The Logging, Gravel and Brick Kiln Railway.

This is the story of my Garden Railway in Suffolk. I started building it shortly after we moved to our current house in 2000. Over the last 7 years, it has evolved from a single-track line with a return loop, to a more complex out and back layout, incorporating a continuous circuit, which is bi-directional. It wasn’t always built to a set plan, and changed when additional track was purchased, or occasionally I had a better idea to use the space and track, which led to some experimentation.

The track plan looks quite complicated, but it is actually quite simple to operate remotely from the ‘Signal Cabin’. I can drive trains, shunt and uncouple engines from trains using either of 2 analogue controllers. Or I can just let a train run around the continuous circuit whilst I relax and watch the trains.

Sherringham North Junction incorporates a 3 Way Point.

 

A Short History Lesson.

"The Logging, Gravel and Brickworks Railway ran from Ingham, a small village on the Bury St Edmunds to Thetford line, westwards to Culford, chiefly to transport timber products from the nearby King's Forest, part of the Forestry Commission's Thetford Forest, but also benefiting from the nearby brickworks in Culford and a quarry between there and Ingham.

Plans for the line to be extended to Icklingham to serve the grain silos there, and further to connect with the station at Mildenhall, were planned but came to nought.

To save costs, the line was built to metre gauge. The line was busy at first, but later lost its connection to the rest of the network when the line from Thetford to Bury St Edmunds closed.

A group of local enthusiasts set up a group to try to save the line and formed the Lark Valley Railway Preservation Society.

One day, an eminent railway historian from Kevelaer in Germany was visiting Bury St Edmunds to attend the twinning of these towns and Herr Doktor happened to stumble into these enthusiasts. This wealthy benefactor decided to help the group by helping to provide some stock from his contacts back in Europe and he agreed to become their patron.

The quarry had by now ceased operations and the West Suffolk County Council turned it into a fishing lake and tourist amenity, so the LVRPS took the opportunity to ask WSCC for help in providing funding for restoring the railway.

They managed to re-open the line from Culford to Ingham and run period stock sourced by the good Herr Doktor at weekends. The Forestry Commission was impressed the work of the LVRPS and asked to be able to use the line to transport timber from the King's Forest to a railroad interchange at Ingham to comply with the new forthcoming Green Legislation. With help from the patron of the LVRPS, a refurbished V52 loco was obtained from Germany and the LGB was once again hauling timber in West Suffolk as well as running a heritage steam passenger tourist service.

 It is hoped one day to relay track along the old track bed of the Bury to Thetford branch and link up to the line in Bury St Edmunds. However, due to the building of a bypass near Bury, the line will have to be diverted to exchange sidings at the Sugar Beet Factory."

 If the above story seems to be convincing then that’s because it is based on an area of Suffolk close to where I live, with an element of fact. The industries mentioned, although in some cases long gone, did actually exist. And it gives me a purposeful reason for my railway.

The following map shows the area outlined in the story.

The line highlighted in purple is the route of the former Bury to Thetford branch line that closed during the Beeching era, except I’ve routed it eastwards to the Sugar Beet Factory. It actually turned to the west and into the Station. Much of the track bed still exists from a point just north of Bury, close to where I live.

The line highlighted in green is the supposed route of my line from Ingham to Culford, with the proposed extension on to West Stow and eventually to Mildenhall. Although this is a figment of my imagination, the quarrying and brick industries did exist, and Thetford Forest, which is largely man made, is just North of Wordwell.

The Reality and the Operational Railway.

The railway really came about because of my son, Kriz. I used to work a lot in Holland and once or twice during the School Summer Holidays; I would bring my family along too. One day, I took them just over the German border to the town of Kevelaer (which really is the twin town of Bury St Edmunds). We visited the local museum, which had a small LGB model railway, just a circle of track but with a scenic hill in the middle, rather like those displays one sees in the shops. We also had a look in the local toyshop. Kriz mentioned that he would like one for Christmas, and so a Stainz Passenger set was purchased from the Model Junction in Bury St Edmunds.

 

Well, we soon found that a circle of track soon became a bit boring, as one does. So we purchased the siding and passing loop track packs. Then of course, this was really a bit too big to leave set up indoors, so permission was obtained from Miz Giz Liz, the domestic and gardens authority. The railway was laid on pea shingle next to a path that ran down to the bottom of the garden. More track and an LGB 1015 reversing loop set was obtained and the line started as a run round loop by the sheds, our station, then onto a single track to the bottom of the garden, where it ran round the loop and back to the station.

 

Sherringham Station with run round loop.

At this time, having moved here in 2000, we were still sorting out the garden. It was decided that we would like a pond and I thought this would make a nice feature for the railway. I got permission to use an area at the bottom of the garden to extend the railway, and so, having obtained some more track and a couple of points, the original loop was extended to run around the pond, behind a tree and along the bottom of the garden and back, thus giving us a continuous circuit within the original out and back line.

Over the last few years, I’ve brought more track and stock, often 2^nd hand or via ebay.

At one point, I brought a Bachmann 2-4-2 tank loco whilst working in the US, with some bogie coaches to match. However, the long overhang of these vehicles caused derailments on the R1 curves, so these were sold off and I decided to stick with a European theme. This was about the time when I came up with the history of my line.

Quarry Pond Junction gives access to the continuous circuit in either direction.

Having now caught the G scale bug, I soon discovered GSM and joined the GSS. During this year, I have added more track and points to the railway, as I particularly like complex track-work. So I have now incorporated a three-way point, a diamond crossing and a triangular junction into the layout.

I have 2 stations, originally Culford and Ingham, but now renamed Weybourne and Sherringham, after the North Norfolk Railway stations of the same name. The station signs are fridge magnets brought at the ‘Poppy Line’.

The main traffic on my line is heavy freight trains, carrying logs, gravel and bricks (what else?), using predominantly diesel haulage. A V52, a Shoema and a Kof are used for the revenue earning goods trains. I also occasionally run a ‘Heritage’ passenger service, using the original Stainz passenger set. Off peak passenger services are provided using a Bachmann tram. There is also an LGB battery powered Spremberg Steam loco and a ‘Dickie’s Express’ train in the fleet.

Most of my freight vehicles are 2 axle LGB or Toytrain wagons, and normally carry loads of real wood logs or pea shingle gravel; this adds weight and improves running. I also have some kit built HLW skip and flat trucks.

The Track Plan.

 

The layout is limited in size space due to garden features and fits within spaces and existing planting that had no other use previously. The only possible addition for the future would be to extend the siding from Sherringham North Junction, routing it along the fence and round behind the greenhouse and linking up to Quarry Pond Junction.

 

Plan of the garden and the railway layout.

 

Left hand running on double track sections is the norm, and only the facing points marked with a red dot are motored. The others are sprung loaded via the usual LGB lever in the preferred direction. Trailing points to sidings are thus ‘pushed through’ on the main line, and then freights are propelled back into the siding or loop as per prototype operation. The loco can then be un-coupled using a ramp. This gives a simple degree of automation. Operation is from Shed 2.

And the Future?

I’ve now reached the limits of what the domestic authorities will allow, so I am now slowly but surely adding those little details that will turn the railway from a train-set, to more of a model. I’m gradually buying more stock and vehicles as funds allow. I am also starting to add people and give the line some character.

I’d eventually like to add another Bo-Bo loco, some more hopper trucks and a couple of bogie freight wagons. I will stick to European stock, and LGB in particular, as it suits R1 curves.

Also, I’d like to replace the controllers, with something like the ‘Train Engineer’.

 

Weybourne North Junction provides access to sidings and reversing loops.

 

My layout is still a work in progress! I’m always looking for good ideas and making improvements.

I’ve had a lot of inspiration from visiting other railways and meeting the folk on GSM, and made a lot of new friends too.

 

Gary Lisseman, Oct 2007.