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RoR Narrow Gauge Railways

On the August bank holiday we ventured back to Bressingham after a 10 year gap. As a young child Bressingham was a wondeful awe inspiring place. Full of immaculate shiny machines full of life. The two engines on the Nursery line seemed to never stop. Bressingham was the steam version of a sweet shop. So many things to marvel at. The huge Oliver Cromwell, the small garden railway, the noise of the organ on the gallopers and the Nursery Line trains constantly pulling away across the yard.

Prehaps I shouldn't have returned -I was impressed on a visit in 1994 so what harm could another visit do. But first pictures -

Nursery Line

Waverley Line

Garden Railway

Gallopers

The Green - Gallopers and the standard gauge Polish engine (left), Dads Army exibition hall (right) and mud.

Standard Gauge

Golden Arrow - 2 pictures joined together

The Bad Points

First of all I really don't like feeling about Bressinham like this. I always held it in high regard. I have such wonderful memories of the place so prehaps I should have kept them as memories and stayed away. While most museums and trusts have moved on from the ash covered platforms and dirty sites, Bressingham seems to still be stuck in the past - at there cost.

Prehaps my expectations of a premier site were too high.

1. COST

£11 is not cheap. I know it costs alot to run engines but - Standard gauge not running, no traction engines in steam, no staionary engines in steam, only one engine running on each of the narrow gauge railways. Food was also premium prices but not really premium quality. It was after all the August bank holiday

2. MESSY

The standard gauge sheds were way ahead of there time in the 1970's. Now they are dark and dingy. Not at all welcoming.

The above left picture is the first thing you see as you enter the site from the ticket office. It is the back of the garden railway. Around the front you queue along a mud path. I would expect this at a club track but then you would pay 50p - £1 for a ride.

The main area has the large Polish loco on display. It is riddled with asbestos and will probably never run again. Is it their intention to leave it at the most prominent position to simple fall to pieces. If its scrap then why leave it there.

The left picture of the Waverley route is the exit from the station. You have to clamber across the tracks to get out. Bit of a struggle with the pram yet alone any person with disability. We are in the the 2000's what's going on. When you get off the train on the Waverly route you are greeted with the most terrible stench. Next to the platform is a ditch full of stagnant water. It was truly aweful.

3. GOING SLOW

There has been mention in the railway press of the new standard gauge track. Very impressive. Probably gives a good run but then how would we know. On all previous visits both the narrow gauge lines ran two trains. Each line has two platforms - one for boarding and one for getting off. As one train pulled in the other pulled out. Now its on the hour and half past. The use of the two platform system seems to add to the feeling of a missing train.

The tracks on both routes were rough and resulted in slow running. I remember the Waverley line being a fast and fun ride. Now it is simply painful. In one place we crept over the rails as it lurched at an uncomfortable angle.

4. THE GARDEN RAILWAY

The 10 1/4" gauge railway replaced the original small 9 1/2" gauge garden railway. This was my first time on this line. The original railway was located at the rear of the magnificant gardens. It appeared out of the bushes and was an absolute inspiration to a young boy. This was the railway every young boy dreamt of having in his garden.

Now it has been replace with new track and stock. To me this railway is a poor replacement. The use of garden in the title is a joke. It starts next to a wide dirt track, before it skirts around the edge of the garden giving you a much better view of the main A road, tatty hedge lines and a beautiful view of the compost heaps. The line turns on a loop which is located in waste land. This line should be renamed the SCRUB LAND RAILWAY.

MY SUMMARY

Bressingham was one mans passion - Alan Bloom. It is now run as a trust. Perhaps the enthusiasm of one man was the driving force behind the set up of the site. May be finance was not a problem in the past. The nurseries were way ahead of their time and brought in a large income. Now as a trust, costs are critical. May be my grumblings about track conditions, mud instead of paths or lack of steaming trains all cost money to rectify. Money which the trust hasn't got.

On the same hand these thing have put me off from returning to the site for perhaps another 10 years. A shame as I would have loved Clark to experience Bressingham as I did as a child.

It lacks the enthusiam that many voluntarily run sites seem to get across. The Wormshill and Bredgar Railway is a good example of how to do it. - Clean sheds with well lit and clean exibits, the junk hidden, all paths clean and well marked out and finally the day we visited non stop steam train rides.

What is amazing is this place seems to be going backwards. Where many railways have cleaned up their act to get the families in, Bressingham has stood still. May be some people will be happy it hasn't changed, but for me the dirty sites of the 1970's are not sorely missed.

The leisure market is growing fast and Bressingham has missed its place in the market. It seems to struggle with its identity. It is neither appealing for the family nor specialist enough for the enthusiasts. I feel bad writing such things but the lack of people on what should be one of the busiest of the year seems that many people are voting with their feet.

Please do go and make your own mind up. I have not written this to put people off but more as a hope that maybe one day a lottery grant or investment / donation would let the site show off its full potential.