The Flickr Oultonbroadsouth Image Generatr

Definitely not the most glamourous moment in the history of the East Suffolk Line - in 1993 British Rail offered a service every two hours, often featuring one of the newly converted single-coach Class 153s, with Regional Railways-branded 153325 pictured at Oulton Broad South ready for departure to Ipswich.

Nine years earlier Class 37s would have been seen here on the daily direct Lowestoft to Liverpool Street through services, with double track and mechanical signalling controlling the route.

Six years after this saw Anglia Railways launch a direct service to the capital with their brand new Class 170/2 Turbostars; thirteen years after that the passing loop in Beccles was opened thanks to many years of campaigning from East Suffolk Travellers Association, allowing an hourly service for the first time since 1986.

Greater Anglia now operates a hourly service with modern 3- and 4-car Stadler FLIRT units - a vast improvement over this early 90s scene.

A Greater Anglia Class 170/2 Turbostar crosses Oulton Broad swing bridge with an afternoon Lowestoft to Ipswich service. The 1907-built bridge takes the East Suffolk Line over Lake Lothing, and replaced an earlier timber-built structure from the opening of the line in 1859. Network Rail undertook a major renewals programme on this structure, plus the swing bridges at Somerleyton and Reedham on the Wherry Lines, in 2023.

Lake Lothing feeds into the North Sea via the man-made harbour at Lowestoft, with a connection via a lock to Oulton Broad and the River Waveney.

A regular feature of the East Suffolk Line in 2012 were Network Rail Class 57/3s working the Railhead Treatment Trains, replacing the English Electric traction from DRS that had been used in previous seasons. Although the GM locos may not have the same following as Class 20s and 37s, they definitely create an eye-catching sight with their overall yellow livery! 57306 is pictured with 57310 at Oulton Broad South working 3S01 1330 Lowestoft-Ipswich.

An Ipswich-bound class 101 in November 1984.

A scan from an Agfachrome slide in my collection.

A scene which would be more difficult to recreate now that the East Suffolk Line enjoys an hourly service making extra daytime paths over the line tricky: EWS 66112 pauses at Oulton Broad South with the Spinnin State 7 charter. The tour had featured 37051 and 37057 from LIverpool Street to Harwich, with the EWS 66 then working to Lowestoft, for Freightliner 66543 to Norwich, 86620 and 86639 to Stowmarket, and finally 56119 back to Liverpool Street via Bury St Edmunds (with thanks to Six Bells Junction for the details - www.sixbellsjunction.co.uk/00s/030628pr.htm)

After a short pause in Lowestoft, EWS 66099 is pictured at Oulton Broad South working 1Z68 1425 Lowestoft to London Liverpool Street "The Suffolk Latch" charter, waiting for a path up the East Suffolk line, before the introduction of hourly services which makes paths for charters very difficult. The tour would pause at Saxmundham to traverse the branch to Sizewell, which once continued to the Suffolk resort of Aldeburgh.

Greater Anglia class 156 DMU 156417 is seen working the 2D77 1007 Lowestoft to Ipswich service on 12th December 2016.

On 20 June 1995, 153322 stops at Oulton Broad South on the 1056 Lowestoft - Ipswich.

Oulton Broad South ( see other pictures.)

A walk along Normasten park. This is known as Oulton Broad South. The train station was across the broads and we could hear the trains in the distance. The quick fix editing tool on my smartphone has done rather a good job. I rather like the simple capture of these pictures giving a glimpse of the habitat and landscape of this place.

Oulton Broad ( see other pictures.)

A walk along Normasten park. This is known as Oulton Broad South. The train station was across the broads and we could hear the trains in the distance. The quick fix editing tool on my smartphone has done rather a good job. I rather like the simple capture of these pictures giving a glimpse of the habitat and landscape of this place.

A walk along Normasten park. This is known as Oulton Broad South. The train station was across the broads and we could hear the trains in the distance. The quick fix editing tool on my smartphone has done rather a good job. I rather like the simple capture of these pictures giving a glimpse of the habitat and landscape of this place.

A walk along Normasten park. This is known as Oulton Broad South. The train station was across the broads and we could hear the trains in the distance. The quick fix editing tool on my smartphone has done rather a good job. I rather like the simple capture of these pictures giving a glimpse of the habitat and landscape of this place.

It can take you to a lot of places on the rural branchlines of Norfolk & Suffolk.