An Exciting Weekend For Nene Valley Railway, 50 Years Of Running + Pump Trolley Evening Experience
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 6 ก.ย. 2024
- Join us as we observe a rather special weekend at the Nene Valley Railway.
This weekend marked 50 years since the first train ran at NVR. It consisted of Hudswell Clarke No.1539 "Derek Crouch" and one Mk1. The train from the British Sugar Corporation site which was home to the Peterborough Railway Society made its way up to Wansford and return, departing at just past 1pm on Sunday 7th April 1974. The trip along the line was a test run with excited members on board ahead of the official trip on the 9th April 1974 which carried local dignitaries. The NVR officially opened to passenger services on 1st June 1977. The NVR is currently planning our 50th Anniversary celebrations for 2027.
The plan was to have Derek Crouch up and running from its restoration to commemorate this special occasion but sadly it wasn’t to be so both Thomas and the class 14 diesel stood in place carrying the replica commemorative headboard. Maybe we could recreate the scene once again for the 50th anniversary.
In addition to this a new special event was added to the calendar for 2024, The Pump Trolley Evening Special. So we stayed on into the evening to watch the special event take place.
If you want a unique experience, an ideal birthday or Christmas present or to cross this off your bucket list, then consider our Pump Trolley Experience.
As a participant you’ll be able to experience the thrill of the wind in your hair as you work your way through the beautiful Cambridgeshire countryside, just as the men who built the line over 160 years ago would have done. The experience will be on our world-record-holding Great Eastern Railway Pump Trolley, restored by the Night Mail Project & Travelling Post Office volunteers in 2024.
The pump trolley experience involves an up to two-hour guided journey along our line starting at Wansford Station. The length of the route taken can be tailored to participants' ability. From Wansford we will head East towards Overton passing a number of landmarks including a Castor crossing, river bridges and our Travelling Post Office exchange site. We can stop near Overton Station and take break after a short walk to station building, this can include a tour of the Overton yard & site before heading West back towards Wansford Station.
About the Pump Trolley
Pump trolleys were originally used by permanent-way staff to get to remote locations on little-used lines. They were light enough so that four burly men could lift them on and off the track as required.
Our pump trolley was built in 1907 for the Great Eastern Railway. It was found by the Rev. Richard Paten, one of the Nene Valley Railway’s founding members, in an outhouse at a pub in the Fens. For many years, the locals had used it as an easy means of travelling from the village to the pub, taking it off the track at either end, and then using it to get back home! By the time it arrived at the NVR it had been hidden in the barn, in a poor condition, forgotten about for many years.
The trolley is the current Guinness World Record Holder for the furthest distance travelled on a pump trolley in 12 hours. Three teams of four travelled 125.5 miles with a sustained average speed of 10mph in 1997. In 2010 the pump trolley starred in ITV’s Coronation Street and a Barclays advert with the metalwork temporarily painted blue.
Hey Custom, dunno whether you still recognise me from the old Railcam (With the likes of Old Arkwright), it's been a while.
Great video, and shots! I do miss the chat on the cam.
Hey inky, of course I remember you! It was great fun chatting on the camera with you and Arkwright. I miss it a lot as well.
Thank you for tuning in again 👍😊
@@CustomiZe_ do you know what happened to the chat on it? It's a shame Railcam have gotten rid of it
@@inkysquid4 yeah not 100% sure why they got rid of it, i think it might've been to do with a lot of chat sections on the cameras having bots and hate comments 🤔
@@CustomiZe_ such a shame. Hopefully Arkwright watches some of your videos or something. I keep up with the blog, he puts a decent amount up on that.
@@inkysquid4 oh yeah I completely forgot about the blog. I have to keep an eye on the NVR Facebook pages for any updates now