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Location notes
Stowmarket is north of Ipswich, Suffolk on the Norwich - Liverpool Street 'Great Eastern Main Line'.
Railway type and traffic
Passenger: two Greater Anglia loco hauled Norwich - Liverpool Street trains per hour (loco on south end); Cambridge - Ipswich DMU every hour; Peterborough - Ipswich (- Liverpool Street) DMU (class 170) every two hours.
Freight: container trains to and from Felixstowe and Harwich (mostly Freightliner and GB Rail freight, but some DB Schenker); North Walsham - Harwich condensate tanks a few times each week (DB Schenker); Lafarge stone train to Barham once or twice a week (DB Schenker).
Freight: container trains to and from Felixstowe and Harwich (mostly Freightliner and GB Rail freight, but some DB Schenker); North Walsham - Harwich condensate tanks a few times each week (DB Schenker); Lafarge stone train to Barham once or twice a week (DB Schenker).
Environment
A dual carriageway road bridge on the southern edge of Stowmarket, but just outside the built up area. The pavement is very wide. Passing motorists occasionally shout and hoot at you.
Road directions
From the A14 from Ipswich or Bury St. Edmunds take the A1120 towards Stowmarket (this is the second Stowmarket turn if coming from the Bury direction). After crossing the railway turn round at the roundabout and head back towards the A14.
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Stowmarket, A1120 over bridge map co-ordinates
Click here to set up your location for directions to this location
Stowmarket, A1120 over bridge map co-ordinates
Parking
Some people park on the wide pavement, right next to where they will stand to take photos. However, passing pedestrians, joggers and cyclists sometimes complain about blocking the path. You can actually pull off the main carriageway of the road about 50 yards to the east of the bridge without causing any obstruction.
Public transport
The bridge is about 1.25 miles from Stowmarket station. There are some local buses, operated by First Eastern Counties.
Click here to set up your location for directions to this location
Click here to set up your location for directions to this location
Amenities
About 0.25 miles to the east, on the way back to the A14, is a Tesco supermarket, with a cafe, toilets and petrol. Alternatively there are amenities in Stowmarket.
Accommodation
Try Stowmarket or Ipswich. There is a big hotel next to the roundabout to the west of the bridge.
Sun Compass
Sun Compass using Suncalc by brought to you by Vladimir Agafonkin:
It might be necessary to adjust the time to suit your visit, this link should open with the current day.
Stowmarket, A1120 over bridge
Streetmap links
Stowmarket, A1120 over bridge general view map
Stowmarket, A1120 over bridge close up map
Windows Local Live Link - image quality may vary
Stowmarket, A1120 over bridge
It might be necessary to adjust the time to suit your visit, this link should open with the current day.
Stowmarket, A1120 over bridge
Googly map
Stowmarket, A1120 over bridge general view map
Stowmarket, A1120 over bridge close up map
Windows Local Live Link - image quality may vary
Stowmarket, A1120 over bridge
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Photographic notes
The line runs North West - South East, but the only shots are looking north (looking south is too head on). There are no real problems with shadows except when the sun is very low. The bridge parapet is low enough that steps are not really needed, but some people might find them useful.
In the morning shoot from the east side of the line, using a 50mm or 85mm lens (a shot is also possible with a longer lens); the sun moves too far round after about 10am.
From about midday or just before shoot from the west side of the line, again using a 50mm or 85mm lens (or longer). The sun moves off the nose at about 3 or 4pm (but is OK for longer on a class 90 with a sloping front).
You can shoot video here, but the shot will not be very long (the shot from the east side would be longer) and there may be some traffic noise.
In the morning shoot from the east side of the line, using a 50mm or 85mm lens (a shot is also possible with a longer lens); the sun moves too far round after about 10am.
From about midday or just before shoot from the west side of the line, again using a 50mm or 85mm lens (or longer). The sun moves off the nose at about 3 or 4pm (but is OK for longer on a class 90 with a sloping front).
You can shoot video here, but the shot will not be very long (the shot from the east side would be longer) and there may be some traffic noise.
General views - All photographs © Brian Carter unless otherwise stated
Fig 1 - Looking north
From the east side of the line, at about 9.30am in late April 2004.
Fig 2 - Looking north
From the west side of the line, at about 3pm in mid April 2004.
Disclaimer
All information contained within this is site is © Trainspots. The images used on this site remain the property of the original photographer, as credited at the top of the page, and are used with their kind permission.
The information on these pages is supplied for the benefit of railway enthusiasts who carry out a harmless hobby, and through the medium of photography and video, actually promote the railway industry. Railway enthusiasts can also act as eyes and ears against railway vandalism, and as such should surely be encouraged to do so by the supply of adequate information such as is found on this website.
This site has been created to assist railway photographers in their travels around the country. It is based on the personal knowledge and experience. No liability can be held against the web site or its contributions for incorrect information. Trainspots will endeavour to check all information and corrections will be accepted and posted accordingly.
Advice as to the locations general environment is given as a guide on each page. This information is a GUIDE only. ALWAYS be careful with your equipment, Trainspots can not be held responsible for your personal security. Avoid leaving your property on display for all to see, be aware of your surroundings at all times. There are, sadly, people who will not think twice about trying to steal your equipment.
Trainspots DOES NOT condone trespass and none of the information on this site should be taken as a right to trespass on either railway or private land. To the best of our knowledge all locations are publicly accessible areas, where they are not contact information will be given to the appropriate authority for permission to be obtained.
The content of this site is created and intended for all age ranges but the content of sites linked from this site are not subject to the same intentions. Trainspots will attempt to check links for validity but as time passes and the site grows this will not always be possible. Broken, or indeed updates to, links should be submitted to the editor for inclusion in the updates. All links external to the Trainspots site are opened in a new browser window. Trainspots has been running now for over 10 years and there are imitation sites and guides to railfotspots. But we are a free site and we continue on the path we started out on over a decade ago to provide a useful guide to UK Railway Photographic Locations.
The information on these pages is supplied for the benefit of railway enthusiasts who carry out a harmless hobby, and through the medium of photography and video, actually promote the railway industry. Railway enthusiasts can also act as eyes and ears against railway vandalism, and as such should surely be encouraged to do so by the supply of adequate information such as is found on this website.
This site has been created to assist railway photographers in their travels around the country. It is based on the personal knowledge and experience. No liability can be held against the web site or its contributions for incorrect information. Trainspots will endeavour to check all information and corrections will be accepted and posted accordingly.
Advice as to the locations general environment is given as a guide on each page. This information is a GUIDE only. ALWAYS be careful with your equipment, Trainspots can not be held responsible for your personal security. Avoid leaving your property on display for all to see, be aware of your surroundings at all times. There are, sadly, people who will not think twice about trying to steal your equipment.
Trainspots DOES NOT condone trespass and none of the information on this site should be taken as a right to trespass on either railway or private land. To the best of our knowledge all locations are publicly accessible areas, where they are not contact information will be given to the appropriate authority for permission to be obtained.
The content of this site is created and intended for all age ranges but the content of sites linked from this site are not subject to the same intentions. Trainspots will attempt to check links for validity but as time passes and the site grows this will not always be possible. Broken, or indeed updates to, links should be submitted to the editor for inclusion in the updates. All links external to the Trainspots site are opened in a new browser window. Trainspots has been running now for over 10 years and there are imitation sites and guides to railfotspots. But we are a free site and we continue on the path we started out on over a decade ago to provide a useful guide to UK Railway Photographic Locations.
