 Station Name: YARMOUTH SOUTH TOWN
Whilst not directly relevant to South Town station, this view from 2 May 1970 showing part of the quayside tramway is worth including as the date was significant in the history of Yarmouth's railways. The camera is on Hall Quay and looking towards North Quay and, as the sign informs us, Vauxhall station. A few yards behind the camera is Haven Bridge, opposite which and on the other side of the Yare stood South Town station. On the day this photograph was taken, Great Yarmouth still had four railway stations; Vauxhall; South Town; Gorleston on Sea; Gorleston Links Halt although technically all the latter three were nothing more than halts by this time. The following day, albeit officially on and from 4 May 1970, Great Yarmouth would have just one station, Vauxhall, for 2 May was the final day of services on the Lowestoft - Yarmouth line. Behind the camera, the quayside tramway continued for some distance along the east bank of the Yare to the Fish Wharf. Ahead of the camera things were rather more complicated. Just out of sight around the bend, left background, a short spur left the tramway to serve sidings just north of Fishers Quay. These sidings were at a right angle to the Yare and accessed via a very sharp curve. Some 200 yards further on the tramway left the street to cross the Bure, which flows into the Yare nearby, via Vauxhall Bridge and thereafter connect into sidings on the east side of Vauxhall station. At the time of writing Vauxhall Bridge was still in situ and is one of the very few surviving reminders of the tramway. Just before the tramway left North Quay to cross Vauxhall Bridge was the junction with the section of tramway connecting to Beach station. This was the Yarmouth Union Railway and connected at Caister Road Junction with the Beach - Gorleston link line over Breydon Viaduct. It was on the Yarmouth Union section that the famous 'Hole in the Wall' leading to White Swan Coal Yard was located. Until closure of the Breydon link in 1953 it was possible to reach the quayside tramway from South Town, albeit involving two reversals, one at Gorleston North Junction (sometimes referred to as North Gorleston Junction) and one at Caister Road Junction although in practice the latter reversal was undertaken at Yarmouth Yard (Beach). After closure of Beach in 1959, White Swan Yard continued to be served until, it is thought, 1970 but of course from Vauxhall and involving a reversal in the middle of the road (North Quay). It is not known when the sidings near Fishers Quay ceased operation. At the time this photograph was taken, what remained of the quayside tramway was still in use. Also still active at this time was D2212, one of the Drewry Class 04 shunters fitted with cowcatchers and side skirts but by then she was in very scruffy condition and was withdrawn later in 1970. By this time, however, BR Class 03 shunters had become a common sight on the tramway but these ran without cowcatchers and side skirts. Class 03 continued to operate the tramway until it closed for good sometime around 1973/4. In later years the shunter working the tramway could usually be seen stabled between duties on the east side of Vauxhall station near the gate at the north side of Vauxhall Bridge. Today the segregated area in the foreground is entirely paved and the shrubbed border is now grassed. Apart from Vauxhall Bridge, remnants of embedded track can still be discerned at the Fish Wharf and The White Swan is still in business while the site of Caister Road Junction remained undeveloped at the time of writing. The curve of the northern end of Alderson Road offers another clue to the tramway's existence, this actually being on the Yarmouth Union section, but otherwise no evidence remains of this once famous quayside operation. A good selection of period cars can be seen including BMC, Triumph, Daimler, Volvo, Ford and Vauxhall. The two-tone car disappearing into the distance on the left is either a Wolseley 1500 or the somewhat more upmarket version the Riley One-Point-Five. Click here for a picture of a Drewry Class 04 diesel shunter complete with side skirts and cowcatchers at Yarmouth Vauxhall. These used to operate on the quayside tramway.
Photo by Geoffrey Tribe  Home Page
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