| East Anglian Railway Museum | |
| Map Type: | Essex |
| Location: | Chappel & Wakes Colne railway station, Essex, England |
| Collection Size: | 10 Locomotives, numerous other vehicles |
| Coordinates: | 51.9261°N 0.7591°W |
The East Anglian Railway Museum is a museum located at Chappel and Wakes Colne railway station in Essex, England, which is situated on the former Great Eastern Railway branch line from Marks Tey to Sudbury. Services on the Sudbury Branch Line are operated by Abellio Greater Anglia.
The museum has a wide collection of locomotives and rolling stock, some of which are fully restored, three are converted into Thomas, Percy and Toby replicas while others are undergoing repair and restoration. The Restoration Shed was built in 1983–4, before which most work had to take place in the Goods Shed or in the open. On event days, steam or diesel train rides are operated over a short demonstration track.
The museum hosts two annual events: the Winter Beer Festival held in late February / early March (timing depends on UK school holidays), and the Summer Beer Festival held each September.
The museum was originally formed as the Stour Valley Railway Preservation Society on 24 September 1968. The SVRPS was established at Chappel & Wakes Colne Station in December 1969 after a lease was obtained from British Rail to use the vacant goods yard and railway buildings, including the station building. The first public steam day took place three months later.
The goods shed and station buildings were quickly restored; with a workshop being set up in the goods shed to enable maintenance and restoration work to be undertaken on the rolling stock.
The Stour Valley Railway Preservation Society was renamed to The East Anglian Railway Museum in 1986 to confirm its focus on representing railway history of the Eastern Counties rather than just operating trains. The museum gained charitable status in 1991 (Registered Charity No. 1001579) and became a Registered Museum in 1995.
Since 2005, the museum has had a greater emphasis on interpretation and display facilities, a large variety of events take place each year to raise funds to support the museum's activities.
The museum has a collection of industrial steam locomotives,[1] in various states of repair.
Returned to traffic in April 2007 after an 18 month overhaul and now used regularly on steam services.
Painted bright green and received some cosmetic changes to be Percy the Small Engine from Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends.
Returned to traffic in 1999 after a rebuild. Withdrawn from service in 2005 and a further overhaul was completed in August 2015.
Painted lined light brown.
Entered service on 21 March 2008 following conversion into a form of Thomas the Tank Engine. Overhauled in Spring 2017, boiler ticket expires in 2027.
Built in 1942. Arrived at the East Anglian Railway Museum in March 2013 from the Battlefield Line Railway. Painted dark green, lined-out in red and yellow. This locomotive is currently undergoing overhaul. The locomotive will need new boiler tubes and a new firebox.
Returned to Service in 2005 after many years of sterling work on both preserved railways and the main line. Boiler ticket expired in April 2015. Currently undergoing overhaul, Boiler currently having new inner and outer firebox fitted at Heritage Boiler Steam Services in Liverpool.
Built in 1943. Currently on static display outside the museum entrance, painted black, lined-out in red and white.
The museum has a collection of industrial diesel locomotives.
Operational and on hire from Andrew Briddon Locos due to class 04 overhaul. Painted in Army Green and now a regular on shunting and some passenger duties.
Operational but only used occasionally due to lack of electric start. Painted blue.
Overhaul completed in 2018 and returned to the EARM the same year. Painted in BR Brunswick green.
Converted cosmetically to look like Toby for Day Out with Thomas events. Painted in brown and grey.
Undergoing heavy restoration. Painted black.
Two Class 101 DMU cars are in operation at the museum. The units are owned by Diesel Unit Preservation Associates Ltd. DUPA own one other Class 101 unit (E51505 at Ecclesbourne Valley Railway) and two Class 108 units (E50599 at Ecclesbourne Valley Railway and M56223 at Llangollen Railway). Car number E56358 is painted in BR Blue with full yellow ends while E51213 is painted in BR Blue Grey with full yellow ends. Both cars have had their original pattern tungsten lighting reinstated. No. E56358 and No. E51213 were regular performers on the Marks Tey to Sudbury Line until 1993 when all 1st generation units were withdrawn in East Anglia and were transferred to Manchester, both withdrawn from service in 2001, then stored at MOD Shoeburyness before being purchased in 2003. They represented the Class 101 DMU class at Railcar50. The unit is mainly used on Day Out with Thomas Events where it runs as Daisy The Diesel Multiple Unit.
British Rail Class 306 unit 017 was transferred to the museum in mid-2011 for a four-year loan period from the National Railway Museum. The unit left the museum in October 2018.
In 2021, the museum acquired a driving vehicle from British Rail Class 317 unit 317345. It was donated by Angel Trains.[2]
On 13 June 2009, alternative rock band Blur performed a concert at the museum, where they had performed their first concert in 1988. As in 1988, the band played to around 150 people in a goods shed. This concert was their first since 2001 and the first show of their 2009 mini-tour, which was followed by the band headlining at the Glastonbury Festival and performing two concerts in Hyde Park.
In November 2009, a plaque was erected on the East Anglian Railway Museum by PRS for Music. The Heritage Award was a celebration of Blur and the location of their first live performance.[3]