Southwold Railway Blog

SR Stamps now available online

stewart — Sun, 15 Apr 2012 19:40:00 +0000

These special philatelists collectors’ items are now available from our online Shop. The 24 full colour perforated and gummed stamps featuring 4 different designs. PLEASE NOTE: if used on postal items FULL current Royal Mail postage stamps will need to be affixed too.

Royal Mail postal charges are due to rise in May 2012, and the stamps may be found online on two Shop pages – Books & Publications, or DVDs & Gifts.

“CHANGE HERE FOR SOUTWHOLD”

stewart — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 15:46:59 +0000

Our Publicity Officer – Rev. Simon Pitcher - took this photo at the Winchcombe Railway Museum about 8 years ago whilst on summer holiday. This is not the GWR that runs through Winchcombe, but a little independent museum near the town centre.

Wenhaston Project Planning Application

stewart — Sun, 01 Apr 2012 11:14:47 +0000

After a great deal of work behind the scenes, Planning Application for the Wenhaston Station project was submitted on 31st March 2012! We await the response of the Suffolk Coastal Planning Authority with bated breath. If our application is successful we will be able to forge ahead with fund raising and implementation work on reopening the Southwold Railway after a gap of 83 years!

Track Walk Booklet back again!

stewart — Sun, 01 Apr 2012 11:09:15 +0000

A newly edition of our popular Southwold Railway & Blyth Valley Track Walk booklet is now available. The booklet details a series of walks along or near to the track bed of the former railway, and identifies interesting features, flora and fauna along the way. Price £6, and available from the Southwold Railway Shop and via the online Shop. Hurry, as stocks are limited!

More loco build news

stewart — Mon, 12 Mar 2012 08:43:51 +0000

In order to raise the profile of the loco project the Trustees have agreed to the production of replica BLYTH nameplates to sell, and the production of some high profile items for the loco, for example, chimney, dome or smokebox door. Further details will appear in due course.

Loco build latest

stewart — Sun, 12 Feb 2012 13:51:51 +0000

The loco group has been busy behind the scenes. Work continues on preparing drawings for the new loco, in particular drawings for the boiler, cab and chassis. The remit for the group will be broadened so that it becomes a traction and rolling stock group, which may then advise the Board on all rolling stock options, including steam, diesel, coaches and wagons. A working party will shortly be arranged to clear, tidy, sweep & organise the workshop. An appeal will be launched for gathering useful tools for the workshop. We urgently require brazing arc, lathe, pillar drill, grinders, metal saw, consumables, spanners, screwdrivers hammers &c, Dexion or equivalent shelving, portable compressor, shaper. If anyone can help source these items the Trust will be extremely grateful – just drop a line to blogmaster@southwoldrailway.co.uk if you can help.

SR recollections

stewart — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 11:31:14 +0000

We have heard from someone listening to ’Heart’ Radio recently who heard two men conversing and the subject of the Southwold Railway (which ran from 1879 to 1929) cropped up because the Great Grandfather of one of them had travelled on that Railway for forty eight years. We often have visitors in the Railway Shop who either travelled themselves on the line or whose parents or grandparents were involved with the SR. Likewise visitors to the Henham Steam Rally regularly include those who knew the original Southwold Railway.

Teddy Boston’s SR model archive

stewart — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 07:44:53 +0000

The Trust is privileged to have received a donation of much of the iconic Southwold Railway 4mm layout and stock created in the 1950s and 60s by Rev. Teddy Boston. His nephew - Rev. Jonathan Boston - has passed on these pioneering models, which we hope to display in public in due course. One of the locos – No.1 SOUTHWOLD – will be making a guest appearance at the Royston Model Railway Club Show at the Meridian School, Royston on Saturday November 19th when it will be running on Stewart Green’s own SOUTHWOLD (1922) model along with its modern counterparts.

Box of the Southwold Railway

stewart — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 07:27:40 +0000

Halesworth resident Jan Martin came up with ‘The Box of the SOUTHWOLD RAILWAY’ as part of her training at art college in 1980, following the interest generated by the centenary of the line the previous year. Jan designed this Memory Box as an educational resource to bring the railway’s history to life without making if a mere ‘information pack’ or presenting purely a cut-out model and accessories without relating them to their historical background. The Box contains a coloured map of the route with contemporary photos of the main stations and features, along with exact replicas of First- and Third- class season tickets and return tickets from Wenhaston to Liverpool Street! Additionally there are photos of each train staff (as used in operation each single line section of the route) and a couple of splendid water colour portraits of characters connected with the line, which we hope to reproduce in future issues of the Trust’s newsletters for members.

Leiston Works Railway

stewart — Wed, 17 Aug 2011 07:50:36 +0000

'Sirapite' with restorer Trevor Wrench at the controls

We were delighted last year to visit the Long Shop Museum, Leiston at the end of March 2010 for the official return to steam of shunting loco Sirapite after a 4-year restoration project. The good news is that the tract of land that ran from the Rishard Garrett works, across Main Street and behind house backs to join with the Aldeburgh branch at Leiston Station has recently been purchased by the Leiston Works Railway with the intention of clearing the site, restoring track and enabling Sirapite once again to run along its former route!

Further aims are to cross Main Street once again to join up with the museum site, and also to link up with the branch (which still goes to Sizewell) adjacent to Leiston Station. An exciting project indeed, and one of the very few that will enable an original loco to travel along its original route.

The Leiston Works Railway is recruiting members keen to get involved with the restoration of the tracks but doesn’t yet have a website. If you are interested then send your details to blogmaster@southwoldrailway.co.uk and we will pass them on to this fledgling heritage railway group.