Upwell station

UPWELL

Upwell station 1900s PC.

Upwell station with G15 127 pre 1913.

UPWELL STATION 1973. Photo by Peter Howie.

FACEBOOK - RAIL THING - WISBECH AND UPWELL TRAMWAY

Info (from Wikipedia)

Upwell railway station was a station in Upwell, Norfolk on the Wisbech and Upwell Tramway. It was opened in 1883 to carry passengers and agricultural wares to Wisbech where they would go to market, or be shipped off to other towns or cities. It remained open to passengers only till 1927, when competition from motorised buses forced this service to end. It carried on with the goods, carry produce from the surrounding farms.

It was finally closed in 1966 as part of the Beeching Axe and shortly afterwards the line to Wisbech was taken up. The village signs inUpwell still bear a picture of a tram recognising the heritage of the settlement. It was during several visits that the Reverend .W. Awdry, author of the Railway Series, was inspired to come up with the character of Toby the Tram Engine modelled on the trams that worked the line.

Today not only is the Upwell Tramway gone, but so are the main lines that used to serve Wisbech. Today the farm produce travels almost entirely by road.

The site of the former station has recently been converted into a car park for the health centre (doctors' surgery) in Upwell.

Class G15 Wisbech and Upwell Steam Trams

The classic Wisbech and Upwell tram engine, which later gained worldwide fame as 'Toby' in Reverend Awdry's Railway Stories, was class G15, ten of which were built between 1883 and 1897. Designed by the GER's Locomotive Superintendent T W Worsdell they resembled a goods brake van, fitted with skirts and cowcatchers, condensing apparatus, spark arrestors, automatic governors and warning bells, to make them safe on the line's mainly roadside track. They were also fitted with controls at both ends and sliding windows all round. 

The locos were rebuilt in the early 20th century, where they were fitted with the 140 psi boilers that were used on the later J70 locos, The last G15/Y6 was withdrawn in 1952 and survived in the Stratford paint shop for another year, before being scrapped.

Picture source

1961 video

Click on link below to view

http://www.eafa.org.uk/catalogue/139644

John McGregor presents a profile of the Wisbech and Upwell Tramway, where the 'Grower's Special' trundles for almost eight miles on a single-track railway line, between Wisbech and Upwell, carrying agricultural produce to the mainline. 

Departing from Wisbech, passing through fenland and small villages, the train arrives at Upwell, where McGregor interviews driver Charles Randle and guard Arthur Downes. The pair discuss their careers on the railway and the flexibility of their timetable. With the produce - consisting mostly of strawberries - loaded, the train departs on its return journey, pulling up to fifty wagons at speed and delivering in time for the freight expresses to the morning markets.

The Wisbech and Upwell Tramway

WISBECH AND UPWELL TRAMWAY

Postcard c1910

FACEBOOK - RAIL THING  WISBECH AND UPWELL TRAMWAY

The Wisbech and Upwell Tramway was a rural standard gauge tramway in East Anglia. It was built by the Great Eastern Railway between Wisbech, Cambridgeshire and Upwell, Norfolk to carry agricultural produce. Although called a tram, in many ways it more closely resembled a conventional railway line.

History

Its success was one of the reasons for the Light Railways Act 1896. Competition from motorised buses ended passenger services in 1927, but freight carried on until 1966 when it was cut as part of the Beeching Axe.

Originally the line used GER Class G15/LNER Class Y6 0-4-0T tram engines, which in accordance with Board of Trade regulations had sideplates and cowcatchers. These were replaced by more powerful 0-6-0T GER Class C53/LNER Class J70 and later by Drewry 0-6-0DM (Class 04) shunters. One coach survives.

For a short time in 1930-1931 two LNER Class Y10 Sentinel geared steam locomotives were used.

Route

It ran from the Cambridgeshire town of Wisbech to the Norfolk village of Upwell. Its route carried it close to farms and villages, allowing goods to be shipped into Wisbech where they could be transferred onto the main line and carried to destinations further afield. It was this agricultural trade that caused the line to be constructed in the first place, and what kept it afloat after passenger services ceased in 1927.

Motorists passing through Wisbech along Elm High Road near to the fire station may notice a small stretch of grass and trees, this would have been the canal between Wisbech (River Nene) and the Outwell Creek. The tram however finished off this section of the canal, though Outwell and Upwell still have some of their canals left.

In fiction

The Rev. W. Awdry drew much inspiration from the tramway for stories in his Railway Series children's books. In the book Toby the Tram Engine the character Toby and his coach Henrietta are introduced, both of whom are based on stock used on the tramway. Toby subsequently appeared in many more of the books and also became one of the main characters in the spin-off television series Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends.

VIDEOS

Overview of the line (stills)

1960s trip along the line