Thetford and Watton Railway
The Thetford and Watton
act was passed on 16th July 1866. The line was built from Roudham Junction on
the GER line between Thetford and East Harling and opened between Thetford (using
running powers over the GER) and Watton on 28th January 1869 for goods (run by
the contractors) and 18th October 1869 for passengers. The Watton and Swaffham
act was passed on 20th July 1869. The line from Swaffham to Watton opened for
goods on 20th September 1875 and for passengers on 15th November 1875. At this
time the engine shed at Watton was closed and a new one was opened at Swaffham.
The Thetford and Watton Railway Co. operated the line from Watton to Swaffham
with the whole sometimes known as the Thetford and Swaffham Railway. From 1876
the Thetford and Watton also operated trains between Bury St. Edmunds and
Swaffham. These services were short-lived however as the GER took over the Bury
St. Edmunds to Thetford line on 1st August 1879 and on March 1st
1880, entered into a lease of the other two railways, and the seven locomotives
with which the Thetford and Watton Co. had hitherto conducted the service
henceforth passed into the hands of the GER. In 1897 the GER acquired the
undertakings of the Thetford and Watton Railway and the Watton and Swaffham
Railway. At that time it was known as the Bury, Thetford and Swaffham Branch of
the Great Eastern Railway according to an 1888-1913 map.
By 1922 the working timetable for the GER shows the two lines separately as
Bury and Thetford and Thetford and Swaffham. Brief details of the 5 relevant
Acts appear below the locomotive data table.
Copied from an original print now held by Tony Hisgett who found them while house clearing for a deceased
friend “John”. Dehazed, contrast enhanced and
converted to black & white from sepia by myself.
I have yet to find any early photographs but I do have the
following illustrations which were published in the Locomotive Review over 100
years ago.
Above: 2-4-0T GER 802, formerly Thetford and Watton No 1.
Below: 2-4-0T GER
804, formerly Thetford & Watton No 4.
Above: 0-4-2 GER 807, as running between 1880 and 1886, formerly Thetford and Watton No 7 for use on Swaffham to Bury St. Edmunds trains.
Below: GER 0806, as running from 1886, formerly Thetford and Watton No 6 for use on Swaffham to Bury St. Edmunds trains. The 0 prefix means the locomotive has been transferred to a duplicate list as the numbers 800 upwards were being applied to the new Y14 class, Later LNER J-15 class. All former Thetford and Watton locomotives were so treated in 1886.
Thetford and Watton Railway locomotive list |
|||||||||
T&W No. |
Maker |
No |
Year |
Wh. Arr. |
Cylinders |
Dr. Wh. Dia |
GER No |
Scrapped |
Notes |
1 |
Manning Wardle & Co. |
298 |
1870 |
2-4-0T |
13 x 20 OC |
4' 6" |
802 |
10/1887 |
Thetford and Watton Railway |
2 |
Manning Wardle & Co. |
299 |
1870 |
2-4-0T |
13 x 20 OC |
4' 6" |
803 |
5/1888 |
Thetford and Watton Railway |
3 |
Stother & Slaughter |
? |
1850 |
0-6-0ST |
13 x 20 |
4' 0" |
801 |
6/1884 |
Purchased 4/1874 |
4 |
Sharp Stewart |
2474 |
1875 |
2-4-0T |
15 x 20 |
4' 6˝" |
804 |
8/1887 |
For Watton & Swaffham services |
5 |
Sharp Stewart |
2475 |
1875 |
2-4-0T |
15 x 20 |
4' 6˝" |
805 |
8/1887 |
For Watton & Swaffham services |
6 |
Sharp Stewart |
2595 |
1876 |
0-4-2 |
15 x 22 |
5' 0" |
806 |
12/1891 |
For Bury to Swaffham services |
7 |
Sharp Stewart |
2596 |
1876 |
0-4-2 |
15 x 22 |
5' 0" |
807 |
12/1890 |
For Bury to Swaffham services |
Leased to GER from 1st March 1880
before being acquired by another Act in 1897. |
|||||||||
Ref: SLS list ref: L4156 with edits from
Locomotive Review Vol 17, 1911. |
|||||||||
The Stratford-built J-15 class of 1886 onwards
were given numbers from 801 upwards and the above locomotives were placed on the duplicate list and given a 0 prefix
in 1886, becoming 0801-0807. The Journal of the Historical Model Railway
Society Volume 18 page 426 (December 2005) mentions the Thetford and Watton
Railway coaching stock. The Stother and
Slaughter locomotive was sold new to the Monmouthshire railway and canal in
1850 and was purchased from Budd & Holt in 1874. |
Thetford and Watton Railway Acts
Held by: |
Parliamentary
Archives |
Date: |
1866 |
Reference: |
HL/PO/PB/1/1866/29&
30V1n253 |
Held by: |
Parliamentary
Archives |
Date: |
1869 |
Reference: |
HL/PO/PB/1/1869/32&
33V1n155 |
Local Act,
36 & 37 Victoria I, c. cviii
Held by: |
Parliamentary
Archives |
Date: |
1873 |
Reference: |
HL/PO/PB/1/1873/36&
37V1n149 |
Held by: |
Parliamentary
Archives |
Date: |
1897 |
Reference: |
HL/PO/PB/1/1897/60&
61V1n120 |
Held by: |
Norfolk Record
Office |
Date: |
15 July 1897 |
Reference: |
C/Scf 2/1/34 |