North Norfolk Railway Restructure will put Heritage Line at the Heart of Charitable Organisation

 

The North Norfolk Railway PLC has today (Thursday 12 December) announced that it will be asking shareholders to approve a new governance model for the railway that will see the line working more closely with its supporting charity, the Midland & Great Northern Joint Railway Society.

When much of the former Midland & Great Northern system was closed by British Railways in 1959, the Society was formed to save part of this characterful network. In turn, the Society created the PLC as a suitable body to hold the Light Railway Order that is effectively the organisation’s license to operate trains. The two organisations have existed in parallel ever since and already work closely together; the Society owns nine of the steam and diesel locomotives and several carriages and wagons that are based on the line.

2025 marks the 50th Anniversary of the NNR running its first passenger train and as well as celebrating this milestone, the company is looking to ensure that that the popular heritage railway is sustainable for the next half-century and beyond.

The proposed new structure, which will need to be approved by Shareholders at a General Meeting on 1 February, provides the Society with 100% of the voting rights in relation to the PLC whilst preserving existing travel benefits for shareholders.

NNR Chairman, Steve Allen, explained “Our current structure, whilst expedient in the 1960s to enable the railway to be founded and operated, is now an outlier in the heritage railway movement.  These proposals place the NNR at the heart of a charitable organisation opening up the possibility of significant financial benefits such as Gift Aid and other tax reliefs.  These will take a while to achieve but give the potential for savings and extra income of around £250k a year.”

Speaking for the M&GN Society, Chairman of the Trustees, Martin Blee, commented “Bringing the two organisations together as the NNR celebrates 50 years of running trains is absolutely the right thing to do and mirrors the structure of many other heritage lines.

“The only significant benefit to the Society of this reorganisation is that it provides more financial security to the railway that hosts and operates all of their rolling stock and enables the Society to provide greater support whilst helping to ensure the NNR’s long-term sustainability.

“The results of the Society’s Membership Survey in 2023 showed that members viewed the Society and the NNR as an indivisible entity that their membership is supporting.  Feedback from passengers is that they don’t differentiate between the two but visit ‘the railway’.”

NNR General Manager, Graham Hukins, added “Since the line was built in 1887 it has been operated by a number of organisations from the Eastern & Midlands Railway, through the Midland & Great Northern Joint (which gave the line much of its character), to the LNER and British Railways – but the organisation that has run the line for the longest period is the North Norfolk Railway!

“So as we approach our golden anniversary, it is fitting that we should look at how we can build on the achievements of the past five decades and ensure the line is secure for the next 50 or more years and I am therefore delighted at the prospect of even closer co-operation and collaboration with the Society.

For many supporters and almost all visitors the subtle division of responsibilities between to two organisations is unimportant. Passengers want a great day out enjoying the trains, stepping back to 1930s in the railway cottage, grabbing lunch in one of the buffets, soaking up history in the museum, being enthralled by the model railways or bagging a bargain at the second-hand bookshop – they don’t know (let alone care) that the vital ingredients for their experience are provided by two similar but distinct bodies.”

Whilst the change in governance will occur away from the track in 2025, the line is planning a year-long series of events and activities to mark its 50th Anniversary.

Carriage No.3868 (the first of its type to be preserved) will revert to its 1975 livery of M&GN umber for one year only. Other vehicles used in the early days of preservation will also feature heavily including the Quads (a unique set of articulated teak carriages, dating from the 1920s), and Suburban coaches built in the 1950s. The fondly-remembered DRB Railbus, E79960, which was used on off-peak services in the 1970s, 80s and 90s is set to make a reappearance for the Rails & Ales weekend in June!

The signs are that the Poppy Line’s celebratory year will feature a wide variety of locomotives: No 53809 will celebrate her centenary, visiting engine 4277 “Hercules” has already been confirmed as staying for the NNR’s golden year and N2 1744 is set to make a welcome return to strengthen the resident fleet. It is hoped that a handful of visiting engines that have graced the line during preservation will return for the celebrations.

The line has also released the dates of some of the key events for 2025:

             April 18 – 21              Easter Steam Trains

             May 3 – 5                   Classic Comedy Weekend

              Jun 13 – 15                Rails & Ales

  • Including a return visit of DRB Railbus, E79960 , and a specially brewed 50th Anniversary Beer

             Jul 26 – 27                  The Golden Years – 50th Anniversary Extravaganza

  • Featuring live music and classic vehicles from 60s, 70s and 80s plus vintage steam and diesel trains

             Aug 23 – 28                Festival on Rails

  • 23, 24, 25 – Small loco/industrial weekend
  • 26, 27, 28 – intensive service including visiting engines

             Aug 29 – 31                Summer Steam Gala

  • Six locomotives including special guest visitors

              Sept 20 – 21             Steam Back to the Forties

              Oct 25 – Nov 2         Fiftieth Finale

  • Intensive service and special locomotives to round off the 50th Anniversary celebrations.

 ENDS