We are spending today preserving yesterday, so you can enjoy it tomorrow.
Well here we are on the first day of a new year.
Lot’s of interesting activities ahead, please keep an eye on the NVR web site for more details as they become available.
As always photographs from across the railway are always welcome. Many potential visitors read this blog. So pictures hopefully will encourage visitors to come along.
We shall see….
So happy new year to all and enjoy our railway in 2024.
With this being the run up to the Santa services I was reminded of a visitor to Orton Mere Station some years ago.
She asked if we had thought of running the Santa services in the summer when the weather was warmer and often sunny as it would encourage more people to book! She then added the following gem. When I lived in Australia we had Santa in the summer and events were very popular!
No, she was not blond and actually looked quite sensible as well! It was one the very rare times when I was truly lost for words!
Last Sunday saw the first public running in a long time of the TPO.
It’s always been a popular attraction with visitors, and I remember when it used to start from Orton Mere and do a non-stop run to Yarwell doing two drops and pickups on the run.
© Chris Walker
Above is an excellent image from Chris Walker showing it arriving back at Wansford.
Hopefully the TPO will become a regular feature on the railway once again.
This weekend we are running a diesel service. Yesterday we had the class 14 and today we are running the Peak.
Ever since I joined the railway there have been two camps, one for and one against running diesels in the summer.
Personally I have always been of the opinion that we should, on a regular basis run all that we have available. We are not just a steam railway we are a heritage railway, a fact that many often forget about.
From when I ran Orton Mere I can count on one hand the number of times that a visitor decide not to travel because we were running diesel.
I would hazard a guess that most of our visitors have never travelled behind a steam train when they were in service on the network. but many have travelled behind diesels when they have needed to travel by rail.
So enjoy whatever we are running it is all part of our history!
To start these 6 weeks of exciting events, on Wednesday 26th July, we have Reginald the bear hosting his ever-popular Teddy Bears Picnic!
Full details on our website at www.nvr.org.uk
If you’re visiting have a great day!!
Sunday 9th July sees the first public services on the NVR of the HST.
This is sure to be popular. The timetable is below.
| Orange Timetable. | |||||
| Wansford | 10:00 | 11:30 | 13:00 | 14:30 | |
| Yarwell arr | 10:05 | 11:35 | 13:05 | 14:35 | |
| Yarwell dep | 10:10 | 11:40 | 13:10 | 14:40 | |
| Wansford | 10:15 | 11:45 | 13:15 | 14:45 | |
| Overton (for Ferry Meadows) | 10:28 | 11:58 | 13:28 | 14:58 | |
| Orton Mere | 10:33 | 12:03 | 13:33 | 15:03 | |
| Peterborough arr | 10:38 | 12:08 | 13:38 | 15:08 | |
| Peterborough dep | 10:50 | 12:20 | 13:50 | 15:20 | |
| Orton Mere | 10:55 | 12:25 | 13:55 | 15:25 | |
| Overton (for Ferry Meadows) | 11:00 | 12:30 | 14:00 | 15:30 | |
| Wansford arr | 11:13 | 12:43 | 14:13 | 15:43 |
Hopefully the weather will be on our side.
If you do visit and travel then your pictures will be most welcome for the Blog.
Here I am sitting writing this entry with the temperature nudging 29c and fairly high humidity. I have a gloss finish on my face and I am doing nothing more active than typing.
Nice to have seen decent weather last weekend for the trains, makes a change from driving rain and howling winds.
Over the coming months we have some excellent events planned so all being well the weather will be on our side.
Of course this culminates at the end of the year with the Santa trains. Seems funny thinking about the Santas in this weather, but they are the most important services of the year. The profit from the Christmas services helps immensely during the quiet period at the start of 2024.
Mention must be made of both the Pacer and the Swedish railcar. They are running on some of the quieter days, and provide a variance to the normal diesel and steam services.
So let’s look forward to a busy summer, and welcome visitors with our normal enthusiasm, and make sure they go away after having a super visit.
Pictures of services and events always welcome for the blog, as are articles from events and happenings across the railway.
The Nene Valley Railway’s looked more like Peterborough’s New England when the line played host to an A4 and an A1 for its 2012 Steam Gala, Bittern awaits next duty at Wansford taken from the cab from resident Standard 5 73050 City of Peterborough.
Well we were back to the hot weather again today with the temperature peaking at 32c. thankfully we are currently running diesel services, so no hot footplate or fire risk to contend with.
Tomorrow (Sunday) we are running the hot weather timetable. this gives the crews and of course the train staff a thirty minute break between arriving and departing again. this will I am sure be welcomed by those who are able to take advantage.
Monday we have rain forecast, though wether it appears or not is a subject open to debate, we shall see.
Now to have a quiet evening and relax ready for tomorrow, although I am based at home it’s still very hot and as the afternoon wears on it gets hotter and more humid.
All being well tomorrow will be a nice relaxing day with no major problems and all the services on time.
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.
