Category: History

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Nene Valley Railway awarded a grant.

The Department of Media Culture and Sport has announced that NVR has been awarded a grant of £669,873 from the Arts Council England, Cultural Investment Fund.

This supports the Nene Valley Railway in executing three major infrastructure projects:

1. To relay worn-out track through Wansford tunnel, including new drainage.

2. To relay track and roadway at Wansford Level Crossing.

3. To relay track in Wansford yard, where old track has been buried in ash for over forty years.

While infrastructure is one of the less glamourous aspects of railway preservation it is fundamental to being able to run trains. No track – no trains! This outstanding award means that we can look forward to running trains long into the future. The track renewals made possible by the grant will have a life-expectancy of around 40 years and are focussed at three weak areas on our line.

Work will start later this year and continue through 2024 and complete in mid-2025.

“With thanks to DCMS and Arts Council England for their support and investment in our railway heritage” @DCMS @ace_national @dcmsgovuk @aceagrams

#letscreate

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Sir Nigel Gresley to visit the NVR

7th to 10th and 15th to 16th April 2023

N°4498 Sir Nigel Gresley was the 100th Gresley Pacific built by the Great Northern Railway / London and North Eastern Railway. Built at Doncaster as works N°1863, the locomotive entered service in 1937 following a naming ceremony at Marylebone station on 26th November. The locomotive was mainly based at London King’s Cross, with a spell at Grantham during World War II, and was briefly re-numbered as N°7 before becoming N°60007 when the LNER was merged into British Railways. On 3rd June 1956, Sir Nigel Gresley had the honour of hauling the Royal Train from King’s Cross to York with H.M. the Queen on board. The “Stephenson Locomotive Society Special” of the 23rd May 1959 was the first train in the UK with a booked or advertised schedule of over 100 m.p.h. and during that trip, N°60007 set the official post-war speed record for steam traction of 112 mph.

Join the NVR as we celebrate steam-hauled services with 60007 back in Blue for the first time since overhaul,

We are delighted that 60007 will be a special guest throughout the event and will be hauling passenger trains during the weekend.  The locomotive is attending with thanks to Sir Nigel Locomotive Trust 

60007 Footplate Experience 

Take the chance to ride the footplate of 60007. A limited number of tickets will be on sale to ride the footplate of 60007, entering the footplate will be via the famous A4 Tender corridor, which leads from the coaching stock to the locomotive footplate, you will then ride the footplate for approximately five minutes. Tickets for the Footplate experience are limited and will be an additional payment on top of your standard travel ticket 

Mk1 Coaching stock in use
All-day Rover Tickets are available 
Four trips per day behind Sir Nigel Gresley 
Licensed Buffet Car
Turntable Café serving hot/cold food and refreshments from 8:30 
Wansford Miniature Railway 
Wansford Shop and Second-Hand Book Shop open
Ale on Rail,
Other attractions to be advised

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Wagon Lits carriages on the evening Santa train.

Tonight we are running an evening Santa train. Here are a few images of the carriages being used.

The Wagon Lits carriages are very popular on special events.

Firstly here we have the Italian dining car, this is blue in colour and a super job has been done with its refurbishment.

© Jason Isaacs.

A large proportion of the continental set is made up of Belgian coaches. Now as with anything changing between colour and black & white can change an image.

Here is a great example. Firstly in black & white.

© Phil Venn

Now we have it in colour.

© Phil Venn

Which version do you prefer I wonder?

My thanks to Jason & Phil for the images.

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656 in steam back in 1976

I have been sent the following images by Kevin Mcelhone they were taken on 28th March 1976 when 656 was steamed for the first time.

All the images are Kevin’s copyright.

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656 steams again.

News from the MPD – 656 has passed the in steam boiler test today with the inspector giving us the thumbs up this afternoon! He was really happy with everything he saw.

We took the opportunity to take some runs from the coal road up to the limit of shunt at the tunnel and back, carrying out 7 return trips and everything was setting nicely, and importantly all the bearings were nice and cool.

I also took the opportunity to stop next to the DSB in the Oundle line, we could easily have been in Denmark rather than Wansford!

A massive shoutout must go to Dave O’Connell seen here just after we inspected the bearings for temperature, without him today wouldn’t have happened. 

656 after it’s boiler test
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HM Queen Elizabeth II

The Nene Valley Railway is deeply saddened by the passing of HM Queen Elizabeth II

The Railway joins the nation in mourning her loss and we send our thoughts and sincere condolences to the Royal Family.

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Final decision made on the future of historic railway buildings at Sutton

Peterborough’s two railway charities, Railword Wildlife Haven and the Nene Valley Railway are proud to learn that their joint proposal for a future home for the old station buildings from Wansford Road has been accepted by National Highways. The buildings were slated for demolition to clear a path for much-needed road improvements dualling the A47 between the A1 at Wansford and Sutton – this is the final dual-carriageway link between the A1 and northern Peterborough. Work will start in 2023 to carefully dismantle the buildings and pack numbered stones onto pallets for transport to the Railworld site next to the Peterborough Nene Valley station on the south bank of the Nene, where they will be rebuilt, with sympathetic restoration of some original features that have been lost over the years. The charities are very grateful to National Highways, who are donating over £200K towards the cost of the move. Once complete, the buildings will serve both Railworld and the Nene Valley Railway as a gateway to their services and attractions.

Railworld Wildlife Haven is a charity in Peterborough which has a nature haven, a model railway and other exhibits. It is located on a landscaped former coal storage yard which once served Peterborough Power Station. https://www.railworld.org.uk/

Nene Valley Railway is a charity that runs a preserved railway westward up the Nene Valley from Peterborough to East Northamptonshire. Both Steam and Diesel, British and European trains run regularly through the year. https://nvr.org.uk/