Nearest heritage/ preservation line to Bedfordshire?

[Ladder23]

As above guys I’m looking for the nearest/ if any. I work for network rail and have a lot of shifts where I am free during the week, I wouldn’t mind fulfilling some time helping out or doing some voluntary work on loco’s or a old line? I have read up about many being in financial difficulty so I would like to do my bit!

 

[Flying Phil]

Hi Ladder, there is the Rushden Heritage Centre and a narrow gauge museum line in the Irchester Country Park. Others nearby are in Northamptonshire (Lamport), Leicestershire (Great Central) and Nene Valley Railway.

 

[reddragon]

As above guys I’m looking for the nearest/ if any. I work for network rail and have a lot of shifts where I am free during the week, I wouldn’t mind fulfilling some time helping out or doing some voluntary work on loco’s or a old line? I have read up about many being in financial difficulty so I would like to do my bit!

I suppose it depends on what you want out of it, how far you are happy to travel and time suitability. Even bigger lines, have a day in the week that's for a task rather than daily work.

 

[Ladder23]

I suppose it depends on what you want out of it, how far you are happy to travel and time suitability. Even bigger lines, have a day in the week that's for a task rather than daily work.

I enjoy projects, and due to the time I have spare, I am keen to have something else I can participate in, ideally a railway project as I do enjoy my job. What I want out of it really is just the satisfaction of knowing I am helping out. If the heritage lines/ loco’s really are suffering like I am reading then it would be ideal for me to try help?

I work on cars, as I do track days with one or two of my own, so both mechanical and bodywork I tackle myself (to a extent!)

 

[reddragon]

I enjoy projects, and due to the time I have spare, I am keen to have something else I can participate in, ideally a railway project as I do enjoy my job. What I want out of it really is just the satisfaction of knowing I am helping out. If the heritage lines/ loco’s really are suffering like I am reading then it would be ideal for me to try help?

I work on cars, as I do track days with one or two of my own, so both mechanical and bodywork I tackle myself (to a extent!)

It maybe that a loco group or a C&W group would suit you. The Northampton & Lamport is nearby or Nene Valley.

I chose my line to volunteer on by visiting them as a customer to see if I liked the people there first

 

[Ladder23]

It maybe that a loco group or a C&W group would suit you. The Northampton & Lamport is nearby or Nene Valley.

I chose my line to volunteer on by visiting them as a customer to see if I liked the people there first

A loco group would be fantastic, I love old diesel locos, more so than steam, working on something bringing it back to life would be fantastic. That’s a good idea, I didn’t think of that!

 

[IanD]

Buzzrail in Leighton Buzzard is in Bedfordshire.

 

[John Webb]

Buzzrail is the narrow-gauge railway - see www.buzzrail.co.uk for information. Buckinghamshire Railway Centre (www.bucksrailcentre.org) has a wide range of projects, as does the Epping-Ongar Railway (http://eorailway.co.uk). St Albans South Signal Box www.sigbox.co.uk is a much more modest affair, with little heavy engineering.

 

[50039]

Bedfordshire is a big county... down at my end, Chinnor is the closest

 

[fireftrm]

Bedfordshire is a big county... down at my end, Chinnor is the closest

Bedfordshire is in the bottom 8 smallest counties in the UK.........it's just over half the size of Northamptonshire a quarter of Somerset and around a seventh of North Yorkshire

 

[pieguyrob]

Nene Valley Railway?

 

[hooverboy]

Nene Valley Railway?

beds is not terribly blessed with heritage rail stuff, especially operational standard gauge.

down south the nearest is probably epping/ongar
east..nene valley
west ..chinnor and princes risborough or buckinghamshire railway centre @quainton
north..northants/lamport

 

[brstd4260]

and if you decide to go to Chinnor (which is a really nice little railway), there's always Didcot Railway centre only a few miles further on (20 or so in fact)

 

[eMeS]

Hi Ladder, there is the Rushden Heritage Centre and a narrow gauge museum line in the Irchester Country Park. Others nearby are in Northamptonshire (Lamport), Leicestershire (Great Central) and Nene Valley Railway.

Irchester is worth a visit, but its opening hours need to be checked before you visit. i.e. it was not open on a sunny Bank Holiday Monday when we dropped in and found it closed, as per its website and notices. The walk did us good...

 

[MK Tom]

If diesels are your thing Rushden have their Class 121 Bubble Car they're working on at the moment.

One thing nobody's mentioned is Rocks by Rail up in Rutland too.

 

[A0wen]

Bedfordshire nearly had a standard gauge preserved railway - The South Midland railway which was going to take over the old Dunstable branch.

Perhaps best forgotten.......

 

[Glen M]

Leighton Buzzard is in Bedfordshire itself but if you're looking standard gauge then probably a trip up the M1 to Leicester / Loughborough and the GCR or you have the Nene Valley in Peterborough also not far away

 

[A0wen]

Leighton Buzzard is in Bedfordshire itself but if you're looking standard gauge then probably a trip up the M1 to Leicester / Loughborough and the GCR or you have the Nene Valley in Peterborough also not far away

You don't need to go as far as Leicester, Northampton and Lamport and Northampton Ironstone Trust at Hunsbury Hill before then.

 

[Edders23]

Nene valley is not a particularly diesel friendly railway these days they do have an iron and steel group but depending on where you are in BEDS it would be an hours drive. As for Rocks on rail in Cottesmore that would be even further

I would suggest look at Rushden or Northampton and Lamport both of which have diesel traction under restoration