KING’S LYNN TO MIDDLETON TOWERS

Back in the day, the station was just a basic wooden structure, opened in 1846, along with the Lynn Ely line and the Lynn Dereham line.

Another branch, starting from King's Lynn, began operating in 1848 and provided transportation services to Wisbech and March, leaving the Lynn Ely line at Watlington, then called Magdalen Road.

In 1864, the Lynn Sutton bridge line opened.

Furthermore, the Hunstanton line originating from King's Lynn was established in 1862,

In 1879, the Lynn Fakenham line was constructed.

In 1871, several companies collaborated to create a more durable station, resulting in the terminal we see today.

The recently built station now has two island platforms, each with four dead-end lines.

It has replaced the old wooden structure that previously stood in its place.

South Lynn M&GN station was built in 1886, taking the Lynn Fakenham and Sutton Bridge services to South Lynn with the newly built Lynn avoiding line.

At the end of King's Lynn station, there was a vast goods yard that could be accessed only via the King's Lynn junction, controlled by the signal box. Furthermore, a junction connected the railway to the Lynn Docks branch.

Between the goods lines and the bay platforms lay King's Lynn's engine sheds. This brick-built structure featured four roads and accommodated a variety of engines, including numerous royal engines. By the 1950s, the sheds were capable of accommodating many locomotives. However, in 1959, the sheds were closed to steam locomotives.

Access to the sheds was only possible through the junction near the signal box.

During the early days of the station, there was a signal box located at the end of the platforms in King's Lynn, along with a significant semaphore signal system.

As the trains left King's Lynn, they passed by the engine sheds and goods yards before reaching King's Lynn Junction. At the junction, they continue straight ahead, crossing underneath the footbridge constructed in the latter days. On the left, you can see the Hunstanton Branch, while the Ely-Cambridge line heads off to the right.

Now on its dedicated line, the Dereham line quickly heads towards its next station, Middleton Towers, through open countryside.

At the junction, there was the second signal box, King’s Lynn Junction Box. The King’s Lynn Junction box was said to have housed an 80-lever frame.

When writing this page, King’s Lynn still operates at a working mainline station with services towards Ely, Cambridge and London with hourly services to the capital.

Currently, there is only one signal box remaining. There have been discussions about establishing a central control centre at Cambridge, which would render all signal boxes obsolete. It is still being determined how long the remaining signal box will remain operational.

The Goods Yard and engine sheds have undergone significant changes, with most of them being torn down and replaced by a supermarket and retail establishments. However, a portion of it remains in use as a turnaround point for freight services bound for Middleton Towers via the old Docks branch track.

At present, the section of the former Dereham railway line leading up to Middleton Towers is utilised as a freight line serving the sand quarry.

In 2020, a portion of the old Dereham line near the King's Lynn junction was renovated to provide stabling points for 8-car units.

Timeline

In 1846, the Lynn Ely line and the Lynn Dereham railway opened partially, operating from King’s Lynn wooden-built station.

In 1862, the Lynn Hunstanton Railway opened.

​In 1871, the newly built station, which is still in use today, opened.

In 1886, the M&GN South Lynn Station opened.

​In 1911, the station changed its name from Lynn to King's Lynn.

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1959 The M&gnjr line closes.

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In 1968, the Dereham branch closed.

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In May 1969, the Hunstanton branch closed.

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In 1992, the line to London King's Cross was electrified between London King's Cross & Cambridge.