GRIMSTON WARREN NARROW GAUGE RAILWAY
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During a walk in 2025, after a tip-off from my partner, we discovered remains from what was once the Grimston Warren Narrow Gauge Railway, used for the quarry. Although we learned from Wikipedia that Grimston Warren has yielded ammonites dating back around 130 million years, very little information is available about this long-lost quarry. Maps indicate the railway line was in use in the 1830s and, by the 1960s, was disused. The sand pits were also abandoned. The narrow gauge railway, as shown on maps, was also connected to the Lynn Fakenham line at Bawsey sidings.
I can imagine this old line was used with horses, but I could be wrong.
If anyone can help, please feel free to contact me via Facebook or email using the links below.
Full credit will be given.
Traces of this railway can be found on maps dating back to the 1830s, linking up to the Lynn Fakenham line at Bawsey sidings.
©National Library of Scotland
Seen here in a 50-50 perspective, the land here has not changed in many years.
©National Library of Scotland
Maps dating 1888-1915
©National Library of Scotland
The map below shows the Tramway
©National Library of Scotland
Maps dated 1888-1915 show the narrow guage railway connected up to the Lynn Fakenham line at Bawsey sidings.
Maps dating from 1937 to 1961 show the sand pits as disused.
©National Library of Scotland
Bawsey sidings
The narrow-gauge railway initially operated at Bawsey Sidings, as shown on the maps above. I believe the sidings featured both narrow and standard gauge track layouts. If anyone has any information, please feel free to message me.
This was roughly the location within the overgrowth of Bawsey Sidings.
Grimston Warren railway photographs
PHOTOGRAPHED NEW YEARS EVE 2025
The old track bed.
Buried in the ground, old parts of the track can still be found.
Drone footage of the track bed.
The tree line in the middle of this photograph was where the once-Lynn Fakenham line ran, and the Bawsey sidings were located.
The tree line seen is where the Lynn Fakenham line once ran toward Grimston Road station.
The narrow gauge wheels.
Near the beginning of the narrow gauge railway, I discovered some old wheels that likely belonged to a narrow gauge railway wagon. I found a total of five wheels at this location, but it’s possible that more are buried underneath.
The cutting and quarry
Drone footage
In the cutting and the old quarry, I found more railway remnants, including more track and possibly an old sleeper.
World War 2 observation tower.
On top of the cutting where the railway ran, this observation tower sits.
My Google Maps
Other pages that might be of interest include the first one, which shows more on Bawsey sidings.
The second is the Bawsey-Leziate sand pits narrow-gauge railway.
Thanks for looking