The lesser known vital third link of the Norfolk Orbital Railway

For railway and train enthusiasts we are ideally located between two existing local heritage railways, the North Norfolk Railway (NNR) in Sheringham, and the Mid-Norfolk Railway (MNR) in Dereham. These two busy stations put on a varied programme of events throughout the season as well as regular train timetables. The special days and weekends are noted on our Events page. However a lesser known historic station nearby is actually destined to be the vital third link in the current planning of The Norfolk Orbital Railway. This is Melton Constable, a few miles north from here.

Once known as the Gateway to the Midlands for many Norfolk towns and villages after the Midland and Great Northern (M & GN) Railway arrived in 1882, Melton Constable became the junction between four lines. These were tracks from Cromer, Norwich, King’s Lynn and Great Yarmouth and Lowestoft.

A village was built to support the railway and it’s population grew from 118 in 1881 to 1,157 by 1911. The railway sadly declined in 1964 along with many others at that time.

The Parish Council of Melton Constable’s neighbouring village of Briston is aiming to preserve the fascinating history. Their “Melton Constable Railway Village Heritage Project” has just been awarded £23,500 by Historic England to carry out this work. Historical documents, railway memorabilia, oral histories and artwork are being accumulated and an exhibition is scheduled for May 2026.

The Norfolk Orbital Railway project (The Orbital) is being managed by The Melton Constable Trust. Their objective is to complete the Orbital, which will be a 83 mile circuit around, on the whole, mid-Norfolk. The route will connect Melton Constable to the NNR, which runs a 5 ¼ mile heritage railway between Sheringham and Holt, and the MNF which operates between Wymondham and Dereham. 75% of the 83 mile route is already served by rail, either Mainline or Heritage railway operators.

The railway preservation movement began soon after the railways were closed down in the 60’s. The affection for the old railways encouraged a group of enthusiasts to set up the M&GN Joint Railway Preservation Society. The Society tries to preserve as much of the M&GN tracks and system in East Anglia as possible.

In fact the Midland and Great Northern Joint Railway Society is the supporting charity of (and major shareholder in) the NNR.
Earlier this year the NNR’s ‘ Poppy Line’ was recognised as “Highly Commended” in 3 categories of the Heritage Railway Association Awards – Station of the Year, Railway of the Year and Innovation of the Year. This is a great start for the NNR’s 50th Anniversary celebrations taking place throughout the 2025 season. A 100th Birthday of the powerful locomotive 7F No 53809, which is taking part in a number of their other anniversary events, was celebrated at the initial event in February 2025.

The Poppy Line’s popular steam trains will commence their main season on April 5th. As well as the special anniversary events the popular fish and chip train experiences return with 25 scheduled from April 9th to September 24th. Diners will be able to enjoy fish and chips from a “top Sheringham chippy” and a tub of Ronaldo’s ice cream while on board.

The Mid Norfolk Railway also has a full programme of events for 2025. Amongst the favourites are the Fish and Chip train trips, a 1940’s weekend and steam and diesel weekend galas. It will also, once again, be a key venue for the Dereham Blues Festival. As well as hosting multiple fantastic bands across Friday 11th & Saturday 12th July 2025, there’ll be special steam train services running between Dereham and Wymondham.