page_title: Mid-Norfolk Railway
section_title: Thuxton loop and signalling works
hierarchical_section_title: Mid-Norfolk Railway / Engineering projects / Thuxton loop and signalling works
caption_attribution_description: English: Class 37 hauled trains passing at Thuxton on the Mid-Norfolk Railwlay
context_page_description: The Mid-Norfolk Railway is a 15-mile preserved standard gauge heritage railway, one of the longest in Great Britain. Preservation efforts began in 1974, but the line re-opened to passengers only in the mid-1990s as part of the "New Generation" of heritage railways.
  Regular steam and diesel services run 11 ¹⁄₂ miles through the centre of Norfolk between the market towns of Wymondham and Dereham via Yaxham, Thuxton and Kimberley Park, and occasional sightseer services continue north of Dereham passing the nearby village of Hoe, where there is no station, to the limit of the operational line at Worthing. The line is periodically used for commercial freight operations and staff instruction for mainline railway companies.
  The MNR own and operate the majority of the former Wymondham-Fakenham branch line of the Norfolk Railway. The branch opened in 1847, was closed to passengers in stages from 1964 to 1969 as part of the Beeching cuts, and was finally fully closed to goods traffic in 1989.
  The MNR is owned and operated by the Mid-Norfolk Railway Preservation Trust, and is mostly operated and staffed by volunteers.
context_section_description: The Mid-Norfolk Railway's 2001 Bearer Bond issue proposals included £60,000 for the provision of a passing loop at Hardingham. With this station being in private hands this proposal was abandoned in favour of a loop at Thuxton.
  During 2008, the company began construction of the passing loop at Thuxton station to allow hourly departures from Dereham and Wymondham. Preparatory works were carried out late in 2008 and the first phase of work; installing the southern turn out commenced during January 2009, this was completed on schedule during February of the same year. Panels of track for the loop were laid, levelled and ballasted and the both turn outs installed by the end of 2009. The final major task on the track work will see the level crossing widened to accommodate the double track.
  The loop was declared operational in September 2010, although with limited signalling working from a covered ground frame and part of the restored up platform remaining out of use. The first scheduled passenger trains to pass at Thuxton did so during the 2010 Autumn Diesel Gala, in which the railway operated at its most intensive service levels ever.
  Full signalling will be included as part of the final project including five semaphore and two colour light signals along with two point motors to operate the turnouts. These will be controlled from a new signal box on site sourced from East Winch on the former King's Lynn line. This project has also made the commissioning of the dormant Dereham Central signal box a priority for the company. As of 29 January 2009, over £25,000 has been raised towards the new works taking the appeal over half way.
  Since becoming operational in September 2010, work has continued on the signalling, the signal box became operational during summer 2015 allowing the temporary ground frame and shed to be removed. A Trap point will be fitted to the exit of the siding south of Thuxton station, as well as additional signals including signals allowing bi-directional movements in the down platform and a ground frame at Garvestone crossing with associated gate locks and distant signals interlocked with Thuxton signal box. The completed scheme will allow the train from Wymondham to arrive before the train from Dereham when two trains are operating, this is not currently possible. Locomotives will also be able to run round their trains in the station.
caption: Class 37s passing at Thuxton, Autumn Gala 2010
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