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Location notes
Eccles Road is a station on the Ely - Norwich line, between Thetford and Norwich in Norfolk. It is close to Thetford and Attleborough.
Railway type and traffic
East Midlands Trains and Greater Anglia both operate hourly passenger trains (although few stop), mostly using class 170 DMUs. The only freight is the Mountsorrel - Trowse (Norwich) stone train two or three times each week, plus seasonal limestone ('sugar stone') to Norwich three times a week (it is used in the processing of sugar beet). The sidings here have no regular traffic, and were last used for delivering the stone used to dual the nearby A11.
Environment
An unstaffed country station with a very limited train service. There is a staffed signal box, and a few houses in the locality.
Road directions
Take the 'Eccles Road' station turn from the A11; after around a mile turn right (again following the signs). The station is by the level crossing.
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Eccles Road map co-ordinates
Click here to set up your location for directions to this location
Eccles Road map co-ordinates
Parking
There is space for a few cars by the station building on the south side of the level crossing.
Public transport
Eccles Road has a very limited train service, and local bus services also seem to be thin on the ground.
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
There are very few amenities in the immediate area. Attleborough and Thetford are a few miles away, where there are shops, etc.
Accommodation
For accommodation, try Attleborough or Thetford.
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.
Eccles Road
Streetmap links
Eccles Road general view map
Eccles Road close up map
Windows Local Live Link - image quality may vary
Eccles Road
It might be necessary to adjust the time to suit your visit, this link should open with the current day.
Eccles Road
Googly map
Eccles Road general view map
Eccles Road close up map
Windows Local Live Link - image quality may vary
Eccles Road
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Photographic notes
The line runs roughly NE-SW. The best shots are of westbound trains (from Norwich), taken from the down (Norwich-bound) platform; they feature the level crossing, signal box and a semaphore signal. The sun is on the right side for this from mid afternoon.
Eastbound trains (and trains in the head shunt of the freight terminal) can be photographed from the up (Ely-bound) platform; the sun is on the right side in the morning, but moves off the nose by around 9am. Late in the afternoon eastbound trains can also be photographed from the down (Norwich-bound) platform, but this is quite head-on unless one walks off the end of the platform to get a wider view.
For videographers the area is very quiet, and you also have the advantage of a manually operated level crossing and semaphore signals: listen for bells and watch for the signaller leaving the box to close the gates.
Eastbound trains (and trains in the head shunt of the freight terminal) can be photographed from the up (Ely-bound) platform; the sun is on the right side in the morning, but moves off the nose by around 9am. Late in the afternoon eastbound trains can also be photographed from the down (Norwich-bound) platform, but this is quite head-on unless one walks off the end of the platform to get a wider view.
For videographers the area is very quiet, and you also have the advantage of a manually operated level crossing and semaphore signals: listen for bells and watch for the signaller leaving the box to close the gates.
General views - All photographs © Brian Carter unless otherwise stated
Fig 1 - Looking north east
The train is the North Walsham - Harwich condensate tanks, diverted via Cambridge and Stratford due to the Ipswich Tunnel closure during the summer of 2004.
Fig 2 - Looking south west
This is a stone train for Eccles Road in March 2002, and it reversed into the sidings immediately to the right of the train (the loco is on the point).
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.
