&sq=Envato&lang=en&file=File:Crab_and_Winkle_line_approaching_Swaffham.jpg) Cutting near Swaffham | |
| Overview | |
|---|---|
| Locale | England |
| Dates of operation | 1869–1964 (passengers) |
| Successor | Great Eastern Railway |
| Technical | |
| Track gauge | 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) |
| Length | 18.75 miles (30.18 km) |
The Bury and Thetford (Swaffham Branch), also known as the Crab and Winkle Line,[1] was a railway line in England. The line ran from Thetford, via Watton to a junction with the Lynn and Dereham Railway at Swaffham.
The first section, from Thetford to Watton, was authorised by the Thetford and Watton Railway Act 1866 (29 & 30 Vict. c. cxcviii), which gained royal assent on 16 July 1866. Freight services commenced in January 1869, with passenger services from 18 October 1869.[2] Northward extension was authorised by the Watton and Swaffham Railway Act 1869 (32 & 33 Vict. c. cxxi). Nominally this established the Watton and Swaffham Railway as an independent venture to construct the continuation of the line, but effectively it was a subsidiary of the Thetford and Watton company. The extension to Swaffham proved to be technically challenging and cost £72,000,[3] but was completed in 1875.[4]
On 21 July 1879 the combined line was leased to the Great Eastern Railway for 999 years, commencing 1 March 1880. It was vested into the GER in 1897, becoming part of the London and North Eastern Railway on 1 January 1923.[5]
The line was closed to passengers on 15 June 1964, with a two-car diesel multiple unit (DMU) driven by driver David Grant of Dereham operating the final service. There were only 70 passengers on the final stage of the journey. Roudham Junction to Watton was closed completely at this time, and the remainder was closed to freight on 19 April 1965, after transporting the final sugar beet and coal traffic.[6]
- ^ Holland, J. (2013). Dr Beeching's Axe: 50 Years on: Illustrated Memories of Britain's Lost Railways. DAVID & CHARLES. p. 68. ISBN 9781446302675. Retrieved 3 April 2015 – via Google Books.
- ^ Glen Kilday, Watton (Norfolk), Disused stations website. Last updated 18 December 2017.
- ^ "The railway in Watton". History of Watton, Norfolk. Retrieved 3 April 2015.
- ^ Historic England. "WATTON AND SWAFFHAM RAILWAY (357783)". Research records (formerly PastScape). Retrieved 3 April 2015.
- ^ "Watton and Swaffham Railway Company". The National Archives. Retrieved 3 April 2015.
- ^ Joby (1976), p. 16.