When we are proudly
showing visitors round the ALR, mention is always made, deservedly, of the Little Melton
Light Railway, without which, the ALR would not be anything like the railway
you see today...! So a few words about
this wonderful railway, we hope will be enlightening to our readers and may
trigger some happy memories (and photos, not many about??) (with
acknowledgments to Bob Brett for
abstracts from his booklet about the line and several photocopy updates
from persons unknown. Thank you!)
The LMLR was the
brainchild of Bob Brett who lived at Vine Cottage, Little Melton, Norwich,
where the railway was constructed, from 1986. Initially, wooden ash rails on
cedar sleepers were tried at
10 1/4” gauge for about 200
yards, but this was unsuccessful and so aluminium track with keruing sleepers on
granite was built at 71/4” gauge, starting in November
1987, with approx 5000 feet completed by
April 1988.
Various contacts
were made to help Bob with trackwork, buildings, landscaping, signals and
rolling stock. The first loco to be built for the line was ‘Thunderbox’ by
David King (using Sweet Chestnut) along with 3 coaches, using elm. These were
ready by February 1989. At this stage
there was approx ¾ mile of track. There was also another loco, ‘ Alice’, but we
have no details...
An opening ceremony
was held on 22nd and 23rd April 1989, with Bob’s mother
cutting the tape, and the proceeds from the two days were donated to the Little
Melton Church Organ Fund and the West Norfolk Seal Rescue charities. The line
opened once a month to raise money for a wide variety of Charities and many
thousands of pounds were raised over the
years, until the line closed in 2001.
In 1990 another
line was laid from the station to a terminus near the Old Piggeries Tearoom
which involved a 50 foot long curved trestle over a pond.
In 1991 Edwin Peck
had completed ‘Sir Matthew Pilgrim’ a wooden ‘Shay’ locomotive, and Norman
Duffield and Reg Ives built ‘General’ (24volt 1 hp motor with petrol engine
powering a generator to charge the battery (s), and by then a third set of
coaches had been completed.
In 1996 an
additional line , the Paddock line, was laid
from Melton Wood Junction, running through woodland in a large figure of
eight back into the station. for about ¼ of a mile, giving a total track length
of over a mile. A new loco, ‘Big Ben’(big yellow American outline diesel?) was built by Malcolm Cox for his son,
Alex, being petrol powered, driving a hydraulic pump supplying two independent bogie
mounted hydraulic motors driving 8 wheels, a powerful loco (no photos?)
In 1997, Norman
Duffield and Reg Ives had a steam loco ‘Hotspur’ built by a Northampton company.(named
in honour of Reg and sister Margaret (Duffield)’s father who drove a Brittannia
Class loco on the Norwich to London Line
in the late 1950’s.
As well as the
monthly charity events the line ran Father Christmas Specials in December each
year and also ran ‘Birthday Specials’ and ‘specials’ for handicapped
youngsters. One note seen records that as at April 1999, the LMLR’s 10th
year, nearly £13.000 had been raised for various Charities and some 34.670
passengers carried, with the record being 811 in April 1999!
The Brett family
were a well known local family specialising in timber and ran over the years,
North Heigham Cabinet Works in Paddock Street Norwich, Heigham Sawmills, Bretts
Antique and Reproduction furniture (St Giles Norwich), Looses in Magdelan
Street Norwich, and Bretts Retail
Furniture Store in St Benedicts Norwich.
Bob who never married,
sadly passed away at his home, Vine Tree Cottage, in July 2001, aged 64, after
a long battle with cancer, leaving a
sister, Julie Champeney
A fine railway,
sadly missed. We will always be grateful to Norman, Reg and the Champeneys for
their help and co-operation in enabling the Ashmanhaugh Light Railway to be
created. We would also be delighted to hear from you if you have any photos or
interesting recollections of the line.
TTFN
