Mangapps Railway Museum Website (Text Only Version) Mangapps Railway Museum Southminster Road Burnham-on-Crouch Essex CMO 8QQ Telephone 01621 784898 Home Page Text: Mangapps Railway Museum is a privately owned working museum established on a farm at Burnham on Crouch, Essex. It features a ¾ mile standard gauge passenger carrying line, with restored stations, signal boxes and ancillary equipment removed from various sites throughout East Anglia. To operate the line the Museum has 10 steam and diesel locomotives and over 80 carriages and wagons, some of considerable historic and technical interest. To complement the working railway the Museum has a collection of smaller railway relics which is one of the largest of its kind in Britain. This collection contains historic items connected with every aspect of railway operation and has a particular bias towards the railways of East Anglia and railway signalling - in fact the signalling collection is believed to be the largest on public display in Britain. The Railway and Museum are owned and operated by the Jolly family assisted by a dedicated staff of volunteers. Special Events 2007 Additional Steam Days Sunday 3rd June Sunday 1st July Sunday 5th August Sunday 2nd September Steam Train Rides - Every Bank Holiday Sunday and Monday except Christmas Santa Trains during December - Please phone for details Call 01621 784898 The Trains Page: LOCOMOTIVES Mangapps Railway has a variety of locomotives including Steam Engine ROF No. 8 (Barclay 1943). 'Minnie' (Fox Walker 1888) and 'Brookfield' (Bagnall, 1940) are on static display and 'Empress' (Bagnall 1954, 'Toto' (Barclay 1919) and 'Hastings' (Hunslet 1899) are being overhauled. Mangapps also hosts occasional guest engines. Recent examples have been ex LNER Y7 68088 and J15 64562. The diesel locomotive fleet consists of 4 ex British Railways Class 03 engines. Number 03089 in regular use, 03018, 03399 and 03081 are being restored. Class 04s 11104 and D2325 are in regular operation, whilst 'Elland No.1' (Hudswell Clark 1959) is currently in store. ROLLING STOCK The Railway has a large collection of passenger and goods rolling stock totalling over 80 vehicles, almost all of which are in operational condition. Passenger coaches include historic Great Eastern, Great Central, Great Northern and London SW Railway vehicles and 4 LNER 'Gresley' design coaches. In addition passengers are carried in 2 former British Railways Mark 1 coaches and 2 BR diesel multiple unit vehicles. The fleet of goods wagon is one of the most comprehensive on any heritage railway in Britain. The collection includes 8 brake vans, several of which are regularly used on passenger trains, and a wide variety of goods wagons, some over 90 years old, including several vehicles from the GER, and vehicles typical of an 'agricultural' railway, such as a cattle wagon, milk tank, grain wagon and fruit van. The Museum Page: THE MUSEUM The Museum has one of the largest and most comprehensive collections of railway items in Britain. Where possible items from the collection are displayed in the appropriate setting, for example in the restored station masters office at Mangapps station and the Lamp Hut. However, the vast majority of the collection may be seen in the Museum building. The collection is comprehensive including items of all kinds having a connection with the railways of the past, but is particularly strong in certain areas - the railway signalling collection is the largest of its kind on public display in Britain and includes a working lever frame connected to a number of preserved historic signals (which visitors can try themselves!) Adjacent to this is a carriage housing a wide variety of block telegraph, single line and associated equipment, much of which dates from the 19th century. The museum has a wide variety of items from East Anglia and particularly from the Great Eastern Railway, its predecessors and successors, and interesting displays on rail freight and railway publicity material such as a display of posters from the 1920s to the 1950s advertising the delights of Southend on Sea. The range of the Museum can be judged from the earliest item, a boundary post of the Stockton & Darlington Railway of 1825, to the latest (so far!) the plastic 'Network South-East' name board from Wickford signal box. BUILDINGS The Mangapps collection includes a number of original railway buildings. Starting at Mangapps Station, the main building is from HORHAM, on the Mid-Suffolk Light Railway. It was built in about 1904 and served until the MSLR was closed by BR in 1952. It then stood derelict on it's platform in the fields until acquired by Mangapps in 1987. It was moved here complete and is original, only the roof tin, part of the front and the office door being replacements (the door was recovered from Trowse Swing Bridge Signal Box, Norwich). Next is the first class waiting room, formerly the ground frame SIGNAL BOX from BILLERICAY. This little building was built by the LNER in 1937 and replaced the former GER signal box at the London end of the 'up' platform. It became redundant in 1994 and, being sectional, was dismantled and rebuilt here. Moving towards the museum building we come to 'BRAMPTON' waiting room. This was the first 'large' item obtained for the Mangapps collection in 1985. It was transported, complete, from Brampton station on the East Suffolk Line, where it had served as a waiting room since 1960. Prior to that it had been located at Great Ormesby, Norfolk where it had been built by the Midlands, Great Northern Joint Railway in 1894. The old carriage body is a Great Eastern Railway 2nd class 4 wheeler of 1863 to an Eastern Counties Railway design of 1857. It was withdrawn from service in about 1890 and taken to Westleton, Suffolk where it was used as a farm store, a shop and finally a bedroom!. In front of the museum building is the LAMP HUT. This hut is one of hundreds of similar buildings constructed by the Midland Railway. This example is from Westcliff on Sea Station, which was part of the Midland system after the London, Tilbury and Southend Railway was taken over in 1912. At the other end of the platform, past 'Horham' is a small LNER CROSSING KEEPERS HUT from near Saxmundham, Suffolk and next the small signal box from Berney Arms, Norfolk. This was built for the GER by McKenzie & Holland, signal contractors and became redundant about 1960. It was then removed to the garden of the adjacent Berney Arms pub, from which it was recovered as a kit of parts in 1987. It is now an operational signal box again! Beyond this box is the small hut next to the ground frame. This is a typical GER hut, which formerly served as the signalman's toilet at Edmondton Junction signal box. On the opposite side of the line is MANGAPPS JUNCTION SIGNAL BOX, again a GER box built by McKenzie and Holland. This was originally sited at Haddiscoe Junction, the junction of the lines from Norwich to Lowestoft and Beccles to Yarmouth South Town. It became redundant when the latter line was closed in 1959 and was then acquired by the Science Museum at South Kensington. It was dismantled and rebuilt about 70 metres inside the Science Museum's Transport Gallery in 1995, Haddiscoe Junction Box was given to the Mangapps Museum, who then organised its removal from South Kensington which was accomplished on the night of November 5/6 in 1996. The Box has now been permanently installed and is used to display equipment typical of a mechanical 'box of the period'.. Two other fixtures which can be classed as buildings are the GOODS YARD CRANE, east of Haddiscoe Box, which was originally at Ruskington Station on the Great Northern and Great Eastern Joint Line in Lincolnshire, and the LOADING GAUGE, west of Haddiscoe Box, which was originally at Tilbury Riverside station. OLD HEATH STATION The main building here was originally from Laxfield, the northern terminus of the mid-Suffolk Light Railway. It is virtually identical in design and history to the 'Horham' building. After closure in 1952 it was removed to the village playing field at Bedfield near Framlingham where it was used as a football pavilion until purchased by Mangapps in 1991. The other building on the platform is a former GER Passenger Train Cattle Box body built in 1891 and used from 1925 until about 1990 as a messroom and store at Melton Station, Suffolk. The train ride is ¾ mile long through the pleasant farmland setting of Mangapps. Passengers can alight at Old Heath Station and take a leisurely stroll along the lineside to the far end of the line. This is a good opportunity for all keen photographers to get snapping! Passengers can travel in a variety of interesting vintage carriages or vans depending on weather and availability. Mangapps has a luxurious 1st Class Corridor Coach, a Compartment Carriage, Diesel Rail Car and numerous Brake Vans. The Brake Vans are very popular during the summer months when open air travel is much preferred. On the very popular 'Thomas' events most of the carriages and several of the vans are needed, giving visitors a variety of rides all in one day! Train rides are always available when the Museum is open. Opening Times Page: Opening times Daily during Easter fortnight, late May Bank Holiday week 29th May – 1st June & daily during August. Ticket Prices Normal Adults £6. Senior citizen £5. Child £2.50. Under 3 years free. Steam Days Adults £7. Senior citizen £6. Child £3. Under 3 years free. Tickets include museum, lineside walk & train rides. Premium rates may apply for days when the museum has hired locomotives from other heritage railways. Group bookings Discounts apply to pre-booked groups of 15 or more people who wish to visit the museum During advertised opening times. Normal charges apply if the visits are booked other than at the advertised opening times. Refreshments Page: Light refreshments served in a vintage carriage, i.e. teas, coffees, soft drinks, ices, sweets, etc. Hot food is available on site for the 'Thomas' events only. There is a picnic site adjacent to the Refreshment Carriage. Latest News Page: Stop Press! The very latest news from Mangapps. Update April 2007 Many new items in Museum collection * New London Underground display. *French & Canadian displays expanded. Locos & Rolling Stock Regular working locos – No 8 (Andrew Barclay 0-4-0ST), D 2325 (BR 04 0-6-0DM), 03089 & 03399 (ex BR 0-6-0DMS). Class 302 Driving trailers in service, restored to BR blue! New Arrivals: Rushton 48DS Shunter. Drewry 0-4-0 Shunter. Army 226 (under restoration). BR Class 47, 47793 Following its recent purchase from EWS 47793 arrived at Mangapps from Healey Mills on Monday, 2nd April. The loco has had an interesting & varied history in it’s 43 year life, originally D1778 later renumbered 47183. It first became a celebrity in mid 1970s when it became 47579 and was allocated to Stratford Shed for service in East Anglia. It was at this time that it was named James Nightall GC after one of the heroes of the 1944 Soham explosion, when fireman Nightall and driver B Gimbert saved the town of Soham, Cambridgeshire from certain destruction. It is hoped to restore the loco to its condition during its 'East Anglian' period. Following electrification of East Anglian lines 47579 James Nightall GC was transferred away and later becoming Railway Express Systems 47793, named St Augustine by the then Archbishop of York and later still after privatisation being repainted in EWS livery and renamed Chrisopher Wren. Following the loss of most postal traffic by EWS the loco was stored serviceable in 2004 at Healey Mills, South Yorkshire until its recent purchase by the Museum's co- director James Jolly. Fancy a walk on the wild side? Visitors frequently ask us if they can walk from Mangapps to Old Heath station or vice versa. Unfortunately this has not previously been possible because the railway line is unfenced. However, wehave now fenced the whole line, so it will be possible to walk its whole length (approx. mile). Enjoy the wild life, photograph the trains or, perhaps have a picnic. There is no extra charge for the use of the footpath, just leave the train at Old Heath or follow the signs at Mangapps. Stocklist Page: 03081 as found languishing in a siding at Genappe, Belgium where it had been since 1982. Previously it had worked at March in Cambridgeshire. LOCOMOTIVES (The format for each individual stock item is as follows): Type Former Owner Name Number Date Built Builder History & Remarks Stock List: 0-6-0ST Skinningrove Steelworks 'Minnie No 358 1878 Fox Walker *see notes below 0-6-OPT Brookfield Foundry 'Brookfield No 2613 1940, Bagnall *see notes below 0-6-0ST NCB 'Empress' No 3061 1954 Bagnall Ex Cadley Hall Colliery 0-4-0ST NCB 'Toto' 1919 Andrew Barclay Ex Bleanavan Big Pit Colliery. Under restoration 0-6-0ST BR 'Hastings' 469 1888 Hunslet 0-4-0ST NCB No 47 1943 Andrew Barclay Ex Kinneill Colliery. Under restoration 0-4-0 Diesel CEGB 'Elland No 1 1954 Hudswell Clarke Ex Elland Power Station Yorkshire 0-6-0 Diesel Class 03 BR D2089/03089 1960 Doncaster Last 03 working at Norwich 1987 0-6-0 Diesel Class 03 BR D2018/03018 1958 Swindon Oldest Surviving 03 0-6-0 Diesel Class 03 BR D2081/03081 1969 Doncaster Repatriated from Belgium 2004 0-6-0 Diesel Class 03 BR D2399/03399 1961 Doncaster Ex Colchester & Ipswich 0-6-0 Diesel Class 04 BR D2325 1961 Drewry/RSH Darlington Ex NCB Norwich 0-6-0 Diesel Adam Newport '11104 1948 Drewry/Vulc an *see notes below works Nos 2252/D78 MULTIPLE UNITS Driving Trailer Class 117 Diesel MU BR 51381 1961 Pressed Steel Non-powered Driving Car LT 1030 1959 Metro Cammell Ex-District Line Tube Car Trailer LT 2044 1959 Metro Cammell Ex-District Line Tube Car Railbus BR E79963 1958 Wagon Und Maschinenbau Formerly worked on Maldon Branch, on loan from North Norfolk Railway DMS R38 LT 22624 1938 OTHER 4 Wheel Road Railer RFS Industries 7502 1965 Strachan & Henshaw 'Trackmobile' Historical Notes *'Minnie' was originally preserved in 1968 and has been on the Kent & East Sussex and East Kent Railways. She is one of only 3 Fox Walker locomotives in Britain. *'Brookfield' was designed as a metre gauge loco for export to Turkey but diverted to the Royal Navy due to WW2 (Brookfield Foundry was then operated by the Navy) *'1104' is an industrial loco, adapted to resemble a BR 'Wisbech and Upwell' Tram Engine. The Number 11104 was not used in the BR Drewry Number Series. *03089 once worked a complete Liverpool to Scarborough Express from Malton to Scarborough! *03399 worked, among many places on the Weymouth Harbour Branch. COACHING STOCK 4 Wheel 2nd GER 347 1864 Metropolitan RCW & Co Sinclair ECR Design body & underframe only 6 Wheel Composite GER/LNER 63875 1888 Stratford Body & underframe only 6 Wheel Composite GER/LNER 472E 1890 Stratford Body & underframe only Brake 3rd LSWR S31875 1921 Eastleigh Former Breakdown Van DS179 Brake 3rd Non Corridor LNER DE320779 1926 Clayton Lincoln Formerly E3241 & E86056E 3rd Non Corridor LNER DE320803 1927 Cravens, Sheffield Formerly 61684 & E82347E Brake/Lugg age Van BR Southern S2735 1952 Lancing Brake/Lugg age Van SR S2195 1939 Eastleigh Body & underframe only Internal User No 083572 Covered Carriage Truck BR M94109 1959 Earleston Purchased as 041838 Restaurant Pantry Care LNER E9066E 1928 York Formerly 42972 & DE320927 Breakdown Train Tool Van GNR/LNER DE320651 1910 Doncaster Formerly (4) 3178 Brake First 1st Non Corridor GCR 957 1906 Ashbury RCW Co Originally preserved Quainton Road Brake 2nd Non Corridor BR 43264 1956 Swindon Formerly East Somersert Railway Restaurant Buffet Car LNER E9115E 1936 York Formerly at Bulmers, Hereford. Corridor 1st BR 13324 1961 Swindon Ex Old Oak Common Non Corridor 3rd GER 60101 1921 Stratford/Cla ytons Originally built as two 4 wheel coaches 1905 Special Cattle Van GER 33 1891 , Stratford Body & underframe only, fruit & fish van 1910-1925 14 ton Milk Tank GWR W2009W 1927 Swindon Built as 4 wheel, rebuilt as 6 wheeled antifreeze tank ex Shirebrook MPD Internal User No 041988 6 Wheel Brake Van BR/LNE E70692E 1950, Stratford Ex Mid Hants Rly. Underframe only, Under body of No 63875 (QV) Parcels & Misc. Van SECR DS70165 1822 Ashford Ex Ashford. Body & underframe only