Nene Valley Railway
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The Nene Valley Railway (NVR) is a preserved railway in Cambridgeshire, England, running between Peterborough Nene Valley and Yarwell Junction. The line runs for seven and a half miles. As well as stations at each terminus, there are three stops en route: Orton Mere, Ferry Meadows and Wansford.
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History
In 1845 the London & Birmingham Railway company was given parliamentary assent to construct a line from Blisworth, Northamptonshire to Peterborough. Completed in 1847, it became Peterborough's first railway line, terminating at Peterborough, later 'Peterborough East' station, which was sited next to the current Matalan store of London Road. The sheds & one platform face are still clearly visible.
The line was of little significance until the late 19th Century, when the London & North western Railway, which had absorbed the L&BR constructed a line, via Nassington and King's cliffe to Seaton, below Harringworth Viaduct. This turned Wansford, previously an unimportant village station into a major junction. This was increased a few years later when the L&NWR constructed another line, via Sutton, southorpe & Barnack to Stamford, on the Midland Railway line between Peterborough and Leicester. In 1884 the line received a royal visit, when royal family travelled between Peterborough and Barnwell-some 13 miles beyond Wansford to visit Barnwell manor, Home of the then Duke of Gloucester. The then station building is now preserved at wansford station on the NVR, and is now known as the Barnwell building.
Between the turn of the century and the 1960s, the line formed an important connection between Norwich, Cambridge & eastern england and Northampton & the heart of england. The line was generally acknowledged to be a secondary mainline, and regularly saw large engines such as Black 5s, B1s and other large mixed traffic engines. However, the NVR was closed as one of the last line closures of the Dr Beeching era, remaining open for freight traffic in 1972, passenger services to northampton & Rugby having ceased eight & ten years previously.
Peterborough Locomotive Society
In 1968, the Reverend Richard Paten had bought British Railways Standard Class '5' 4-6-0 number 73050 for it's scrap value of £3,000. His intention had been to exhibit it outside Peterborough Technology College as a monument to Peterborough's railway history. However, there was one problem-the locomotive was found to be in good working order. Because of the engine's condition there was a large amount of oposition to the idea of the engine being 'stuffed', many people pressed the idea of the locomotive being restored to full working order.
On 28th March 1969, the Peterborough Branch of the East Anglian Locomotive Scoiety was formed, with the intention of purchasing and restoring BR pacific number 70000 'Britannia'. By 1970, the group was sufficiently strong to form it's own group-the Peterborough Locomotive society (PLS). In 1971, 73050 was moved to the British Sugard corporation's sidings at fletton, where it was joined by Hunslet 0-6-0 locomotive 'Jack's Green'. later that year, the PLS held a meeting at which the group's name was changed to 'Peterborough Railway society' and the idea of the Nene Valley railway was formally launched.
In 1974 the Peterborough development Corporation bought the nene valley line between Longville & Yarwell Junction and began leasing it to the PRS to perate the railway-a major milestone in the Railway's history.
The Nene Valley Railway
When the PRS acquired the line, the intention was to work the line with british locomotives & stock. However, enthusiasts from other railways & preservation societies had already acquired almost all of the servicable ex-BR locomotives-all that was left was a collection of rusting hulks-and, apart from 73050, the society's locomotives-mostly small, industrial shunting engines-were not suitable for the 11 mile round trip. Ex-BR rolling stock was also in very short supply following the disposal of most pre-nationalisation (pre-1948) stock. The PDC, having paid out a considerable sum of money for the line, was anxious that trains should start running as soon as possible-certainly before the opening of the new Nene Park in 1978. However, with the PRC's lack of stock & locomotives this looked highly improbable.
A Continental Solution
In 1973, PRS member Richard Hurlock had approched the society for a home for his ex-swedish railways 2-6-4T class S1 oil fired locomotive 1928. Because the engine was higher & wider than British stock it was to be a static exhibition only. During 1974 it was realised that the use of foreign stock & engines could answer the NVR's prayers. After a feasability study was carried out it was discovered that only one bridge would have to be demolished to allow the running of continental stock & locomotives. Some reductions would also have to be made to the width of the platforms. In 1973 BR gave PRS permission to use Wansford signal box. In september of that year, the first items of stock arrived at the PRS depot.
The first train
Before the stock could be moved from the BSC depot to Wansford, the missing 400 yards of the fletton loop had to be rebuilt, alowing access to the Nene valley line. The track was completed in march 1974, the track was completed and moved to Wansford in time for the Easter weekend, when the new 'Wansford steam Centre' opened for the first time. Between 1974 and 1977, the line was upgraded to passenger-carrying standard and the first train ran on 1st June 1977, hauled by the 'Nord'-a french locomotive and '1178'-another Swedish tank engine, pulling a set of ex-BR electrical Multiple Unit coaches owned by the Southern Electric group.[1].
The Peterborough Extension
in 1986, the NVR decided to extend it's running line, which then terminated at Orton Mere station, along the of the origibal NVR to a new station west of the East Coast Main Line, adjacent to the new Railworld Museum. This extended the length of the NVR to it's current length, 7.5 miles. Since 1999, there has been talk of the 'crescent link' project-a scheme to allow the NVR to run trains through the westernmost end of the Nene park, across the river Nene into the Peterborough mainline station to connect directly with GNER, Central & First Capital Connect trains. It is thought likely this might be done in accordance with the proposed redevelopment and modernisation of Peterborough station. However, no fixed date has been set for this developemtn, so it is uncertain if the project will ever go ahead.
Article written by NVR member Benjamin Wood