We are spending today preserving yesterday, so you can enjoy it tomorrow.
I would like to dedicate this photo to former NVR driver and Steam inspector Peter Richardson who sadly passed away last month. A4 60009 Union of South Africa opens up at Longueville Junction during a photo charter in September 2017 with Peter Richardson at the controls.
Jason Isaac
A few months ago we published pictures of the inside of Wansford Signal Box. So now it’s the turn of the Orton Mere Signal Box.
Now I know it’s not very large, and I still remember when we had the allotment at the station a visitor asking me if it was a potting shed.
So here are some internal shots of the box.
Pictures © Keith Parkinson. My thanks to Keith for taking and sending me the pictures.
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.
So there you have it, the hub of the station on running days.
All images are © Kim Shaw.
The locomotive Bahamas arrived yesterday, and is with us over a couple of weeks.
It’s pulling services on 21st & 22nd plus 28th, 29th &30th over August bank Holiday as well as other events and driver experience.
Have a look on the main web site for event details and timetable. If your looking for a good day out then please come, travel behind the locomotive and support the railway.
Should you just be planning to visit and take pictures please remember to buy a platform ticket etc. It’s cost a lot of money to bring the loco in and none paying visitors will do nothing to ensure the weekend is a success and enable us to bring in more locomotives.
Here’s to a great visit by the locomotive.
A blast from the past here.
Taken in 2004 as Mayflower approached Castor bridge towards Peterborough.
Former New England based N2 1744 is reflected in the river Nene as it departs Wansford one beautiful September morning in 2015.
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.
A few people have asked me if I could post some pictures of tickets.
So here just for you are a few tickets.
Well a lot of the restrictions are being lifted on Monday, the railway will not have a restriction on seating numbers and the rover ticket is being reintroduced.
The question is of course is for how long? The number of infections, especially amongst the young is skyrocketing.
So all the railway can do is as much as it can to make visitors enjoy a visit without being restricted or limited.
So we shall see how it goes, we can of course do nothing more, but personally at the moment I feel like I do on a bright summers day.
It won’t last!
Please note these views are mine and do not represent any policies of the railway now or in the future.
A great way to spend a Wednesday at the railway.
