Diverted LNER Azuma No. 800112 is carefully observed by the signalman at Manea as it passes by on January 19th 2020 with the diverted 10.30 (Sunday) Edinburgh-Kings Cross. The girder bridge in the distance carries the line over the Hundred Foot River and the RSPB Ouse Washes reservation, the largest area of washland in the UK. In the Winter it attracts thousands of ducks and whooper swans and in the Summer, snipe, lapwings and redshanks. Photo: Alan Jones.

Signal boxes remain in use on the small section of line between Kings Dyke and Manea. On Sunday 19th January 2020, East Midlands class 158 No. 158865 passes non-stop through Manea station with the 12.40 Nottingham to Norwich. Manea has a two-hourly service, on the Greater Anglia Ipswich-Peterborough route, augmented by a couple of Cross Country Birmingham-Cambridge and Stansted Airport workings in peak hours. Photo: Alan Jones.

During the first three weekends of January 2022, the East Coast Main Line was closed for engineering work at Huntingdon and traffic diverted via the Great Eastern lines. On the last of these weekends, LNER Azuma sets 800209 and 801109 approach Manea with the diverted 14.15 Kings Cross to Edinburgh. Photo: Alan Jones

On the afternoon of Saturday 22nd January 2022, a tired-looking 66169 has just crossed the Hundred Foot River and is heading into Manea with the 13.25 (SO) Middleton Towers to Arpley sand. Photo: Alan Jones

On Saturday 16th April 2022, preserved D213 ‘ANDANIA’ worked an InterCity rail tour special from Manchester Piccadilly to Great Yarmouth and back. The consist was 7 first class Mk 3s plus a buffet car and was sold out. Apart from the very rare appearance of a Class 40 in East Anglia the train also took the normally freight-only Ely Avoiding Line, enabling it to run directly onto the Norwich line without reversal at Ely station. This unusual working attracted considerable interest from line side photographers along its route and is seen here passing Manea. Photo: Michael Smyth.

BREL Derby-built Class 158 units continue to give good service on the North-West to East Anglia route. 158857 dashes through Manea 23 minutes late with 1L04, the 06.45 Sheffield to Ely. This service would normally have run through to Norwich but was terminated at Ely due to trespassers on the line. Photo: Michael Smyth.

On Saturday 15th July 2023 the Branch Line Society ran 1Z70, the 06.48 special from Derby to Lowestoft and return, with top-and-tailed 50008 'Thunderer' and 50007 'Hercules'. The formation is seen here passing Manea, having been looped for 10 minutes in March Up Sidings and to be looped again at Brandon. Rare mileage indeed for the BLS members to enjoy! Photo: Michael Smyth.

1Z70, the 06.48 Branch Line Society special from Derby to Lowestoft, heads towards the Hundred Foot River and the Ely Avoiding Line on 15th July 2023 with 50008 'Thunderer' at the front and 50007 'Hercules' at the rear. Photo: Michael Smith.

Whilst there is next-to-no indigenous freight traffic within East Anglia, the same cannot be said about the Liner trains to and from the ports at Felixstowe and Parkeston. On Saturday 15th July 2023, GB Railfreight Class 66 No. 66721 'Harry Beck' (creator of the present-day London Underground map) thunders across the Fens at Manea with 4L03, the 05.53 Doncaster Iport to Parkeston Sorting Sidings. Photo: Michael Smyth.

Still in EWS livery, DB Class 66 No. 66133 heads 4M79, the 08.20 Felixstowe South to East Midlands Gateway freightliner working towards Manea on Saturday 15th July 2023. Photo: Michael Smyth.

The backlighting of a low Winter sun picks out the details of 4M81, the 08.01 Felixstowe North to Crewe Basford Hall Sorting Sidings North as it climbs up the bank from Ely to Manea, to cross the Hundred Foot River behind Freightliner Class 66 No. 66548 on January 9th 2024. Photo: Michael Smyth.

Storm Henk brought heavy rain to South and Central England from January 2nd 2024. The Hundred Foot Washes (Welney Marshes) situated between the Old and New Bedford Rivers were full to capacity, as can be seen in this view of a Greater Anglia class 755 unit crossing over and approaching Manea with the 10.01 Ipswich to Peterborough on January 9th 2024. Photo: Michael Smyth.