MARTIN LOVELL visits the Bressingham Steam Museum in Norfolk.
With lockdown restrictions eased somewhat, it was time for a well-deserved break so once again I headed to sunny Suffolk to stay with my close friend in Lowestoft.
Bressingham House.
As my friend is a keen gardener, we decided on a day out to the ornamental gardens at Bressingham, near Diss in Norfolk.
Jack Jones' Butchers Van from the Dads Army film.
Apart from the many varieties of plants and trees, it is also home to the Bressingham Steam Museum, which houses a collection of locomotives of various gauges, displays of toys, and props from the Dads Army TV series.
The gardens were established by Alan Broom in 1946, and the railways were laid to give visitors the best possible views of the various areas.
Railways at Bressingham
The 2 ft gauge railway, known as the Fen Railway, was opened in 1966 and runs for 2 ½ miles. The loco, No. 2 Bevan is based on a Kerr-Stuart design and was built at Bressingham from the parts of an on abandoned project.
The Garden Railway, 10 ¼ in gauge was constructed in 1995, running through the Dell Garden. No. 1 Alan Bloom was built at the same time as the railway, in a similar style to 944 George Sholto which runs on the Fen Railway.
The Waveney Valley Railway, which is 15 inch gauge, was opened in 1973 and is 1 ½ miles in length. This locomotive, St Christopher was constructed at the Exmoor Steam Railway and moved to Bressingham on 2011.
On the day in question there were 3 locos running on the 10 ¼ inch, 15 inch, and 2 foot gauge lines. The staff were friendly and helpful, ready to answer any questions.
Interesting trackwork around the site.
Exploring the site uncovered many interesting bits, such as dual gauge crossings and points, standard gauge locos, and a 5 inch and 7 ¼ inch gauge circuit.
Baddesley Colliery Beyer-Garratt 0-4-0+0-4-0 No. 6841 William Francis.
LB&SCR A1 Class 0-6-0T No. 662 Martello.
GER Class T26 2-4-0 No. 490.
Eventually retrieving my friend from her plants, we headed back via the on-site garden centre.
All in all, a great day out – I hope that you enjoy the pictures.
Happy Modelling
Martin.