You say Goodbye and I say Hello

Our newest locomotive will be arriving next month in the form of an Accucraft Sittingbourne & Kemsley Leader 0-4-2ST. The loco will be the third live steamer to join our live steam fleet and will be numbered 3, its name has yet to still be decided.

The locomotive comes with both the balloon stack funnel as shown below and also with the straight stack funnel. After running in it is planned that the loco will be fully lined out.

While we will be saying hello to a new loco, we will also be saying goodbye to an old one. At the same time Leader arrives our LGB Frank S will be leaving for a new home on the Dibden Valley Railway.

Now arriving is.... Spring!

Spring has now sprung in Norfolk. We hope to soon start developing the 2011 extension with more plants and lineside features.

Update - January 2012

Our new loco and Bachmann "Lyn" has arrived and has already been seen in use, i'm sure it will prove a very popular with the crews at Woodland Lane Lodge

Ragleth now has names plates and BR smokebox number plate, the loco is due to receive more details through the course of the year including cream cab interior, fire irons, lamp brackets and safety valve cover.

Edrig also now has name and number plates, during the year the loco will receive new lining and lamp brackets

A new station building is currently being constructed for Sprowston Road, it should be completed in March

Lyn arriving soon!

A Bachmann Lynton and Barnstaple Railway "Lyn" in Southern Railways livery will be arriving on the railway during early January 2012. Chedder Hercules live steam locomotive is booked to visit during Easter 2012.

Update - a returnee and new loco!

Autumn is now upon us, however the trains are still running! Despite a few problems Ragleth is running well, as is Edrig after its recent boiler washout. The LGB FrankS is soon to return after a two year absence, and we also plan to have another loco join the 'live steam fleet' in the form of a Accucraft 'Leader' during early 2012.

Heres a selection of photos from the last few weeks,

Open Day

We held the Annual August Bank Holiday Open Day on Monday 29th, and once again it was well attended with a variety of visiting locos many of which were of the live steam variety. Often two trains were run at once making use of the new operating flexibility from the new extension. The infamous Roundhouse Lady Anne "SeaGull" made a return visit as did the Pearse Earl. A new visitor which must have been the star guest was a new Accucraft Live Steam "Caledonia" which proved popular. The open day also saw the last operating day for Merlin Mayflower "Marco Polo" which has been visiting for the majority of the summer and has now returned to the Dibden Valley Railway. We do however expect the loco to make a return visit during 2012.

Above: "Caledonia" waits for its first duties of the day

Above: "SeaGull" on the left and "Caledonia" on the right

Above: "Earl" with steam to spare runs onto the new extension

Above: "Marco Polo" thunders onto the extension with one of its last runs on the railway for 2010

Above: "Earl" & SeaGull" at Waybourne

Extension Opens!

The new extension offically opened on Monday 29th August during our annual August Bank Holiday Open Day. The extension adds more running flexibility to the line and sweeps past an embankment which has been planted up. The old 'Kelling Halt' has also moved onto the extension and is now 'Wroxham Road Halt'

Whitwell Steam Rally

Once again we attended Whitwell Steam Rally last weekend, the live steam locos proving very popular as did Thomas, unforuantly Ragleth had to be failed the Saturday afternoon

Virgin Trains Voyager for S&NLR??

Could this be Virgin Trains new Voyager Cross Country service to the S&NLR??

In actual fact and a friend who drives these put S&NLR on the destination panel during an Empty Coaching Stock (ECS) move.

134 enters service and update

134 our new loco has now entered service, built on a Playmobil chassis the loco is based on a Y6 steam train, similar to those which worked at GT Yarmouth and on the Wisbech & Upwell Tramway. The locomotive is both track and battery powered allowing for flexible operation.

In other news ahead of visiting the Whitwell 2nd Steam Rally at the end of the month "Little Nellie" has had its cab painted into cream.

U.43 returns to service and new loco

U.43 returned to service this week after a absence of about year, the loco performed faultlessly

and below a sneek peek at the latest loco, a Wisbech & Upwell Y6 style tram, still under construction

Below: U.43 in service during the week

Update - 3 June

On Wednesday 1st June we held a small running day, when we played host to a Caradoc, the predecessor to Ragleth. Our Accucraft Edrig also now has a new coal bunker, we also now have two new headboards.

Above: visiting Caradoc with our Ragleth behind

Above: live steam on shed

Above: Cambrai with one of the new headboards

Above: Black Beauty with the other headboard

Above: Edrigs new coal bunker

Update - 16th May

The final two coaches today came out of our works in cream and green livery making a set of four. These will be on loan to us for the summer in return for the work we have done on them

Royal Wedding

On the evening of Friday 29th May, we ran a special train to celebrate the marriage of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. The loco hauling the train being the ever popular Merlin Mayflower class "Marco Polo" which is on long term loan to us from the Dibden Valley Railway.