Well today was the first day of the Santa services.
Excellent day and lots of happy passengers.
Nice view of the local flooded fields as a bonus.
Christmas Visitors.
Tomorrow sees the arrival of Bahamas to help with Christmas services.
Not too long to the Santa services, this year they have a completely new look.
Hopefully we will have an excellent busy Christmas. Its not too late to buy tickets, have a look on the NVR web site for full details.
Tornado is with us.
Well Tornado has arrived safely at the railway. On Friday it will be on driver experience, and at the weekend it is pulling public services.
Will be a good busy weekend, if you plan to visit then I hope you have a great time.
Currently it’s facing east towards Peterborough.
Dedicating Rosemary’s Bench on the 25th September 2024
Wednesday saw the dedicating of Rosemary’s bench on Platform 2 at Orton Mere Station.
I am personally most upset that my health prevented me from attending.
Here are a few pictures of the event, and my thanks to Paddy Knight for taking them.
Rosemary’s step daughter and nephew sitting on the bench.
Without doubt Rosemary is sadly missed by the Orton Mere volunteers that worked with her.
Christmas and new year services.
Jubilee Class locomotive No 45596 ‘Bahamas’ to haul “The North Pole Adventure
45996 Bahamas will arrive at the Nene Valley Railway in late November to haul our North Pole Adventure Trains, 45596 will also haul our popular Jolly Fisherman Fish and Chips service on the evening of Saturday 4th January 2025,
The locomotive will also be available for our Driving Experience courses on 3rd and 4th January. On Sunday 5th January 45996 will haul passengers services.
The attendance of Bahamas to the NVR is with kind thanks to the Bahamas Locomotive Society
This is excellent news, North Pole adventure tickets available on the NVR web site.
GBRf weekend.
This weekend sees a joint event with GBRf, full details are on the NVR web site.
The weather forecast is good and the railway will no doubt be busy. Its events like this that I miss being involved in, but still being confined to the house I can only watch on the webcams.
So if you do plan to attend the event have a great time a,n should you wish to send me pictures for the blog then they will be most welcome.
Please take a few minutes to look at the railways web site to see what other events are planned, I am sure you will find something of interest.
It could be weird on a Wednesday.
Opening on a Wednesday at Orton Mere could be very unpredictable, We could be busy or totally dead, there were rarely days in-between.
Weather was not a factor either we have had wet days and been busy all day, then we have had nice sunny days and been totally dead all day.
Most business on a Wednesday was not from train tickets, it was from people passing, such as cyclists, dog walkers and the like. We always found that cyclists were often a strange breed, they ranged from the silent ones to the cycling fanatics, who would want to give you every last detail of the bike they were riding, they could out talk diesel fans with their desire to give you details. right down to the valves keeping the air in their tyres. Dog walkers were normally a friendly bunch, and the ones who said their dogs were no trouble normally had the worst ones for yapping, often constantly. Often you could hear them as they passed the signal box. But they often bought something to munch and drink for themselves together with a bottle of water for the dog. Many were regulars as well and seen most weeks.
So if you ever visit and travel on a Wednesday keep and wye out for those cyclists, they don’t take prisoners.
Rosemary Galloway.
It is with immense sadness that I have to post that Rosemary Galloway passed away this morning Saturday 15th June 2024.
Her introduction to the railway was when she did a driver experience on 73050, she was in her early eighties at the time. She saw the garden at Orton Mere as she passed and muttered to herself that the garden needed sorting. The rest as they say is history.
So Rosemary, for a number of years tended the garden at Orton Mere Station. To do this she caught a train to Peterborough from St Neots and then walked to Orton Mere.
She did this well into her late eighties, she came to do the garden in all weathers and always had a smile.
There was a regular flow of banter between the two of us, and I fondly remember that she mentioned on a number of occasions that she wished she could adopt me so that she could tell me off and keep me in line properly!
I fondly remember standing in the station building doorway with her watching the summer rain pour down and she would utter the words. “Robert! Robert! Always remember we don’t have seasons we have samples!”
Rosemary was always happy to chat to both visitors and railway staff & volunteers. I can honestly say that she was liked and respected by all.
I can say with certainty that she will be remembered with both fondness and respect by all the staff at Orton Mere that worked with her.
Rosemary Rest in Peace. Thanks for your hard work and dedication. You will always be missed and remembered.
Locomotive Legends.
25th 26th & 27th May 2024
D9009 will be appearing as 55013 BLACK WATCH
Named at Doncaster Works on July 21st 1961 before introduction to traffic, D9009 maintained the ‘racehorse’ tradition of the LNER by commemorating the winner of the 1949 Ascot Gold Cup. Based at Finsbury Park in North London, Alycidon was one of eight ‘racehorse’ Deltics stabled there. In May 1981, she moved to York after the closure of Finsbury Park and was one of four Deltics prepared to work a series of farewell rail-tours during their final six months of operation. Her final outing in BR service was on January 2nd 1982 as standby locomotive for the ‘Deltic Scotsman Farewell’. Whilst at the NVR D9009 will be appearing as 55013 BLACK WATCH.
Saturday 25th May
34081 will be renamed as Bulleid No 34111 Royal Auxiliary Air Force for the weekend (only operating on the 14:15 service from Wansford to Yarwell and back)
Battle of Britain Memorial Fly Past at 14:03 over Wansford
British Railways Blue
Deltic 55013 The Black Watch
Peak Class 45041 Royal Tank Regiment
Class 14 9529
Triple Headed Service with Deltic 55013, Peak Class 45041 and Class 14 9529
Evening Fish and Chips: The Fenman with Bulleid No 34111 Royal Auxiliary Air Force for the weekend
Sunday 26th and Monday 27th May
Bulleid No 34111 Royal Auxiliary Air Force
Deltic No 55013 Black Watch
Peak No 45041 Royal Tank Regiment
Double Headed service on Sunday: Bulleid No 34111 and Peak No 45041
Double Headed service on Monday: Peak No 45041 and Deltic No 55013
All weekend
- Mk1 coaching stock in use
- Express fully fitted Freight Train and Brake Van Rides (payable on the day)
- Five services per day with the last train double heading
- Licensed Buffet Cars
- Wansford Café serving hot/cold food and refreshments from 08:30
- Wansford Shop and Second-Hand Book Shop open
- Overton Tea Room and station open for the sale of food and beverages and their famous Hot Sausage Rolls
- Shed Tours at Wansford
- Ale on Rail
- Other attractions to be advised
Trade Stands
- NVR Wagon Group
- Wansford Miniature Railway Shop
- B&E Models
- B17 Locomotive Trust
Car Parking
If you are travelling by road, please note the car parking arrangements below:
- Wansford Station: free parking in our car park
- Railworld, Orton Mere and Ferry Meadows Country Park: car parking available (charges apply)
- Limited Disabled parking is available in the Wansford Station car park
Nene Valley Railway-Buffer to Buffer
By Finlay Elliott.
On the 28th of April 2024 I decided to cycle the entire length of the Nene Valley Railway, it was quite a long bike ride, but I decided I was up for the challenge.
Leaving the house at around 12:20 I made my way over to Peterborough Nene Valley station.
Just as I arrived the train was pulling in, I snapped a photo of the station and then I had a short chat with the platform staff told them what I was planning on doing, I left just before the train was set to leave and made my way over to Orton Mere station.
As usual it was not very busy, just a couple of people in the signal box and someone doing some work on platform one, I said hello to the staff, snapped a quick shot of the station, and then went on my way to Overton. I arrived just as the train was pulling in.
I stopped off and had a quick chat with the station staff about how there was a lack of milk in the station the previous day, and that I had to make an emergency run to the Tesco express, told them about where I was going and then went on my way to Wansford.
This was the trickiest part of the journey as due to the wet weather I couldn’t just travel alongside the railway line as I had done previously so had to use google maps to work out a route. I ended up going through Ferry Meadows, up Love Hill, through Castor and Ailsworth, even along the A47 for a mile until I finally reached Wansford!
I was greeted by Thomas steaming away while the main service train went across the level crossing on its way back to Peterborough. I locked up my bike went onto the platform had a chat with the bar staff about how the day had been and how busy it was and then went on my way to the final station, Yarwell.
I entered the station into google maps and followed the route it had sent me, it led me down a gravel road which I biked down, I then went past a car which rolled its window down which revealed a rather disgruntled older man who asked where I was off to, I told him I was off to Yarwell, and he then seemed much less annoyed and gave me directions to take the next turn and it will lead me right down there, although the story doesn’t end here as I misunderstood his directions and turned down a path instead of back onto the road. I realised my mistake and turned back, but by then the gates to the gravel road I was on had been closed and locked, and I could hear the train departing, I still carried on however hopping over the fence as it was the only way out (I had effectively been trapped on the road.) I then made my way to the next turning. I went down the other gravel road, went past another older man who gave me more directions and finally arrived at Yarwell. I was absolutely shattered.
I took my photos and had a well-deserved sit down, had a little nose around the station, and then went on my way home. It was an interesting experience, not sure I would fancy doing it again anytime soon – although I’m glad I did it!
Text and images are all © Finlay, My thanks to him for submitting the article.