The Nene Valley Railway runs from Peterborough to Wansford Station which is on part of the old A1 at Stibbingson about 2 miles from the village of Wansford itself. The line is about 7 1/2 miles long. Trains run at weekends for most of the year. The site at Wanford is open from 9am to 4.30 every day. The line runs steam from this country and from abroad. It also has main line and industrial diesels. It has wagons and coaches and a large collection of railway bits. At the Peterborough end Rail World museum is next to the Nene Valley Railways new Peterborough station.
The line the Nene Valley runs on was opened in 1845 between Northampton and Peterborough by the and London and Birmingham Railway. The line cost £429409 to construct. A end on junction with the Eastern Counties Railway was made at Peterborough and passenager trains used the Peterborough East station near the present football ground on the other side of the East Coast Main Line to the station the Nene Valley Railway now uses at Peterborough. This new station was made by the Nene Valley Railway and was on the site of the LNWR engine sheds. A line from Stamford via Barnack used to join the line just before the river Nene at Wansford station. There was also a line from Rugby with a junction at Yarwell just to the west of Wansford tunnel were the Nene Valleys trains stop and run round now. In 1878 a line was made to link the line to the GNR at Fletton with the LNWR line. This line was 1 3/4 miles long and still leaves the present Nene Valley Railway at Orton Mere station, and is used by trains to gain access to the Nene Valley Railway from the East Coast Main Line. The station at Orton Mere was made by the Nene Valley Railway and was never a station. The other Station is at Ferry Meadows and is for the Country Park
The line was closed on the 2nd May 1964 from Northampton to Peterborough. The part of the line between Oundle and Peterborough remained open for freight only and Oundle public school special trains ran at the end of the term. In 1972 this last part of the line was closed. The line from Rugby having closed in 1966 but the part from Yarwell junction to the quarries at Nasssington and the present Nene Valley Railway were not lifted strait away.
The Rev Richard Patten in 1968 had bought a BR Standard Class 5. At first he was going to give it to Peterborough museum as a static engine. The railway museum at Clapham was to be closed and it was hoped that this could be part of a new railway museum at Peterborough. The Peterborough locomotive society was formed with the aim of the national railway museum at Peterborough with a 13 mile line to Oundle. This never happened the museum going to York. But the seeds had been set. Could they reopen the line them self? Helped by the Peterborough Development Corporation £61,000 was paid for one track between Orton and Wansford the line having been double track. A Swedish 2-6-4 tank was one of the first engines that came to the British Sugar Corporation sidings which were the railways first home. As all the signals and one track had been removes it was decided to make the line suitable for continental rolling stock which although they run on the same track gauge have a bigger loading gauge.
The stock was then moved to Wansford were the present headquarters was set up. The photo of the Class 5 at Wansford below is in this early period with trains running about 1/2 a mile towards the tunnel. During this time the station at Orton Mere was made. The Station was also made at Ferry Meadows. On 1st June 1977 the Nene Valley Railway was opened with a train from Wansford station with Nord 2-6-0 and a Swedish 2-6-2 tank pulling a 4-cor set in SR green.
The station at Peterborough has been added and later and also a second platform at Orton Mere. Trains now travel threw the tunnel to Yarwell junction.were a run round loop has been made. Locos from Sweden Germany France Poland and England fill the railways stock book. The British locos to name a few which have run on the line include A3 Flying Scotsman, A4s Union of South Africa and Nigel Greasily and N7 and B1 Mayflower is in the shed. BR standard Britannia 70000 SR Battle of Britain 2-6-4 92 squadron and the rebuilt Merchant Navy class. Even GWR classes 61xx, 28xx, 94xx LMS Black 5 and even class 55 Deltics together with classes 40, 31, 25,14, 03, 08 this is just a few not forgetting The Locomotion also ran on the line and took forever to do a round trip during the 150 years of the line weekend.
This short look at the Nene Valley Railway is just that.The Nene Valley has its own web site and talking time table on 01780 784404. This short look at the Nene Valley is by way of a change from the vintage cycles on the rest of this site.
