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The Collection
Although the whole of the working railway,
including the Society’s B12-61572 and J15-65462
steam locos is a museum, from its earliest days in the
1960’s , the M&GNJRS had as one of its aims
“the establishing of an M&GN museum”.
Very soon the collection began with Society Members contributing
artefacts from their own collections and members of the
public also began donating items - something which continues,
and is welcomed, to this day.
Over the years, many items were refurbished and put to
use again as part of the working collection - being used
for the purpose that they were intended and visible to
all the visitors to the railway. Much of the collection,
however, such as documents, photographs and signs, could
not be put back to work and was kept in store.
Now, more than 45 years after the Society was formed,
the M&GN Museum-named the William Marriott Museum-has
become a reality.
The Museum has been created in a replica of a typical
M&GN Goods Shed in Holt Station yard. Holt Station
complex is being designed to represent a typical country
station scene. The station itself is the original 1880
building from Stalham, rescued by volunteer railway personnel,
lovingly re-erected on its present site and fully opened
at Easter 2006.
A water tower, in M&GN style, has also been constructed
at Holt, with an Easter & Midland designed water column
destined for the end of the platform.
A Midland railway signal box (typical of the M&GN
!), nearing completion now, makes up the current scene
at Holt.
Today's museum collection is an amazing cross section
of railway items from East Anglia, ranging from the flagship
steam locomotives to the smallest of ephemera, like many
handbills which were published regularly for special events
during the railway's century of existence.
The collection that most people see, but, perhaps, do
not recognize as such, is the working railway. Everything
that you see and hear on a journey along the line is something
from the past, restored and recreated now to demonstrate
exactly how the people of Norfolk lived when "The
Joint" was an everyday fact of life..
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