News
29 March 2020
In compliance with current government advice regarding the Coronavirus outbreak, we have cancelled until further notice all volunteers workdays, local events and outreach meetings. Our last workdate was on Tuesday 20th March.
21st March 2020
The Bird’s Folly Loco Shed after we strimmed and tidied it up on Tuesday 17th March. The path to the left of the fence looks towards Halesworth and was the single track main line from Halesworth to Southwold.
We had another good turnout of four valiant volunteers at the Blythburgh Shed on Sunday 15th March. Bridget, Tony, Richard and James. All the cut-down vegetation around the front and both sides was burned, and the site tidied up and raked over. Most of the work required at the rear of the Shed is now done. Inside the Shed, the structure was jacked up to make the ridge level. It was a very long job. The temporary struts are now a little more simplified and there is now a much better (acrow) support for the West end of the ridge. The first bit of new timber is now in place. It is the rafter under the middle of the hole in the roof and additionally the rafter under the centre is now fixed temporarily, until it can be replaced. The place where the wall hole was, in the South East corner, is now jacked up to level as well, as it was sagging on two of the posts and this means the new baseplate can be inserted under the posts. So, in summary, the roof ridge is now level and the roof now has a lot more support. There is still a lot more work to be done though.
A good turnout of 6 volunteers on Tuesday 10th March. Harry (his legs are pictured here) ably assisted by Alan made great progress in solving the mystery of establishing how the air brakes work on our loco ‘Holton’. In Channel Tunnel days there had been a bodge of the Parking brake which had to be untangled and corrected and by the end of the day the parking brake was working and the main brakes were well on the way to working properly. To achieve this progress Harry had to spend most of the day under the loco. James, with help from Alan, made a rail carrier, which should make moving rail about a bit easier. Richard drilled out the hinges for the Blythburgh Shed, and all the hinges for the fencing modification at the Folly (to allow the wagon to enter onto the track): as soon as we have the coach bolts and machine screws, we are ready for both onsite jobs. James drill wire brushed the spokes of a wheelset from our ex Royal Navy wagon and similarly Ken drill wire brushed one of the coupling cases for our loco and then applied de-rusting paint to it. James later followed this up with the application of primer. Malcolm carried on with re-purposing the brackets (ex- garden-railway) for the BB shed and other uses, put two up in the bothy for future shelving, and mended the door into the other workshop for good measure.
Wednesday 4th March 2020
The track we laid recently at Halesworth.
Tuesday 3rd March 2020
Another busy workday. Here is a recently acquired chain which is likely to be the one used in conjunction with the wheel pump on the platform at Bird’s Folly and the well beneath it. We have attached the only known photo of the platform, wheel and chain over the well which was situated behind the then still standing loco shed at Bird’s Folly. The well still exists. The photo was taken long after the railway closed in April 1929.
Also on display were the recently acquired bricks which will be used to rebuild the brickwork at Blythburgh Station Shed.
Alan and Harry worked tirelessly on the brakes of the locomotive and made more progress in solving the mystery of the workings of the air brakes.
Young James and Richard worked on the wood for the said Shed and Ken and James the Elder also worked on preparing timbers for the Shed and James the Elder added a top coat to the wagon ends of the Contractor’s Wagon destined for residence at Bird’s Folly.
After the conclusion of the workday James the Elder and Ken brushed themselves down and tidied themselves up and travelled to Holy Trinity Methodists Church Lowestoft where they gave a talk about the history of the railway and the efforts made by our Society in the last two years to revive and rebuild it and our plans for the future.
23rd February 2020
We worked very hard to remove at least 50 years accumulated growth on the roof of the Southwold Railway Coal Shed. All the work on this building is extremely important and worthwhile given that this is the last surviving building from the Southwold Railway which closed in April 1929. We owe it to posterity to rescue and preserve it.
We removed a log sized bit of Ivy from the walls. It had grown to be part of them. We uncovered a substantial brick course which forms a substantial support to the walls of the shed but the major achievement was removing the enormous vegetation which had become part of the roof and which eventually would have caused it to collapse. We came across a few expertly crafted handmade nails during our work. The ‘louvres’ on the outside of the shed continue to puzzle us. They are not hinged but were clearly removable. We don’t know what they were for nor do we know anybody who does.
Many thanks to our volunteers, Richard D, Jamie, James and Ken who braved the at times wet and windy conditions although after lunch we had a nice sunny day. Thanks to
http://www.halesworthtoolhire.co.uk for the hire of the Acrow Jacks and to http://www.blythburgh-whitehart.co.uk across the road where we repaired to for a sup or two and some excellent Blythburgh Sausage Rolls of the giant variety.
Friday 21sr February 2029
We are very pleased to announce that all 70 sleepers have now been sponsored for Project 1, Halesworth Junction, the track laying at Bird’s Folly Halesworth. Many thanks to all of you who helped us so much by sponsoring one or more sleepers. There is still a little more work to be done on that Project and we will update you as and when that is undertaken and completed.
We are now opening Sponsorship for Project 2, Bird’s Quarry Junction. This comprises the re-laying of the point (and point lever) that led into the loco shed at the Folly (ideally using some original components), a short headshunt from this on the site of the quarry branch, and a piece of the track which led to the main line. The current fencing will be modified to provide two gates, and heritage fencing provided around the new track work. We already have the point – so the main costs will be clearance, ballast, sleepers, gates, and fencing materials. The Sponsorship Offer will remain the same – £35.00 per sleeper. Details are on our shop page.
Bird’s Quarry Junction
Here is advance notice of an event being organised by the Society and it is a first for Halesworth – Halesworth’s very own Model Rail Show at the Rifle Hall on Saturday 15th August 2020 from 10.30am to 4pm. It will feature layouts, Society and Trade stands and demonstrations.
The Rifle Hall Halesworth
We are constructing a Contractor’s wagon which will eventually go on display at site of the loco shed in Bird’s Folly Halesworth.
Contractor’s wagon.
We now have facsimile copies of the 1914 Southwold Railway Timetable for sale in our online shop. The facsimile was sourced from a very rare original timetable owned by one of the Co-Chairmen of he Society. It was issued just before the outbreak of WW1 and contains a map showing the course of the Southwold Railway. It also contains details about Southwold and local places of interest, drives, cycle rides and walks from Southwold, tickets, details of the Company and its Directors, its rates and regulations for parcels and livestock, its current Byelaws and Regulations and some interesting contemporary advertisements. It’s only £4.95 plus £1.50 p & p.
1914 Southwold Railway Timetable
Sunday 26th January 2020
We had a very good team for the Blythburgh Shed foliage removal work. Just a reminder, the shed at Blythburgh Station is the sole remaining Southwold Railway building and after 90 years of neglect and foliage growth it is in a very bad way indeed. We have included two old photos of the shed. One taken after the railway closed and the track was taken up. The other taken in the early days of the line when there were two sheds. The one we are working to preserve and restore is the second shed, the one closest to the church. One of the aims of our Society is the safeguarding and care of artefacts and remnants of the Railway. Our self imposed brief was to remove the tree branches and ivy that were weighing down on the structure – a job that has to be done before the birds start nesting. Richard D, Chris, Alex, Richard G, and Jamie (with the dubious help of “nine-fingered James”) tackled the ivy trees which were growing over and into the shed. Richard D’s tools and experience allowed us to get the major tree branch off without destroying what remains of the roof, while Chis tackled the east wall, nibbling away at the vast mat of branches at that end. Alex and Richard G fought an (ultimately) winning battle against the enormous ivy tree that was entangled into the west and for good measure, completed work on the one on the east as well. Jamie and James provided a series of props and strengthening angles to the insides, as the more we do the more fragile the shed seems. Towards the end of the day, Richard D was removing the dead timber which surrounded the two main trees to the south, chopping and removing a large boss of tangles timber on the western roof end, and then chopping up, bit by bit, the 2-foot-thick and extremely heavy mats of ivy, leaves, and other detritus from the roof – these still had “crinkly-tin” indentations underneath, although the actual roof sheets were long gone. Richard G and Alex were getting rid of the last of the eastern ivy (and when you envisage ivy, it’s not normally 8” thick!). Chris and Jamie were removing rubbish from the southern roof, and James was pondering how to replace the door hinges, and measuring for acrows. At the end of a long day, we were left with the major part of the most essential work done: most of the really heavy vegetation on the roof is gone (almost all gone on the southern elevation), and both of the ivy trees which were embracing the end walls also. There is also, now, a major hole in the NW roof: in fact, it was always there,but disguised by branches and greenery. All four walls are clear, so we can properly see the magnitude of the task we will have in restoration. The Society is very thankful for the “above-and-beyond” persistence of our volunteers on this prestige project – there seems to be very little that is thrown at them that they will not tackle. Not content with these major achievements, the team decided to re-convene in two weeks’ time, on Sunday February 9th, to do that last bit on the roof (the most awkward to get at), cut back the northern tree that threatens the undoing of all our work, tidy up all the leavings, and make a start on deciding how best to shore up, and mend, this – now – slightly shaky edifice. The restoration work will cost thousands of pounds so any donation, large or small, would help us fund this enormous and important task. Please mention Blythburgh Shed when making a donation which can be made by clicking on ‘Membership/Donation’ on our website.
Tuesday January 28th January 2020
This turned out to be a red-letter day for our Society. At about 4.15pm, the wheels on our RFS loco turned under power for the first time in – probably – 15 or 20 years. Harry and Alan spent the morning removing the actuating rod on the parking brake – it was completely seized. That then released the brake shoes each side of the disc, allowing Alan to lever the disc around, which in turn moved both wheelsets. Then in the afternoon, they doggedly traced missing wires and stuck solenoids, until the entire system came to life. This means that the transmission – cardan shafts, gearing, hydraulics – is all working as it should – the wheels turned smoothly, with no glitches or hesitation. Next Tuesday, the various short-cuts which were necessary to get this done can be worked through, and returned to optimal operation. If its wheels were on the ground instead of being jacked up at present the loco would only move forward at the moment – but a similar system will make it reverse, so confidence is high that that will soon follow. I am afraid that James was so gobsmacked that he failed to record the red-letter moment on video – hopefully we can do that next week. It’s a very impressive achievement, of which our loco team can be justly proud. Meanwhile, Malcolm, James and Richard were burning rubbish and rotten wood, removing “heritage” brackets to be used at the Blythburgh Shed, drilling and fish-plating the two closure rails that Jamie did last time (one needed some bending – that is done as well), removing the tie-bar (this moves the point blades, being attached to the point lever) to be assessed, cleaned up and de-rusted, completing the Coach 1 brake cross-shaft paint, cleaning up and de-rusting the new spring retainers for Coach 1, top-coating Wagon 1, and such other small jobs. Alan brought in an extremely nice and sumptuous chocolate cake, to celebrate his birthday – it did not last long!
22 December 2019
Why not become a Member of our Society? It’s only £5 a year and you can join online through our Membership and Shop Pages.
Members of the Society can opt in to receive our Newsletters. One is weekly and is called ‘Halesworth Headshunt’ and is aimed mainly towards our active volunteers but any Member can opt in to receive it. It contains updates all our volunteering activities and other up to date news. In addition we have a quarterly Newsletter ‘Halesworth’s Happening’ which provides a summary of our activities over the last quarter together with a section about the history of the
Sunday January 21st 2020
We had a very good team for the Blythburgh Shed foliage removal work. Just a reminder, the shed at Blythburgh Station is the sole remaining Southwold Railway building and after 90 years of neglect and foliage growth it is in a very bad way indeed. We have included two old photos of the shed. One taken after the railway closed and the track was taken up. The other taken in the early days of the line when there were two sheds. The one we are working to preserve and restore is the second shed, the one closest to the church. One of the aims of our Society is the safeguarding and care of artefacts and remnants of the Railway. Our self imposed brief was to remove the tree branches and ivy that were weighing down on the structure – a job that has to be done before the birds start nesting. Richard D, Chris, Alex, Richard G, and Jamie (with the dubious help of “nine-fingered James”) tackled the ivy trees which were growing over and into the shed. Richard D’s tools and experience allowed us to get the major tree branch off without destroying what remains of the roof, while Chis tackled the east wall, nibbling away at the vast mat of branches at that end. Alex and Richard G fought an (ultimately) winning battle against the enormous ivy tree that was entangled into the west and for good measure, completed work on the one on the east as well. Jamie and James provided a series of props and strengthening angles to the insides, as the more we do the more fragile the shed seems. Towards the end of the day, Richard D was removing the dead timber which surrounded the two main trees to the south, chopping and removing a large boss of tangles timber on the western roof end, and then chopping up, bit by bit, the 2-foot-thick and extremely heavy mats of ivy, leaves, and other detritus from the roof – these still had “crinkly-tin” indentations underneath, although the actual roof sheets were long gone. Richard G and Alex were getting rid of the last of the eastern ivy (and when you envisage ivy, it’s not normally 8” thick!). Chris and Jamie were removing rubbish from the southern roof, and James was pondering how to replace the door hinges, and measuring for acrows. At the end of a long day, we were left with the major part of the most essential work done: most of the really
heavy vegetation on the roof is gone (almost all gone on the southern elevation), and both of the ivy trees which were embracing the end walls also. There is also, now, a major hole in the NW roof: in fact, it was always there,but disguised by branches and greenery. All four walls are clear, so we can properly see the magnitude of the task we will have in restoration. The Society is very thankful for the “above-and-beyond” persistence of our volunteers on this prestige project – there seems to be very little that is thrown at them that they will not tackle. Not content with these major achievements, the team decided to re-convene in two weeks’ time, on Sunday February 9th, to do that last bit on the roof (the most awkward to get at), cut back the northern tree that threatens the undoing of all our work, tidy up all the leavings, and make a start on deciding how best to shore up, and mend, this – now – slightly shaky edifice. The restoration work will cost thousands of pounds so any donation, large or small, would help us fund this enormous and important task. Please mention Blythburgh Shed when making a donation which can be made by clicking on ‘Membership/Donation’ on our website.
Tuesday January 28th January 2020
This turned out to be a red-letter day for our Society. At about 4.15pm, the
wheels on our RFS loco turned under power for the first time in – probably – 15 or 20
years. Harry and Alan spent the morning removing the actuating rod on the parking brake – it was completely seized. That then released the brake shoes each side of the disc, allowing Alan to lever the disc around, which in turn moved both wheelsets. Then in the afternoon, they doggedly traced missing wires and stuck solenoids, until the entire system came to life. This means that the transmission – cardan shafts, gearing, hydraulics – is all working as it should – the wheels turned smoothly, with no glitches or hesitation. Next Tuesday, the various short-cuts which were necessary to get this done can be worked through, and returned to optimal operation. If its wheels were on the ground instead of being jacked up at present the loco would only move forward at the moment – but a similar system will make it reverse, so confidence is high that that will soon follow. I am afraid that James was so gobsmacked that he failed to record the red-letter moment on video – hopefully we can do that next week. It’s a very impressive achievement, of which our loco team can be justly proud. Meanwhile, Malcolm, James and Richard were burning rubbish and rotten wood, removing “heritage” brackets to be used at the Blythburgh Shed, drilling and fish-plating the two closure rails that Jamie did last time (one needed some bending – that is done as well), removing the tie-bar (this moves the point blades, being attached to the point lever) to be assessed, cleaned up and de-rusted, completing the Coach 1 brake cross-shaft paint, cleaning up and de-rusting the new spring retainers for Coach 1, top-coating Wagon 1, and such other small jobs. Alan brought in an extremely nice and sumptuous chocolate cake, to celebrate his birthday – it did not last long!
Here is a recent edition of Halesworth’s Happening’ and below that is an edition of ‘Halesworth Headshunt.’
14 December 2019
An out of the ordinary day for us on Tuesday 10 December. Two of our sleeper sponsors had told us that they wanted to lay and fit their own sleepers and so we made arrangements for them to come along and do just that. So at 11am HSNGRS members Jackie and Kevin Mouzer arrived and under supervision, laid and ballasted their sleepers. At 12 noon likewise Lee Hill and Stuart Reed. Our band of volunteers were there to supervise them and fetch the required ballast. The team then some adjustments along parts of the track, slewing and adjusting.where necessary. Apart from a little more track to be provided on the bridges, this section of relaid track on the old trackbed of the Southwold Railway at Halesworth is now complete. We thank all our sleeper sponsors for their support for this project. Without them we could not have got it done. Around 1 pm the weather deteriorated so we all retired to warmth of the Olive Cafe at Holton Garden Centre where we had our pre Christmas celebration. Tuesday workdays now cease until 6th January. There is one Sunday workday left before Christmas and that is this Sunday at our Workshop.
4 December 2019
Halesworth’s own loco No.2 ‘Halesworth’ in original Southwold Railway livery.
4 December 2019
The Society’s new van.
19 November 2019
The weather was kind today and we laid another 12 yards of track on the original trackbed at Bird’s Folly Halesworth, making 51 yards in total on this stretch. Many thanks to our hard working volunteers, Dave, Harry, Alan, Richard, Stewart, James and Ken.
23 October 2019
Another 6 yards panel of track, sleepers and ballast laid on 22 October 2019 by our dedicated and enthusiastic team of volunteers in accordance with full permission granted by and with the blessing of the Halesworth Millennium Green Trust (HMGT). We have now laid 1 1/2 chains (a form of measurement used by the original Southwold Railway) which equates to 33 yards. We have another chain (22 yards) to lay on this stretch plus a panel on Bridge No.2.
We deployed our permanent way trolley for the first time today and it proved very useful, as it helped us move sleepers and ballast up the lengthening line. It was a gift from our friends at the Mid-Suffolk Railway, who also kindly re-gauged it to our 3 foot gauge. Apart from a 6 yards panel of rails laid on the bridge in 2000 by HMGT as part of the Millennium celebrations, these are the first rails laid on this part of the Southwold Railway trackbed since 1941 when they were taken up and used as scrap by HM Government as part of the war effort.
If you wish to get regular updates of our work you can receive a weekly digital Newsletter called Halesworth Headshunt. This provides details of the work carried out by our volunteers and is supplemented by a quarterly digital Newsletter called Halesworth Happenings. This is a compendium of our activities over the previous 3 months together with other interesting material including an historical feature called Railway Reminiscences. These Newsletters are available only to members of our Society. Membership costs only £5 a year. Details of how to join us are contained in the Memberships/Donate section of this website in a tab on the top menu.
We also provide some news of what’s going on at the Society on our Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages.
16 June 2019
HSNGR Achievements list June 2019
1 June 2019 – We have set up a track bed fund called the Halesworth Junction Track Fund for which we are inviting sponsorship. Details are in the below leaflet:
Leaflet A5 fund temporary June 2019
If you are interested in sponsoring a sleeper please go to our Shop Page
The track we re-laid at Bird’s Folly Halesworth in May 2019. We have permission to lay more.
Another view of the track by the Society in May 2019 on the Bridge at Bird’s Folly Halesworth
Work carried out by the Society at the loco shed in Bird’s Folly Halesworth
Work continues on our diesel hydraulic loco ‘Holton’
- Work continues on our Diesel Hydraulic loco ‘Holton’
Members of the Society can receive all the latest news in our regular online newsletter “Halesworth Headshunt”.
All donations are being applied to our Trackbed Fund. It is vital that we secure sections of the trackbed as and when they become available. Please click on ‘Make a Donation’ on our Membership/Donate page. Please give generously.
Our Member’s Newsletters are archived here:
Please visit our Facebook page: https://m.facebook.com/HalesworthtoSouthwoldNGR