Wells-Next-The-Sea 50’s/60’s timetable info

[RateTheFreight]

Hi all,

 

Does anyone know of what the timetable for Wells Next The Sea station would have looked like in the late 50’s/ early 60’s before closure in 1964?

 

I’m particularly interested in the freight workings (there’s a picture on the Wikipedia page showing a cl 31 with an assortment of wagons) too although i’m Unsure how frequent they were.

 

Thanks in advance.

 

G

[russ p]

There is book about the brach which I may have a late timetable in in.

I'm at work until late so can't have a look unfortunately.

Freight train frequency may have been seasonal as the grain and sugerbeat seasons would have increased traffic.

I was on wells station on Saturday great prototype for a model.

I've decided to go in a different direction and chosen a port to the east of Wells and invent a different history for it .

[RateTheFreight]

Thanks Russ; anything you can find would be grand.

 

It is indeed a great idea for a prototype. I’d been looking for inspiration for a small O gauge layout I’m planning on building that had a small terminus station and freight facilities with the scope to do some shunting too. Wells fits the bill for a number of reasons albeit i’ll likely create somewhere based on Wells/other stations in the locale. I’ve always wanted to do such a model having been a visitor to Wells since I was little and my parents still having a caravan at Pinewoods and my having a great fondness for the area.

 

It’s a shame there aren’t some suitable RTR steam locos in O gauge however I’m guessing I could use either the RTR class 15 or 31 and a DMU to represent the area/era.

 

As a side i’d thought about using the forthcoming Dapol Sentinel as a shunt loco although as far as I’m aware they didn’t work near Wells but did work in Anglia at certain locations.

 

Greg

[russ p]

Sounds good Greg

Sentinel locos didn't work at wells but there were departmental ones at Lowestoft.

As far as I can work out the harbour branch was horse worked but had finished by about 1930.

I often imagine a drewrey picking its way along the quay with a few wagons as the course of the line can still be clearly seen

[Joseph_Pestell]

I can't help with a WTT including freight. I would be surprised if there were more than one pick-up goods per day but, as Russ says, there would be some provision in the WTT for extra seasonal trains, although a lot of seasonal traffic may also have been put in vans attached to passenger trains.

 

As regards passenger, I do have a Bradshaw from 1955.

 

I recall a model of Wells appearing the Modeller in the early 1970s and I think that was 0. He had needed to compress a bit. But I agree, a fascinating prototype and worth a bit of Rule 1 to keep the harbour traffic until later.

[Chris Turnbull]

This is the Wells-next-the-Sea timetable for 2nd November 1959 to 12th June 1960

 

Wells timetable Nov 59 - June 60.pdf

 

Chris Turnbull

[RateTheFreight]

Thanks again all for the info.

 

I managed to dig out a book on the branch which I’d forgotten I had that had some info on later freight workings. It looked like the service would essentially make it ways down the branch, stopping, shunting and dropping off wagons at each station before returning later in the day to pick up said wagons. Presumably this was what happened in earlier decades too? Either way lots of modelling potential!

 

G

[LNERGE]

It looks like a railcar shuffled back and forth between Dereham and Wells. There was obviously a freight service to Wells that called at all sidings etc. Dereham to North Elmham was a tablet section. Beyond Elmham it was staff and ticket.

 

Some careful planning would have been required to ensure the train staff would always be in the right place for the passenger service.

 

Here are the staffs and tickets etc for the line..

 

http://www.trainweb.org/singleline/Wymondham_Wells/wymondham_wells.htm

 

I'd be interested to see the timings for the freight between the passenger moves.

[russ p]

This is the Wells-next-the-Sea timetable for 2nd November 1959 to 12th June 1960

 

Wells timetable Nov 59 - June 60.pdf

 T

Chris Turnbull

That is actually a very good service if a bit on the slow side.

Anyone know when Wells closed as a signing on point?

If the BTC film diesel train driver is to be believed it is inferred that DMUs were stabled there overnight but that timetable doesn't seem to support that

[Chris Turnbull]

Here's a freight WTT for Whitemoor - Norwich which may include the Wells branch.

 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1956-Working-Timetable-Eastern-Region-Section-J-Freight-Whitemoor-Norwich/352360173469?hash=item520a4d8f9d:g:oKMAAOSwQFNa8zho

 

Chris Turnbull

[LNERGE]

i am looking through my stuff to see if i have one..

[LNERGE]

The '59 wtt is not much help..

 

 

 

 

64/65 passenger..

 

 

 

I'm sure if you set the passenger service up as a graph the freight path will manifest itself (pardon the pun)

Edited June 1, 2018 by LNERGE

[LNERGE]

I'm guessing from the opening hours a loco stayed at Wells overnight..

 

 

 

 

Considering the line from County School to Wroxham was a through route as well as Heacham - Wells moving anything that wasn't carefully planned was a real nightmare. The must have been special notices issued for oddball moves such as weedkilling trains, pway stuff and officers specials. I've not seen any though.

Edited June 1, 2018 by LNERGE

[Izzy]

Don't know if it will be of interest but looking through Diesels in East Anglia (Dr Ian Allen) reveals captions stating the Norwich - Wells branch was the first in East Anglia to use DMU's, in 1955, while the Heacham line closed to passengers after the 1953 floods but freight lasted till 1964.

 

There is a shot of a freight at Burnham Market and the way the caption is phrased suggests it may have come from the Wells direction. So perhaps either two separate freights from both branches visited Wells, Heacham-Wells/Dereham-Wells, or started at one (Dereham?) and finished at the other (Heacham?), reversing at Wells.

 

Perhaps this is covered in the line histories mentioned, which I do not have, but I thought it worth mentioning.

 

regards,

 

Izzy

[russ p]

Its hard to envisage so many freight services ran in those days.

[Izzy]

 Yes, might have been ran as required or once/twice/thrice weekly or a mix of them. Certainly plenty of demand at certain times, sugar beet etc and enough to keep some lines open/mothballed/truncated for these when the traffic was there, Cockfield, Snape etc.

 

Izzy

[Senalizacion]

On 31/05/2018 at 07:28, Chris Turnbull said:

This is the Wells-next-the-Sea timetable for 2nd November 1959 to 12th June 1960

 

Wells timetable Nov 59 - June 60.pdf 1.12 MB · 66 downloads

 

Chris Turnbull

Thanks - just put a request out for similar T/Ts elsewhere!

 

[russ p]

There is a new book out about the wells branch which suggests the harbour branch saw use after the war 

[Chris Turnbull]

20 hours ago, russ p said:

There is a new book out about the wells branch which suggests the harbour branch saw use after the war 

 

The harbour branch was not officially closed until 1952 so that seems quite likely.

 

Chris Turnbull

[wagonman]

On 30/05/2018 at 16:56, russ p said:

Sounds good Greg

Sentinel locos didn't work at wells but there were departmental ones at Lowestoft.

As far as I can work out the harbour branch was horse worked but had finished by about 1930.

I often imagine a drewrey picking its way along the quay with a few wagons as the course of the line can still be clearly seen

 

Hi Russ

 

I've often, well occasionally, wondered about whether the horses had to slog all the way up the hill to the station, or if there was a surreptitious change of motive power behind the whelk sheds.

 

 

[russ p]

26 minutes ago, wagonman said:

 

Hi Russ

 

I've often, well occasionally, wondered about whether the horses had to slog all the way up the hill to the station, or if there was a surreptitious change of motive power behind the whelk sheds.

 

 

 

I'm not totally convinced but I would have thought the horses and apparently later tractors just placed the wagons at the east end of the quay.  My thinking behind is is there would probably be a staff involved with the branch and a horse driver probably wasn't competent with signals

[wagonman]

1 hour ago, russ p said:

 

I'm not totally convinced but I would have thought the horses and apparently later tractors just placed the wagons at the east end of the quay.  My thinking behind is is there would probably be a staff involved with the branch and a horse driver probably wasn't competent with signals

 

That makes good sense. Thanks Russ. You've prompted me mohave a look at an old OS map and the harbour branch does indeed terminate at the east end of the quay where there is a run-round loop and a siding leading off to the quay itself. This must be the point at which the horses took over – and is behind where the modern whelk sheds lie! https://maps.nls.uk/view/120846563

[Chris Turnbull]

This is the 1947 Sectional Appendix.  I can't imagine a horse pulling a train too long for the sidings!  The line from Kings Lynn to Wells was no. 77 and from Dereham 78 and Table Z, Engine Whistles says "From Harbour Line to Platform Line - 5 short, implying loco operation.   

 

Interestingly the next page deals with banking passenger trains on to the West Norfolk.

 

Wells 1947 Sec, App..pdf

 

Chris Turnbull

 

[Michael Crofts]

Here is my very rare colour slide of the Wells-next-the-Sea Harbour Quay taken in 1939.  Sadly the photographer is not known to me.

Taken looking west.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/gt2l92qj9lyid9y/WellsNextSea 1939.jpg?raw=1

[Chris Turnbull]

What a wonderful photo!  Many thanks for sharing that.

 

Here's the WTT for the harbour branch in 1938 to go with it.  Note that it it says "One engine in steam"

 

Wells Harbour WTT 1938.pdf

 

Chris Turnbull