County School railway station

History

A railway line was opened as part of the Norfolk Railway's extension from East Dereham to Fakenham in 1849. 1857 County School railway station was built in 1886 to serve the private school from which it took its name, and following the opening of the Wroxham branch line in 1882. In 1903 the Norfolk County School became the Watts Naval School, the station name, however, remained unchanged.

County School became a Great Eastern Railway rural junction station even though the Wroxham branch left the Wells line a mile north, at Broom Green. The station consisted of up and down platforms and an extra bay for Wroxham services.

The stationmaster's house was not built by the railway. Instead it had been the lodge house for the school - and its style reflects the school rather than the station.

County School station was equipped with three platforms, two platform buildings, a signal box and a small coal yard. This yard was essentially to serve the needs of the large number of open fireplaces in the school buildings. The station was also provided with a large orchard on land provided for sidings that were never required.

1915 crash

On 20 January 1915, the junction with the line to Aylsham and Wroxham was the site of an accident between a passenger train from Wells and a goods train from Foulsham.

At 11.46 am, Y14 '629', hauling 12 empty and 4 loaded wagons, ran into the 6 coach passenger train, hauled by T26 locomotive '446' and consisting of 6-wheel stock on the scissor crossing close to the signal box. Nobody was injured in the crash, which took place at low speed, although both locomotives were damaged, along with other vehicles in both trains.

The responsibility for the crash was placed on the driver of the goods train, for failing to observe that his signals were at danger.

World War II

During World War II the station surroundings were used as a fuel dump for the airfield at Foulsham. The site was also briefly used as a tarmac factory for bomber command.

Nationalisation

The first significant change occurred in 1952 when the County School to Wroxham line was closed to passenger traffic, although the western section of this line, between County School and Foulsham remained open for goods until 31 October 1964, being busiest in the sugar beet season. Diesel trains made their first appearance in 1956, but it was not until 1964 that the Dereham to Wells line lost its passenger service.

In 1954 the complex track layout and quiet nature of the station since the closure of the branch led to its being used as a main location for the filming of the driver training films for the new diesel multiple units.

After passenger closure

Just after closure the station was used by Anglia Television as a location for Weaver's Green. This was a twice-weekly serial, based on a fictional vets' practice in an East Anglian village with a post office and shop, church, pub, railway station and racing stable. Two vets, played by Grant Taylor and Eric Flynn, were the central characters, and Wendy Richard, of EastEnders, and Kate O'Mara, who was to join the cast of Dynasty, played minor roles. Soon after this filming took place the island platform buildings and signal box were demolished.

Final closure

The line remained open for freight, but the track was removed by British Rail following the withdrawal of goods traffic from Ryburgh in 1981. The main building survived as a small factory unit making plaster ceiling roses.

Fakenham and Dereham Railway Society

By the late 1980s the station was heavily overgrown and derelict. Breckland District Council bought the station in 1987, intending to use it as a visitor centre, but felt that a station without track and trains looked wrong. The Fakenham and Dereham Railway Society (F&DRS) were offered a 999-year lease to move to the site from their headquarters at Yaxham and restore the railway side of the site.

Great Eastern Railway (1989) Limited

With the announcement of the closure of the entire branch between Wymondham, Dereham and North Elmham, a new company called the Great Eastern Railway (1989) Limited was formed to save the line.

The F&DRS backed this scheme, and the lease of the station was signed over to the GER (1989) Ltd. Although far from certain, the future of the line, and County School station, seemed more secure than it had for many years. During these years, the F&DRS continued to provide financial backing and manpower for the development of the site. The running line was extended over half a mile towards North Elmham, and a collection of rolling stock was built up.

During the early 1990s, the GER (1989) announced plans to lift the railway between Dereham and Wymondham. The F&DRS withdrew their support for the GER and made their own bid for the line. In 1995 Yorkshire Bank called in the receivers to solve concerns with the Great Eastern Railway (1989) Ltd. In June 1995 Breckland Council informed the receivers that they wished for the GER (1889) Ltd. to give up the lease for County School station so that they could review their operations in respect of the site. The GER (1989) Ltd., who stated that they were attracting 12,000 visitors a year to the site, announced that they would contest this decision.

In July 1995, police were called in to investigate the sudden and unauthorised road transfer of two Mid Norfolk Railway Society Mk 2 coaches to a breaker's yard at nearby Lenwade. In July 1996 Breckland District Council issued a threat to stop trains running at County School station, as it was found that someone other than the leaseholder was operating trains at the site; the lease being non-transferable. In November 1996 Breckland District Council brought in 24-hour security guards at the County School site in order to prevent the stripping of the property after having served an eviction order on the GER (1989) in mid-October.

County School station was boarded up and GER (1989) Ltd. rolling stock was concentrated in the isolated yard prior to disposal or scrapping. All track north of the station platforms was then lifted, and, as shown in the photograph, the site was left to become derelict.

Mid-Norfolk Railway Preservation Trust (MNRPT)

In 1998 the MNRPT signed a Tenancy at Will with Breckland District Council to take over the station and trackbed at County School. The track north of the platforms had, again, been lifted. The remainder was overgrown. The station was boarded up, with smashed glass, a stripped interior and broken windows.

The MNR quickly returned the station to use, as a visitor centre, rather than an operational railway museum. Over the next year, the MNR spent £28,000 restoring the station buildings to wartime London and North Eastern Railway condition, tidying the grounds and removing scrap material left by the former lessee. Additional investment saw the station drive, damaged after decades of neglect, professionally resurfaced, scrub growth removed from the railway formation opening up the views of the Wensum Valley for walkers and preparing the formation for restoration of track.

Recognising the financial and manpower investment that the MNRPT had put into the site over the years, Breckland District Council offered to sell the station and trackbed to the Railway for the nominal sum of £1. This offer was accepted, and County School is now a part of the 17-mile-long branch line. In 2010 the station was repainted into the colours employed elsewhere on the line.

Present day and plans

The station forms an important key in the plans of the Mid-Norfolk Railway, and will serve as the northern terminus of the line while the task of restoring the line to Fakenham is considered.

The signal box, demolished after passenger closure, is being rebuilt using components from Halesworth and the trackbed between County School and North Elmham is being restored ready for the restoration of the line.

A longer-term aim is the rebuilding of the demolished island platform building. No trains operate at the station. All the staff are volunteers.