North Elmham railway station

North Elmham railway station is a railway station in the village of North Elmham in the English county of Norfolk. The station was part of the Wymondham to Wells Branch (1847 - 1989), and is part of a section of the line being restored by the Mid-Norfolk Railway from Dereham to County School railway station.

North Elmham
Station on heritage railway
Former station building
LocationNorth Elmham, Breckland, Norfolk
England
Grid referenceTF993203
Platforms1
Other information
StatusDisused
History
Pre-groupingEastern Counties Railway
Great Eastern Railway
Post-groupingLondon & North Eastern Railway
Eastern Region of British Railways
Mid-Norfolk Railway
Key dates
1857Opened (Elmham)
1 September 1872Renamed (North Elmham)
5 October 1964Closed to passengers

History
The derelict station building in 2010, prior to restoration as a home.

The station was equipped with a single passenger platform on the down line. This line was flanked by a goods loop. The station was rebuilt by the London & North Eastern Railway, with a simple brick building replacing the earlier timber framed building.[1] Passenger trains were not permitted to pass at this station.[2]

A collision took place close to the station on 14 December 1882.[3]

Goods trains

North Elmham was the location for a rail served dairy, with daily milk trains operating from the station to Ilford.[4] A shunting horse was used at Elmham to move loaded milk wagons from the down to the up side of the line for collection. The dairy closed in October 1963.[5]

The station also dealt in grain and fertilizer traffic.[2]

Present day
North Elmham
railway station
Historic lay-out
 to Fakenham
ground frame
North Elmham station
Elmham level crossing
 signal box
to Dereham

Some materials are currently on site from the former Cambridge - St Ives railway to construct a new platform in preparation for the opening of the MNR's northern section for passengers. Construction of a new platform and the pace of track restoration between Hoe and North Elmham which relies on volunteer labour and charitable donations.[6]

It had been proposed that there could be an additional halt built between this location and Dereham in the small hamlet of Hoe, a popular location for walkers. The Mid-Norfolk Railway's volunteers are instead concentrating efforts on restoring the line progressively towards North Elmham.

Although there are no passenger train services near this station at this time, a Transport Works Order (The Mid-Norfolk Railway Order 2001[7]) is in place allowing the Mid-Norfolk Railway Preservation Trust to operate trains from Dereham up to approximately 550m north of the station where an old railway buffer stop is located. As of 2019, engineering trains operate as far as the level crossing beside the former station site.[8]

Preceding station   Disused railways   Following station
County School
Line and station closed		   British Rail
Eastern Region
Wymondham to Wells via East Dereham		   Dereham
Line open, station open
No scheduled passenger service
  Proposed Heritage railways
County School   Mid-Norfolk Railway   Dereham
  Future services  
County School   Norfolk Orbital Railway
Mid-Norfolk Railway		   Dereham

References
  1. Jenkins, S. (2011). The Wells-Next-The-Sea Branch. Oakwood Press. p. 123. ISBN 978 0 85361 712 9.
  2. Jenkins, S. (2011). The Wells-Next-The-Sea Branch. Oakwood Press. p. 125. ISBN 978 0 85361 712 9.
  3. Accident Returns: Extract for the Accident at North Elmham - Dereham on 14th December 1882
  4. 'Thanks for the Memory', Mike Esau
  5. Hallet, Graham (July 2020). "Bringing home the milk". Great Eastern Journal. 183: 11.
  6. "Going North". MNR Website. Retrieved 12 May 2014.
  7. "The Mid-Norfolk Railway Order 2001". legislation.gov.uk. Retrieved 12 May 2014.
  8. MNR Official Twitter news on first train to Elmham

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