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We reopened the railway on 3rd July 2021. 18th June 2021 The Mid-Norfolk Railway has announced that as a result of the latest Government Covid-19 announcement that the reopening of the railway for public passenger service will now be delayed till 3 July. “The Trust Council has sadly decided that the railway must postpone our reopening until 3 July. This was not a decision we have made lightly and we understand it is disappointing for our passenger and indeed our members and working volunteers and staff who have worked so hard to reopen. The Trust Council however recognises that we want to be able to put on a service that meets the expectations of our passengers and is also safe for them and our own staff. All Heritage railways are different and at this current time we will find it extremely difficult to deliver the level of service that we would want to provide to our customers due to the nature of our stations and our rolling stock.” Charlie Robinson Chairman, Mid-Norfolk Railway Preservation Trust The railway will now be completing some additional Covid-19 precautions in line with Government requirements before reopening on the 3 July. The initial service will be a steam hauled trained using the newly refurbished Maroon liveried heritage coaching stock. Tickets will initially only be available via the Mid-Norfolk Railway website at www.midnorfolkrailway.co.uk. Further announcements about the full reopening will follow in due course and will be dependant of future Government announcements.

We reopened the railway on 3rd July 2021. 2nd May 2021 The Mid-Norfolk Railway has announced that the railway is planning to reopen on Wednesday 23 June followed by a grand reopening on 26 and 27 June. The reopening assumes the conditions of the Government's Covid-19 roadmap have been met. The Reopening Weekend will feature the debut, in passenger service of the refurbished Maroon Mk1 and 2 coaches hauled by steam engine Standard 4 Tank 80078 and also the first use of the ex Greater Anglia Mk3 coaches. These will be hauled by the newly refurbished class 47, 47596 Aldeburgh Festival in its new guise of D1933 in BR Two Tone Green livery. It is currently expected that initially trains will leave from Dereham and will run non-stop to Wymondham Abbey Halt where passengers can leave the train to observe the engine run around but must then rejoin for the journey back to Dereham. Following the reopening the railway will also offer a reduced programme of special events. The highlight of which will be the visit of the world famous steam engine the Flying Scotsman from 2-17 October. The engine will haul passenger trains each weekend during the visit and be open for visits during the week. A separate announcement will be made at a later date for details on ticket prices, bookings and the timetable for the event. The first special event for this year will be the return to the railway of the popular 1940s weekend on the 7-8 August . This will be followed over the August Bank Holiday weekend by the return of MNR’s Ales by Rails festival. The 25-26 September weekend will see the diesel engines based at the railway out in force and this will include a special Gin tasting train on the Sunday. Following the visit of the Flying Scotsman the Mid-Norfolk Railway will be hosting the Rail Car Association's annual meeting on the 23-24 October. This will be followed by a special Halloween train event running on the 30 October only to round off the month. The 2021 running season will end with the return of a new and improved Polar Express where passengers will travel to the North Pole in style aboard the railway’s Mk3 coaches. Throughout the year in addition to the special events the MNR will be running a regular programme of Cream Tea trains, the Breckland Fryer fish and chips trains, Jazz evenings and the buffet at Dereham station will also open on the first Wednesday of the month for the return of the popular Biker's evenings. We will also be hosting the Craft Fair on 17th July and Wedding Fair on 12th September. Full details of all events and ticketing arrangements plus the seasons timetables will appear on the Mid-Norfolk Railway website soon. Due to Covid-19 restrictions all tickets for Mid-Norfolk Railway services will initially only be available through pre-booking using the Mid-Norfolk Railway’s brand new website at midnorfolkrailway.co.uk The railway will re introduce a full service when it is appropriate to do so in line with Government Covid-19 restrictions. The Covid-19 service or the full regular services will then run weekly till the end of October. Timetables will be published on the railway website. “Everyone at the railway is looking forward to running our passengers services again, it has obviously been a difficult time for everyone, but the railway has survived and we think our varied programme of events will appeal to all and the best way to support the railway is to come along and enjoy a trip through the beautiful Norfolk countryside. Donations to support our ongoing development would also be extremely welcome!” Charlie Robinson, Chairman Mid-Norfolk Railway Preservation Trust Details on how to make a donation can be found on the Donations page.

The Mid-Norfolk Railway, together with the Stratford 47 Group who own the engine, are pleased to announce that Class 47 number 47580 'County of Essex' has returned to the railway to rejoin the group’s other locomotives that are already resident on the line. Photos thanks to MNR Member, Ian MacDonald “We are delighted to once again provide a home for this engine. It is extremely important for us as this 47 has the equipment needed to run our MK3 coaches and means that we now have two mainline engines that can power The Polar Express Train Ride services this Christmas”. George Saville, MNR General Manager 47580 arrived back onto the Mid-Norfolk Railway track after a journey as a light engine across Southern England, following the conclusion of the Mid-Hampshire Railway’s recent Diesel Gala event where the engine was one of the featured visiting engines. 'County of Essex' will now join the Mid Norfolk Railway’s roster for regular timetabled diesel hauled services and also be available for special event days.

The Mid-Norfolk Railway is pleased to announce the arrival of a Edwardian steam locomotive, GWR 813 Saddle Tank, for the 2021 running season. The steam locomotive was originally built for the Port Talbot Railway & Docks Company and entered service in 1901. This means it is one of the oldest preserved steam engines still running in the UK. The locomotive was originally one of nine 0-6-0 saddle tanks that was built for the Port Talbot Railway company in Wales and originally was numbered 26, it is however the sole survivor of the nine engines and is therefore unique in steam locomotive preservation. In 1922, the Port Talbot Railway & Docks Company was taken over by the Great Western Railway and the engine was re numbered 813, the number that is still used to this day. Today the engine is owned by ‘The GWR 813 Preservation Fund’, which is an organisation that was founded in 1966 to buy and then restore the engine. It is usually based at the Severn Valley Railway. “The railway is delighted to welcome this historic engine to East Anglia, it will join our resident Standard BR Class 4 MT steam engine on our steam timetable and will be a unique opportunity to see an important and rare survivor of the early 20th Century British railway industry.” George Saville, General Manager Mid-Norfolk Railway 813 was originally built to haul coal trains and carry out shunt duties at colliery sidings in South Wales, before being sold in 1933 to to Robert Stephenson & Company, who sold steam engine to Backworth Collieries Limited in Northumberland. In 1947 following the nationalisation of the coal industry 813 passed into the ownership of the National Coal Board before being sold into preservation in 1967. Today 813 runs in the livery of the Great Western Railway. The railway plans to run 813 on passengers services beginning on Saturday 17 July [Update 16th July: unfortunately 813 will not be running on 17th & 18th July, 80078 will be running instead]. Tickets are available from the Mid-Norfolk Railway website. 813, replaces the privately-owned War Department Austerity 0-6-0 Saddle tank engine, Swiftsure, that has been resident on the railway for some years but has now moved to the Forest of Dean Railway.

Owing to a technical issue discovered with the steam locomotive scheduled for today's trains, it will not be available to work the 10.30 service this morning. The issue is recieving attention at the present time and we are hoping to have it in service on the 1.15pm departure from Dereham. We are pleased to announce that recently refurbished class 47 D1933 will be making its first passenger service since its refurbishment on the 10.30 from Dereham as a substitute for the steam locomotive.

As the Mid-Norfolk Railway prepares to reopen for public passenger services on 3 July, the railway has received a £200,900 grant from Government’s £1.57bn Culture Recovery Fund for Heritage. This grant is the first tranche of the £401,800 funding for the Mid Norfolk Railway that was announced on the 2 April by Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport, as part of the second round of grants awarded by the Culture Recovery Fund for Heritage. The grant is designed to help the railway rebuild its finances. The MNR understands the second tranche of money allocated to the railway could be transferred at some point next month. “On behalf of the railway we are extremely grateful to receive this Government funding. Our allocation is based on loss of income from the period of time we have been closed due to Covid. The income we normally generate is essential for the ongoing maintenance of the railway and as such these funds will go some way to replacing that lost income and will therefore in turn allow the railway to conduct the essential works that we need to carry out to ensure we can operate a safe railway for our passengers.” Charlie Robinson Chairman of the Mid-Norfolk Railway Preservation Trust “Our record breaking Culture Recovery Fund has already helped thousands of culture and heritage organisations across the country survive the biggest crisis they’ve ever faced. Now we’re staying by their side as they prepare to welcome the public back through their doors, helping our cultural gems plan for reopening and thrive in the better times ahead.” Oliver Dowden Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport “As one of the longest heritage railways in the country and the longest in East Anglia, we have a very real challenge to maintain our track and all the associated infrastructure to the safe standards our passengers and other rail users quite rightly expect and we do achieve. “We must do this before we even think about expanding and developing the railway. This government grant is therefore essential, as it is helping to replace part of our lost income and so we can fund the essential work we need to do to be able to reopen to the public at the start of July.” George Saville General Manager of the Mid-Norfolk Railway The MNR’s grant is part of £44 million that The National Lottery Heritage Fund and Historic England have allocate to historic sites across England. The funding has gone to over 470 organisations and is designed to support heritage organisations recover from the impacts of coronavirus. “Spring is definitely here, bringing not only sunshine but that sense of optimism and hope for the future. "We are all looking forward to heritage organisations and other visitor attractions reopening. I am very pleased that we have been able to support DCMS in delivering this vital funding to ensure the UK’s heritage sector can rebuild and thrive, boosting local economies, creating jobs and supporting personal wellbeing.” Ros Kerslake CEO of The National Lottery Heritage Fund

The Trust Council has agreed that, as restrictions will now still be in place on the 3rd July, the date of the Annual General Meeting has been moved to Saturday 11th September 2021 at the Memorial Hall, Dereham, at 2pm. Please note that the last day for sending in questions and any correspondence in relation to the AGM to the Trust Secretary will now be 6th September 2021 and not the date shown in the booklet.

The Mid-Norfolk Railway is pleased to announce the work to refurbish the Mid-Norfolk Railway’s level crossing on the B1108 at Kimberley Park Station has been completed after a week of work. This refurbishment has used the same technology as the railway’s Yaxham Road level crossing in Dereham and again uses a system developed by the Dutch railway infrastructure company Edilon Sedra. Images thanks to volunteers including Nigel Howes and Bernie Bland. The work was conducted once again by a mix of MNR staff, volunteers, and contractors from Sonic Rail Services, together with a team of technicians from Track Engineering Construction Ltd. The next stage of the refurbishment will see the installation of signalling to this station in due course, as part of the overall resignalling plan for the railway. This next stage of work however will have no impact on local residents or the road travelling public. The work on the crossing has seen specially prefabricated concrete slabs installed, before new special hard wearing high manganese content steel rails were fitted. The rails were then encased in a special resin, developed by Edilon Sedra, by the TECS technicians. The finished crossing is therefore expected to have a maintenance-free life of at least 50 years. The crossing rails were also laid onto a special bedding layer that acts as a noise dampener and so the crossing will also be quieter. “I would, on behalf of the railway, like to thank local residents and the travelling public for their patience while this important work has been carried out. It is our hope and expectation that by investing in this 21st Century technology they will see the benefit and have a quieter level crossing for road traffic. I would also like to thank those who have made donations towards this work, it is much appreciated and means every pound donated is a pound saved for other work. The appeal will remain open to help towards the installation of the signalling. Finally, a huge thank you for our volunteers and our commercial partners from Sonic Rail Services, TECS Ltd and of course Norfolk County Council for the work that has been done to successfully deliver the new crossing on time and in budget." Charlie Robinson, Chairman Mid-Norfolk Railway Preservation Trust The refurbished level crossing is another step forward for the railway as it continues to invest and develop so that the MNR can once again celebrate the heritage of Norfolk railways by running trains for the benefit of everyone starting on the 23 June 2021.

The Mid-Norfolk Railway has begun the work to refurbish the Kimberley Park Station level crossing on the B1108. The work at Kimberley will mean that from the 11 May to the 17 May the B1108 at Kimberley Park Station will be closed to all traffic to allow for the crossing to be replaced and a new road surface laid. The work will be taking place following consultation and permission from Norfolk County Council. During the work diversions will be signposted. “On behalf of the railway, I would like to apologise for any disruption this essential refurbishment of our level crossing will cause. I can however also say that once the work is completed the residents of the area and all road users will have a new modern level level crossing that will be to the highest railway standards." "Once this work is complete and with the refurbishment of the Yaxham Road crossing in Dereham, last year, the two crossings on major roads that are the responsibility of the railway will now have been renewed and should not therefore require any further work for many years to come.” Charlie Robinson, Chairman Mid-Norfolk Railway Preservation Trust In addition to the refurbishment of the level crossing, the railway will also take the opportunity to renew the track from just south of Kimberley Park station to the point where new track was laid in 2019 at the foot of Danemoor Bank. This work is part of the long planned gradual refurbishment of the entire running line from Wymondham to Dereham that is ongoing. The work has is being partly funded by public donations. The appeal is still open and donations can be made online via the MNR website or directly by bank transfer to MNRPT at NatWest Bank, Sortcode: 60-07-47, Account Number: 52109003 using the reference ‘Kimberley Appeal’ or by cheque made payable to MNRPT to: Mid-Norfolk Railway Kimberley Appeal, The Railway Station, Station Road, Dereham, NR19 1DF. Those who donate over £200 will receive a complimentary pair of tickets for a standard operating day. The tickets will allow the donor to book a travel day of their choice.

The Mid-Norfolk Railway (MNR) has launched a public appeal to raise funds to contribute to the rebuilding of the Kimberley Level crossing, which crosses the B1108 Norwich-Watton road. The essential work follows on from the successful rebuilding of the Yaxham Road level crossing at Dereham last year. The appeal is to raise £25,000 towards the total cost. “This work is essential to maintain and upgrade our operating line and must be done this year. As a result of Covid-19, the MNR like every other heritage railway, has had to deal with the financial impact of not operating last year. We have therefore launched this public appeal to help finance the work. Donations however small will be gratefully received”. Charlie Robinson Chairman of The Mid-Norfolk Railway Preservation Trust Donations can be made by the following methods: online via the MNR website directly by bank transfer to MNRPT at NatWest Bank, Sortcode: 60-07-47, Account Number: 52109003 using the reference ‘Kimberley Appeal’ by cheque made payable to MNRPT to: Mid-Norfolk Railway Kimberley Appeal, The Railway Station, Station Road, Dereham, NR19 1DF. Those who donate over £200 will receive a complimentary pair of tickets for a standard operating day. The tickets will allow the donor to book a travel day of their choice. Refurbishing the level crossing is the next stage of the essential refurbishment of the running line from Wymondham to Dereham and in addition to the level crossing itself the line through Kimberley Park station will be replaced, as will the short section from the level crossing to the end of the recently relaid running line over Danemoor Bank that was relaid as part of the contract with Greater Anglia. The newly laid line will therefore continue the gradual process of replacing the wooden sleepers with concrete for the running line, with the objective of ensuring easy maintenance for the long term. The crossing itself will remain a gated crossing, being operated by a MNR volunteer crossing keeper. The work will however see the rails and road deck renewed utilising the new state of the art technology that was installed at Dereham. This will be to the benefit of the local residents as it will reduce the noise from road traffic as it crosses the level crossing.

A small piece of Railway history has been made at the Mid-Norfolk Railway (MNR) as a Pacer Class 142 conducted a test run at the railway as part of the preparation for the reopening this year. The run by the Class 142 unit, 142061 is believed to be the first ever running of a Class 142 in East Anglia, as the class did not see service on the mainline in the region. 142061 is one of the two members of the class that were acquired by the MNR last year for future service on the line. Photos courtesy of Ian MacDonald and Peter Singlehurst. Running from Dereham to Wymondham Abbey and back was both a test of the unit’s systems following routine maintenance and servicing and also the opportunity for MNR Drivers and Guards to become qualified to operate this new class of unit on the railway. The test run was carried out on Friday 16th April and the call for working members to support the test run by 142061 was met with an enthusiastic response, with the required slots to operate the signalling and level crossings being filled very quickly. “This was an important day for the railway as we work towards reopening and I would like to thank all our working members who made the day possible. The Pacer performed extremely well and our staff passed their assessments with flying colours.” “These Pacer units are a valuable addition to the railway’s fleet as they provide us with units that are renowned for their low operating costs which is ideal for our mid week low season timetable.” George Saville, MNR General Manger Both the Class 142 and the Class 144 Pacer that the MNR also owns have very large windows that provide excellent panoramic views of the Norfolk countryside and make for a light airy interior for passengers. The MNR will be making a full announcement of the planned reopening for public passenger service soon. This will include ticketing arrangements and the programme of this year’s special events, including the visit of Flying Scotsman. The announcement will be published following further test running, training and the completion of some routine track maintenance work.

The new technology pioneered by Interflon UK Ltd which has been developed with Network Rail will speed up the production rate for lubricating the railways 3000+ fishplates. The innovation means that only 1 member is required to carry out the maintenance with another in a support vehicle as opposed to the traditional 4-6 members of P-Way and 2-3 Traincrew to facilitate the maintenance trains. The railway is currently focusing on the Dereham-Wymondham Permanent Way section which is anticipated will only take two weeks. A massive improvement for the members working environment as the physical endurance is expected to be much less. https://interflon.com/industries/rail

The Mid-Norfolk Railway’s Trust Council has announced the appointment of Mr Mark Sexton as the railway’s first full time Traction and Rolling Stock Manager. This is the second recent full time appointment and continues the increase of the railway's paid staff. As the Traction and Rolling Stock Manager, Mark will be in charge of the maintenance of all rolling stock on the railway and ensure that it meets the appropriate standards for safe operation on the railway. He will be working closely with the railway’s experienced volunteers and staff to carry out the work required. “We are delighted to welcome Mark to the railway as a full time staff member. His appointment is another step forward in the development of the railway as he becomes our first full time Traction and Rolling Stock Manager. Like all businesses the past year has been difficult, however we have also been looking to the future and where we can we have make decisions like this, to ensure the railway’s continued development”. Charlie Robinson, Chairman Mid-Norfolk Railway Preservation Trust Mark has been appointed following a recruitment campaign that saw a number of suitably qualified candidates apply and follows a series of interviews to establish the best candidate for the job at the Mid-Norfolk Railway. Prior to his new appointment, Mark has been working at the North Norfolk Railway, where he was first employed as a trainee diesel fitter in 2012. Once trained Mark then worked his way up to become the Running and Maintenance Foreman of the North Norfolk Railway during 2015. Before becoming a member of staff at the NNR, Mark was a volunteer and indeed his interest in the railway first started when he was one of the founder members of their Junior Club as an eight year old, “Railway engineering has been ingrained in me, both of my grandfathers worked at the Ashford Railway works in Kent. This is a great achievement for me being given this opportunity. The railway has enormous potential and I cannot wait to begin this journey and being part of the Mid-Norfolk Railway’s growth.” Mark Sexton

As a sign of the continued development of the Mid-Norfolk Railway, the railway’s Trust Council is delighted to announce the appointment of Mr Tony Dunford as the railway’s first Head of Refurbishment. Tony joins the railway from Heritage Painting, but is no stranger to the railway as he has been working at Dereham for Heritage Painting on the various contracts they were awarded by the railway and also the resident Stratford 47 Group for much of the year. Prior to working for Heritage Painting, Tony was well known at the East Lancashire Railway where after first joining as a volunteer in 1989, he spent 11 years from 2007 working his way up to become their Foreman of Carriage and Wagon Restoration. "We are very pleased to welcome Tony to the railway as a full time staff member, he brings great expertise and knowledge and it means that the painting of our rolling stock will now be completed in house by our volunteers and Tony. It also brings a greater degree of flexibility to our future refurbishment projects and opens up opportunities for the railway going forward." George Saville, MNR General Manager Tony’s first project for the railway will be joining the team that is conducting the lottery funded Mk1 restoration. There are two further coaches that are nearing completion which he will be carrying out the painting for. He will then be turning his attention to the painting of the MNR’s Class 101 DMU, once the external bodywork refurbishment is completed. The DMU will remain in its classic British Railways Green livery with yellow whiskers. "I am very happy to join the railway following my move to Norfolk and I am looking forward to leading the refurbishment of the railway’s rolling stock as the railway continues to develop in the years to come." Tony Dunford, MNR Head of Refurbishment

The Railway Accident Investigation Branch has notified The Mid Norfolk Railway that their preliminary investigation into the incident at the Norwich Road level crossing in Dereham on the 10 December 2020 has been completed and that they will be issuing a safety digest in the next few weeks. The incident was caused when the centre carriage of a three-car class 144 Pacer unit, in the words of the RAIB, “detached from a winch rope during unloading from a heavy haulage road trailer directly onto the railway. It ran away and collided with the gates of a nearby level crossing. The vehicle broke through the gates and came to rest over an open, public road.” The issuing of the safety digest will bring the RAIB involvement with the incident to a close. "On behalf of the Trust and the railway's members I would like to thank all of our staff who have worked to resolve this issue both at the time and subsequently. As a railway we are fortunate to have a number of very experienced railway people as well as members with the right skill sets who dealt with this incident in a calm and professional manner. I can assure the membership and our traveling public that as a railway we will be actioning the recommendations of the RAIB, but are also looking at our own procedures in a critical way to ensure such an incident cannot happen again. Finally I would also like to take this opportunity to wish all those associated with the railway a happy Christmas and I am sure we all look forward to a better 2021 when we will once again be operating passenger carrying trains." Charlie Robinson Chairman of the Mid-Norfolk Railway Preservation Trust

Work is continuing at Dereham Station turning the rooms at the end of the Goods Shed into Offices and a Mess Room for volunteers. Thanks to the efforts of Kathy Lloyd, the following contributions have been received from local companies and we would like to take this opportunity to say thank you to all concerned: Ryan James at Travis Perkins: Kitchen units, sink, taps and worktop Ben Jackson at Dereham Tile and Carpet Centre: Damp proofing, floor tiles, adhesive and grout Wayne and Carleen at Dereham Decorating Supplies: Paint and brushes Chris Vertigan at City Plumbing in Fakenham: Water heater Kris Harrod at Jewsons: Paint Jamie at Hughes in Dereham: Bagless Vacuum cleaner We are very appreciative of this wonderful show of support. Charlie Robinson Chairman Mid-Norfolk Railway Preservation Trust

A third Pacer diesel multiple unit has started to arrive at the Mid-Norfolk Railway’s Dereham station to join the railways growing fleet of Heritage DMUs. The Pacer is unit number 144018, a three-car class 144 and has been acquired from Porterbrook following withdrawal from mainline service. The first car was delivered by S A Smith, a specialist transport company, to Dereham station on the 9 December with the other two cars following soon after. 144018 will now join the 2 two-car Class 142 units, 142061 and 142038 on the Mid-Norfolk Railway and give the railway a flexible solution for off peak running days together with the railway’s first generation DMUs. “The acquisition of Pacers by the railway is important, as they join our first generation of Diesel Multiple Units and mean that we are assembling a significant collection of this oft forgotten aspect of our railway heritage.” “Pacers have had in some quarters a controversial past, often being described as noisy and uncomfortable, but that you must remember was when they travelled at 70 mph on the national network. Here they will be travelling at much slower speeds and will be an excellent way to travel on our line and enjoy our beautifully Norfolk countryside views.” Charlie Robinson, MNR Chairman

It is all change at the Mid Norfolk Railway as another Diesel Multiple Unit arrives at the railway to join the railways fleet, during the railway’s 25th Anniversary. Despite Covid-19 this year has been a very busy time for the railway with regards the Diesel Multiple Units based at the railway. The new arrival, a class 117 two car set follows closely on the departure of a class 122 railcar that has left for restoration. Additionally, this year has also seen the arrival of two class 144 Pacer Units from the mainline and ongoing restoration of other resident units. The class 117 set that has arrived consists of 51412 DMS and 51370 DMBS and is owned by long time MNR Member Paul Hughes and his son Michael. The two units are under restoration, with the aim that one car will be in service during 2021. “This is exciting times for us and our DMU set following the move to its new home at the Mid-Norfolk Railway. This will mean that the project will be able to move at a faster pace towards full restoration thanks to the excellent facilities the railways has to offer. I would also like to say a big thank you to the management at the MNR for allowing us to make Dereham our new home”. Michael Hughes MNR Member, 51412 & 51370 Owner The arrival of the Class 117 set follows on from the departure of Class 122 Railcar 55009, that owner Chris Nesbit has had transported to the Great Central Railway, where the unit has been taken in hand for a full restoration by Renaissance Railcars. “My personal circumstances mean that I am now based in the East Midlands and for some time now I have not been able to work on 55009, due to the distance and of course the time it takes me to travel to the MNR, so the restoration to passenger carrying standard has to be achieved in a different manner”. Chris Nesbit MNR Member & 55009 Owner 55009 left the MNR during October, seen arriving at the GCR a broken window has been renewed, batteries charged, the engines have been started, and some minor repairs to the vacuum brakes completed. All of which meant 55009 moved under its own power within the confines of Loughborough yard on the 20 October. Once fully restored 55009 will enter service on the GCR, including their Mountsorrel branch line. This however is not the end of 55009 as far as the Mid Norfolk Railway is concerned, as Chris a long time member of the MNR and at one time Trust Council member, said: “I fully intend that once 55009 is restored and back in passenger service I will like to see it return to Norfolk and visit the MNR for a gala weekend”. The Mid-Norfolk Railway like most heritage railways is a mixture of rolling stock owned by the railway itself and stock owned by groups and individuals that are hosted by the railway. The BR Blue Grey liveried Class 101 set is owned by the 50019 Ramillies Group and is currently available for service together with the MNR’s own second-generation DMUs. The MNR’s own class 101 set is currently undergoing restoration in the railway’s maintenance shed where progress has been steady, if slower than planned due to obvious restrictions, but is planned to be available for service during the 2021 running season.. Other DMUs that are resident at the MNR under private ownership include a class 108 set that this year been moved from the railway’s sidings where it has been stored and into Dereham yard where a restoration plan has been developed. Circumstances however mean that the timetables for the work required to bring class 117 and the 108 sets back into service will remain flexible! “We are extremely happy to welcome this latest arrival at the railway and of course look forward to a future return of 55009. What this means is that the railway is assembling an important collection of DMUs and therefore in the future it will be possible to see and ride on multiple DMUs that represent an important but often overlooked part of the UK’s rail heritage.” George Saville MNR General Manager The Mid-Norfolk Railway’s programme and timetable for 2021 will be published in the new year that will feature regular steam and diesel hauled trains as well as DMU services. In addition, CV-19 restrictions permitting, there will be a full calendar of special events including the October visit of the Flying Scotsman.

It is full steam ahead at the Mid Norfolk Railway as the volunteers have returned to work on several projects at the railway following the relaxation of Covid-19 restrictions. Currently the railway remains closed to the public with no passenger trains running because of CV-19. The railway itself however has never closed to traffic, with regular movements by Greater Anglia amongst others, as they have used the MNR to stable part of their new fleet of trains and also as an initial storage location for old stock as it is withdrawn. As the Government has relaxed the Covid-19 restrictions, in addition to the essential workers needed to operate the railway, volunteers have now been able to return to work. First on the agenda was a bridge refurbishment and the commissioning of another signalling box by the Permanent Way and Signalling teams respectively. The carriage and wagon team have also restated work on restoring and refurbishing railway coaches. During routine inspection last year, the railway identified that refurbishment work was needed on bridge number 1683 just north of Hardingham station. The work was planned for this summer and has now been completed. The issue that had been identified was that, what are known as the “Waybeams” needed replacing. These large wooden beams sit in metal toughs and are used to carry the rails across the bridge and the inspection had revealed that the beams were approaching the end of their working life. To replace the beams is therefore a significant task, as they weigh 2.5 Tonnes each, and this would require careful planning. Starting on the 10 July the railway’s Permanent Way team plus volunteers from the railway’s other teams, first removed the rails and ballast before then removing the old beams. Once the beams were out, the exposed metal work of the bridge was inspected and the ironwork treated. The new beams were then installed set in a special preservative resin, and new rails re-laid. The second part of the project required specialist plant and was carried out by Sonic Rail Services, a regular contractor for heavy infrastructure work on the railway. “This has been a very important project for the railway, our volunteers and Sonic Rail Services have made an excellent job of the refurbishment work. On behalf of the railway I would also like to thank Sonic Rail Services for their support in making this project happen.” George Saville, MNR General Manager As the work was progressing on the bridge, a small team of volunteers from the Signalling team has been working on the railway’s Dereham North signal box. The structure of the box has stood at the end of Platform 1 at Dereham station since 2007, where it was erected following its recovery from Lowestoft Now the Signalling team have installed the signalling frame and associated infrastructure ready to commission the signal box as a working box. "This is another important step along the road to our eventual aim of reopening the line to County School Station.” Charlie Robinson, MNR Chairman The MNR’s main running line currently reaches the level crossing at North Elmham, and this work will allow the railway to begin the process of restoring the signalling on the line north from Dereham.

The future of Mid-Norfolk Railway resident class 31 locomotive, 31255 has been secured for the railway following its purchase by several MNR members for use on the railway. The purchase of 31255 has been agreed with the previous owner, Harry Needle of the Harry Needle Railroad Company and means the locomotive will, once restored be used on the railway. Restoration work has immediately begun on the locomotive following its arrival at Dereham from long term storage on sidings at Hardingham station on the MNR. The first step of the process is a thorough examination and assessment. A plan of works will then be drawn up which will see the mechanical and electrical systems restored first, followed by the bodywork, before ultimately the restoration will be completed by deciding on a which livery the engine will carry. The immediate aim is to have the engine restored to a standard that it can be used in service safely for the 2021 running season at the MNR. The full restoration will however be a more long term project. The group of members have bought the locomotive as the class 31s were synonymous with the railway’s history for over 60 years. As such the MNR will once again see class 31 hauled passenger trains in the future on a regular basis. “This is yet another important and exciting development for the railway in this our 25th Anniversary. The railway trust council and the membership are extremely pleased that some members have secured this locomotive for long term use on the railway and it will make an important addition to our mission of celebrating the railway heritage of East Anglia.” Charlie Robinson, MNR Chairman