Nene Valley Railway

[Tankman]

One of the best preserved lines in the UK the Nene Valley Railway (NVR) located just outside Peterborough in Cambridgeshire, is a rare gem of a railway as its the only preserved line in the UK to run to Continental gauge.

A chance visit in the area saw me and Bunkerkid stop off for a bit of steam nostalgia:thumb

Like most preserved railways it has its 'being restored' rolling stock either in sheds or on the 'cripple road'.
There is something about decaying locomotives & rolling stock that just seem to ooze character.

Having worked on the railway in the past and the Travelling Post Office TPO, Night trains, much of my working life, it all came flooding back to me:coffee

On with the pics.

http://i260.photobucket.com/albums/ii38/tankman_2008/Nene%20Valley%20Railway/002.jpg

Out on the 'Cripple Road' a German Railways Kreigslok 2-10-0 No.7173 awaits a full rebuild.

http://i260.photobucket.com/albums/ii38/tankman_2008/Nene%20Valley%20Railway/013.jpg

Swedish Railways B 4-6-0 No.101 awaits its turn at preservation, its boiler ticket is up! One of the first Continental locomotives to run on the NVR.

http://i260.photobucket.com/albums/ii38/tankman_2008/Nene%20Valley%20Railway/020.jpg

The Motive Power Depot at Wansford station, these days seems to be made up of more Heritage Diesels than steam locos.

http://i260.photobucket.com/albums/ii38/tankman_2008/Nene%20Valley%20Railway/025.jpg

The approaches to Wansford Station with the signal box & a nice set of semaphore signals. The TPO stands in the platform.

http://i260.photobucket.com/albums/ii38/tankman_2008/Nene%20Valley%20Railway/027.jpg

The first train that started the NVR off was this lovely BR standard Black Five,
4-6-0. No.73050 "City of Peterborough"

http://i260.photobucket.com/albums/ii38/tankman_2008/Nene%20Valley%20Railway/001.jpg

The headlight of the Swedish locomotive is impressive, reminds me of the big american steam locos of the 50's.:thumb

[Boothy]

Nice pics mate.Love the one with the signal & signal box.

[boxfrenzy]

Nice one mate, cool pictures. Like the Black 5 :thumb

[bootsy]

this is close to me.not been years but its a good day out

[Bunkerkid]

Great day out, some real good history of trains here:lol:

Some of my pics

http://i544.photobucket.com/albums/hh360/Bunkerkid_bucket/101_1584.jpg

German Ubahn tank locomotive awaiting restoration:smclap

http://i544.photobucket.com/albums/hh360/Bunkerkid_bucket/101_1585.jpg

A old green saddle tank awaiting resto:confused:

http://i544.photobucket.com/albums/hh360/Bunkerkid_bucket/101_1626.jpg

The TPO train, which Tankman worked on:lol:

http://i544.photobucket.com/albums/hh360/Bunkerkid_bucket/101_1641.jpg

And here he is back at work reunited with his beloved letters:laugh

All the train names from Tankman a.k.a train nerd:lol:

[boxfrenzy]

I like the old trains there. Very good. Nice to see Tankman hard at work at the fitting.

[Muse]

That looks like a scene from The Night Train (watched it again last year when we were doing a documentary project at uni)

Letters of thanks, letters from banks,
Letters of joy from the girl and the boy,
Receipted bills and invitations
To inspect new stock or visit relations,
And applications for situations
And timid lovers' declarations
And gossip, gossip from all the nations,
News circumstantial, news financial,
Letters with holiday snaps to enlarge in,
Letters with faces scrawled in the margin,
Letters from uncles, cousins, and aunts,
Letters to Scotland from the South of France,
Letters of condolence to Highlands and Lowlands
Notes from overseas to Hebrides
Written on paper of every hue,
The pink, the violet, the white and the blue,
The chatty, the catty, the boring, adoring,
The cold and official and the heart's outpouring,
Clever, stupid, short and long,
The typed and the printed and the spelt all wrong.

[Heffalump]

That's brilliant muse! Ace pics guys :D

[six2]

nice pics there, great to see engines with no graffiti on em,

[Muse]

That's brilliant muse! Ace pics guys :D

I certainly can't take credit for that, it's W H Auden. You can hear the rest of the poem with part of the film here (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gmq6mFAEqNQ)