Lowestoft to Norwich Railway". Great Eastern Journal. 74: 4.
↑ Allen, Cecil J. (1975). Great Eastern Railway (3rd ed.). Shepparton, UK: Ian Allan Limited. p. 22. ISBN 0-7110-0659-8.
↑ Allen, Cecil J. (1975). Great Eastern Railway (3rd ed.). Shepparton, UK: Ian Allan Limited. pp. 22, 23. ISBN 0-7110-0659-8.
↑ White, H.P. (1987). Thomas, David St John (ed.). A Regional History of the Railways of Great Britain. Vol. 3: Greater London (3rd ed.). Dawlish: David & Charles.

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.

[1] Allen, Cecil J. (1975). The Great Eastern Railway (6th ed.). Shepperton: Ian Allan.

[2] Cooper, John M (April 1993). "The Lowestoft to Norwich Railway". Great Eastern Journal. 74: 4.

[3] Allen, Cecil J. (1975). Great Eastern Railway (3rd ed.). Shepparton, UK: Ian Allan Limited. p. 22. ISBN 0-7110-0659-8.

[4] Allen, Cecil J. (1975). Great Eastern Railway (3rd ed.). Shepparton, UK: Ian Allan Limited. pp. 22, 23. ISBN 0-7110-0659-8.

[5] White, H.P. (1987). Thomas, David St John (ed.). A Regional History of the Railways of Great Britain. Vol. 3: Greater London (3rd ed.). Dawlish: David & Charles.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]