Last chance before New Year’s Eve.

This weekend sees the last steam services until the winter warmers on New Year’s Eve.

As per usual first service leaves Wansford at 10am.

Hopefully we will be busy, so if you want your last steam fix travelling this side of Christmas pop along to have a ride.

656 steams again.

News from the MPD – 656 has passed the in steam boiler test today with the inspector giving us the thumbs up this afternoon! He was really happy with everything he saw.

We took the opportunity to take some runs from the coal road up to the limit of shunt at the tunnel and back, carrying out 7 return trips and everything was setting nicely, and importantly all the bearings were nice and cool.

I also took the opportunity to stop next to the DSB in the Oundle line, we could easily have been in Denmark rather than Wansford!

A massive shoutout must go to Dave O’Connell seen here just after we inspected the bearings for temperature, without him today wouldn’t have happened. 

656 after it’s boiler test

Right now Pacer yourselves

The Pacer finally made it up the line on driver training.

The Pacer at Peterborough Nene Valley. © Paul Roe.

Once fully in service it will be a great asset to the railway and I am sure very popular.

I look forward to seeing it in service very soon.

Winding down, or are we?

Many people think that with the end of the summer holidays the railway will be winding down for the autumn and winter. Now this is I suppose a logical thought after all nothing happens in the autumn and winter at the railway.

This if course is not true, the railway never sleeps, it may have the odd doze but it never truly shuts down.

Let us look between now and Christmas. We are running services at weekends between now and the end of October. With several events planned and ready to go. Hopefully the first week of November should see the installing of the new crossing gates at Wansford and of course we have not only the preparation for the Santa services but the services themselves. Throughout this period S&T and the civil’s will be doing work out and about.

The office will function normally as will other departments. So as you can see the railway is far from winding down, and after Christmas the railway will start and do it all over again.

So please if you are able come along and support the railway, this is a lovely time of year to travel the line.

Second Set Sundays.

On the following Sundays we will be running as well as the main service the Swedish Railcar.
The dates are:- 31st July, 14th August & 21st August.

Both the main service and the railcar will be doing three runs each , but the railcar will not be servingYarwell Junction. If you have a Rover ticket it will cover both trains.

Below is the timetable for the three Sundays.