Sheringham Link

There have been a few updates on the level crossing page of the NNR's website but unfortunately they have not been mentioned on the index or news pages.

 

http://www.edp24.co.uk/content/edp2...=xDefault&itemid=NOED07 Mar 2010 14:43:35:483 Its happened!

 

Horray! well done to all that made this happen
A few years ago it was, 'one day the crossing will be back' now its a reality
http://geoffsangliaphotos.fotopic.net/c1822618.html

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ybVYfKVnQw4

Video, from Peter B

 

Excellent news and another step in the right direction for our railways! Well done to all involved. I'm looking forward to seeing the main event on Thursday, unfortunately I won't be able to travel to the NNR to see it for real but I'm sure some kind folks will supply us with some footage and stills please?!

 

I won't be at the crossing as that is a no go zone, further along the line probs

 

I see that "Sheringham Station webcam 1" has been moved and is now showing a view of the crossing.

 

It have been watching it for ages now, I dont know why nothing is going to happen for hours.
Cant wait to see all the pictures and videos.

 

Couple of minutes early on the webcam, good to see how busy it was.

 

I was lucky enough to be invited to the opening as a guest of the NNR. It has been a superb day, I'm currently on the train back from Sheringham to London. The speeches were interesting, Pete Waterman did a turn as a stand-up comedian on the upper deck of an opentop bus, and the organisation was flawless.

Detonators had been laid on the NR tracks approaching Sheringham, which were set off by Cromwell on its approach. A green flag went up, and the train passed through the crowds and over the new crossing with the chime whistle continually wailing. Thousands of people were lining every inch of space around the station.

Once Cromwell had pulled into platform 2, we set off on a special train to Holt and back, formed of the quad arts topped and tailed by the N7 and N2. The quads are superb - it was my first ride in them, and the number of invited guests meant we got the full 'kings Cross commuter in the '30s" experience.

A great day. I will be back for a weekend in the next couple of months!

 

Kingscross, you lucky, lucky person! Thanks for letting us know that it all went brilliantly. I really have got to visit the NNR now.

 

Local radio estimates 4000 people - i couldn't argue with this. I haven't seen so many people at a preserved railway event. Trying to get up the lineside, every possible place to park a car was filled, and some that normally only see 1 or 2 cars were up to 19 !

I'll put some photos up later of the 'crossing' and the tape being broken

 

http://news.bbc.co.uk/local/norfolk/hi/people_and_places/history/newsid_8518000/8518548.stm

 

So what's the deal with restoring the triangle at East Runton? The physical trackwork would probably be straightforward to put in (one at least hopes). The trouble will probably be the S&T and how that interfaces with the present signalling.

So how is the line signalled currently? The physical layout shows two platforms at Cromer, with those platforms running off from a turnout on a single line. Just before that there's another turnout with one line going to Sheringham and the other towards North Walsham, where the next passing loop is. So, this track layout presumably makes it possible to cross trains at Cromer; otherwise Cromer would only have one platform.

So therefore I deduce it's a bit more complicated than having a single line token for the whole of the North Walsham-Sheringham section. Are there two separate tokens for the North Walsham-Cromer and the Cromer-Sheringham sections? Or is the signalling more high-tech than this?

Any S&T bods care to explain how you signal a triangle?

 

An excellent day out, Sheringham was a sardine can so I ventured up the road where it was packed! lots of cheers and tears on the day, pete was on a bus and did a few interviews (Watched this on Anglia News)

I saw the train leave sheringham for Cromer and out of Cromer, pics and vid later

 

Couple of Photos guys. More on my website. Stay tuned for gala photos as well

 

The line is currently signalled using axle counters and the odd section of track circuit.
At Cromer you essentially have two single lines, one heading to North Walsham and the other heading to Sheringham. Just outside Cromer station these two single lines are linked by two sets of cross overs allowing trains from either direction to run into either platform. Somewhere around these are the sets of axle counters on each line and once passed these on the Sheringham line any train effectively disappears off of Trowse boxs map.
To reinstate the loop you'd need to add a few more axle counters at various locations but like all things with enough money anything is possible.

You also have two units operating on the line as well as the North Walsham tanks which take up a lot of the free space. Today the for instance 70013 passed a unit heading for Norwich at Wroxham after the units had passed each other at Walsham, 70013 then passed a unit at Cromer which had come back from Sheringham so even if a token for the North Walsham to Sheringham section existed it couldn't be used.

The question is, is it worth it? At a guess the biggest train the NNR can fit into Sheringham platform is a loco and 6 possibly 7 Mk1s, also it would only be used say for a maximum of 10 charters a year plus you've just added the liability of another viaduct which hasn't been used for decades.

I'd love to see it happen but can't help wondering if there are better things that that amount of money could be spent on.

Still bloody good day and well worth the hard work we all put in to build the crossing.

 

I was hoping that the NNR now connected to the main line & seeing that fab event on the BBC Website etc

I was thinking that the NNR could hold a Steam or Diesel Gala Event with Visiting Diesels from Different railways eg: Mid Norfolk or Nene Valley etc

What does everyone else think?

 

Half the idea of having the crossing is to allow more visiting locos to visit the NNR.
There are various ideas but one idea could be to have a mini tour from the MNR to the NNR and back or NNR to MNR etc if one railway was to have a gala with a couple of mainline registered locos. We'd need to hire a few mainline registered MK1s / Mk2s but that isn't a major problem.

 

Thats kinda why there is a plan to reinstate the line to melton and then to holt.
http://www.norfolk-orbital-railway.co.uk/