Southwold Railway

Indeed, and that might take a political shift across a generation change, rather than just keep on asking for the same thing in slightly different ways.
Enthusiasts don't have any 'right' to establish or extend a heritage railway; what may seem a no-brainer to most of us on this forum, certainly isn't to everyone else.
And some people never will change their view. But their period of influence will come to an end eventually.
You're probably better off trying to influence the next generation (by running family/kids/school events) than the previous one.

 

Absolutely. Once the local parents realise that a heritage railway is an excellent means to keep the kids entertained during school holidays, they'll probably become a lot more supportive!

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Heritage railways that are charities (98% of them), and who have written their charitable aims with care, have a moral - and one might argue - a legal duty to carry out said aims. This is ours:

"The CIO will record and preserve the Railway, its infrastructure and civil engineering, and trackbed, and reinstate as much of the Railway as possible to provide a family-friendly heritage railway and attraction for the public benefit and the local community. It will preserve the Railway through a variety of activities."

and the SRT's is even more explicit.
So if (as is true in the case of HSNGR) the Commission has decided (after several years of effort and applications from us, BTW) that the restoration of the railway is "in the public interest" (their overriding criterion) then logically anyone who opposes the restoration for no good reason ("we don't like the idea" is not a good reason!) is acting against the public interest. This has much wider applications, of course.

Meanwhile, the HSNGR ran its most successful Open Day to date at Blythburgh Station on September 14th - celebrating both the Heritage Open Days and Railway 200. Visitor numbers have increased to a point where we would have trouble dealing with many more at the busiest times (nice problem to have!). The Model Railway show in the Village Hall - with CIO merchandise, displays, a bookstall, films, and light refreshments - complemented the action at the station, where regular demonstration train runs with our now-bodied BE loco (running in undercoat) also included shunting demos and typical freight loading. A large live steam model railway set up by the goods platform enthralled the youngsters, and volunteers were on hand to tell visitors about our achievements and plans. Unusually (but not for us), the entire event was free (including the refreshments), but visitors were generous and filled the donation boxes. Seven new members were signed up, and as well as many people who come every year, we saw many more families with young children who cannot wait to have a (initially very short) ride in our coach, which many of them tried out, although it was a static viewpoint only - we hope that the first passenger train rides on the original SR trackbed since 1929 will be next season, as air brake fitting onto the coach is planned for this winter, and our safety and operational systems are already up and running.
Our Chairman and social media trustee has put up various shorts on YouTube - just insert our name and you'll see.

We are still negotiating with the district council planners about our extension - we hope there will be more news soon on that. Meanwhile, two more heritage train items are close to completion - the SR luggage van (as it was called) and the private-owner MOY Cleminson wagon will be added to the operational rolling stock at the Station Heritage Centre next year.

Membership of the HSNGR charity only costs £10.00 per year (less than 3p per day), and we price ourselves on our communication with members (an online illustrated newsletter comes to all who want it every fortnight), and on our volunteer dedication (two days each week of volunteer work is unusual for such a small and new organisation). Join us (on our website www.halesworthtosouthwoldrailway.co.uk) and help make it happen!
James

 

Apologies - belatedly I've attached some photos I took when volunteering at Steamworks, Southwold a week ago - 27/28/29th September.

So I took a few photos, during my work leading training and assessment of my fellow volunteers in diesel loco driving and shunting. Its a lovely site with both diesel locomotives active.

 

Nice pics, Devonbelle. That Hunslet looks like quite a beast..... and hasn't the site greened up! James

 

That last picture seems to have what resembles a Charleroi 'Trams Vert' tramcar....
How did that get there?

 

Via Shane’s Castle Railway and latterly the Fintown Railway

 

Yep - from Charleroi via Ireland, and re-gauged from metre to three-foot in that process. It's an un-powered trailer - the interior has been restored - plus, at one stage, most of the exterior (the complex mech for the concertina doors was "interesting", but robust enough to repair!)
Original idea was to use it as a passenger vehicle - with a bar at one end (shades of the Titfield Thunderbolt) - but the wheelbase VV length (10'/30') makes coupling to conventional rolling stock on curves a problem, especially when propelling - and at some stage before it arrived in Southwold someone has gas-axed the brakes off it, making re-instatement hard - though possibly the set of new brake blocks bought for it several years ago might be still around. It's a heavy beast (have hand-shunted it several times) - but it has a certain louche charm.... James

 

Very pleased to say that the HSNGR has gained full planning permission for a small heritage centre at the restored Blythburgh Station. East Suffolk Council granted our application despite very strong opposition from the Parish Council. So on top of the 2024 permission to run a heritage railway at Blythburgh, the 2025 permission from ORR to operate (HSNGR is now listed as a UK “working railway”) and our newly-granted lease on the station with half a mile of original trackbed to the west, we now can look after visitors and staff better, as soon as we can build the facility.

We have a 50sqm sectional building, from the EARM at Chappell, and this will be modified in style to look like the original Goods Shed No 3 which was onsite between 1879 and about 1908, and to match the original, restored, Southwold Railway Goods Shed No 1. Interior design is still flexible, but will include a visitor WC, a small shop, displays about the railway and the district, and also facilities for our own volunteer staff. Funding will be sought to provide services – there are none onsite at present. It is hoped that space can be found for a museum display, as we have managed to gather some rare original SR artefacts, and have an extensive photo archive as well.

The next planning application will be another attempt to get permission for the westward extension of the main line (our original 2025 application was turned down because the Parish Council applied for a Public Right of Way order [i.e. a footpath] on the trackbed) – and once we have that, we can gradually extend westwards and take our place as a small but growing heritage railway tourist attraction in East Suffolk.

 

I needed some good news this morning and you have just given me that

 

Glad to have brightened up your day a bit! It's small stuff compared to most railways (the exciting bits are Rother and Bala at the moment) but it's kinda big for us J

 

Excellent news!

 

Congratulations!!! This is wonderful news

 

Are their any plans to run passenger trains with your steam loco please?

 

You’re thinking of the other Southwold group

 

Yep - that's the Southwold Railway Trust at Steamworks. We are the Halesworth to Southwold Narrow Gauge Railway CIO, based in Halesworth, with sites at Blythburgh, Wenhaston, Halesworth and Walberswick. (Both sets of trustees are by and large members of both groups, though). Last I heard there were still problems with "Blyth" - but SRT have published a plan for a small coach recently. We'd very much like to see "Blyth" steaming, 'cos it's a very pretty little loco. Perhaps one of these years it might visit Blythburgh Station and run on the original trackbed..... James

 

all good to hear, what’s going on with ‘scaldwell’ at present?, not hear much since it was put into its newly built home.

 

A hearty congratulations on the planning news! The improved visitor/volunteer facilities will be a bit of a game changer i would think - and of course best of luck with the next steps regarding the extension planning. Sorry to hear you still face such opposition from the parish council, it’s such a tidy and considerate little operation, I just can’t understand how anyone could take issue myself! Hopefully with the right attitudes, in the fullness of time it might turn around, and it seems you are gaining support more widely as time goes by. Onward and upward!

 

Not heard a lot from SRT - I imagine that they are concentrating on sorting the problems with "Blyth" ready for the 2026 season. However, I think it has potential - very powerful for the gauge, historic (worked in both World Wars), has complete second set (unused) of wheels/axles, and so on. But then I would think that, as I was responsible for arranging the gift from Amberley. Scaldwell looks rough, but is amazingly complete, and the motion, wheels and valve gear did move after the transport 9and with very large amounts of lube! Hopefully one day.... James

 

Thanks Wookey - we persevere. In fact it's mainly just one councillor, who has turned round the entire PC in 2 years (they used to be supportive, and, with the church, gave us the unusual stone bases from the original Odams' shed onsite - now they refuse to let us build it - ach y fi, as they say in Wales). I do think we are winning more than losing, tho' everything takes an inordinate length of time (planning decisions take 8 months not the recommended 8 weeks). James