Twywell station

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Has anyone any knowledge of the type of passenger services that called at this station and the name of the line it was on.

 

[Calthrop]

Though fearing a little, that what I seek to furnish here may already be well known to you: by my understanding, this station -- the second out of Kettering on the branch line between Kettering and Huntingdon -- was served between line's opening in 1866, and Twywell's closure passenger-service-wise in 1951; by local trains (Midland, then LMS and BR London Midland Region -- see below) running between Kettering, Huntingdon and Cambridge: east of Huntingdon, per running powers over Great Northern & Great Eastern Joint Huntingdon -- St. Ives, then over purely Great Eastern, metals. Throughout the route's existence for passenger traffic, there were never more than four of these workings each way per day; as at shortly before the end of the passenger service in 1959, it was three per day.

Wiki would suggest that the Kettering -- Huntingdon section originated in 1866 as the nominally independent Kettering, Thrapston & Huntingdon Railway: worked from the outset by the Midland Railway; and -- it would seem -- by the time of the Grouping, totally incorporated in the MR.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Thanks for this detailed information above. It seems that Twywell lost its passenger service earlier than the other stations on that line.

 

[Wagonshop]

I worked at Tywell in 1970"s iron ore was loaded in the station yard .
A class 25 and 27t tippler wagons were used. The loaded wagons went to west midlands. The station was standing and in good condition. It had a double sided clock.
I asked the property office if I could buy it, told it would be about 2k.
Was then told the whole site would be cleared for road inprovements got transfered away loved the place.
Never went back

 

[Calthrop]

Thanks for this detailed information above. It seems that Twywell lost its passenger service earlier than the other stations on that line.

Cranford station, between Kettering and Twywell, was closed re passenger service in 1956; the line's other stations -- Thrapston (Midland Road) and east thereof -- all remained open passenger-wise, until line's passenger service (including Huntingdon [East] -- St. Ives) was withdrawn w.e.f. 15/6/1959. After that, freight traffic initially continued west of Kimbolton; but the line "dwindled" freight-wise till there remained only -- as per @Wagonshop's post -- Kettering to Twywell, for the iron-ore traffic: which, per Wiki, finally came to an end in 1971.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Sorry about overlooking Cranford, which was the first station on the line. I had been thinking of those stations that came after Twywell.

 

[Calthrop]

It's a line I'd dearly wish to have travelled on -- was not very far from my childhood home; I was aware of it before its passenger closure when I was ten, but never saw it in action either pre- or post-end of passenger services. (My parents looked favourably on my railway interest; but were not so indulgent as to take me to travel on every line which I might fancy !)

 

[Merle Haggard]

Reading this thread has made me realise how what I thought were clear memories are now in doubt.
About 1968 I managed to ride the brakevan on a trip down the branch from Kettering to the ironstone loading point on the branch. I always had in my mind that this was at Cranford, but Wagonshop above cleatly remembers it as Twywell.
So for what it's worth, might be Cranford not Twywell, here's the photos; showing the station and ground frame; unloading from tipper; and departing (behind an immaculate D69).

 

[Wagonshop]

Thats tywell stn in the photo

 

[Merle Haggard]

Thats tywell stn in the photo

Thank you. Not sure why I was convinced it was Cranford, but there were no nameboards and I was probably didn't want to ask too many questions in the circumstances.
The sign shown in the last view says something like 'trains must not proceed until the crossing is clear'. Presumably, this refers to a level crossing no longer with gates or box, but I'm not sure that any driver would do the contrary!
The Kettering to Cambridge line, closed because there was no demand. Its formation was used for the A14. Right...

 

[Taunton]

Canon Roger Lloyd wrote, in his classic book "The Fascination of Railways", about when he was at university in Cambridge around 1910 and used to go down to the station in the afternoon for an hour or so to observe things, that this service, a penetration by the Midland Railway with running powers to Cambridge, was a particular interest. It used then the last of the Midland's single-driver locos, and was generally empty - even then. He was attracted to the rural names along the way, like Kimbolton or Raunds.

The value of the line was not really the passenger usage, but freight, allowing the Midland to access Cambridge from wherever they served - London, Birmingham, Manchester, Bristol, Scotland, and give full competition for long distance traffic, coal in, agricultural products out, etc.

Independent railway companies "worked by" other major companies, particularly for branch and secondary lines, were quite widespread before the 1923 Grouping, which tidied them up corporately and merged them into their mainstream operating railways. Most would never have known it was an independent company actually owned the line, the appearance was just of the main operating company, and shown as such on maps, timetables etc.

 

[John Webb]

......
Wiki would suggest that the Kettering -- Huntingdon section originated in 1866 as the nominally independent Kettering, Thrapston & Huntingdon Railway: worked from the outset by the Midland Railway; and -- it would seem -- by the time of the Grouping, totally incorporated in the MR.

Bit more information (from "Encyclopaedia of British Railway Companies"). Originally authorised in 1862 as the Kettering and Thrapstone* Railway, independent but backed by the Midland Railway (MR). MR then planned an extension to Huntingdon and St Ives sanctioned in 1863 and the railway changed its name to the Kettering, Thrapstone & Huntingdon Railway (KT&HR). Opened to goods February 1866 and passengers in March that year. Line worked by the MR under a 'Perpetual Agreement'. The MR also had running powers over the Eastern Counties Railway between St Ives and Cambridge. The KT&HR was invested in the MR in August 1897.

*Spelling as per the railway's acts.

 

[Calthrop]

Bit more information (from "Encyclopaedia of British Railway Companies"). Originally authorised in 1862 as the Kettering and Thrapstone* Railway, independent but backed by the Midland Railway (MR). MR then planned an extension to Huntingdon and St Ives sanctioned in 1863 and the railway changed its name to the Kettering, Thrapstone & Huntingdon Railway (KT&HR). Opened to goods February 1866 and passengers in March that year. Line worked by the MR under a 'Perpetual Agreement'. The MR also had running powers over the Eastern Counties Railway between St Ives and Cambridge. The KT&HR was invested in the MR in August 1897.

*Spelling as per the railway's acts.

Most interesting -- per Ian Allan, and Jowett's, atlases: line ownerships as at 1922 were (pace arrangements around those two Huntingdon stations which were not the GNR main line's one) -- west of Huntingdon: Midland Railway; Huntingdon -- St. Ives: Great Northern & Great Eastern Joint. Mentioned above, that KT&HR was invested in the MR in 1897: one is prompted to wonder about the Huntingdon -- St. Ives stretch -- originally part of 1863 MR-planned extension as above -- to whom did Huntingdon -- St. Ives belong as at its opening? -- and if not GN&GE Jt. from the first, when did it come under the ownership of that joint concern?

 

[Arglwydd Golau]

I'd previously never heard of Twywell but became very interested when I saw that it was situated on the Cambridge-Kettering line and thus have whiled away a good couple of hours researching the history of the line, not least because of an early childhood memory of standing on the road bridge at Kimbolton peering down at the station and the line which was still extant. Having noted that Calthrop had stated that the line closed June 1959, I was questioning my memory because for me to remember that particular image it must have been the early 1960's, and I have since discovered that some kind of freight service (Agricultural products?) existed until 1963. I do recall that the station was some distance from Kimbolton itself, about 2 miles, apparently.
I've attached a photograph taken by my father on 7-Aug-54 at Kettering of a train from Cambridge. I would think that it has recently arrived (behind the J15) and is facing north, but I have read this afternoon that Cambridge trains used a bay platform at the south end of the station (tho' perhaps not all the time!)
I would dearly love to have a 40 odd mile trundle along this line now behind a J15 - probably a couple of hours? - through an area that I knew quite well as a child.

 

[Bevan Price]

For history of St. Ives (Hunts) to Huntington and other lines serving St. Ives, see:

Disused Stations: St. Ives Station (Hunts)

 

[alistairlees]

Reading this thread has made me realise how what I thought were clear memories are now in doubt.
About 1968 I managed to ride the brakevan on a trip down the branch from Kettering to the ironstone loading point on the branch. I always had in my mind that this was at Cranford, but Wagonshop above cleatly remembers it as Twywell.
So for what it's worth, might be Cranford not Twywell, here's the photos; showing the station and ground frame; unloading from tipper; and departing (behind an immaculate D69).




View attachment 86846View attachment 86847View attachment 86848

Great pictures. Do you have any more?

 

[RT4038]

I'd previously never heard of Twywell but became very interested when I saw that it was situated on the Cambridge-Kettering line and thus have whiled away a good couple of hours researching the history of the line, not least because of an early childhood memory of standing on the road bridge at Kimbolton peering down at the station and the line which was still extant. Having noted that Calthrop had stated that the line closed June 1959, I was questioning my memory because for me to remember that particular image it must have been the early 1960's, and I have since discovered that some kind of freight service (Agricultural products?) existed until 1963. I do recall that the station was some distance from Kimbolton itself, about 2 miles, apparently.
I've attached a photograph taken by my father on 7-Aug-54 at Kettering of a train from Cambridge. I would think that it has recently arrived (behind the J15) and is facing north, but I have read this afternoon that Cambridge trains used a bay platform at the south end of the station (tho' perhaps not all the time!)
I would dearly love to have a 40 odd mile trundle along this line now behind a J15 - probably a couple of hours? - through an area that I knew quite well as a child.View attachment 86869

The train is facing south in Platform no. 2. The bay (Platform no. 1) was situated to the right of the locomotive, out of view.

 

[Calthrop]

For history of St. Ives (Hunts) to Huntington and other lines serving St. Ives, see:

Disused Stations: St. Ives Station (Hunts)

Thanks. The linked-to item would make it clear that, whatever may have been the plans / implied aspirations of the Midland Railway or its antecedents, concerning this route: everything on same east of Huntingdon was from the first, and until nationalisation, in the hands of essentially East of England rail undertakings; and that Huntingdon was reached by rail from the St. Ives direction, a significant period of time before the line from the Kettering direction was opened into Huntingdon.

 

[Arglwydd Golau]

The train is facing south in Platform no. 2. The bay (Platform no. 1) was situated to the right of the locomotive, out of view.

Thank you! It isn't the first time that I have made such an error when viewing old photographs! Presumably the bay didn't have any way of releasing the loco from the buffers (or did it?). Given the sparse nature of the service on this line I would be surprised if there was a requirement for another loco to haul the return service....having said that I do have a photo of the same J15 on Kettering shed, presumably taken the same day.

 

[RT4038]

Thank you! It isn't the first time that I have made such an error when viewing old photographs! Presumably the bay didn't have any way of releasing the loco from the buffers (or did it?). Given the sparse nature of the service on this line I would be surprised if there was a requirement for another loco to haul the return service....having said that I do have a photo of the same J15 on Kettering shed, presumably taken the same day.

I don't think there was an engine release on the bay platform.
The service was indeed sparse, with long layovers in Kettering.
In the Ian Allan book 'Branch Line album, second series' there is a photograph of the very last train on closure day, 13th June 1959 (8.12pm?), departing the bay platform behind loco no. 46467.

Interestingly there was a Summer Saturday long distance train (8.14am Leicester London Road-Clacton, and 10.50am return) routed via this line.

Between Buckden and Huntingdon (East) this line crossed the River Ouse on a low level rickety weak bridge, which necessitated the use of light locomotives. No doubt this contributed to this section of line being completely closed first.

 

[Merle Haggard]

To add a little more information; I travelled on two railtours that included the branch, both organised by the R.C.T.S.. The first was in August 1962, and hauled by Fowler 2-6-4T 42350, and this reached Thrapston from Kettering. The report in the Railway Observer (but not the tour guide - possibly not realised until the last minute) stated that 'the line now terminates at Kimbolton, the remainder having been lifted. Severe weight restrictions are in force between Thrapston and Kimbolton so the tour did not proceed beyond the former'. As RT4038 points out there was certainly a weak bridge at the East end (more a causeway than a viaduct) but I didn't realise that there were other restrictions, too. The Kimbolton freights must have been worked by Kettering Ivatt Class 2 moguls which had been used from new on the passenger services because of the weight restrictions. As an aside, the tour report is illustrated by a (tiny) photo. of the train passing Twywell. The second railtour, in May 1968 (a Met-Cam 3 car DMU), could only run as far as Islip. I recollect on this we walked a little further along the line; there was a huge heap of stockpiled coal close the track, and water running off this had washed away the ballast leaving the track unusable.
The primary purpose of the line was to carry iron ore from the quarries along the route together with pig iron from the furnaces and to compete with the LNWR Northampton - Peterborough line, which benefitted from quarries and mines in the Irthlingborough and Thrapston districts. The quarries in the Raunds area had been unsuccessful, but otherwise there were ones near to the line from Cranford to Thrapston at least. The Wellingborough - Higham Ferrers branch was intended to continue to Raunds presumably to tap into other traffic. Passenger traffic was not commercially important; a more extreme example was the Midland Railway Kettering - Loddington branch, similarly serving ironworks and quarries, which only ever had one passenger train ( a special, obviously - I was on it, and it was unusual because it was both the 1st passenger train and the last!). With the availability of cheaper Swedish ore, ironstone quarrying ceased to be economic and the quarries and mine all closed in the late 1960s/early 1970s.
With regard to the low passenger traffic levels in the 1950's; this was in the days when there was local employment (every village to Thrapston had a quarry in walking or cycling distance) so people didn't travel much apart from on an annual holiday. Just as not many people used the train to Cambridge I daresay that the A45 (the predecessor of the A14, and which paralleled the railway from Kimbolton to Cambridge) wasn't very busy then either - it went through the city centre. I can certainly say that, in the 1950s, the A45 wasn't busy in Northampton - one of the main shopping streets, Abington Street, with a narrow roadway, was actually the A45 (even combined with the A43 through the town centre), with Littlewoods and Woolworth on one side and British Home Stores and Marks & Spencer on the other.

 

[RT4038]

I recall visiting with a friend, on foot as a teenager probably in 1971, the Cohen scrapyard at Cransley Furnaces on the Loddington Branch. At that time it was mostly surplus DMU cars that were being scrapped. My friend was very disappointed that most of the cars did not appear in his recently purchased 'Combined volume'! We then walked along the overgrown track on the branch to Loddington, which clearly had not been used for some time, discovering that the fan of sidings at Loddington had already been lifted. Walking to the village of Loddington, buying some pop in the shop and then, quite by chance, finding a no. 260 bus back to Kettering was due in about 20 min. The 260 timetable was very sparse even then!

The A45 passed through the centre of Kimbolton then; all the (infrequent) bus routes to Kimbolton turned in the main street (forming part of the A45) by means of three point turn. Imagine that on the A45 now! Car Transporters were banned from passing through Kimbolton, as the narrow S bend with high brick walls could not be negotiated with the overhang.

Raunds, Kimbolton and Buckden stations were all very well out of the places they purported to serve, and it hardly surprising that motor vehicles (both lorries and buses) took away what little trade they must have ever had.

 

[Calthrop]

Between Buckden and Huntingdon (East) this line crossed the River Ouse on a low level rickety weak bridge, which necessitated the use of light locomotives. No doubt this contributed to this section of line being completely closed first.

Raunds, Kimbolton and Buckden stations were all very well out of the places they purported to serve, and it hardly surprising that motor vehicles (both lorries and buses) took away what little trade they must have ever had.

All hypothetical and "moot", in view of the actual dates at which things happened; but looking at the road atlas, scale 1:200,000: it occurs to me to wonder whether -- had the Huntingdon end of the line remained in traffic for some years longer than in fact was the case -- the demise of that section anyway, might have been caused by the creation of the large Grafham Water reservoir. Although the atlas does not show the route of the old line; it would appear to me that either the northernmost part of the reservoir would have flooded a stretch of it -- or the line would have been untouched, but by only a narrow margin !

 

[RT4038]

All hypothetical and "moot", in view of the actual dates at which things happened; but looking at the road atlas, scale 1:200,000: it occurs to me to wonder whether -- had the Huntingdon end of the line remained in traffic for some years longer than in fact was the case -- the demise of that section anyway, might have been caused by the creation of the large Grafham Water reservoir. Although the atlas does not show the route of the old line; it would appear to me that either the northernmost part of the reservoir would have flooded a stretch of it -- or the line would have been untouched, but by only a narrow margin !

Looking at the one-inch OS map of the area (sheet 134), the route of the line skirts the reservoir and would not have been affected, but as you say, by a fairly narrow margin. The route can be clearly seen on Google Earth and is about one field distance away from the water.

 

[Calthrop]

@RT4038 -- thank you. In a funny way, it's consoling to know "how things might have been here, if..."; with a good many abandoned lines in Britain having indeed had a portion of their course obliterated by artificial bodies of water: often after closure, but in a number of cases, with creation of the new "lake" at least playing a part in the decision to close the line.

 

[Merle Haggard]

Regarding the operation at Kettering the photos I have all show the branch trains departing from the up slow (through) platform. My own recollection is that the bay behind the up slow was used for Northampton trains. These were extensions of the Northampton - Wellingborough service and were push-pull, so the question of engine release in the bay would not arise.
Someone has a distinct recollection that the signs at Raunds were all E.R. dark blue. I would have guessed that the regional boundary was Huntingdon,

 

[RT4038]

Regarding the operation at Kettering the photos I have all show the branch trains departing from the up slow (through) platform. My own recollection is that the bay behind the up slow was used for Northampton trains. These were extensions of the Northampton - Wellingborough service and were push-pull, so the question of engine release in the bay would not arise.
Someone has a distinct recollection that the signs at Raunds were all E.R. dark blue. I would have guessed that the regional boundary was Huntingdon,

On the subject of the bay platform use, I had a similar thought to you and looked up the Summer 1956 timetable, and the short answer is that there were no Kettering-Northampton trains at that time.
Aside from the two Cambridge trains, the only southbound 'starting' services from Kettering, on weekdays, were 7.5am to St Pancras and 2.36pm to Bedford.

The Cambridge trains left at 8.33am and 5.25pm (8am and 8.12pm Saturdays). There was also a 2.9pm, which is shown as a through train from Leicester dep 1pm to Cambridge, so presumably always departing from the up slow (through) platform, as would the Saturday 8.14am Leicester-Clacton, due to leave Kettering at 9.11am.

At that time, the only extensions of the Northampton-Wellingborough Midland Road service were 1.48pm(SO)/1.58pm(SX) Northampton to Nottingham Midland (routed via Kettering/Manton/Melton Mowbray), 8.45pm Leicester London Rd-Northampton(routed via Mkt Harborough/Kettering) and an odd 10.43pm (SO) Northampton-Kettering.

I think there was a bit of a timetable re-organisation when the Northampton-Market Harborough direct local service was withdrawn, which produced a few workings as you mention. Unfortunately the next timetable edition in my possession is Winter '64 and the Northampton-Wellingborough line has been closed!

A color photograph of a train at Raunds taken on the last day of service has recently been published in a book (can't think which one, possibly by 'Capital Transport'?) and indeed the station signs appear to be E.R. blue.

 

[Merle Haggard]

On the subject of the bay platform use, I had a similar thought to you and looked up the Summer 1956 timetable, and the short answer is that there were no Kettering-Northampton trains at that time.
Aside from the two Cambridge trains, the only southbound 'starting' services from Kettering, on weekdays, were 7.5am to St Pancras and 2.36pm to Bedford.

The Cambridge trains left at 8.33am and 5.25pm (8am and 8.12pm Saturdays). There was also a 2.9pm, which is shown as a through train from Leicester dep 1pm to Cambridge, so presumably always departing from the up slow (through) platform, as would the Saturday 8.14am Leicester-Clacton, due to leave Kettering at 9.11am.

At that time, the only extensions of the Northampton-Wellingborough Midland Road service were 1.48pm(SO)/1.58pm(SX) Northampton to Nottingham Midland (routed via Kettering/Manton/Melton Mowbray), 8.45pm Leicester London Rd-Northampton(routed via Mkt Harborough/Kettering) and an odd 10.43pm (SO) Northampton-Kettering.

I think there was a bit of a timetable re-organisation when the Northampton-Market Harborough direct local service was withdrawn, which produced a few workings as you mention. Unfortunately the next timetable edition in my possession is Winter '64 and the Northampton-Wellingborough line has been closed!

A color photograph of a train at Raunds taken on the last day of service has recently been published in a book (can't think which one, possibly by 'Capital Transport'?) and indeed the station signs appear to be E.R. blue.

Thank you for that.

I, too have tried to workout the history of the Northampton - Nottingham route services, and I just can't make sense of it - at one stage, it was unbalanced.
However, I don't think it dates back to the withdrawal of the Northampton - Market Harborough passenger service (ca 1959) but tot the withdrawal of the Northampton - Nottingham London Road Low Level services via the GN/LNW Joint line (ca 1953). I think that one of the Northampton - Wellingborough - Nottingham Midland services went via Melton, which was of served by the Joint Line trains.

It is odd that Raunds was ER. I can't remember the ER boundary on the Northampton - Peterborough line, but it was shown as the via on tickets even though there was only the one route. By road from Northampton, Raunds definitely seems west of Thrapston, which confuses me...

Regarding Raunds station being so far from the village; it's interesting that, in the C19, Raunds was twice the population of Thrapston. It's a thought that possibly station location vs village was an iterative process, the village might develop towards the station. As an example, Midland Road in Wellingborough runs from the market to the station, and its name suggests that it was built to serve the station and didn't exist before the railway. All the way to the station it's now surrounded by houses, so perhaps the station originally being some distance out of town influenced development. and moved the centre of the town in some cases.

 

[II]

Great pictures. Do you have any more?

I've got three taken in June 1972 from my father's collection. Two at Twywell, and one at Cranford. His notes say that there were 11 return working per week at that point.