The Norfolk & Suffolk Joint Railway. Part 2.

This is the second of two videos in which I shall be looking at the old Norfolk & Suffolk Joint railway line between Yarmouth Beach and Lowestoft Central, 50 years after the last train ran.
This not a history of the line, but merely a look at what remains together with some brief information.
The facts related here are correct to the best of my knowledge, and I apologize for any omissions or errors.
Rail map from RailMaps Online.
Other maps reproduced with permission of the National Library of Scotland.
For further information:-
The Midland & Great Northern Joint Railway by A.J.Wrottesley.
The Stations & Structures of the M&GNJ Railway by Nigel J.L. Digby.
The Midland & Great Northern Joint Railway Society.

[@colvillebri196]

I’m from Lowestoft and that was fascinating, I was born in 1970 so never had the pleasure, how stupid ever closing all these lines. I love this subject but it saddens me at the same time, I followed the Halesworth to southwold a few days ago. Great video, thank you

[@nutmeg5032]

Thank you for your comments. You are not the first person to make that observation about the lost lines of East Anglia. Norfolk lost 180 miles of railway overnight in 1959. Absolutely criminal.

[@colvillebri196]

@@nutmeg5032 oh my word your content is so interesting and informative, have you thought about doing similar for the Suffolk lost lines, Beccles to Harleston, Saxmundhan to Aldeburgh, Yarmouth to Beccles. If only we had them now to ease both the volumes of traffic and also to ease Global warming. Thanks again, you’ve filled my afternoon with such great history and knowledge.

[@nutmeg5032]

@@colvillebri196 I had thought about the Beccles to Yarmouth, but I have already started researching the Wherry Lines which I hope to film soon. Maybe then I will do the Beccles line.

[@instrumentalsclub]

Sir, I spent my teenage years (60s) living in Gorleston and spent every available Saturday and school holiday at either Gorleston-On-Sea, Gorleston Links Halt, Yarmouth South Town and Vauxhall or Lowestoft Central stations watching the then very busy trains! Thankyou so much for taking the time to produce these two highly informative videos of the line which have brought back many wonderful memories. Thankyou again, Malcolm Hill

[@nutmeg5032]

Thank you Malcolm for your kind comments. I enjoy making these videos, it gets me out and about and I learn a lot in the process. But comments such as yours are always the icing on the cake. Best wishes, Michael.

[@toytoy1091]

I was a bus conductor in yarmouth in the 60's. I remember Southtown Station, all of the old railway bridges (Beaconsfield Rd, etc), and the old Vauxhall station, where we would run the 'Racing Specials' (buses to the Yarmouth racecourse) at 5 shillings a head (an ordinary local bus would cost about 11d (11 pence). But the excited race-goers had money to burn, and often didn't care if they got a ticket or not. How surprised I was sometimes to find too much money in my leather money bag at the end of the day .... Ha ha ha.

[@ffffffrancerrrrrr]

Thank you so much for taking the time to create and post these videos, made me feel very nostalgic for my childhood. I was born in Gt. Yarmouth and lived on Station Rd opposite Southtown Station as a young child until we moved to Gorleston. I was almost 4 years old when it closed, and one of my earliest memories is of watching the trains from the upstairs front bedroom of our house.

[@nutmeg5032]

Thank you very much for your kind comments, it makes it all worth while.

[@onestepbeyond9120]

I use to use the train from Hopton and get off at the links and walk across the field which is now the cliff park estate to go to school in 1968 until the line closed in 1970

[@nutmeg5032]

Thanks for your comment. I wonder how many people would use the line now ?

[@sifugraham2918]

Cheers for the video I was interested In the railway past pleasurewood to Yarmouth and this was spot on. Didnt realise how much of it I ride my bike down lol

[@nutmeg5032]

Thank you for your kind comments. I`m glad it was of interest to you.

[@lewis72]

13:57 I cycled along this route just the other week but first cycled along it before it had been turned into an official pathway; there was no landscaping or tarmac down. Much of the route was in a few inches of water. 14:41 This was just a single, narrow mud path with long grass and vegetation either side. 15:53 Yes, this is how it was all of the remainder of the way South. 16:27 I remember this bit being impassable as it was so overgrown and quite dee in water. There was then a path to the left as you see here, just not tarmacked. 16:39 I don't think that this old path is accessible now. I couldn't see how to get to it when I was here just a few weeks ago. 16:58 I don't think that these steps are here now. Or if they are they are not accessible. The only option you have to to use the higher path to the left 19:46 This used to continue on just a little further and end to the side of the old B&Q store, where a clearly visible embankment ended for the retail car park. That B&Q store closed in the mid-late 90's, I think. When a new store (Poundland) was built, that section of embankment was cut back to where we see it now. 20:37 LHS of the Poundland building as you see here is where the embankment ended.

[@nutmeg5032]

Thanks for your comments. Sorry for the delay in responding but I’m in Italy.

[@bryannewman5012]

A very interesting and informative video.

[@nutmeg5032]

Thank you very much Bryan, glad you enjoyed it.

[@lewis72]

6:10 This bridge was only removed relatively recently. I remember going underneath it when I was able to drive to this location a number of times, so it would have been mid-late '90s I think. The bridge didn't raise much as at this point, the railway was in quite a deep cutting but by then much of it had been filled in with rubbish, leaving the cutting under the bridge left at its original depth. You had to slide down the rubbish to get under the bridge and clamber back up it to get out. First time I tried it I thought I would be trapped ! 6:36 This rough ground is due to the cutting being filled in. It would have been quite deep at the time of the railway being there. 7:44 This is quite similar to how high the bridge was at Longfulans Lane, Hopton. 10:43 If you had looked the other way, you would have seen the platforms and awnings of Corton station. 14:00 Up until the mid '90s or perhaps even later, the bridge parapet on the south side of the bridge was still present and similar to what is seen at 15:03, although soil had been landscaped up the the base of the parapet, this obscuring the rest of the bridge. 14:36 I cycled along this a few times in the '90s before it was officially turned into a cycle lane/path. It was fairly smooth here but was quite overgrown later on (as shown at 16:40) and some parts were even in water (as is still the case at 16:55) . 18:10 It's pronounced "Normanstn" as opposed to "Nor-manston". 19:51 This used to continue on a little further. The grey building wasn't there and further on was a B & Q, where the old line ran down the side of it. There was a small amount of embankment there too.

[@nutmeg5032]

Thanks for all your information, most interesting, some of which I did find out but too late for the video.

[@lewis72]

@@nutmeg5032 Thank you for your acknowledgement. I wish that I had taken photos back in the '90s then but cameras and film were more expensive, as was getting them developed !

[@russellbenton2987]

Loved the trip . Thanks for posting . I live in Scotland but my parents took us to Great Yarmouth and Lowestoft 4 years on the trot 1965-1968 staying at Cherry Tree Farm Camping site . I have just recently revisited which was the reason for looking at this film. Very interesting . Do you know anything about the miniature railway on the south shore Lowestoft . There’s no trace of it now but I spent many a happy time going round it . From memory there was a putting green in the middle . I also vaguely remember electric boats in a park further up the prom .

[@nutmeg5032]

Thank you for your comments. I to have happy memories of childhood visits to places, Portsmouth in my case. Regarding the miniature railway, a 10 1/4 " railway opened on the South Pier Lowestoft in 1948, it was moved to the sea front in 1955 and closed in 1973. If you Google Lowestoft Miniature Railway there is more information.

[@joshthompson237]

Was it 54 meters or 34 meters above sea level? Reason for asking is because I'm trying to do the railway from Lowestoft to South Lynn on the PC and I wanted to get it perfect. Besides your films has helped me incredibly, learnt so much too

[@nutmeg5032]

Hi Josh, that`s quite a task you`ve set yourself. According to my notes it was 54 metres , but I`m not sure where that information came from. I`m so glad my videos have been of some use to you.

[@joshthompson237]

@@nutmeg5032 it is a huge task especially during the current climate

[@nutmeg5032]

@@joshthompson237 Yes I know, I`m waiting to go out and film the old Mundesley line to Cromer.

[@joshthompson237]

@@nutmeg5032 Wow, can not wait for that episode. Would've been ideal if they kept the line especially for a junction near Knapton for Bacton Gas Terminal

[@sifugraham2918]

I used to work at pleasure wood.. You got your spot wrong slightly. The track ran through the middle right next to where the pleasure wood train now runs.. Through where their service road is and over a bridge behind the golf course which is still there you can climb up on it and see and walk where the track then ran down into lowestoft to where the North Station was. I walk the linear park most days.. I grew up playing in it when it was all overgrown long before they put the cycle path through.

[@nutmeg5032]

Yes, thanks for that, I wasn`t sure what areas were open to the public so didn`t explore as much as I would have liked. Thanks again for the information.

[@sifugraham2918]

@@nutmeg5032 yeah fair enough I've been walking it since I was a kid.. You can walk under the bridge and also up the side onto it no problem and see pleasurewood hills on your right and walk where the track was to the left, it's all open to walk and locals do a lot. If you are local to the area there are two ways to it, park near tesco and walk along the entrance road to pleasurewood, when you reach the red gates at the car park head down the dirt track just to the right of them, it's open to the public, and the bridge is at the end of the field. Or from the other direction park in the golf course car park and walk the track that goes out the back of it past the kiosk and toilet block.

[@nutmeg5032]

Thanks for that Graham, I shall make a note of your directions and have a look one day. I`m busy at the moment doing a video of the old line from Nth Walsham to Melton Constable. Its ironic that its not until you publish a review of old lines that local people start telling you things. But its all interesting.