The Wherry Lines are a modest network of railway lines running eastwards from Norwich in the centre of Norfolk to Great Yarmouth and Lowestoft on the Norfolk and Suffolk coasts, respectively. Once popular with those heading for the seaside and nearby holiday camps, the lines are now shadows of their former selves, operating only one or two small trains per hour. The network is named after the Wherry, a type of wooden sailing barge used on the Norfolk Broads¹.

History

The oldest part of the network runs from Norwich to Great Yarmouth via Brundall and Reedham and was built in 1844 by the Norwich and Yarmouth Railway Company. A link from Reedham to Lowestoft was built three years later by Samuel Morton Peto, and finally a direct line from Brundall to Great Yarmouth was added by the Great Eastern Railway in 1882. The lines were generally very successful due to the presence of holiday resorts in both Great Yarmouth and Lowestoft, but the changing tastes of the British public have seen reduced popularity for these local holiday destinations. The line now exists mostly as a commuter service from rural villages into the business centres of Norwich, Yarmouth and Lowestoft, and the line is busiest at peak commuter hours.

Unlike other Norfolk lines, the Wherry Lines managed to escape closure during the Beeching's Axe in 1963. After the privatisation of National Rail, the network was operated by Anglia Railways until it was taken over by 'one' railways.

Thorpe Rail Crash

The worst accident ever to occur on the Wherry Lines took place in Thorpe St Andrew between Norwich Thorpe and Brundall Gardens in 1874 when two trains collided at speed, killing 25 and injuring more than 100 others. The train from London to Yarmouth, which had just called at Norwich station, would normally be able to head along what was then a single track line from Norwich to Yarmouth without any impedances, as the mail train which was heading back towards Norwich was due to wait at a loop off the track at Brundall. However, both trains had been delayed, and both were wrongly given permission to proceed, which they both did as quickly as possible to make up lost time. The result was a head-on collision which wrecked much of both trains.

Structure

The Wherry Lines consist of a double trackline from Norwich to Lowestoft with two single tracklines branching off from Brundall and Reedham and heading off towards Great Yarmouth. Trains heading along the single track line from Brundall to Great Yarmouth can pass one another at Acle, where the line temporarily splits into two, but otherwise they are timetabled to avoid conflict. The line from Reedham towards Lowestoft joins the line from Ipswich just east of Oulton Broad North, with trains running along the East Suffolk line sharing the tracks out of Lowestoft.

The lines have never been electrified, and much of the route still uses the old semaphore signals that were put in when the line was built. The railway's level crossings are mostly unattended, although some are operated manually by crossing attendants.

Most of the small stations along the line are unmanned and feature a shelter, a help button and a bridge across the tracks, although the stations at Lingwood and Berney Arms have just one platform. As the stations are only served by one or two carriage trains, most of the platforms at each station have been fenced off and have fallen into disrepair. However, the parts still in use are kept in good condition, and tidy station signs can be seen for the entire length of each platform.

Ticketing

Most stations on the network lack ticketing facilities, and so tickets must be purchased from the guard onboard the train. It is not completely unusual to find a guard selling tickets as they wait for their train to arrive, but don't worry if one hasn't appeared when your train arrives. Tickets must be bought before boarding trains at Norwich, Great Yarmouth and Lowestoft, as there are ticket offices at these stations.

Services

During the week there is usually one train per hour in each direction along each part of the network, and these trains usually consist of only one or two carriages. However, some trains travel from London Liverpool Street to Great Yarmouth via Norwich, and it is therefore possible to travel on a shiny, electric-motor, three-carriage train with a First Class section at the front.

Route and Stations

The line begins at its largest terminus at Norwich Thorpe station, now known simply as Norwich station since the closure of Norwich City and Norwich Victoria stations, with the latter closing to passengers in 1912. Trains to all destinations now leave from just half a dozen platforms, with Wherry line services usually departing from platform five or six. Norwich station has a large pay and display car park, and has the best array of amenities out of all the stations on the network.

Brundall Gardens

The line begins by following the route of the river Yare until it reaches the first stop at Brundall Gardens, a small and well-hidden stop just outside the perimeter of the village of Brundall. The station is named after the water gardens that used to exist nearby.

Brundall

The next station along the line is the slightly larger Brundall station, which straddles the road between the village and the nearby boatyards. The station lies downhill from the village and is one of the points visited by the Blofield and Brundall circular walk. Those willing to wait for the next train may want to explore the nearby village a little, or just have a pint and some chips at the nearby pub. Both the station and the public house have modest car parks. Brundall lies a mile south of Blofield on the A47.

Buckenham

After Brundall the line bifurcates with the main section curving southwards towards Reedham. The line passes through dense woodland, passing the Strumpshaw Fen RSPB reserve, which is located in wetlands between the Yare and the railway and can only be reached by crossing the line. One house next to a level crossing just before Buckenham is notable for its sizeable 'gnomery'. Buckenham station is the next stop on the line and lies 2.5 miles/4km from Brundall, but is rarely served by the trains as it is a request stop. The station lies only a couple of metres above sea level, and a track leads towards the river Yare and then runs alongside the river.

Cantley

Cantley, the next station on the line towards Reedham, lies just to the north of the British Sugar factory. Cantley itself is a small, pleasant village surrounded by rural lanes and countryside, and lies four miles south of Lingwood, its counterpart on the Brundall-Yarmouth part of the line (see below). The towers of the factory dominate the view as the line heads eastwards, but the line soon passes on to more scenic parts.

Reedham

Reedham station lies just north of the Yare, with both the Reedham chain ferry and the local Railway Tavern lying nearby. The ferry is the only crossing of the Yare between Norwich and Great Yarmouth except for the swing bridge which carries the line towards Lowestoft across the river. The single track branch towards Great Yarmouth leaves the line in between Reedham station and the swing bridge, and stays north of the Yare for its entire length. Meanwhile, the line towards Lowestoft then runs alongside the New Cut, a navigation between the Yare and the Waveney.

Haddiscoe

Haddiscoe station lies next to the river Waveney and just north of the border between Norfolk and Suffolk. The station lies on the opposite side of the river to the village of St Olaves, where both a restaurant and public house can be found, but the station is named after Haddiscoe village, which lies a little further south-west.

Somerleyton

The line runs upstream along the south bank of the Waveney and then crosses the river to call at the village of Somerleyton. The station lies near to the route of the Angles Way and is a short distance from Somerleyton Hall and Gardens, once home of Samuel Morton Peto - the man responsible for building the line between Reedham and Lowestoft.

Oulton Broad North

After Somerleyton, the line curves eastwards to leave the bank of the Waveney, instead heading for the series of waterways that sit between Lowestoft and the river. Oulton Broad is a large area of open water just east of the river, and the line passes a little way north of the broad. Just before the line is joined by the East Suffolk railway from Ipswich it calls at Oulton Broad North, a station which provides easy access to the nearby sailing, boating and fishing resources. The station should not be confused with Oulton Broad South, which lies on the East Suffolk line as it passes to the south of the broad.

Lowestoft

As it enters Lowestoft, the line passes just north of Lake Lothing, the eastern continuation of the waterways from the Waveney. The line finally terminates next to Denmark Road, a short way from Lowestoft's centre, and lies close to the shopping centre and the beach. The town has two piers and a long promenade, while inshore there are all the usual amenities such as public houses and restaurants. Lowestoft station has a pay and display car park.

Berney Arms

There is only one stop on the line between Reedham and Great Yarmouth, with the line otherwise running just above sea level through the wide expanse of fields that surround the Yare. The Berney Arms is the name of both a windmill and a public house on the Yare just before the river meets the Waveney at Breydon Water. The station is officially the smallest on the national rail network, and is practically in the middle of nowhere. The station itself consists of short tarmac platform on the north side of the line bearing a sign and a small shelter. The mill lies along a path to the south of the halt which is accessed by a level crossing just next to the station. The Berney Arms lies on Weavers' Way, making it possible to walk from Great Yarmouth to Berney Arms, a distance of around five miles along the north bank of the river Yare. Most of the land around the station is extremely low-lying, making the area prone to floods which can cover the tracks in the worst cases.

Great Yarmouth

The line from Reedham meets with the line from Brundall just outside Great Yarmouth and runs to a terminus just north of the point where the Yare turns southwards. Like Norwich, Great Yarmouth was originally served by three different termini, the remaining one originally being known as Yarmouth Vauxhall after the nearby Vauxhall Holiday Camp. Before the 1960s, trains would come from Lowestoft and other destinations to the south and either terminate at Yarmouth South Town station on the south bank of the Yare or cross the Yare and then cross over the line from Norwich via the bridge just outside Vauxhall station. The line would then curve through north Yarmouth to meet a line from the north, finally terminating at a Yarmouth Beach station close to the seafront. Yarmouth Beach was closed in 1959 and was shortly followed by Yarmouth South Town in 1970.

Nowadays, the paths of the lines to South Town and across the Yare have been replaced by main roads, and so it is a road bridge that passes over the line just before it reaches Yarmouth station. The station has four platforms, but only two of these are used and it is very rare to see more than one train at the station. The station has a pay and display car park along with a taxi rank and bike storage facilities. Access to the beach and other tourist attractions is across the Bure via a dilapidated road bridge, after which there are signs to the town centre. Like Lowestoft, Great Yarmouth has many tourist attractions as well as two piers and some sandy beaches.

Acle

Heading back from Great Yarmouth directly towards Brundall, the scenery is much the same as that along the southern route towards the Berney Arms. The line to Acle runs parallel with the Acle Straight (A47), a Roman road between the two towns which features just one bend along its length. Acle station lies just south-west of the market town of the same name, and the station house is now a self-catering holiday cottage.

Lingwood

The line then starts to pass through rural countryside, heading under a series of local roads and across public footpaths. The last stop before the line reaches Brundall is at the village of Lingwood, where there is a single platform just west of a level crossing. The station house has been converted into a guest house, and the station lies just next to the King's Head public house. After Lingwood, the line continues to pass through cuttings and under bridges until it reaches the marshy area just east of Brundall, where it joins up with the line from Reedham.