Today is New Years day and the start of the new year.
Many will be wondering what it will hold for the railway.
The answer is of course, nobody knows. I mean who on this day in 2020 would have been able to forecast how the year would turn out?
It was a year like no other for the railway, and the staff and working members/volunteers came through it.
Our sympathies must go to those who had to be made redundant, it was necessary to enable the railway to survive a very difficult period, they will be missed.
History will no doubt show that we owe a debt of gratitude to those on the railway both paid and volunteer who time after time went far beyond what was required or even expected to ensure that the trains we were able to run were as safe as they could be for the visitors and that the site was as safe as possible.
So please remember when things become more normal and you visit railway that your visit is only possible because of those people. The people who remained pleasant and smiling wether face to face or answering the telephone.
If you are a member of the public who travelled on either the Santas or other trains we were able to run. Thank you for your support of the railway, it is without exception appreciated and we look forward to welcoming you back in better times.
It was cold this morning with the temperature sitting at +1c when I surfaced.
Looking out at the frost on the house roofs and the cars reminded me of Autumn mornings on the railway.
Now I think it’s fair to say that when you ask the average person what they imagine it’s like on a heritage railway station. They will wax lyrical about sunshine, happy visitors and endless enjoyable days.
In reality that can often be wrong, in the Autumn it can be cold, bleak, dismal and foggy and that’s mid-afternoon.
In the Autumn and Winter months we used to have a saying when people asked for a soft drink. “Would you like a cold one off the side or a warm one out of the chiller?”
This is what a typical morning can be like.
Down the track towards Wansford is never better.
We would open up as normal and the odd walker or cyclist would wander in looking for warmth, they were disappointed, the staff stood outside to get warm! The favourite comment was “I could kill for a hot drink.” This was normally from people who had no money with them. But they stood with an expectant look on their faces in case a freebie was in the offing.
They tried to look especially desperate if any of the staff were standing there with a steaming mug of hot liquid in their hands.
They would wonder off dragging their dog behind them. The staff would retire to the kitchen to await the next poor soul.
You would find somedays that you could not see the signal box from the station because of the fog or mist. The first sign of life from the box would be the signal man coming through the door clutching an empty mug.
First train would arrive, normally late, but that’s another story. The crew either warm in their diesel cab or huddled round the firebox. The guard would be well wrapped up with often just a little round red face poking out from under a cap.
Once the train had gone back to Wansford we would get the iPads out and settle down for the arrival of the second train.
In these chapters I will be showing you all the best and popular spots to see trains passing from public spots from a collection of photos spanning 10 years taken in all four seasons. In this chapter we cover the stretch between Wansford and Overton having covered Yarwell to Wansford in Part one. With a public footpath practically paralleling the railway all the way to Peterborough there are plenty of good public places to view the railway from some of which are the most popular on the line.
On leaving Wansford the footpath and line run parallel on an embankment for about a quarter of mile giving a good close up of view of trains arriving and departing Wansford.
Here we see Tornado departing Wansford for Peterborough August 2016 before goes onto roughly level Castor straight.
71000 Duke of Gloucester heads onto Castor Straight near Sutton Cross September 2011.
Deltic 55022 Royal Scots Grey drifts past Sutton Cross heading for Wansford August 2016.
Castor crossing site of the former Castor Station possibly my favourite spot on the line, I remember my Dad bring me to the crossing when I was 4 and seeing Union of South Africa a loco that would have a big impact on me in my love of trains. In recent years Castor crossing has become tricky for decent photos without having to go trackside due to vegetation.
One of favourite NVR photos 73050 heads for Wansford at Castor crossing in February 2012.
Visiting all the way from Bo’ness in Scotland D49 Morayshire heads for Peterborough with former New England shed employees on board February 2015.
Superpower 60009 Union of South Africa and 34081 92 Squadron head for Wansford September 2018.
37324 heads for Wansford during 2014 Spring Diesel Gala.
Below are some photos taken from the fields between Castor Crossing and Mill Lane Bridge, some of the spots may have disappeared now behind vegetation.
71000 Duke of Gloucester and 73050 City of Peterborough head for Peterborough just to the east of Castor Crossing September 2011.
34081 92 Squadron passes Splash Dyke heading for Wansford May 2018.
With Castor church in the background 5619 approaches Castor Mill Lane bridge with a train for Peterborough February 2018.
No.22 passes under Mill Lane bridge or Castor Bridge at the top of Castor Bank February 2015.
Class 60 60074 tops the summit of Castor Bank heading for Wansford May 2014.
Possibly the most popular lineside spot on the railway Castor Bank is always a good spot to see trains especially heading westbound towards as trains accelerate away from the speed restriction at the river crossing and begin the climb up Castor Bank.
Somerset & Dorset friends reunited as former S&D locos 5MT 73050 and 4F 44422 head up the bank April 2010, on gala days you could have as many as a dozen people lined up along here photographing trains heading up the bank.
Class 14 D9520 heads down the bank heading for Peterborough with Santa Special December 2018.
Class 20 20048 heads up the bank March 2010.
Perfectly framed by Mother Nature 34081 92 Squadron heads up the bank on Remembrance Sunday 2018.
60163 Tornado crosses the Nene at Lynch river bridge with a train for PeterboroughAugust 2015.
2MT 78018 heads for Peterborough at the Lynch river bridge January 2017.
Ferry Meadows bridge between good spot especially for filming trains going east as trains accelerate up the gradient away from the speed restriction over the river Nene.
Visiting class 45 45060 accelerates up towards Ferry Meadows with train for Peterborough October 2011.
Visiting Class 20s 20134 & 20311 head for Wansford March 2013.
Tornado departs Ferry Meadows (as it was called back then) and crosses Ham Lane crossing heading for Wansford August 2015.
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.
