Spring is in the air.

Here in the UK the first day of spring is Sunday 20th March, and if all runs as normal it will be a wet dismal day. In other words a typical British start to spring.

Spring also means the railway looks towards the years events.

So what do we have lined up for April?

As well as normal services we have:-
Driver Experience (Sold out) with a steam locomotive
Freight Driver Experience, your chance to drive a class 14 loco and freight wagons.
The Jolly Fisherman (Evening fish & chips while travelling along the line.)

More events planned through the year, so pop along to the railways wed site at nvr.org.uk and see what’s planned. You can book on-line and that goes for pre-booking tickets for standard service days.

If you have any questions that are not answered on the web site then either ring or drop the office an e-mail.

Let’s have a bit of steam then.

Saturday 22nd January sees a steam service with all being well 92 Squadron running. Three services leaving Wansford at 10.00 12.00 and 14.00. With no services to Yarwell.

Steam services are always popular so a good day expected.

Tickets will be available to pre-book or on the day.

So nice to see the first steam service of the new year.

The Wansford Booking Office.

One place that people rarely think about except when validating or buying tickets is the booking office. Not realising that it houses a crack squad trained to extract money with the least amount of pain.

Here are a few pictures of the booking office.

The Booking Hall.
Where you part with your money.
The nerve centre.
You too can have one of these for a couple of pounds!

So there you have it, the hub of the station on running days.

All images are © Kim Shaw.

Well that was a nice weekend.

Some weekends can, shall we say be a little difficult. Due to things like breakdowns or the weather. But last weekend was not one of those

Saturday saw the main service diesel hauled by the Peak locomotive, which seems to be popular with both normal visitors and enthusiasts. Please note I am not saying that enthusiasts are not normal!!!

There were two cream tea runs as well using the Polish steam locomotive and the continental coaches. Nice to see people on there enjoying themselves. The day was topped off with a Gin evening on the train, again very popular and something we have not done before.

Sunday was tame by comparison with the Polish tank engine pulling the Mk1 coaches. It ran to time all day, which is always a bonus.

Weekends like this are important to the railway, it’s been a far from normal period that we are hopefully coming out of. But we need events that appeal to visitors and are also profitable.

Bahamas arrives on the 7th August and there are some great events planned with that and I look forward to observing them.

It promises to be a good summer and then we have the Santa trains, always popular with both the public and the volunteers alike.

Sitting typing this in the evening where it’s still a bit on the warm side perhaps the Santa trains in cooler weather can’t come quick enough.

Something to cool you down in the hot weather.

Well that’s the first few weeks out of the way.

Here we are with services running again on the railway. Granted it may not be as many as we would like to run and we are running with reduced capacity. But we are running!

It’s nice to see visitors back at the railway enjoying themselves.

We have lots of events planned, the most notable being Thomas’ 50th birthday bash at the end of the month. Plus of course the The Steam EnGIN Express on the 24th July. I will be interested to see how the event goes. I feel that it will be popular and hopefully become a regular perhaps yearly event.

This coming Saturday the 12th of June sees the Wansford Miniature Railway Grand Opening. A lot of work has gone into the miniature railway’s construction and it will without doubt be popular.

Locomotives in Steam and on Display

Steam Locomotive Sweet Pea “Holly”
Steam Locomotive War Department No 90776 Royal Anglian Regiment 
Steam Locomotive GWR King “King Edward II”
Steam Locomotive GWR Parire No 4588
Steam Locomotive Sweet Pea “Joe”
Battery Electric Class 14 No 9520
Battery Electric 08 No 08679
Under Overhaul LNER B1 Roedeer on Display
Sweet Pea 

  • For the Opening of the Miniature Railway Train Services are £1 per return trip, tickets purchased on the day from the Miniature Railway 
  • Miniature Freight Train
  • Miniature Railway Shop with a selection of fund rasing items for sale
  • Miniature Traction Engines in Steam 
  • Special Celebration First Day Postal Covers
  • Blue Circle in Steam
  • Social Distancing is to maintained at all times in line with Government guidelines 
  • The NVR will be running main line Steam services on the day
  • Refreshments available at Wansford Station. 
  • All attractions subject to availability and Covid restrictions 
  • Please note to travel on the miniature railway you must be in possession of a Platform ticket or Main Travel ticket.  

If you’re visiting the railway please give it your support.

So lets look forward to a summer of trains and visitors.

Train departures from Wansford on weekdays in April 1910.

Here is a timetable of services from 1910.
It can be interesting to use Google Earth or similar and trace the trackbed of the old line and try to find these stations.

DepartureGoing toCalling atArrivalOperator
03.54Peterborough EastPeterborough East04.05LNWR
06.31Northampton CastleElton, Oundle, Barnwell, Thorpe, Thrapston, Ringstead & Addington, Higham Ferrers & Irthlingborough, Ditchford, Wellingborough, Castle Ashby & Earls Barton, Billing, Northampton Bridge Street, Northampton Castle08.00LNWR
08.25Northampton CastleElton, Oundle, Barnwell, Thorpe, Thrapston, Ringstead & Addington, Higham Ferrers & Irthlingborough, Ditchford, Wellingborough, Castle Ashby & Earls Barton, Billing, Northampton Bridge Street, Northampton Castle09.50LNWR
08.29Peterborough NorthCastor, Overton, Peterborough North08.48GNR
08.40Peterborough EastCastor, Overton, Peterborough East09.04LNWR
08.45RugbyNassington, King’s Cliffe, Wakerley & Barrowden, Seaton, Rockingham, Ashley & Weston, Market Harborough, Lubenham, Theddingworth, Welford & Lutterworth, Yelverton & Stanford Park, Lilbourne, Clifton Mill, Rugby10.34LNWR
08.50Stamford EastWansford Road, Ufford Bridge, Barnack, Stamford East09.15GNR
09.48Leicester Belgrave RoadNassington, King’s Cliffe, Wakerley & Barrowden, Seaton, Rockingham, Medbourne, Hallaton, East Norton, Tilton, Loseby, Ingersby, Thurnby & Scraptoft, Humberstone, Leicester Belgrave Road11.22GNR
10.19Peterborough EastCastor, Peterborough East10.37LNWR
10.50Peterborough EastOverton, Peterborough East11.05LNWR
10.52Stamford EastWansford Road, Ufford Bridge, Barnack, Stamford East11.15GNR
11.09Northampton CastleElton, Oundle, Barnwell, Thorpe, Thrapston, Ringstead & Addington, Higham Ferrers & Irthlingborough, Ditchford, Wellingborough, Castle Ashby & Earls Barton, Billing, Northampton Bridge Street, Northampton Castle12.35LNWR
11.42RugbyNassington, King’s Cliffe, Wakerley & Barrowden, Seaton, Rockingham, Ashley & Weston, Market Harborough, Lubenham, Theddingworth, Welford & Lutterworth, Yelverton & Stanford Park, Lilbourne, Clifton Mill, Rugby13.30LNWR
11.47Peterborough NorthCastor, Overton, Peterborough North12.06GNR
11.55Stamford EastWansford Road, Ufford Bridge, Barnack, Stamford East12.20GNR
12.28Peterborough EastPeterborough East12.40LNWR
13.05
Fri only
Stamford EastWansford Road, Ufford Bridge, Barnack, Stamford East13.28GNR
13.52Peterborough EastCastor, Overton, Peterborough East14.12LNWR
14.14Northampton CastleElton, Oundle, Barnwell, Thorpe, Thrapston, Ringstead & Addington, Higham Ferrers & Irthlingborough, Ditchford, Wellingborough, Castle Ashby & Earls Barton, Billing, Northampton Bridge Street, Northampton Castle15.40LNWR
14.37Leicester Belgrave RoadNassington, King’s Cliffe, Wakerley & Barrowden, Seaton, Rockingham, Medbourne, Hallaton, East Norton, Tilton, Loseby, Ingersby, Thurnby & Scraptoft, Humberstone, Leicester Belgrave Road16.10GNR
14.37Stamford EastWansford Road, Ufford Bridge, Barnack, Stamford East15.02GNR
14.49Peterborough EastOverton, Peterborough East15.05LNWR
15.56Stamford EastWansford Road, Ufford Bridge, Barnack, Stamford East16.21GNR
16.02Northampton CastleElton, Oundle, Barnwell, Thorpe, Thrapston, Ringstead & Addington, Higham Ferrers & Irthlingborough, Ditchford, Wellingborough, Castle Ashby & Earls Barton, Billing, Northampton Bridge Street, Northampton Castle17.38LNWR
16.16Peterborough EastCastor, Overton, Peterborough East16.33LNWR
16.37RugbyNassington, King’s Cliffe, Wakerley & Barrowden, Seaton, Rockingham, Ashley & Weston, Market Harborough, Lubenham, Theddingworth, Welford & Lutterworth, Yelverton & Stanford Park, Lilbourne, Clifton Mill, Rugby18.23LNWR
17.30Peterborough NorthCastor, Peterborough North17.46GNR
18.37Northampton CastleElton, Oundle, Barnwell, Thorpe, Thrapston, Ringstead & Addington, Higham Ferrers & Irthlingborough, Ditchford, Wellingborough, Castle Ashby & Earls Barton, Billing, Northampton Bridge Street, Northampton Castle20.05LNWR
18.40Stamford EastWansford Road, Ufford Bridge, Barnack, Stamford East19.03GNR
19.37Peterborough EastCastor, Overton, Peterborough East19.58LNWR
19.42Leicester Belgrave RoadNassington, King’s Cliffe, Wakerley & Barrowden, Seaton, Rockingham, Medbourne, Hallaton, East Norton, Tilton, Loseby, Ingersby, Thurnby & Scraptoft, Humberstone, Leicester Belgrave Road21.11GNR
19.55Stamford EastWansford Road, Ufford Bridge, Barnack, Stamford East20.20GNR
20.11RugbySeaton, Market Harborough, Welford & Lutterworth, Rugby21.32LNWR
22.01Peterborough EastPeterborough East22.15LNWR
22.35Peterborough EastPeterborough East22.48LNWR
The table above shows the train departures from Wansford on weekdays in April 1910.