County School railway station facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
County School
|
|
|---|---|
| Station on heritage railway | |
County School station, September 2019
|
|
| Location | North Elmham, Breckland, Norfolk England |
| Coordinates | 52°45′56″N 00°56′53″E / 52.76556°N 0.94806°E |
| Owned by | Great Eastern Railway London & North Eastern Railway Eastern Region of British Railways Breckland District Council Mid-Norfolk Railway |
| Platforms | 3 |
| Key dates | |
| 1886 | Opened |
| 13 July 1964 | Closed to freight |
| 5 Oct 1964 | Closed to passengers |
| 1987 | Station opens as heritage centre |
County School railway station is a station in Norfolk, England. It is part of the Mid-Norfolk Railway. This station is important for the villages of North Elmham and Guist. It is about 28 kilometers (17 miles) from Wymondham. It is also the most northern station owned by the Mid-Norfolk Railway Preservation Trust.
The station was once part of the Wymondham to Wells Branch line. This line closed to passengers in 1964. It was also the end point of the East Norfolk Railway branch to Wroxham, which closed in 1952. The Mid-Norfolk Railway is slowly bringing the line from Dereham back to life.
Contents
History of County School Station
How the Station Started
A railway line was first opened in 1849. It was an extension from East Dereham to Fakenham. By 1857, it reached Wells. County School railway station was built in 1886 by the Great Eastern Railway. It was built to serve a private school nearby, which gave the station its name.
The station was also built after the East Norfolk Railway branch line from Wroxham and Aylsham was finished in 1882. In 1903, the Norfolk County School became the Watts Naval School. However, the station's name stayed the same.
County School was designed as a country junction station. This was true even though the Wroxham branch line split off a mile north. The station had two main platforms. It also had an extra platform for trains going to Wroxham. You could travel to Norwich from County School in two ways. One way was 27 miles through Dereham and Wymondham. The other was 32 miles through Wroxham. The stationmaster's house was not built by the railway. It was originally the lodge house for the school. This is why its style looks more like the school. Besides the school, the station only served a few houses.
The station had three platforms and two station buildings. It also had two signal boxes and a small coal yard. This coal yard mainly supplied coal for the school's many fireplaces. The station also had a large orchard. This land was set aside for extra tracks that were never built.
The 1915 Train Accident
On January 20, 1915, an accident happened near the junction. This was where the line to Aylsham and Wroxham met. A passenger train from Wells crashed into a goods train from Foulsham.
The accident happened at 11:46 AM. A locomotive called '629' was pulling 12 empty and 4 loaded wagons. It ran into a passenger train with 6 coaches. This happened on the tracks near the signal box. Luckily, no one was hurt in the crash. It happened at a slow speed. Both locomotives were damaged, along with other wagons and coaches.
The driver of the goods train was blamed for the accident. He failed to see that his signals were set to "danger."
Locomotive '446' survived and later became '7446' under the LNER. It was removed from service in April 1927. Locomotive '629' also survived. It became '7629' with the LNER and was removed from service in September 1926. A part from locomotive '629' is now on display at the station. It was found buried at the accident site.
County School During World War II
During World War II, the area around the station was used. It became a fuel storage site for the airfield at Foulsham. The site was also briefly used to make tarmac for bomber planes.
Changes After the War
The first big change happened in 1952. The line from County School to Wroxham closed for passengers. However, the western part of this line, between County School and Foulsham, stayed open for goods trains. It was busiest during the sugar beet season. This goods service ended on October 31, 1964.
Diesel trains first appeared in 1956. But it wasn't until 1964 that the Dereham to Wells line lost its passenger service. In 1954, the station's complicated track layout and quiet nature led to it being used. It was a main spot for filming driver training videos for new diesel trains.
What Happened After Passenger Services Ended
After the station closed to passengers, Anglia Television used it. They filmed parts of their show Weaver's Green there. This was a TV show about vets in an East Anglian village. It featured a post office, shop, church, pub, railway station, and racing stable. Soon after this filming, the island platform buildings and signal box were taken down.
The line stayed open for freight until 1981. Then, the tracks were removed by British Rail in 1983. The main station building survived. It was used as a small factory making plaster ceiling decorations.
Efforts to Save the Station
Fakenham and Dereham Railway Society
Breckland District Council bought the station in 1987. They wanted to use it as a visitor center. But they felt a station without tracks and trains looked wrong. The Fakenham and Dereham Railway Society (F&DRS) was offered a very long lease (999 years). They moved to the site to restore the tracks and run the railway.
By May 1990, tracks were put back on platform 1. A Ruston diesel engine and an LMS brake van were displayed. The short line was checked for passenger use on June 21, 1990. During this check, it was found that the law allowing the line to exist had never been cancelled.
On September 28, 1990, the F&DRS voted to change its name. It became the Mid Norfolk Railway Society. The line through the station was approved for passenger operations. This happened on September 16, 1991. Permission to put tracks back to North Elmham was given on November 9, 1992. Work to lay the tracks, using old materials, started soon after.
Great Eastern Railway (1989) Limited
A new company, Great Eastern Railway (1989) Limited, was formed. This happened when it was announced that the entire line between Wymondham, Dereham, and North Elmham would close. This new company aimed to save the line.
The F&DRS supported this plan. The lease for the station was given to GER (1989) Ltd. The future of the line and County School station seemed more secure. The F&DRS continued to help with money and workers. The railway line was extended towards North Elmham. A collection of old trains was also built up.
In the early 1990s, GER (1989) announced plans to remove the railway between Dereham and Wymondham. The F&DRS stopped supporting GER. They made their own offer for the line. In 1995, Yorkshire Bank called in people to take control of GER (1989) Ltd. due to financial problems.
In June 1995, Breckland Council told the people in charge that they wanted GER (1989) Ltd. to give up the station lease. This was so the council could review how the site was being used. GER (1989) Ltd. said they had 12,000 visitors a year. They announced they would fight this decision.
In July 1995, police investigated. Two coaches belonging to the Mid Norfolk Railway Society were moved without permission. They were taken to a scrap yard. In July 1996, Breckland District Council threatened to stop trains at County School station. This was because someone other than the leaseholder was running trains. The lease could not be transferred.
In November 1996, Breckland District Council hired 24-hour security guards. This was to stop property from being removed from the County School site. This happened after they had told GER (1989) to leave in mid-October.
County School station was boarded up. GER (1989) Ltd. trains were gathered in the isolated yard. They were then sold or scrapped. All tracks north of the station platforms were removed. The site was left empty and uncared for.
Trains and Diesel Units at GER (1989) Ltd
| Number & Name | Description | Notes | Photograph |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 'County School' | Ruston 0-4-0 | Moved to Mid-Norfolk Railway, now at Bressingham Steam and Gardens. | |
| 2 'Horsa' | Bagnall 0-4-0 | Moved to Hardingham railway station. |  |
| 3 | Drewry 0-4-0 | Moved to Hardingham railway station, now at Barrow Hill Engine Shed. |  |
| 2168 "Edmundsons" | Barclay 0-4-0 ST | Moved to Rushden Station Railway Museum. | |
| 2918 "Pony" | Hawthorn Leslie 0-4-0 ST | Moved to Chatham Dockyard (as "Achilles"), and now at East Kent Railway. | |
| 7845 | Robert Stephenson and Hawthorns 0-6-0 T | Moved to Hawes railway station (as "67345"). |  |
| 20069 | British Rail Class 20 Bo-Bo | Moved to Mid-Norfolk Railway, then Harry Needle Railroad Company. |  |
| 20206 | British Rail Class 20 Bo-Bo | Moved to Mid-Norfolk Railway, then scrapped. | |
| 79976 | British Rail AC Cars Railbus | Moved to Colne Valley Railway, then Great Central Railway, now Nemesis Rail. |  |
| 51669 / 59664 / 51849 | British Rail Class 115 3-car DMU | Moved to Spa Valley Railway (51669 and 51849) and Midsomer Norton (59664). |  |
Mid-Norfolk Railway Preservation Trust (MNRPT)
In 1998, the MNRPT made an agreement with Breckland District Council. They took over the station and the land where the tracks used to be. The tracks north of the platforms had been removed again. The rest of the area was overgrown with plants. The station building was boarded up. It had broken glass, a damaged inside, and broken windows.
The MNR quickly brought the station back into use. It became a visitor center, not just a working railway museum. Over the next year, the MNR spent £28,000. They restored the station buildings to how they looked during wartime. They also cleaned the grounds and removed old scrap left by the previous group.
More money was invested to fix the station's driveway. It had been damaged after many years of not being cared for. Bushes and plants were removed from the railway path. This opened up views of the Wensum Valley for walkers. It also prepared the ground for new tracks.
Breckland District Council saw how much effort and money the MNRPT had put in. They offered to sell the station and track land to the Railway for just £1. This offer was accepted. County School is now part of the 17-mile-long railway line. The station has been restored to be a museum, visitor center, and a future train stop.
The land where the tracks used to be, between County School and North Elmham, is being prepared. This is for the railway line to be restored. A walking path is also being added. A long-term goal is to rebuild the island platform building that was taken down. No full-size trains run at the station yet. However, a miniature railway started being built in 2020. The station is a very important part of the Mid-Norfolk Railway's plans. It will be the northern end of the line while they plan to restore the line towards Fakenham.
Norfolk Orbital Railway Plans
The Norfolk Orbital Railway is working to restore the line. This is the section between County School and Fakenham. This group is separate from the Mid-Norfolk Railway. They have started buying parts of the old railway route. The path north towards Fakenham is protected. The North Norfolk District Council prevents any building that would stop the railway from being restored. This plan is also supported by the Campaign for Better Transport.
North Norfolk Model Engineering Club
In 2019, the Mid-Norfolk Railway made an agreement. It was with the North Norfolk Model Engineering Club. This club wanted to move their miniature railway from Holt. This means a new miniature railway line will be built at the station site. The site already has permission for railway operations.
Signal Boxes at the Station
| Location | Status | Built by | Notes | Photograph |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| County School (Junction) | Locking room only | Great Eastern Railway | The station had a main signal box north of the station. Most of the original signal box was taken down after the line closed to passengers. But the bottom part (locking room) was fixed. It was meant to hold the signal box cabin from Halesworth, which was given to the MNR in 2007. This cabin arrived in very bad condition. So, it was moved to the Mangapps Railway Museum in 2017 for preservation.
The spot where this original box stood is not good for future railway operations. But it is planned to be restored for other uses. |
 |
| County School (South) | Demolished | Great Eastern Railway | The station also had a smaller signal cabin. This was south of the level crossing. This box was taken down before the line closed. But you can see it in old aerial photos from 1948. The location of this box might be good for it to be restored as a working structure in the future. |  |
Train services
| Preceding station | Disused railways | Following station | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Terminus | British Rail Eastern Region County School to Wroxham |
Foulsham Line and station closed |
||
| Ryburgh Line and station closed |
British Rail Eastern Region Wymondham to Wells via East Dereham |
North Elmham Line and station closed |
||
 Proposed Heritage railways |
||||
| Ryburgh | Mid-Norfolk Railway | North Elmham | ||
| Future services | ||||
| Ryburgh | Norfolk Orbital Railway Mid-Norfolk Railway |
North Elmham | ||
