For those who don't know, the Reverend W Audry who wrote the Thomas The Tank Engine books, was a local vicar. He was very familiar with the trams going through; both diesel and the original steam. And wrote the stories for his young son. I am also informed that he and the Reverend Boston (Wisbech's St. Peter & St. Paul's church) had a train set running in an upstairs room of Peckover House. With regard to the vehicles themselves, the coaches with the wrought iron verandah at each end were particular to this line after it was deemed viable for passenger traffic. One coach was lost in the Ealing Comedy 'The Titfield Thunderbolt' but the other is still to be found on the North Norfolk Steam Preservation Railway.
No carriages were lost in The Titfield Thunderbolt. Rather, the carriage used in that film was broken up later by BR. However, tthere's a sister carriage preserved on the North Norfolk Railway and used on special occasions.
Picture 18 is the view I would see from the garden of the cottage where we lived when I was a young boy. Facing Outwell basin, I used to walk over the bridge with my dad. We lived there from about 1957 to 1959. Sorry to be vague, but it is a long time ago, and some of the memories are a bit faded...
Wow! The steam engines of the U.S. have always been heroes of mine. I don't know much about England's trains (trams) - but really enjoyed the education by pictures and loved the song included. My grandfather was a trolley car conductor in Ohio in the era of some of those pics. Thanks! Very interesting!
I remember going through the goods yard with my mum to St. Clements on a Sunday and riding to Wisbech (Where I was born) with my nan from Upwell. We lived in Cinema Cottages in Upwell, nan F. lived fuurther down stream by New Bridge and nan R lived in Hope House in Outwell. Dad would often race down the road in our van to get to the crossing first, because The Fruit Growers Special was soo long & slow it took forever to cross the unguarded road crossing, also you had to watch where you parked outside the shops, or you'd get tooted for blocking the line.
Sorry to reopen an old debate... but Outwell and Upwell are in Norfolk. Wisbech is in Cambridgeshire. The SE corner of Lincolnshire is only a few miles away, but no part of this line ran through it.
@Stephen Saunders. Four years later, I might add that at the time these photos were taken, half of each village was in Cambridgeshire and the other in Norfolk. The county boundary was defined by the course of Well Creek. They became wholly part of Norfolk as part of boundary changes made in the 1970's and 1990's. They were never part of Lincolnshire as far as I know. Lincolnshire is the other side of the River Nene. On the other hand, river courses in the region have changed considerably over past centuries due to land drainage, so who knows? It may have been in the distant past.
Ya know, I'm curious just how much weight distribution a fleet of short and sturdy wooden, boxy steam tram locomotives could haul. I'm no mathematician, but the trams look like they could at least push and pull freight weight around up to 7 tons, to which I have no clue how many cars or carriages that would total up to. But if they were strong enough to haul trains ranging up to 4 to 7 passenger coaches long, then what astounding square machines on rails they were. Sadly not a lot of those steam trams have survived to be in preservation at any local public railroad/railway museum. Although, after growing up watching one of my favorite childhood TV shows, _Thomas & Friends,_ there is only one of those last surviving tram engines that was based off of them prior to the original _Railway Series_ books by Wilbert and Christopher Awdry, and that tram engine is Toby himself.
Very interesting, thanks for sharing. I had difficulty reading the captions because the speed of the slideshow was a little too fast, maybe another 5 seconds per shot would be better
0:18 Heavens, we lived not far from that corner of Elm High Road at a house called Netherby, between 1976 and 1978. I recall the track bed along the side of the main road, but fairly certain all the track had been lifted before we moved there. Would loved to have seen it in action.
Sorry But Wisbech North station (M&GNR) ran lines to the Leverington Road sidings and North End riverside sidings (the map says tramway- but don't take that literally). The Tram was first run by Great Eastern Railway Co. (GER) and operated solely from LNER's Wisbech East Station (yes we had Two stations and Three railways companies in those days) out to and alongside the canal past Elm village and out to Outwell and Upwell village depots. GER then merged with LNER and the locos were marked as such, and then following nationalisation British Railways took over. The Tram was unique in Great Britain for running unfenced alongside the road - hence the cowcatchers and sideplates. (Not unique in the UK- there was another unfenced rail line in Northern Ireland). With regard to another point raised I have a1940's map of the town and there is no indication nor do I have any knowledge of rail lines within the town centre. However there were M&GNR lines running alongside the Old Market on the other side of the river (along from North End.
BTW, does ANYONE out there remember railway lines in the street in the market place in Wisbech, which I believe were an extension for trams to run into town. I think these were tarmaced over in the early 60's. Anyone remember please...
Going by the 25" OS map, street running was only on the west side of the river. In that case it was owned and operated by the M&GNJR, which didn't have any tram engines. The Harbour Branch on the east side of the river was owned and operated by the GER and was segregated like any normal railway. Tram locos may have used it, but any non-tram loco could have done.
The pictures are amazing... and the song is very beautiful, ... which is it ??.. who is the composer ??... I am Diego from Argentina , I collect differents trains from the UK. Thanks for share ...
