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How You Can Help
Sponsor a Sleeper
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How You Can Help
Sponsor a Sleeper
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The Mid-Norfolk Railway has ambitious plans to extend the line north from Dereham to County School and ultimately Fakenham. The railway is still in situ between Dereham and North Elmham, although it has been disused since 1989 and consequently received no maintenance for over 10 years. Once the trees invade and their roots block the drains, the rate of decay of the wooden sleepers increases significantly.
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Photo: Barney Stratford |
To date, we have cleared the vegetation from the track itself, and have cleaned out the drains. We have also begun replacing rotten sleepers in Dereham. Although this has reduced the rate at which the track degrades, a massive amount of work is required to bring it back up to the standard required for passenger trains to run.
The first target is to restore the derelict line as far as Hoe, a distance of 3.5km. One of the major costs in the restoration will be the replacement of the rotten sleepers. There are just over 4,000 sleepers in this section, and a survey has shown that a minimum of 500 need to be replaced before passenger trains can run. A new sleeper weighs about 80kg and costs £25. Clearly, the restoration is going to require a significant amount of effort and money.
In order to fund the work, we are inviting you to sponsor a sleeper for £25. We will send you a certificate showing your contribution to the re-opening of the line. A sponsored sleeper would make an excellent gift for a friend, or would provide a lasting reminder of your part in returning train services to the line.
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Rotten sleepers that have been dug out and await replacement in the Northern Section. Photo: Matt Goodrum |
Why not set up a standing order to help us reopen the line sooner? Certificates will be issued once a year up to the value of donations given. For details of this option, please contact volunteer@mnr.org.uk.
If you sponsor 2 or more sleepers, then you get a free trip on a service train to Hoe, except for the first day of operation. For 5 or more, you can have a free ride on the first day's services. For 10 or more, you can be on the very first passenger train to Hoe. The first person to sponsor 50 or more sleepers gets a free cab ride on the first passenger train to Hoe, while the second can ride in the rear cab. If you sponsor 100 or more sleepers, then you can have a free locomotive driving experience course.
We are also looking for practical help with the restoration of the Northern Section. The railway is run entirely by volunteers, and we are looking for people who are willing to join the new Northern Section Area Group who will be meeting on the first Sunday of each month to lay sleepers and carry out other tasks to reopen the line. For further information contact volunteer@mnr.org.uk. For insurance purposes, all volunteers need to be members of the Trust.
Download the sponsorship form.