We are spending today preserving yesterday, so you can enjoy it tomorrow.
Saturday 22nd January sees a steam service with all being well 92 Squadron running. Three services leaving Wansford at 10.00 12.00 and 14.00. With no services to Yarwell.
Steam services are always popular so a good day expected.
Tickets will be available to pre-book or on the day.
So nice to see the first steam service of the new year.
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.
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.
Here we are with services running again on the railway. Granted it may not be as many as we would like to run and we are running with reduced capacity. But we are running!
It’s nice to see visitors back at the railway enjoying themselves.
We have lots of events planned, the most notable being Thomas’ 50th birthday bash at the end of the month. Plus of course the The Steam EnGIN Express on the 24th July. I will be interested to see how the event goes. I feel that it will be popular and hopefully become a regular perhaps yearly event.
This coming Saturday the 12th of June sees the Wansford Miniature Railway Grand Opening. A lot of work has gone into the miniature railway’s construction and it will without doubt be popular.
Locomotives in Steam and on Display
Steam Locomotive Sweet Pea “Holly”
Steam Locomotive War Department No 90776 Royal Anglian Regiment
Steam Locomotive GWR King “King Edward II”
Steam Locomotive GWR Parire No 4588
Steam Locomotive Sweet Pea “Joe”
Battery Electric Class 14 No 9520
Battery Electric 08 No 08679
Under Overhaul LNER B1 Roedeer on Display
Sweet Pea
If you’re visiting the railway please give it your support.
So lets look forward to a summer of trains and visitors.
Here we have the first train of the day today
Wandford-Overton for Ferry Meadows-Peterborough Nene Valley.
“It’s good to be running to Peterborough and back.”
Here is a timetable of services from 1910.
It can be interesting to use Google Earth or similar and trace the trackbed of the old line and try to find these stations.
| Departure | Going to | Calling at | Arrival | Operator |
| 03.54 | Peterborough East | Peterborough East | 04.05 | LNWR |
| 06.31 | Northampton Castle | Elton, Oundle, Barnwell, Thorpe, Thrapston, Ringstead & Addington, Higham Ferrers & Irthlingborough, Ditchford, Wellingborough, Castle Ashby & Earls Barton, Billing, Northampton Bridge Street, Northampton Castle | 08.00 | LNWR |
| 08.25 | Northampton Castle | Elton, Oundle, Barnwell, Thorpe, Thrapston, Ringstead & Addington, Higham Ferrers & Irthlingborough, Ditchford, Wellingborough, Castle Ashby & Earls Barton, Billing, Northampton Bridge Street, Northampton Castle | 09.50 | LNWR |
| 08.29 | Peterborough North | Castor, Overton, Peterborough North | 08.48 | GNR |
| 08.40 | Peterborough East | Castor, Overton, Peterborough East | 09.04 | LNWR |
| 08.45 | Rugby | Nassington, King’s Cliffe, Wakerley & Barrowden, Seaton, Rockingham, Ashley & Weston, Market Harborough, Lubenham, Theddingworth, Welford & Lutterworth, Yelverton & Stanford Park, Lilbourne, Clifton Mill, Rugby | 10.34 | LNWR |
| 08.50 | Stamford East | Wansford Road, Ufford Bridge, Barnack, Stamford East | 09.15 | GNR |
| 09.48 | Leicester Belgrave Road | Nassington, King’s Cliffe, Wakerley & Barrowden, Seaton, Rockingham, Medbourne, Hallaton, East Norton, Tilton, Loseby, Ingersby, Thurnby & Scraptoft, Humberstone, Leicester Belgrave Road | 11.22 | GNR |
| 10.19 | Peterborough East | Castor, Peterborough East | 10.37 | LNWR |
| 10.50 | Peterborough East | Overton, Peterborough East | 11.05 | LNWR |
| 10.52 | Stamford East | Wansford Road, Ufford Bridge, Barnack, Stamford East | 11.15 | GNR |
| 11.09 | Northampton Castle | Elton, Oundle, Barnwell, Thorpe, Thrapston, Ringstead & Addington, Higham Ferrers & Irthlingborough, Ditchford, Wellingborough, Castle Ashby & Earls Barton, Billing, Northampton Bridge Street, Northampton Castle | 12.35 | LNWR |
| 11.42 | Rugby | Nassington, King’s Cliffe, Wakerley & Barrowden, Seaton, Rockingham, Ashley & Weston, Market Harborough, Lubenham, Theddingworth, Welford & Lutterworth, Yelverton & Stanford Park, Lilbourne, Clifton Mill, Rugby | 13.30 | LNWR |
| 11.47 | Peterborough North | Castor, Overton, Peterborough North | 12.06 | GNR |
| 11.55 | Stamford East | Wansford Road, Ufford Bridge, Barnack, Stamford East | 12.20 | GNR |
| 12.28 | Peterborough East | Peterborough East | 12.40 | LNWR |
| 13.05 Fri only | Stamford East | Wansford Road, Ufford Bridge, Barnack, Stamford East | 13.28 | GNR |
| 13.52 | Peterborough East | Castor, Overton, Peterborough East | 14.12 | LNWR |
| 14.14 | Northampton Castle | Elton, Oundle, Barnwell, Thorpe, Thrapston, Ringstead & Addington, Higham Ferrers & Irthlingborough, Ditchford, Wellingborough, Castle Ashby & Earls Barton, Billing, Northampton Bridge Street, Northampton Castle | 15.40 | LNWR |
| 14.37 | Leicester Belgrave Road | Nassington, King’s Cliffe, Wakerley & Barrowden, Seaton, Rockingham, Medbourne, Hallaton, East Norton, Tilton, Loseby, Ingersby, Thurnby & Scraptoft, Humberstone, Leicester Belgrave Road | 16.10 | GNR |
| 14.37 | Stamford East | Wansford Road, Ufford Bridge, Barnack, Stamford East | 15.02 | GNR |
| 14.49 | Peterborough East | Overton, Peterborough East | 15.05 | LNWR |
| 15.56 | Stamford East | Wansford Road, Ufford Bridge, Barnack, Stamford East | 16.21 | GNR |
| 16.02 | Northampton Castle | Elton, Oundle, Barnwell, Thorpe, Thrapston, Ringstead & Addington, Higham Ferrers & Irthlingborough, Ditchford, Wellingborough, Castle Ashby & Earls Barton, Billing, Northampton Bridge Street, Northampton Castle | 17.38 | LNWR |
| 16.16 | Peterborough East | Castor, Overton, Peterborough East | 16.33 | LNWR |
| 16.37 | Rugby | Nassington, King’s Cliffe, Wakerley & Barrowden, Seaton, Rockingham, Ashley & Weston, Market Harborough, Lubenham, Theddingworth, Welford & Lutterworth, Yelverton & Stanford Park, Lilbourne, Clifton Mill, Rugby | 18.23 | LNWR |
| 17.30 | Peterborough North | Castor, Peterborough North | 17.46 | GNR |
| 18.37 | Northampton Castle | Elton, Oundle, Barnwell, Thorpe, Thrapston, Ringstead & Addington, Higham Ferrers & Irthlingborough, Ditchford, Wellingborough, Castle Ashby & Earls Barton, Billing, Northampton Bridge Street, Northampton Castle | 20.05 | LNWR |
| 18.40 | Stamford East | Wansford Road, Ufford Bridge, Barnack, Stamford East | 19.03 | GNR |
| 19.37 | Peterborough East | Castor, Overton, Peterborough East | 19.58 | LNWR |
| 19.42 | Leicester Belgrave Road | Nassington, King’s Cliffe, Wakerley & Barrowden, Seaton, Rockingham, Medbourne, Hallaton, East Norton, Tilton, Loseby, Ingersby, Thurnby & Scraptoft, Humberstone, Leicester Belgrave Road | 21.11 | GNR |
| 19.55 | Stamford East | Wansford Road, Ufford Bridge, Barnack, Stamford East | 20.20 | GNR |
| 20.11 | Rugby | Seaton, Market Harborough, Welford & Lutterworth, Rugby | 21.32 | LNWR |
| 22.01 | Peterborough East | Peterborough East | 22.15 | LNWR |
| 22.35 | Peterborough East | Peterborough East | 22.48 | LNWR |