Well the work continues on the continental coach wheels
Here is an image of the shavings that are being removed.
Here we have before and after shots of the work on a wheel.
I hope these posts are of interest.
Wheel work and a close shave
When a day can be a grind Part two
More images of the wheel work at Wansford. If you have any technical queries please have a look at the companies web site that is linked in the previous post.
This is why donations are always welcome at the railway.
Ignoring the people who think that the railway runs on thin air and we raid a box of monopoly money when we need to replace something the following was taken from a permanent way update.
It’s worth reflecting that track components are expensive. New bullhead rail (forget serviceable bullhead rail from off the network, its like rocking horse droppings – non-existent!) is currently costing £1252.00 per 60ft length. New timber sleepers are costing £55.00 each and ballast is approaching £40.00 per tonne. To relay a quarter of a mile of track you need forty-four rails, five hundred and fifty sleepers and almost 700 tonnes of ballast. That’s a bill of over £100K and that doesn’t include any small materials such as chairs and screws, heavy plant, labour etc. It can be done cheaper using serviceable concrete sleepers (circa £25 each) and serviceable flat bottom rail (circa £500 each if available) but you need a deeper dig and more ballast (approx. 150 tonnes) to fit the concrete sleepers in. Expensive whichever way you go.
And that ladies and gentlemen is why donations are always welcome. Should you wish to donate to the railway you will find a link at the top of the railways main web site. Click HERE to go directly there.
Just remember the above if you’re one of our regular non-paying visitors.
A simple oil can
Very simple but very collectable.
Start a Conversation.
Track Trespass.
It’s fair to say that all lines be they heritage or network suffer from track trespass occasionally. And this is not always done by youngsters. In my experience of catching trespassers they can be of any age and of either sex.
At the moment we are having problems with this around the Orton Mere station. With pupils going to and from school.
So this blog post is aimed at locals to the NVR.
Please remember it is an offence to trespass on a railway. It’s a dangerous place. Trains can run at any time and on any of the lines.
Now I am aware that the above video is of a train on the national network but the principal is the same.
A few hundred tons of train can’t dodge a trespasser and just because a train is on a heritage railway does not mean it weighs less. Walking on the track or beside the track is dangerous, there are numerous trip hazards some more visible than others.
So if you are one of those who trespass on railways just remember that railways can kill they are dangerous places. Graveyards and crematoriums are full of people who thought trespassing on a railway was not dangerous.
Botolph Bridge Sidings
The Fletton loop which is now part of the NVR was used for the deliveries of sugar beet into the British Sugar factory.
Here is a wagon label used for such deliveries.
The sidings are long gone.
Jason’s NVR Photo Guide.
Part Three – Overton to Peterborough Nene Valley.
In this final third chapter I will be showing you the popular spots to watch trains between Overton and Peterborough Nene Valley having covered Yarwell to Overton in Chapters 1 & 2. With a public footpath practically paralleling the whole railway all the way from Wansford to Peterborough there are plenty of good public places to view the railway from.
We start this chapter at the yacht club crossing just to east of Overton station situated on a curve it is a popular spot to see trains while out walking in the Ferry Meadows country park.
71000 Duke of Gloucester heads away from Ferry Meadows station as it was then called heading for Peterborough October 2011.
3F 47406 heads for Wansford October 2018
Orton Mere foot crossing and station are popular spots to watch trains especially on Gala days when the passing loop at the station is being used.
Prototype High Speed Train Class 41 on the trailing end of a class 56 as it heads for Wansford April 2016.
Double header combination Coal Tank 1054 & Pannier Tank 1501 exchange staff with the signalman as they depart Orton Mere for Wansford during the 2015 Steam Gala.
Deltic 55022 Royal Scots Grey passes 46100 Royal Scot which had just come off the main line.
73050 City of Peterborough arrives at Orton Mere in snowy conditions February 2012.
Class D306 Class 40 Atlantic Conveyor departs Orton Mere for Wansford during spring the 2010 Spring Diesel Gala.
Old friends reunite former Somerset & Dorset locos resident Standard 5 73050 City of Peterborough passes visiting 9F 92212 at Orton Mere station during the Steam Gala 2014.
Longville Junction along with Castor Bank one the two most popular spots on the railway to see trains going past its here where the fletton loop diverges off. Even though the 2 tracks are actually 2 single lines Longville Junction has got that main line look about it with double track.
D1062 Western Courier passes Longville Junction during the 2010 Autumn Diesel Gala, note how different the crossing use to look like before it was remodelled.
4464 Bittern passes Longville Junction with train for Peterborough during the 2012 Steam Gala.
Class 31452 passes by with a train for Peterborough during the 2016 Spring Diesel Gala.
Austreity 75008 Swiftsure passes Longville with a Santa Special for Peterborough November 2016.
60009 Union of South Africa opens up for a run past the junction during a photo charter September 2017.
One last good spot before we reach Peterborough the foot crossing at Wharf Road is always is good spot to see trains departing Peterborough especially if you are filming.
Large Prairie 4141 departs Peterborough for Wansford March 2013.
Lastly we reach the end of the line at Peterborough Nene Valley station.
4936 Kinlet Hall runs round at Peterborough during the 2011 Steam Gala.
A4 4464 Bittern is uncoupled at Peterborough during the 2012 Steam Gala.
Well that’s end of the three parts off photographing along the NVR I hope you have enjoyed reading them.
The spooks special.
Halloween is a time for scary things to come out, so what better than some pictures of some of the working members being scary.
First a few words from our acting Deputy General Manager
The Thomas Halloween Event started as a basic concept idea from a general chit chat between NVR office staff, after the decision was made to pull the Wizards Express this year due to the constraints of covid and social distancing. The chit chat ended up as an amazing brain storming session that resulted in the Halloween Trick or Treat Ghost Train being born. Over the next couple of weeks the ideas came in thick and fast and before our very eyes, what looked like a great event had been built. Tickets went live for the one day event at 3pm on a Thursday and by Monday morning it was a sell out. The decision was made to add another date of which was another sell out within the week. With our customers showing confidence in what we were doing a small dedicated team of volunteers stepped forward to help make the event the success that it was. Big thanks to you all (you know who you are) your enthusiasm, customer interaction and Halloween attire showed NVR as the amazing place that it is. I look forward to the next event.
Tracy Spring
Acting Deputy General Manager
Below some images from Martin Owen.
I was playing the role of Matthew Hopkins, the infamous 17th Century “Witchfinder General”, on the hunt for witches. Looks like I found a few! The pictures can be seen larger by opening them in a new window.
A great time was had by all, though I gather there are a couple of scorch marks up platform 2 where a couple of witches did low passes on their brooms. As yet no culprits have been found. The acting General Manager and acting Deputy General Manager are in the clear. Apparently their respective broom sticks were both declared not fit to run before the event.
Important Dates
Here are a few important dates of the line when it was part of the big railway before part of it became The Nene Valley Railway.
BARNWELL STATION.
2nd June 1845 Barnwell Station Opened
4th May 1964 Closed to passengers & goods
ELTON STATION.
January 1847 Elton Station Opened
7th December 1953 Station Closed
OUNDLE STATION.
2nd June 1845 Oundle Station Opened
4th May 1964 End of timetabled services
6th November 1972 Definitive closing of station
KINGS CLIFFE STATION.
1st November 1879 Kings Cliffe Station Opened
6th June 1966 Closed to passengers
3rd June 1968 Closed completely
NASSINGTON STATION.
1st November 1879 Nassington Station Opened
1st July 1957 Closed to passengers
3rd August 1957 Closed to goods
26th February 1971 Closing of quarry siding and final closure.
WANSFORD STATION.
The station opened with the Northampton and Peterborough Railway from Blisworth to Peterborough in 1845. Being located on the Great North Road, it was for a few years the railhead for Grantham, Lincoln, etc., which at this time were not served by any railway lines. The branch line to Stamford opened in 1867. The route to Rugby became available when the LNWR built a line from Yarwell Junction, west of Wansford tunnel, to their existing 1850 Rugby to Stamford line at Seaton. At the same time, the Great Northern began a service from Peterborough North to Leicester Belgrave Road via Wansford, Seaton and the newly opened Great Northern and London and North Western Joint Railway in east Leicestershire. The Leicester trains were stopped as a war economy in 1916. The Stamford branch closed in 1929, having never properly recovered from the 1926 general strike. The station closed for regular passenger services on 1 July 1957 but passenger services from Peterborough continued to use the line to Northampton until 1964, and to Rugby until 1966. The Rugby line remained open for freight as far as the sand and gravel quarries at Nassington. When these stopped, the line closed but the track remained in situ, and the line was later reopened as The Nene Valley Railway heritage railway.
CASTOR STATION.
1845 Castor Station Opened
1957 Castor Station Closed
ORTON WATERVILLE/OVERTON STATION.
2nd June 1845 Orton Waterville Station opened as Overton
1st August 1913 Renamed as Orton Waterville
5th October 1942 Closed to regular passenger trains
PETERBOROUGH EAST.
2nd June 1845 Peterborough East station opened and just named Peterborough
1923 Renamed Peterborough East
17th April 1966 Closed to Freight
6th June 1966 Closed to passengers
21st September 1970 Reopened as parcels depot
23rd December 1970 Closed