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Heritage railway in Cambridgeshire, England

The Nene Valley Railway (NVR) is a preserved railway in Cambridgeshire, England, running between Peterborough Nene Valley and Yarwell Junction. The line is in length. There are stations at each terminus, and three stops en route: Orton Mere, Ferry Meadows and Wansford.

In 1845, the London and Birmingham Railway (L&BR) company was given parliamentary assent to construct a line from Blisworth in Northamptonshire to Peterborough. Completed in 1847, it was Peterborough's first railway line. It terminated at Peterborough, later 'Peterborough East' station. The line was of little significance until the late 19th century, when the London & North Western Railway (L&NWR), which had absorbed the L&BR, constructed a line via Nassington and King's Cliffe to Seaton, below Welland Viaduct. This turned Wansford, previously an unimportant village station, into a major junction. Its importance increased a few years later when the Great Northern Railway constructed another line via Sutton, Southorpe and Barnack to Stamford, on the Midland Railway line. In 1884 the line received a royal visit when the royal family travelled from Peterborough to Barnwell, some 13 mile (21 km) beyond Wansford, to visit Barnwell Manor, home of the then Duke of Gloucester. The station building is now preserved at Wansford station on the NVR, and is known as the Barnwell building. Between 1900 and the 1960s, the line formed an important connection from Norwich, Cambridge and eastern England to Northampton and the Midlands. The line was generally acknowledged to be a secondary main line and frequently saw large engines such as Black 5s and B1s. However, the NVR was one of the last passenger line closures of the Dr Beeching era, services to Northampton and Rugby having ceased in 1964 and 1966 respectively. It remained open until 1972 for freight traffic only.

In 1968, the Rev. Richard Paten had bought BR Standard Class 5 4 6 0 locomotive, number 73050, for its 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, the locomotive was found to be in good working order, and there was much opposition to the idea of the engine being "stuffed", and it was decided to restore it to full working order. On 28 March 1969, the Peterborough Branch of the East Anglian Locomotive Society was formed, with the intention of purchasing and restoring the BR Pacific locomotive, number BR Standard Class 7 70000 Britannia. By 1970, the branch was strong enough to operate independently as the Peterborough Locomotive Society (PLS). In 1971, 73050 was moved to the British Sugar 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 (PDC) bought the Nene Valley line between Longville and Yarwell Junctions and it began leasing it to the PRS to operate the railway – a major milestone in the society's history. When the PRS acquired the line, the intention was to work the line with British locomotives and stock. However, enthusiasts from other railways and preservation societies had already acquired almost all of the serviceable ex BR locomotives – all that was left was a collection of rusting hulks. Apart from 73050, the society's locomotives were mostly small, industrial shunting engines and therefore not suitable for the 11 mile (18 km) 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 and locomotives this looked highly improbable. In 1973, PRS member Richard Hurlock had approached the society for a home for his ex Swedish State Railways (SJ) class S1 2 6 4T oil fired locomotive, number 1928. Because the engine was higher and wider than British stock, it was to be a static exhibition only. During 1974, it was realised that the use of foreign stock and engines could answer the NVR's aspirations. After a feasibility study was carried out, it was discovered that only one bridge would have to be demolished to allow the running to continental loading gauge. 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 and, in September of that year, the first items of stock arrived at the PRS depot.

Before the stock could be moved from the BSC depot to Wansford, the missing of the Fletton Loop had to be rebuilt, allowing access to the Nene Valley line. The track was completed in March 1974 and the stock 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 passenger train ran on 1 June 1977, hauled by the 'Nord 3.628' – a French 4 6 0 locomotive and 'SJ 1178' – another Swedish tank engine, pulling a set of ex BR electrical multiple unit coaches owned by the Southern Electric Group.

In the early 1980s, the NVR decided to extend its running line, which then terminated at Orton Mere station, along the route of the original Nene Valley Line to a new station west of the East Coast Main Line, adjacent to the new Railworld Museum. Peterborough Nene Valley opened, for the first time, on the Late Spring Bank Holiday weekend of 26 May 1986. This extended the NVR to its current length, .

In 2024, the Nene Valley Railway and Railworld Nature Reserve acquired the former Wansford Road Station. Built in 1869, it served the branch line to Stamford, Lincolnshire until it closed in 1929. In 2022, the station and platform were facing demolition by National Highways for the new dual carriageway between Wansford and Sutton. It will be dismantled stone by stone and reconstructed at the eastern end of the railway.

Yarwell Junction is the former junction between the lines to Northampton and Market Harborough. It is the current terminus of the NVR's operating line. In April 2006 the track was realigned, allowing a platform to be built at Yarwell Junction, which opened at Easter 2007 (there was never previously a station on the site). The new station is linked by footpaths to Nassington and the mill village of Yarwell, but there is no vehicular access. Yarwell Junction is about 1 mile (2 km) west of Wansford station, at the other end of Yarwell Tunnel.

Wansford is the headquarters of the railway and most of the facilities are based here. The current station building was opened in 1995 and contains a ticket office, shop, cafe and toilets. The locomotive sheds are located at this station. Also at the station there is a miniature railway, picnic area and children's playground. The station was formerly the junction for a branch to Stamford, which diverged to the north just east of the river bridge at Wansford. The original Wansford station is located on platform three and was built in 1844–1845 in Jacobean style for the opening of the railway. This building was purchased by the railway in 2015.

Castor is a disused station between Wansford and Ferry Meadows. It closed in the 1960s and despite the NVR (which runs through it) reopening, the station remains closed.

Overton (for Ferry Meadows) is located near the site of Orton Waterville station and provides access to the nearby country park. The current building was moved brick by brick from the old goods yard at Fletton Junction on the East Coast Main Line; it replaced a portable building desperately in need of repair. NVR has now added a canopy. The station building was offered to the NVR for £1 plus transportation costs. The Park is open throughout the year, but most facilities such as the miniature railway and pedaloes only run from Easter to the end of October. The station is also the site of the new Night Mail Museum, with construction well under way with some exhibits open to view. Overton station was renamed Overton 'for Ferry Meadows' in 2017 in conjunction with the Nene Valley Railway's 40th anniversary celebrations.

Orton Mere is a two platform station with a station building built in 1983 and a signal box. Until 1986 this was the terminus of the line. Most trains depart from platform 1. Just outside the station towards Peterborough is the Fletton Loop which links the NVR to the mainline. The signal box controls the passing loop and had to be adapted from one lever to three. This station provides access to the eastern end of the Nene Park.

Longville (or Longueville) Junction is about 1 mile (2 km) from Peterborough (Nene Valley) and links to the nearby East Coast Main Line. As of March 2013, there is no platform here, as Orton Mere station is only a few hundred yards close by.

Peterborough Nene Valley (aka Peterborough West), is the current end of the line. Here there is a platform, a bay platform and a station building housing a ticket office, a small souvenir shop and toilets. It is a 10 minute walk from here to Peterborough City Centre. Railworld is next door to the station with a wide variety of rolling stock on display. It is currently planned to relocate the station building currently at Wansford Road Station (on the old line from Wansford to Stamford) to here.

The Nene Valley Railway has a full scale "replica" of Thomas the Tank Engine working a passenger and freight service on 'Thomas' events; it was the first railway in the world to possess one. The Nene Valley Railway considers its Thomas to be the "official" Thomas the Tank Engine, because it was named by Thomas' creator, the Rev. W. Awdry, in 1971. The replica engine runs at certain special events, weekends and bank holidays; however, the Nene Valley Railway does not host official 'Day out with Thomas' events as many railways do. Unsuccessfully, HiT Entertainment tried to sue the Nene Valley Railway on the grounds that their Thomas locomotive was breaching their trademark, but they lost the case as the court ruled that it was not breaching HiT's trademark because the Hudswell Clarke locomotive was given the name "Thomas" by the creator, Rev. W. Awdry.

Hudswell Clarke No. 1539 'Derek Crouch'. Built in 1924. Undergoing overhaul. BR Standard Class 5 No. 73050 'City of Peterborough'. Built in 1954. Withdrawn September 2014 for overhaul which commenced in 2017. Boiler repairs ongoing since 2021. Cockerill Tram Engine No. 1626 'Toby'. Built in 1890. Undergoing major restoration and rebuild.

Hunslet Austerity 0 6 0ST 75006. Built in 1943. Awaiting overhaul after being withdrawn in 2004. German Class 64 No. 64 305. Built in 1936. Stored awaiting overhaul. Swedish B Class No. 101. Built in 1944. On static display after being withdrawn from service in 2005. Disguised as a German D class locomotive, No. 101 was used in the James Bond film Octopussy. Hunslet No. 1953 'Jacks Green'. Built in 1939. Cosmetically restored into its original industrial livery and is on display with its footplate accessible to visitors. Swedish Class S No. 1178. Built in 1914. Awaiting major overhaul. Purchased by the railway in 2020.

BR Class 14 No. 14 029 (D9529)
BR Class 45 1 Co Co 1 No. 45 041 "ROYAL TANK REGIMENT"
Sentinel No. 10202 'Barabel'. In regular use in the yard. Sentinel No. DL83. In service. A regular shunter in the yard.

Plasser & Theurer TASC 45 track maintenance vehicle. In service. Used for track maintenance by the civil engineering department, Also available for passenger rides on select days.

Hibberd No. 2896 'Frank'. Undergoing a major restoration. English Electric No. 1123. Under overhaul

Ruston & Hornsby No. 304469. Stored awaiting major restoration.

Nene Valley Railway's coaching stock includes not only the BR Mk. I and BR Mk. II carriages commonly seen on preserved railways in the UK, but also prewar coaching stock from France, Norway, Belgium, Italy, and Denmark. The railway also owns an ex Southern Railways travelling post office dating to the 1930s, a Victorian era Great Northern Railway parcels van, and an ex London, Midland and Scottish Railway sorting office carriage from the Great Train Robbery. Demonstration 4 coach mail trains have been run between Sutton Cross and Wansford since 2009. Nene Valley has a large collection of vintage railway wagons, some operational and others undergoing restoration.

The Nene Valley Railway is divided into four absolute block sections, controlled by staff and ticket working: Yarwell to Wansford, Wansford to Orton Mere, Orton Mere to Peterborough NVR and Orton Mere to the Fletton Junction with the East Coast Main Line. The signalbox at Orton Mere can be switched out, creating a single section all the way from Wansford to Peterborough and isolating the Fletton Branch, allowing the entire railway to be operated from Wansford; in this case the Peterborough NVR token key is kept physically clipped to the Orton Mere train staff. The staff for the Fletton branch was previously kept at Peterborough powerbox, but is now in possession of the NVR, along with the branch itself. All points and signals are operated by heritage electrical and mechanical systems. There are two crossovers, one at Wansford and one at Orton Mere, driven by electric point motors; the Orton Mere crossover was converted from all mechanical in 2015. The majority of the signals are upper quadrant mechanical semaphore arms, though four lower quadrant Great Northern somersault signals are mounted on a gantry controlling down trains out of Wansford. Lights at Orton Mere indicate that the crossover has operated correctly, and flashing white lights at Overton indicate that the automatic level crossing warning lights are showing. Wansford signalbox was built in 1907 around a 30 bar London & North Western Railway lever frame of 60 levers; levers 1 to 15 were removed when the Stamford Line was closed. A later addition is a mechanical gated level crossing, operated from a "ship's wheel" at the West end of the 'box. The gates were replaced with ones made new in house over the Winter of 2022 23, replacing a previous set made in the 1990s. The Wansford crossing includes wicket gates on the East side for pedestrian traffic when the old Great North Road was a busier route; these can be locked shut from the signalbox, and are currently being replaced. Access to the loco yard is controlled by a two lever ground frame released from the signalbox; this is because a point motor was not available at the time, and replacing it is a job which has never been got round to. A single lever ground frame controlling access to the Carriage and Wagon Shed requires the Wansford Yarwell train staff. The West end of Wansford station is thoroughly track circuited; nearby "miniature" relays pick up low Voltage signals applied to the rails and re transmit them at 50 Volts to the signalbox where shelf relays interlock them with the rest of the signalling. Most of the track circuits are DC, but a recently installed AC track circuit extends to the tunnel mouth. At the East end, the points are protected by a mechanical flange bar which prevents them from being unlocked when a train is present. At Yarwell, the run round loop is controlled by a single lever ground frame requiring the train staff. A possible future application of a colour light signal is to provide an outer home signal to allow shunting to take place on the main line at Wansford while a train is in section. For demonstrating the Travelling Post Office (TPO) apparatus, a starter signal can be operated from a nearby ground frame, giving the demonstration train a good run up from a standing start. This signal is normally kept 'off' (allowing trains to pass); to operate the frame one must be in possession of a padlock key, and also a battery to power the electric lever lock in lieu of a release from Wansford signalbox. Overton Station is equipped with an automatic level crossing which includes the BR prototype solid state flash circuit driving the flashing warning lights. Access to the sidings here is controlled by a two lever ground frame requiring the train staff. Orton Mere signalbox was brought to the Nene Valley Railway in the 1980s, and contains a 12 lever Midland Railway lever frame. When the 'box is not being used, a king lever renders parts of the frame's mechanical interlocking as two disconnected areas of influence, allowing the signals to be pulled off for both directions. The signalling here was substantially augmented in 2015 with the addition of track circuits and the electrification of the crossover. A 'selector locking' mechanism, by which one lever operates one of two signals depending on the position of the points, was removed, but is hoped to be reused at the West end of the station. Orton Mere signalbox was subject to an arson attack early in 2023, leaving much of the interior damaged and the electrical instruments destroyed. Repairs and improvements were funded by the efforts of two young local enthusiasts, and the 'box was ceremonially re opened on 9th March 2024. The signalbox at Peterborough NVR is currently unused, though it is a current project to use it to control access to the Railworld site next door. It contains a 40 lever Great Northern frame. The run round loop is controlled at the West end by a two lever ground frame requiring the Orton Mere Peterborough NVR train staff, and by a hand point at the East end. Communication is mostly carried by hand held radio, but signal post telephones are available around Wansford. Wansford and Orton Mere signalboxes are connected by block bell which is regularly used on galas and some service timetables; the block bell in Orton Mere 'box is of the BR modular "penguin" type. A block instrument and a Tyer's No. 9 electric token instrument in Wansford 'box are not used.

The line has been a location for filming over 150 TV shows, films, adverts and music videos. Between 1977 and 1979, many sequences for the BBC's wartime drama Secret Army were filmed here, principally at Wansford station. In 2008, Penélope Cruz and Daniel Day Lewis were among the actors who worked on the filming of the live action film Nine on the Railway. Casualty, Silent Witness, Dalziel and Pascoe and Poirot''.