Whitwell and Reepham station

Called in at Whitwell & Reepham today, having not been there since 2010. Was impressed with what has been achieved there in those 7 years and, even though it wasn't one of their monthly steaming days, there was sufficient to occupy an hour or so and the bar & catering side of the operation is worth sampling.
No admission charge to the site, unless you want a train ride, and they appear to be open to 20.00 at this time of year at least.
Somewhere to call in after visiting the MNR or NNR.......

 

Hello all, Just to update anyone about current and future events regarding extension for this line. We have started a government petition for information and clarification regarding the current status of the railway acts used on the line. Please see the link to the petition here. -> https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/214041

We require 10'000 signatures before the government to act on our requests.
We believe that the acts are still existing on the line and that this will help us relay the track down along part of the old Norwich city to Melton constable line.
The line is currently private council ownership but open to the public for use regarding walkers, cyclists and in some areas horses. Its also got a tie in with the Sustrans network.

Our aim is to reopen a stretch long the route, whilst retaining the current walkway. Much line AVR. With this the railway can grow to its full potential.

Any help in signing this is very appreciated.

Thank you.

 

Signed. Good luck.

 

Ditto, me too.

 

Me three

 

And me.

 

Done.

If we all keep posting like this and the appeal for signatures is successful this thread could get very long!

 

To me this seems an odd use of the government petitions system. Would it not have been possible & easier to get your local MP to raise the issue directly with the relevant minister or government department?

And by the way there is a typo in the petition text which unfortunately makes it look a bit amateurish.

Wish you all well (W&R is a nice setup with much promise), just not sure why this method has been chosen.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

Signed the petition. What are your overall plans once the Act wording is cleared up?
So far your plans have been very sustainable, how far do you intend to extend?
Once again best of luck.

 

Your question is one that other heritage railways that have sought to rebuild on a disused trackbed have had to face. Any remaining residual Powers will now be in the hands of BR Residuary (now a division of Highways) and cannot in any event be transferred to another body without a Transport & Work Act order. The Departments legal view in respect of routes such as your line extension, where the railway has long since been removed, is that those old Powers to Construct (in effect planning permission) and Powers to Operate have been used up and no longer available for anyone to use again. I'm afraid it's a question of starting again with a new TWA Order and/or Planning Permission from the local authority. The HRA have an adviser specialising in railway powers and I'm sure he will be able to help clarify that position for you in much greater detail. Hope that helps

 

I will forward all your comments on, thank you.

We intend to go as far as we are able to. There is 6 miles one way and about 4-5 miles the other way.
I understand that we have looked into many possible ways of extending the line.
Thanks for signing up!

 

This is happening this weekend, just in case you want to escape from WW3.......
https://whitwellstation.com/missed-and-greatly-needed-gala/

 

The two locos in action at the event seen operating earlier today......





Certainly a well attended event, though photography was a bit of a challenge given the layout of the site and the position of the sun.


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Agreed, the light at times was a challenge. But nice to see them trying something a bit different, given the timetable and complexity of it given what they normally do.

 

Bit concerned about that second photo. A person is leaning out of the Mark 1 front door which does not appear to be shut properly.......

 

Looks like it was before the first train as seen in this Lawrie's Mechanical Marvels video seen here at 2:04

 

Actually, I travelled on the first train on Sunday, which was at 10.15 . That photo was taken at 12.16 (according to the time on the image) from the "Whitwell East" platform, so would have been the second passenger train of the day, from memory.
From his film, the door handle was like that all day as it is in that position on all of his shots that feature the coach from that side. As that door was opened at "Whitwell East" on its runs , the handle must be fixed in the incorrect position rather than the door being improperly closed. That would tie in with a couple of other comments made to me about the coach on the day....

 

Definitely something not right about things with the handle indicating it is on the secondary catch of the slamlock In some of the shots the door does appear to be fully closed apart from the handle position but in others it is definitely not the case (e.g at about 6.08) It is possible that that it was locked out of use and opened by a member of staff for people to get off.