SEARCH RESULTS

The Appeal Team is looking for some volunteers to help administer the appeal. Are you available to help? Role 1 - External Grant Application Officer Role 2 - Appeal Admin Assistant Role 3 - Commercial Sponsorship Officer The Back On Track Appeal Team would also welcome other offers of assistance not covered here. Offers of general assistance or in other roles not yet identified would be welcomed. Each role can be carried out by multiple people. Further information available on our vacancies page. Donations are welcome on our Back On Track Appeal page.

As part of the reopening of the railway and to stabilise the business the Mid-Norfolk Railway has announced details of its ongoing management restructuring strategy that seeks to improve the business. The new structure recognises that as the railway has grown, it must develop its management structure to meet the needs of a multi-million pound business and thereby work more effectively to achieve the charitable objectives of the Mid-Norfolk Railway Preservation Trust (MNRPT). Charlie Robinson, Chairman of the MNRPT, explained the development, when he said: “The challenges of recent years have highlighted to the current Trust Council that the railway as a whole has outgrown its previous management structure. The new model is designed to ensure that the railway is better able to overcome the challenges the railway faces in meeting the charitable objects it sets itself. The Trust Council is focused on getting the railway open as soon as possible but also recognises this work must also be done to make the railway more resilient in the future” Once implemented the new structure (see above) will improve communication and accountability and means that all Trust Council members have now been allocated to one or more of the railway’s departments as Linked Trustees. The role of the Linked Trustee is to be the focus for communication from the department to the full Trust Council and also from the Trust Council to the department. All Trustees will now sign a new ‘Personal Roles and Responsibility Agreement’ that sets out their role and responsibility within the new structure. In turn department leads, whether they are paid or volunteer, will also work with their nominated Trustees to agree new ‘Personal Roles and Responsibility Agreements’ for themselves and the department they manage. A second measure designed to improve the railway that has also been announced is a new quarterly Trust Council Forum. This initiative follows a successful meeting recently at Dereham Station where the Trust Council explained the issues the railway currently faced and also answered questions and sought suggestions. This new quarterly cycle will be introduced immediately with meetings being held on Saturday afternoons after the last train of the day. The Railway's AGM will take the place of the third quarter forum meeting.

The Mid Norfolk Railway is to a run a busy Diesel weekend this September from Friday 23rd to Sunday 25th. The weekend will feature some guest Mainline and Heritage engines. The mainline operating company Direct Rail Services that are active in the region will be supplying either a Class 57/3 or a class 66 locomotive depending on their own operational requirements elsewhere. Also making a visit will be a class 20 locomotive, D8001 (20001) courtesy of the Epping and Ongar Railway. D8001 will be making its first visit away from the Epping and Ongar Railway and to another railway following three years out of traffic while the engine underwent a refurbishment and painting. The guest locomotives will be joined by the Mid Norfolk Railway's resident Diesels hauling a two-train service. Coaches in use will consist of a British Railways maroon liveried Mk1 and Mk 2 vacuum braked set and an Ex Greater Anglia Mk 3 set. The railway is planning for class 47s County of Essex and Aldeburgh Festival together with the Class 14 to all be in action. The Programme will also include an evening ‘Beer Ex’ train, with beer from the Tindall Brewery of Seething, Norfolk, being available on board. Tickets for the event will be priced at £20 for an adult Rover ticket, A senior Rover is priced at £15 and Children and MNR members at £10. Two day Rover tickets are also available at £30, £25 and £20. The Rover tickets are also valid for the evening Beer Train. Separate tickets for this service are also available at £10 for Adults and £5 for accompanying children. The MNR has suspended the ‘Kids go Free’ promotion for this event. Further details including the timetable will be available from the MNR website at https://www.midnorfolkrailway.co.uk/dieselgala

The Mid-Norfolk Railway is pleased to announce that the management of the railway is to be restructured with the new arrangements to be put in place for the beginning of 2023. The Trust Council of the Mid-Norfolk Railway Preservation Trust will remain as the overarching strategic management organisation of the Mid-Norfolk Railway. The Trust Council members will, therefore, continue to be elected from the membership of the Mid-Norfolk Railway Preservation Trust. As part of the restructuring the post of General Manager will be made redundant on the 31 December 2022. Charlie Robinson, the Chairman of the Mid-Norfolk Railway Preservation Trust Council, said: “It has become clear this year that the railway has outgrown its old management structure and the General Manager’s role, as currently constituted, has become too broad a task for any one person to carry out. “I would, therefore, on behalf of the whole railway, like to thank George Saville for all his efforts over the last few years, as the railway’s General Manager. He has made a significant contribution to the development of the railway and the point it has now reached.” Mr Saville has, been offered a new part time position at the MNR from 1 January 2023. His experience and knowledge of railways in general and heritage railways in particular has proved to be a huge asset to the MNR and one the Trust Council is keen to keep at the railway, if at all possible. A new full-time post of Operations Manager will be created, details of which and how to apply will be published shortly. It is intended that the new appointment will take effect on the 1 January 2023. Derek Orr, the current volunteer Operations Manager, will be stepping down on the same date and the MNR owes a great debt of gratitude to Derek for managing this position for a number of years despite having a full-time job elsewhere and a young family to look after. The Trust Council is delighted Derek will continue as a Trustee of the Railway and with the railway management team and help with the smooth transition in the New Year. Steph Garthwaite, the current Deputy General Manager, will continue in her volunteer capacity to ensure that the introduction of the new Operations Manager will be as straightforward as possible. She will act as the Line Manager for the various individual Departments and be the link between them and the Trust Council. A new Leadership Team will be established to take over the day to day running of the railway, provide all working Members with a direct line of communication to management and ensure that communications generally within the railway are improved.

The Mid-Norfolk Railway has launched the 'Back On Track' Emergency Appeal to help fund the restoration of Crownthorpe Bridge and associated works to reopen the railway for train services. The Appeal launch comes as the Mid-Norfolk Railway Preservation Trust (MNRPT) also announces further details of the management and business restructuring process that is designed to create a new business model that deliver the charitable aims of the MNRPT and create strong sustainable business. The appeal is designed to raise £95,000 and will, together with money already committed, meet the costs of the Crownthorpe bridge refurbishment and other associated work. Charlie Robinson the Chairman of the MNRPT said: “Despite significant investment in the railways infrastructure in recent years, the reality is that when the Mid Norfolk Railway started in the 1990s it began with a railway line that had not been maintained since the 1960s. “Significant progress in addressing this has previously been made, but the rate of deterioration is accelerating and costs for long term refurbishment have risen significantly. This means additional funding must be found just to maintain what we have. This appeal will make a significant difference and will create a window of opportunity for the railway to develop new income streams. “Before that can be done however every pound donated is a small step to ensuring the railway’s future. I therefore appeal to everyone be they from the region, or a rail enthusiast, or both to give generously at this difficult time for all, to ensure the MNR has a future.” For details of how to donate and the donation packages available please visit: midnorfolkrailway.co.uk/emergencyappeal News regarding the Trust Council restructuring coming soon.

The Mid-Norfolk Railway has announced that as a result of the recently announced management restructure that the business will also now be re-organised with a new business model implemented as a matter of urgency. The new business model is urgently required as it has become clear that like many other heritage railways the current financial climate means that the revenue that the railway is currently raising does not allow the railway to keep pace with the deterioration of the permanent way. This is an issue that the railway has faced since its creation, let alone carry out the charitable aims the railway has set itself. The most pressing issue that needs addressing is the permanent way in the vicinity of Crownthorpe Bridge and the also the bridge’s weigh beams. The track and beams must be replaced immediately to allow running to Wymondham as the rate of deterioration has accelerated since the last six month inspection as to mean the bridge and associate track is unusable. In consequence a new emergency appeal has been launched to raise the funding to allow the railway to reopen and carry out a service to Wymondham from Dereham. Donations welcome here. Despite previously announcing the 4 March as the start of operations, some remedial work and inspections also need to be addressed. The consequence of which is that the reopening will be delayed until such time as the railway is confident that trains can be run. Initially the service will be a 12-mile round trip to Thuxton. New details of the services will be published in due course. The current Chairman of the Mid-Norfolk Railway Preservation Trust Charlie Robinson said: “The MNR has not been immune to the financial pressures that the sector has been under, our costs have risen dramatically and therefore to achieve the ambitious objectives that the railway set itself when the Trust was set up, we have to pull together as an organisation and find ways to grow the business so we can raise the funds that are needs not just to stand still, but carry out the projects that have long been aspired to.” He added: “the railway is a significant contributor to the regional economy and as such we are very aware of our responsibilities to maintain that contribution, but to do so we also ask for the support of the business community and people of the region to ensure the long term future of the railway.” Central to the issues faced by the railway is the condition of the permanent way that the railway inherited from British Rail when the line closed. With the end of passenger service on the line in the 1960s, British Railways ceased maintaining the line up to passenger standards (it became a freight-only line until the 1990s) and as such, the state of the permanent way was one of the principle reasons for the total closure, as to rectify the faults was economically not viable. The new business model means that in addition to the hugely successful Polar Express, new revenue streams must be developed as a matter of urgency. This also means that significantly more working members are needed to allow the railway to grow the business. Graham Watts, a new Trust Council member, who after a career culminating in being a senior manager in local authority leisure services, has now taken on the railway’s commercial portfolio. He said: “From a commercial perspective the railway has a significant portfolio of activities already, but what we must do is be ruthless in driving our costs down to increase the profit element of the revenue we already generate and introduce new services that grow the business. “Key to that is also to growing the working membership. We need not just people interested in railway activities but also people with the skill sets any business needs including administration, information technology, marketing, human resources management and many more.”

The Mid Norfolk Railway has enjoyed its biggest and most successful Polar Express season ever this year, as it announces significant development behind the scenes. Included in the developments is a restructuring of the railway’s management for 2023. This year’s Polar Express ran with a ten coach train consisting of ex Greater Anglia Mk3 coaches with well over 40,000 passengers enjoying the full Polar Express experience. The experience began with a pre-journey stage show, before headed off to the North Pole. On the way the passengers were entertained by the Conductor and Chefs and enjoyed hot chocolate and cookies, before receiving their first gift of Christmas from Santa Claus himself. Charlie Robinson the Chairman of the Mid Norfolk Railway Preservation Trust said: The Polar Express is the culmination of our running season and I would like to thank all of the team who have worked so hard to put on the show. To see the enjoyment and smiles on the faces of everyone makes it all worth while.” Paul Andrew Goldsmith, the MNR’s Theatrical director said: “This was the biggest year of the production yet, and we are delighted by the fantastic cast team, the volunteers and staff of the MNR, for the incredible efforts made by all to make it such a magical and memorable experience for our audience”. While the attention has been on the Polar Express, work has continued behind the scenes. At both ends of the line there have been developments. At County School the strong team of working members continue to make improvements and prepare the ground for the future return of trains to the station. At the same time the now resident North Norfolk Model Engineering Society continue to expand their own running line. This does in fact mean that trains have now returned to the station, just not full size yet. At the Wymondham end of the line, 17 miles from County School, the former Spooner Row Signal Box is undergoing refurbishment before the railway’s S&T Department can begin the resignalling of this end of the line. The S&T Department however has not been idle and indeed this year has been extremely busy with the signalling at both Thuxton and Dereham nearing completion. The day is therefore not far away when the MNR will have three fully working signal boxes controlling the line from Wymondham to Dereham. In the shed at Dereham work has continued all year on Mk1 FCK M 13225. This coach once complete will have had the most extensive rebuilt that the railway has ever attempted and all the hard work of the railways C&W Dept is now approaching fruition. Meanwhile several of the resident owners group have also been making steady progress with class 31 31255, Class 118, 51412 and Class 50, 50019 Ramillies all making progress this year. Possibly the most significant, but least obvious development that is ongoing at the MNR is a complete restructuring of the MNR’s management. The Railway’s Trust Council has recognised that as the railway has grown and expanded into a multi million pound business, with several hundred staff, some paid, but the majority volunteers, that the railway had outgrown its existing management structure. A process therefore has started that will continue into the new year to create a new management structure. The aim is this new structure will be better able to take the railway forward, building on the past 25 years and looking forward to the next 25 years. As part of this process and as previously announced, the Railway’s General Manager position has been abolished and in its place a new range of posts are being created some paid and some volunteer that will carry out all of the previous duties of the GM role. Charlie Robinson speaking about the changes said: “I would like to take this opportunity to announce that I will be stepping down as Chairman at the next AGM. I will remain a Trust Council member and will now focus on the organisation of future Polar Expresses and the railway’s ‘Wedding Specials’, both of which will be more than enough to keep me extremely busy”. Details of the fully restructured management of the Mid Norfolk Railway will be announced once the process and implementation is complete.

We are pleased to announce that train services have returned to Wymondham Abbey from Saturday 6th August. In 2022, the line was closed between Thuxton and Wymondham Abbey to allow for significant Engineering Works to take place. The first locomotive to arrive back at Wymondham abbey was our Class 33, 33202. Further details can be found here.

A statement from the Mid-Norfolk Railway: On behalf of the Railway and all our community, we are very saddened to hear of the death of Her Majesty The Queen and offer our condolences to the whole Royal Family at this very sad time, with gratitude for decades of public service as the longest-serving monarch in British history. Our trains and events will continue to run as normal except on the day of the Queen's funeral when no trains will be running. If you have booked a ticket, it is still valid, or you can purchase your ticket on the day in the normal way. We know some visitors may wish to change their plans to pay respects, we can rearrange your booking if you wish by contacting Dereham Station on 01362 851723 or emailing bookings@mnr.org.uk

Please note that for operational reasons, the Mid-Norfolk Railway will be running only one train on Wednesday 13th July. This will be the 11.30am departure to Thuxton return. We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause, trains on Thursday 14th July are unaffected and will run at the times published on the Green Timetable.

Due to the fire risk of running steam this weekend (16th & 17th July) after no rain and the forecast of very high temperatures, steam services at the Mid-Norfolk Railway on both days have been withdrawn as a safety precaution. Trains on Saturday will be hauled by our Class 14 diesel locomotive and one of our Class 47s will be doing the honours on Sunday.

The public can once again catch a train at the Mid-Norfolk Railway's County School Station, as the North Norfolk Model Engineering Club’s railway opens for business this summer. The club, which has been busy building a new miniature railway at the Mid-Norfolk Railway site have now started running trains every Sunday till the end of August from 11.00 to 16.00 weather permitting. The new railway is known as the Wensum Valley Miniature Railway. The newly laid track has three rails and allows both 5-inch and 3.5-inch model engines to run and will eventually haul special passenger wagons on a journey around the site. The line is not yet complete, but this summer enough has been laid to begin public operations. Formerly based at the North Norfolk Railway, the NNMEC had to find a new home as their previous site was due to be developed as part of the ongoing work at the NNR’s Holt Station. The Mid-Norfolk Railway however was able to step in and off the NNMEC a new home. Explaining the arrangement, Richard Cullen, the Mid-Norfolk Railway Station Master at County School said: “It will be a while yet before the MNR is able to run trains from Dereham to County School Station, but while we wait for that day to arrive, lots of work is being done here to create an attraction worthy of a visit. When the opportunity of offering a home to the NNMEC’s miniature railway at County School Station presented itself, it was an easy decision to make”. Richard added: “The way we have planned this track means that it will not interfere with the full-size track, when that is eventually laid. As from now therefore we have another attraction to add to the popular nature walks, museum and café we already run here.” Gordon Ford the Chairman of the North Norfolk Miniature Engineering Club said: “We are grateful to the North Norfolk Railway for giving us a home for 17 years, but we are all excited as we begin a new chapter in our story, here at County School Station. The move was agreed in 2019, but due to Covid we had to pause the project until last year, when work could began. The members are all looking forward to once again be able to run our trains and begin a regular passenger service here at County School”. County School Station is the northerly end of the Mid-Norfolk Railway owned track bed. The café and museum are open weather permitting from 1200 to 1500, Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays till September. MNR working members meet on Wednesday and Sunday to maintain the facilities and prepare for the eventual reinstatement of the line south to North Elmham that will allow a regular service to once again run. Those who would like to join in the work can volunteer after first becoming a member of the railway. Details at the railway’s website www.midnorfolkrailway.co.uk/volunteering The NNMEC hold regular meetings at High Kelling Village Hall on the first Friday of the month and has a working party at County School on most Thursdays and when not running Sundays as well. More details can be found on the club's Facebook page.

Members of the Mid-Norfolk Railway were on hand to welcome home to the railway, resident steam engine 80078, British Railways Standard Class 4MT. The engine has been away on its travels over the winter and will now soon resume service hauling trains on the railway. 80078 returns to the railway following service over the Christmas period at the Swanage Railway in Dorset, winter maintenance and then most recently a guest spell on the Epping and Ongar Railway. “I am pleased to see 80078 back at the Mid Norfolk Railway after its recent travels and together with the rest of the railways steam crews, we are all looking forward to once again working the engine during this summer’s steam service”. Stewart Robinson Mid-Norfolk Railway's Honorary Vice President and Owner of 80078 80078 will be rostered to haul trains from Dereham to Wymondham Abbey station once the current track work is completed by next month on the Blue Steam Timetable that will run at most weekends during the school holidays. In the meantime, the engine will go back into service on the current service to Thuxton and return. A 10-mile round trip that gives passengers the opportunity to see the new station buildings that are nearing completion and the signal box. “We are all pleased to see 80078 back at the railway and we are all looking forward to the summer holiday period when we will see steam trains once again travelling through the beautiful Norfolk countryside from Dereham to Wymondham”. Charlie Robinson, Chairman Mid-Norfolk Railway Preservation Trust The railway’s popular evening ‘Breckland Fryer’ fish and chip trains and afternoon tea specials will also be steam hauled, and the ‘Kids Go Free’ family tickets that was successfully introduced in 2021 will again be on sale. These tickets will be available for all standard running days but do not include special events or special trains. Further details of events and timetables are available on the railway’s website at www.midnorfolkrailway.co.uk

Following the decision to put up for sale some of the railway’s assets that were assessed as being surplus to requirement, the Trust Council of the Mid-Norfolk Railway Preservation Trust has recognised that some members of the railway have misgivings over this decision. As such the Trust Council has therefore decided to withdraw from sale all assets while a consultation exercise is conducted with the membership. The original decision was made following a strategic review of the Railway’s assets. This has included the rolling stock and the turntable currently in storage at Dereham Station. The identified assets were deemed to be surplus to current requirements based on a number of factors. The coaches identified for sale, was based on the operational needs of the railway and their likely future use in service, the need to free up siding space and reduce shunting operations. The cost of refurbishment and finally the time it will take to get some of the coaches back into service were the factors considered. It has however now become clear, that the Trust Council had not fully appreciated the sentiment that some members have towards some of the coaches in particular and as such a consultation exercise that will allow members to express their views will be held. The consultation exercise will therefore give members the opportunity to suggest alternatives to disposal or indeed confirm the decision. The submissions will then inform the Trust Council’s future decision-making process on the various coaches future or otherwise on the railway. Regarding the turntable, the disposal or otherwise will also be considered again in the context of the future development of the Goods Shed and Stable Block as part of an East Anglian Railway Heritage Centre that has long been a railway aspiration. Views, opinions, suggestions and plans can be submitted either in writing addressed to the Trust Council at the station or by email to trust.council@mnr.org.uk The closing date for submissions is 15 August 2022 and then following a review and discussion the Trust Council will inform the membership of the result of the consultation exercise in due course. The Mid-Norfolk Railway Preservation Trust Council 17 June 2022

MID-NORFOLK RAILWAY PRESERVATION TRUST COUNCIL STATEMENT The Trust Council of The Mid-Norfolk Railway Preservation Trust, the operators of the Mid-Norfolk Railway have received as have some media outlets and email by part of the railway’s Steam Dept. in which they have raised some issues that relate to the running of the railway's steam services. They have also raised an issue of a lack of communication in addressing these issues. The Trust Council therefore wish to place on record that we are working to resolve these points and will strive to find the right balance between resolving these issues but also acknowledging the three key considerations of, Safety, Financial Security and Volunteer Enjoyment in all areas of the Railway. The Trust Council assesses the key issue is a break down in communication and take responsibility for this failure. We must however say we clearly value our steam department and they, like all of the departments at the railway, are integral to the success of the railway and we acknowledge that like everyone else at the railway we all make a significant commitment to do this, our hobby. We, the Trust Council, will now evaluate how communication works within the railway internally and how issues as they arise are addressed. This evaluation will happen now and we will issue new guidance very shortly. As part of this process we, the Trust Council, will want to hear the memberships views. Currently the Trust Council receive reports at the regular meetings of the Trust Council from the Department Heads. The Trust Council then seeks to address any concerns that are raised and communicate how the concerns will be addressed. This process in this case would appear to have broken down and that is what will be evaluated to understand why and steps will be made to rectify this. The Railway as a whole, like all other heritage railways, has struggled with the effects of the Covid pandemic and some of the issues are only now becoming apparent and are being addressed. The Trust Council however, is confident that all of the issues the railway faces can be overcome and our working members, members, friends and general passengers will be able to enjoy a bigger and better railway for many years to come.

The Trust Council of the Mid-Norfolk Railway Preservation Trust is aware that there are some confusing comments online about the current state of the Railway south of Thuxton. We would like to set the record straight for our members and customers: Firstly, the track has not been condemned south of Thuxton. Over the winter months we embarked on a programme of sleeper replacement which has already seen a large number of sleepers replaced between Dereham and Yaxham. At the same time, some issues were identified with the temporary platform structure at Wymondham Abbey which needed attention. With the Platform structure work continuing at Wymondham and the need to replace a number of sleepers between Thuxton & Hardingham, the Trustees took the decision to keep the section between Thuxton and Wymondham under engineers’ possession allowing almost uninterrupted access. While we have not run regular passenger trains on this section, some other trains have run beyond Thuxton, just this afternoon (Monday) a works train ventured south delivering sleepers to site and we have also had trains to Kimberley sidings and beyond. We have never stated no trains will run south of Thuxton and all the work currently planned south of Thuxton was identified three years ago by our then Head of Permanent Way. This work had been factored into our works schedule. Our current Head of Permanent Way is now resolving these issues and, had we not had to cancel the last fifteen Polar Express trains due to Covid, it is expected these works would already have been completed. As the owner of a large railway infrastructure company himself, we are incredibly fortunate that our current Head supplies the MNR with plant and machinery free of charge and labour at cost which enables us to complete projects in weeks which would previously have taken us months if not years. As a fully licensed mainline operator, there is absolutely no doubting the competency and expertise he brings us, with confidence that the work carried out would pass the rigours of an ORR inspection. Regarding changes to the running season, with the rising costs of coal and diesel fuel (the price of coal alone has risen by 148% since January), and not running through to Wymondham, the Trustees reviewed the operating plan and made some alterations. This has resulted in an overall reduction of steam running but it is hoped to add some back in as and when the cost of coal and other factors improves. This has, however, resulted in the first scheduled passenger trains to run on our Northern Section to Hoe which is a very welcome achievement. To finish with some very encouraging news, the repairs to Wymondham Abbey platform are now nearing completion and it is expected that a sleeper changing programme south of Thuxton will commence next week. The Standard Tank will be returning to Dereham after its winter overhaul and a brief visit to the Epping & Ongar Railway and we are now looking forward to the line fully reopening this summer.

The Mid-Norfolk Railway relaunched its running season in May, featuring the first regular passenger service to run north of Dereham since British Railways closed the line to passengers in October 1964. The railway is now pleased to announce that trains are again planned to run to Wymondham Abbey station from Dereham by the summer school holidays in July, once the engineering works that have caused the closure are completed. A supplier of coal has also been found that means the steam service’s blue timetable days will run with either the resident BR standard Class 4 MT engine or for this year only, the on-hire Austerity Tank engine No 22, hauling the maroon vacuum braked coach set. The new service north is part of the diesel multiple unit service’s green timetable days, which sees two trains a day travel north to Hoe Crossing. The 2022 running season has seen the introduction of the diesel engine service’s orange timetable days. This timetable sees the railway’s heritage diesel engines hauling trains and have featured the rostering of the class 33 and class 47s in service. Explaining the relaunch, Charlie Robinson, the Chairman of the Mid-Norfolk Railway Preservation Trust (MNRPT), said: “I know that there has been disappointment and uncertainty due to our postponed reopening caused by the long-standing engineering issues and the impact of the lost income from the cancelled Polar Express service at Christmas. It is therefore important that the railway has decided to relaunch our running season and make it clear we are open, running trains and looking forward with confidence to the rest of the year. “The Mid-Norfolk Railway, despite not being able to currently run south of Thuxton to Wymondham is however, able to start a regular service running north from Dereham. This therefore marks an important point in the railway’s history and is another small step towards the eventual return to County School”. The ongoing engineering work is seeing track maintenance being carried out between Thuxton and Hardingham and track near Bridge 1675 will be realigned to remove the excessive curves that British Railways introduced when the line was singled. Both issues have been long known but had to wait while other higher priorities were addressed in recent years. Throughout the 2022 running season, the railway is running the popular ‘Breckland Fryer’ fish and chip trains in the evening and afternoon high tea trains on selected running days. The railway will also continue to run the ‘Kids Go Free’ family tickets that were successfully introduced in 2021. These tickets will be available for all standard running days but do not include special events or special trains. The MNR shop at Dereham Station has also had a refresh with new lines of merchandise and clothing that feature the railway’s new ‘Heart of Norfolk’ logo on offer. Further details of events and timetables are available on the railway’s website at www.midnorfolkrailway.co.uk

Statement regarding temporary changes to our 2022 timetable and subsequent alterations to our programme of special events The last couple of years have been a momentous time for everyone, not least the MNR, which like many organisations is still recovering from the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic. This has taken its toll on our staff, volunteers, and finances. Unfortunately, the railway currently has a number of key engineering projects that need to be carried out in order for us to fully restore services along the line to Wymondham Abbey. We are working through them, but these are taking much longer to resolve than we had initially envisaged. These works will ultimately benefit the ongoing development of the railway into the future. In the meantime, however, in order for us to be able to reopen to visitors and get these projects finished as quickly as practical, the board of directors have taken the decision to only operate trains between Dereham and Thuxton and additionally along our northern extension as far as Hoe. We have added additional dates for our popular Heart of Norfolk Afternoon Tea trains and will be operating more regular trains over our infrequently used northern section, giving our visitors more opportunities to ride part of our line they may have never travelled over before. Visitors will also have a chance to see up close the incredible work going on to rebuild and restore Thuxton station, including being able to visit the signal box. Regrettably, these temporary changes will have a major impact on a number of our 2022 proposed programme of special events, in particular our Summer Steam Event and our 1940s Weekend. Summer Steam Event 9th – 10th July Due to a combination of the above and the ongoing national shortage of coal, we have taken the decision to cancel this event. However, we will still be operating trains on this weekend and will be continuing to host live music at Dereham station as part of the Dereham Blues Festival. 1940s Weekend 6th – 7th August It was always our intention to carry on with this event, however as planning takes time and without the certainty of being able to operate trains to Hardingham and Wymondham (both of which play a key role in this event) we needed to make a tough decision. We know this will disappoint many, but we felt that in the current circumstances we simply could not put on an event of the quality of previous years. In order to protect all the hard work that goes into it we did not want to put on a reduced scale event that left our visitors disappointed, so have made the decision to cancel the event for this year. We are though very much committed to this event in future years and are looking to do even more for 2023. In addition, we have exciting plans for some other historically themed events next year too. To offset the removal of the 1940s weekend from this year’s calendar we will soon be announcing details of a vintage fair to be hosted at Dereham station which could extend to multiple dates. We will make regular updates to keep you up-to-speed with developments. James Oakley Vice Chairman & Commercial Manager Mid-Norfolk Railway Preservation Trust

The Mid-Norfolk Railway is planning two special running days in celebration of the Queen's Platinum Jubilee, these will take place on Thursday 2nd & Friday 3rd of June 2022. The two days will feature Class 47580 'County of Essex', as the locomotive was used to celebrate the Queen's Diamond Jubilee back in 2012 and the railways Maroon livered vacuum braked Mk1 and Mk2 coaches. On both days the railway is planning on running a 4 train service between Dereham and Thuxton, this timetable can be found at mnr.org.uk/platinumjubilee

A further update is available at https://www.midnorfolkrailway.co.uk/post/2022-timetable-event-update The Mid Norfolk Railway is running a static Mothering Sunday event this year at Dereham station, as unfortunately over running engineering works mean that the planned start of passenger services has had to be delayed. Dereham station will however be open and families will be able to book a special Mothering Sunday Afternoon Tea that will be served in one of the railways heritage carriages on Sunday 27 March. Details and tickets will be available from the Mid-Norfolk Railway website at midnorfolkrailway.co.uk/motheringsunday “We are all obviously disappointed that we cannot welcome back our passengers in time for Mothering Sunday, but the work is essential for a safe railway. One of the challenges of running a heritage railway on this scale, is that of maintenance. Our ongoing programme of development and routine maintenance both finds old faults from British Rail days, as well as repairing and replacing parts of the railway that just wear out. The last two years have proved exceptionally difficult to conduct the level of work we would normally be able to do and also the loss of income has not helped.” Charlie Robinson, Chairman The Mid-Norfolk Railway Preservation Trust The railway is therefore planning to reopen on Saturday 30 April for a steam service over the May Bank Holiday weekend. Once normal timetabled service resumes the railway will be running a mix of Steam and Diesel locomotive-hauled trains, supported by Diesel Multiple Units. In addition there will be a range of special weekends, with the year ending with the ever popular The Polar Express™ Train Ride running in November and December. Last year’s successful 'kids go free with an adult' tickets have been retained on standard operating days for families to enjoy day at the railway experiencing the sight and sound of a working steam engines or diesel locomotives.