Bures Branch Line 2015

11th February 2015

Steam Excursion passing through Marks Tey.

Routed from Norwich to Windsor, 61306 Mayflower

Feb 11th 2015
Marks Tey 61306 'Mayflower' doing 61mph on 1Z61 08:03 Norwich to Windsor and Eton Riverside

Thanks to David Goodyear for allowing me to reproduce his photograph taken at Marks Tey station.

Rail Totem August 2015

The idea of the totem originated with the re-painting of the waiting room (hut) by Abellio Greater Anglia in about 2011 in their corporate colours.
David and Anne Taylor, the station adopters, had requested (with the support of the Parish Council) that the hut be re-painted in traditional LNER colours, which would also be consistent with the decoration at Chappel station.
However, Abellio stuck to their guns and the hut was painted in shades of corporate grey.

The intervening years saw the grey on the interior get marked and vandalised, and it was agreed that David could paint over the affected
parts. The problem by now, however, was that Abellio could no longer source their own corporate colours, so after repeated requests they agreed that David could paint it what colour he liked.
Hence, he painted the inside in the traditional Bamboo and Buckingham Green colours.

When all this was happening, Steven Binks, a local artist, offered to enhance the station with a traditional looking totem that he would donate.
The Essex and South Suffolk Rail Partnership were keen and Abellio also gave their assent. Subsequently the sign was erected on the hut as shown above.
It is hoped that in due course, all the branch stations will have this embellishment.

The hut has also been enhanced by David and Anne with two 'old' railway travel posters, a donated picture from Steven, and another picture which was the property of the Rail Museum at Chappel.
At time of writing (August 2015) these are being repaired and replaced due to persistent on-going attempts to vandalise them (breaking the glass mainly):
David and Anne also unfortunately experienced the theft of two of the pictures one night. The Parish Council have now assisted with the purchase of toughened glass which will hopefully give the pictures a longer life.'

THE SLEEPER BED

The work was funded by the Community Rail Partnership, Greater Anglia, Bures Hamlet Parish Council, in all totalling £500, and match funded by the Designated Community Railway Development Fund, bringing our total to £1,000 - with the plants costing an additional £150.

About 10 volunteers from the Stour Valley Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty constructed the bed in mid March, together with other associated work – and subsequent work provided by the adopters and other helpers. The sleepers were sourced from Jamie Cann in Norfolk and the soil (about 8 tons!) was kindly provided by Dennis Ambrose of Fysh House Farm.

The signal has been kindly donated by The East Anglia Railway Museum at Chappel, and lovingly restored by adopter David. It is a ground shunting signal, usually known as a ‘Dodd’, made by signal engineers McKenzie and Holland.
It was in general use by the Great Northern Railway from the early 1900’s. This example is believed to have come from Lincolnshire, and had been at the Museum since the early 1970’s.
The plants were sourced from Suffolk Garden Design, based in Twinstead. For those of you who may be interested we have attempted to identify the plants in the diagram below:-

Lupins:- White is Noble Maiden, Blue is "the Govenor" and pink "My Castle
“Gardening is not a rational act” (Margaret Atwood)

Supplied by David & Ann Taylor, Station Adopters

14/08/15