The North Norfolk Railway and my love of Steam Engines
In the late 1960’s and early 1970’s a small boy was growing up in the industrialised North of England, his mother was a full time nurse and his father by this time was a Police Constable in the local Borough Police. His child care was provided by his grandmother, who lived in a mid terrace in a typical northern street, with outside buildings which traditionally accommodated a toilet , albeit this boys grandparents had moved the bathroom inside the house. As well as the out-buildings, there was the remnants of an Anderson shelter, in which his family, including his father as a small child, would hide when the German bombers came . The Germans came to target the very large railway works , marshalling yards and rolling stock which was literally five streets away. The boys grandfather told him how he held his father in his arms as the bombs shook the ground and the windows were broken in his house. He also told him how the stokers would send smoke from the engines into the air to make it hard for “Old Gerry” to see the targets”
The boys grandfather was in the Army in between wars and as well as being too old to serve , was in a reserved occupation during as he built and repaired steam engines. He was a member of the Home Guard of course. At the time everyone they knew , the whole community worked at the rail yards and the track passed the end of the street where they lived. It was also the main LNER (London North Eastern Railway) line from Scotland to London , a busy commuter and freight link.
His father having failed his 11 plus, finished Secondary Modern School , went and queued with all the other boys of his age for a job on the railway , and at 14 years of age, mainly due to his physical size he was given a job as an apprentice Fireman or stoker. This meant he would ride the footplate for 10 years tending to the fire which drove the boiler, delivering power to some of the most famous LNER steam trains, including The Flying Scotsman and his favourite A4 Pacific trains The Mallard, and the Sir Nigel Gresley.
All life was centred around the railway , an air horn sounded the start of the working day and the end of it , this small boy would hear the second airhorn and he knew that grandfather was in bound. The airhorn was a sign for the women folk , to finalise the meal preparation and finish cleaning the step. If you lived in the North of England at this time , you get this point immediately but if not it was a matter of supreme pride was a clean step, and no respectable house wife would tolerate either an unclean step or less then bright white net curtains. This is a description of the times of course and somewhat tongue in cheek , as in truth I come from a strong line of matriarchs, none of whom played second fiddle to anyone and woe betide anyone, man or beast who didn’t wipe his feet before coming in from the street. If you are still having trouble picturing the scene think Open all Hours .
The boy would be told to come in and get washed and reminded that he was not to bother his grandfather until he had eaten his tea. Children after all were supposed to be seen and not heard in these times. After dinner though , this tired but kind hearted man would teach this small boy about steam trains and how to play dominos. He died young at the age of 65 years , no doubt tired out from the hard life he lead , but he lived it proud , beholden to no one and owing nothing to anyone. Before long this small boy was a man himself , but his railway childhood always remained in his heart.
Some years later his father told him that his grandfather had worked on The Mallard until it was finished the year before his birth and he himself had stood and shovelled coal into the furnace on that engine as it flew up and down the country.
Some years later that small boy, then a man stood on the footplate of The Mallard at York Museum, in the footsteps of his ancestors both now passed and he felt the authenticity of the moment.
That small boy was me , and the pictures below are of me standing in the footsteps of my ancestors. The Mallard was built in 1938 the year before my fathers birth and withdrawn from service in 1963 , the year of my birth.
So railways and steam trains are in my blood , and when we are travelling around in our Motorhome we always take advantage of any opportunity to look at steam trains. Whether at Burrs Country Park Site , Broadway Site or Weybourne , you will always find us on the platform soaking up the timeless atmosphere that only steam trains can conjure .
In Norfolk steam trains still run on the railways, one such service is operated by the North Norfolk Railway. The NNR operates a full service at certain times of year and the time tables and engine details can be found here , also known as the Poppy Line. https://www.nnrailway.co.uk/
The service runs from Sheringham to Holt , but we like to walk from the campsite where we locate our motorhome to Weybourne Railway Station.
The North Norfolk Railway is run entirely by volunteers , the decor and the attire of the volunteers remain true to their original period , and despite the restrictions placed on us by COVID it is always a joy to visit . The steam train arriving and leaving is obviously the highlight but just to sit on the station , sipping a cup of tea and nibbling on a cake and with some imagination you are transported back in time to the heady days of steam.
This is short 1 min clip of an LNER livered Manchester built engine on the Poppy Line. For more information about the NNR’s rolling stock click here https://www.nnrailway.co.uk/rolling_stock/
Below is a small collection of the images we have taken while visiting this little gem of a corner of North Norfolk.
