We are spending today preserving yesterday, so you can enjoy it tomorrow.
One thing the railway often does is recreate events.
Here is a recreation of “The Pines Express” non-stop through Ferry Meadows station. This event is from April 2011.
The format of the video has been changed so hopefully more will be able to play it.
We have done both steam and diesel recreations.
Now it’s fair to say that the majority of the general public are a pleasure to deal with. But occasionally you will get some that defy all logic when it comes to prices.
Take this gentleman and his girlfriend for example.
Let’s set the scene, it’s a nice Wednesday morning, the trains are running and we are awaiting the first service of the day from Wansford.
Into the station wanders a pleasant man and his girlfriend. He asks how much it is for a single to Peterborough, and how much a return is.
He is given the prices and stands there puzzling you can almost hear the clicking of his brain.
Then he decides that a return ticket is too expensive, so can he have two single tickets Orton Mere to Peterborough Nene Valley and then two single tickets from Peterborough Nene Valley to Orton Mere for when they return later in the day as that he decides is the best option.
His girlfriend staggers out of the station onto the platform, sits on a bench and just cracks up. But by the time he wanders out to join her with four tickets in his top pocket she has calmed down.
Ten minutes later they get on the train with him telling her he got a good deal on the tickets. Actually he spent around £5 more than he needed to.
I have no idea what they did in the end because they did not return on any train.
It was just a normal Wednesday!!
One question we have been asked many times is why somebody coming off the main line needs a pilot.
One reason of course is their lack of knowledge about the line and where things like points, crossings and other restrictions are.
This is normally met with the comment the line is not that long how many can there be? The answer been more than you probably realise.
Here are a couple of excellent videos by John Wood which for want of a better description show what is where. The first is Yarwell to Peterborough Nene Valley and the second is that route in reverse. My thanks to John for allowing me to use them on the blog.
I hope you found the above useful and informative.
For some strange reason over the years I have been asked on a fairly regular basis if the railway ever used slip coaches.
Looking at this video I am sure you will realise that the answer is no!!
Mind you would perhaps be interesting on Castor Bank.
This weekend it is one year since the wife and I opened Orton Mere Station for the last time.
We decided that it was time for somebody else to have a go running the station, I ran it for fourteen years.
There were good times and there were bad times! But my one main memory is of the excellent people I worked with there over the years. I won’t attempt to name any names as I am bound to forget some.
The pandemic has for this year put the skids on somebody opening it, but I hope than next year somebody is enjoying running it as much as I did.
So if you’re a member of the railway and fancy having a go at running a station contact Kim at the office and I am sure she would love to hear from you.
As for me I will just sit and look back at the many pictures I have of my time there, and enjoy every one.
So if you’re one of the poor souls who drew the short straw and worked at Orton Mere while I ran it then my thanks to you I am grateful and, without exception enjoyed working with you..
Orton Mere Station.
Part One – Yarwell to Wansford
In the following chapters I will be showing you practically all the best and popular spots to see trains passing from public spots from a collection of photos spanning 10 years taken in all 4 seasons. We start at the west of the line at Yarwell Junction and head east to the other end at Peterborough Nene Valley. In this chapter will focus on Yarwell and Wansford.
One of my favourite spots to photograph trains the west portal of Yarwell Tunnel taken from the public viewing area which is reachable via a footpath from Yarwell station and beyond from Nassington village.
Visiting Peckett 1438 enters Yarwell Tunnel with a demonstration freight during the 2013 Autumn Gala.
Here we see visiting 56xx 5619 exiting Yarwell Tunnel July 2018.
With original station building, level crossing gates, superb signal gantry, old railway cottages and original signal box still on its original foundations plus river crossing Wansford station evokes the atmosphere from golden age of steam. Its amount of character makes a popular station for photographic charters.
A class of the loco that would of probably worked the line in steam days Ivatt 2MT 46521 adds to the atmosphere parked in front of the signal gantry with the old railway cottages to the left and signal box in the background during the 2016 Autumn Gala.
A4 60009 Union of South Africa stands in front of the original Wansford station building during a photo charter in September 2017.
N2 1744 departs Wansford with the early morning sun capturing its reflection nicely in the river during the Autumn Steam Gala 2015.
Deltic 55022 Royal Scots Grey running as scrapped classmate 55007 Pinza crosses the Nene entering Wansford.
Last night saw one of our ever popular fish & chip evenings.
Here are three shots at Wansford before departure.
Right click one images for larger versions.
Now the keen ones amongst you will have seen the tickets I have posted on here.
Well we also displayed them at Orton Mere each printed to A4 size.
Over the years we lost count of the number of people who would look at the ticket in A4 size and then mutter… The tickets were much bigger in those days!!!
Before you ask it was both men and women who commented.
There is nothing better than a large steam engine to get visitors to the railway.
This weekend we ran 92 Squadron which is a great favourite.
Here are four pictures taken today.
On the 27th September we have a Class 66 running day.
The Class 66 is always a popular visitor and hauls a good number of visitors when we have one running.
Here are a few images of Class 66 locomotives we have had in the past.
