How You Can Help Other Projects

In addition to the major fundraising projects mentioned elsewher, we have a number of smaller projects that will help to secure the railway's long-term future. We need to make the most of every opportunity that presents itself.

• Soham signal box

  We have received an offer to donate Soham signal box, which was made famous after a World War 2 ammunition train caught fire there. The heroic train crew uncoupled the burning wagon from the rest of the train before it exploded. Had the whole train gone up, then the village would have been obliterated.

  We intend to site the box at Kimberley, where it will enable us to install worked signals at the level crossing. In order to fund the move, we are looking to raise around £2,000. Several individuals have already made donations or offers of cash, but more would be welcome. Any surplus will be used for restoration of the box if the donor is agreeable.

• Dereham Footbridge

  We recently acquired a Great Eastern footbridge for use at Dereham. The original footbridge was removed when the line was singled in 1965, and consequently one of the platforms is unavailable for passenger use. We need to have passenger access to all platforms before we can run regular passenger trains north of Dereham.

  The replacement bridge came from Whittlesford in Cambridgeshire. We are looking to spend around £20,000 to have it shotblasted, repaired and cut to the correct size for Dereham.

• Coach Restoration

  As many of this year's special events have demonstrated, we don't have enough coaches to cope with peak demand. We are particularly short of vacuum-braked Mark 1s suitable for use with steam locomotives. We have been offered two such coaches together with an air-braked coach for purchase all together, and we anticipate that the purchase price will be around £12,000.

If you are interested in helping out with any of these projects, then you can donate online or contact us for further information. Thank you.