Fakenham East railway station

Fakenham East railway station was a railway station in the market town of Fakenham in the English county of Norfolk.

Fakenham East
The Site today complete with original, but relocated, crossing post to the right
General information
LocationFakenham, North Norfolk
England
Grid referenceTF927297
Platforms1
Other information
StatusDisused
History
Original companyNorfolk Railway
Pre-groupingGreat Eastern Railway
Post-groupingLondon & North Eastern Railway
Eastern Region of British Railways
Key dates
20 March 1849 (1849-03-20)Opened as Fakenham
27 September 1948Renamed Fakenham East
5 October 1964Closed
1 January 1980closed for freight traffic
1979 charter DMU at Fakenham

The station was opened by the Norfolk Railway on 20 March 1849 and was originally named Fakenham. Following nationalisation, it was renamed Fakenham East by British Railways on 27 September 1948; it was closed on 5 October 1964.[1]

This station is one of the possible sites protected in local plans, if needed as part of the Norfolk Orbital Railway's long-term plans to return trains to Fakenham. Any replacement station would be built on the throat of the original site, as sheltered housing has been built on the main station site. Other developments north of the former station make further extension impractical; instead the 'Norfolk Orbital' scheme proposes reopening towards the North Norfolk line at Holt and the Mid-Norfolk line at County School. The railway formation south of the station, as far as the three-arch viaduct over the River Wensum, is now owned by the Norfolk Orbital Railway.[2][3]

There was also a Fakenham West railway station, on the Midland and Great Northern Joint Railway between King's Lynn and Great Yarmouth, which closed in 1959.


Preceding station   Disused railways   Following station
Walsingham
Line and station closed
  Wells and Fakenham Railway   Terminus
Walsingham
Line and station closed
  British Rail
Eastern Region

Wymondham to Wells via East Dereham
  Ryburgh
Line and station closed

Accident edit

On 27 May 1931, a head-on collision took place at the station. Ex-GER T26 2-4-0 No. 7486 was hauling a passenger train when it overran a signal and collided with another passenger train, hauled by fellow Ex-GER T26 2-4-0 No. 7457. In total, one person was killed and 15 others were injured.[4]

References edit

  1. ^ Butt, R.V.J. (1995). The Directory of Railway Stations. Yeovil: Patrick Stephens Ltd. p. 93. ISBN 1-85260-508-1. R508.
  2. ^ "Opportunity to buy land at Pudding Norton... deadline December 10th 2014". Norfolk Orbital Railway. Retrieved 27 November 2014.
  3. ^ Norfolk Orbital Railway project gets closer to reviving old link to Fakenham
  4. ^ Vaughan 1989, pp. 74–49

Works cited edit

  • Vaughan, Adrian (1989). Obstruction Danger. Wellingborough: Patrick Stephens Limited. ISBN 1-85260-055-1.

See also edit

52°49′51″N 0°51′35″E / 52.8308°N 0.8596°E / 52.8308; 0.8596