1845 Wisbech-March railway plans to be homed in March

Original plans for the extension of the old Lynn and Ely Railway Line from Wisbech to March from 1845 are to have a permanent home in March.

The plans were available for £350 at The Railway Catalogue sale at York Racecourse at the weekend and were bought by March Museum, with the help of a grant from the Postcode Lottery.

Museum chairman Gordon Thorpe said that the museum was very pleased to have obtained these fascinating documents for its archive and that they would be on display from Wednesday, October 1.

Gordon added that this acquisition was a fitting addition to its collection, especially in view of the national celebrations surrounding the 200th anniversary of the railways in Britain.

The old line was given royal assent in 1845, and construction on the 7.5-mile track began the following year. The station, initially named Wisbeach, opened in May 1847, as part of the Eastern Counties Railway, which had been expanding its operations in the area.

The Lynn and Ely Railway, commissioner of this original plan, became a part of the East Anglian Railway in 1847. That railway established its own link to Wisbech the following year, sharing the newly opened Wisbeach station with the Eastern Counties Railway.

The station was later renamed Wisbech, before becoming Wisbech East, its final iteration, in 1948. The station was closed in 1968, although the line continued to be used for freight until 2000.

The route, most of which remains intact, is now the subject of a reopening campaign. Charity The Bramley Line Heritage Railway Trust has high hopes of opening a section between Waldersea (near Friday Bridge) and Coldham.

March Museum, in High Street, is open on Wednesdays and Saturdays from 10.30am to 3.30pm.