History of the East Anglian Railway Museum

Below is a breif history of the Museum, for more details on the Society and its rolling stock please consult out Guide and Stock Books.
The Need for Change and the birth of the Museum

In the early 1980s it was realised there was a need for a change in the function of the Chappel site, which would need to become more of a public attraction with improved facilities. The advent of a footbridge enabled (which was moved by Members from Sudbury Station - pictured left) unsupervised crossing of the BR line by visitors on steam days, removing the obligation and expense of employing a BR crossing keeper.

In 1983 the company purchased, a plot of land, and constructed an engine restoration shed and workshop. (Below Right)The shed had originally been used during the building of the Dartford Tunnel, and had been purchased by the Society some years previously. This project involved a great deal of moving and track laying and showed to the full the dedication and commitment of the membership. 1985 saw the rescue and re-erection of the signal box from Mistley Station, a Grade 1 listed building, purchased for the princely sum of £5! This box has been fully restored and now controls most of the signalling and points on the site. The Goods Shed was also restored to its former glory at this time, and is now used for exhibitions and functions. Restoration Shed during Construction

The present policy of the Museum includes the running of the Chappel site as a museum, a living archive for the benefit and enjoyment of the community.
Whilst the Society had for some years been attempting to negotiate purchase of the site from the British Railway Property Board, the Board’s insistence on a totally unrealistic price well beyond its market value and out of reach of the Society’s finances doomed this to failure, but in 1987 the Board forced the issue and put the site on the market by auction, in which the Society’s legal entity Branch Line Preservation Company Limited were the successful bidders, with financial help by way of sale of the Society’s locomotive number 80151 to a group of members.

N7 in Steam for the 1st Time
With the future of the site assured, fundraising continued by operating Steam Days under the titles of Chappel Steam Centre, and the Stour Valley Railway, but many visitors complained, expecting a ride on the branch rather than just the length of the goods yard.
A reappraisal of operations was therefore undertaken, and with the realisation that the Society had gathered together a wide collection of all types of rolling stock and railway equipment from, in the main, East Anglia, the decision was taken to change the name of the organisation to the East Anglian Railway Museum, which went ahead in 1986.

The Museum’s N7 Locomotive (Left - Picture by G.D. King) was after many years as static display restored to operational use and was steamed up for the first time in 1989.

Next Page - The 1990s