NVR Wagon Group

Determined to finish the transformation of his road vehicles, Matt took a bit of time off work to repaint his mechanical horse into British Railways crimson and cream livery as part of the move towards 1962 as part of the Overton redevelopment project.

After a bit of a rub down, the windows came out and the cream went on. Then it was time to get the interior repainted into a beautiful light stone colour. More rubbing down saw the final RAF livery disappear ready for some crimson undercoat.

The topcoat of crimson was next, followed by the beginning of the totem above the windows. The last bits of RAF grey on the chassis were then painted black.

Once the main colours were hardened off it was time for some detailing. The front plate was picked out in silver and then the lettering was applied. A lot of patience and a steady hand has produced a fantastic result!

In other news…Tim took a rare day off from the Saturday working session and other members were also busy, so Matt got on with signwriting the Banana Van.

Whilst Matt was busy painting the Banana Van, Jason did a bit more fence painting. By the end of the session the Banana Van and the pedestrian gate to the yard were looking awesome!

Tickets are still available for our next driving courses…

For more details and to book, visit – https://nvr.org.uk/product.php/553/the-peak-of-summer-freight-driving-experience

For more details and to book, visit – https://nvr.org.uk/product.php/351/teddy-bear-freight-experience

The sun was shining, the birds were singing, and there was plenty to do at Overton…

Matt was in early to get a head start on painting Tim’s trailer. After lightly rubbing down the crimson, a second coat was applied by the time everyone else turned up and then Matt got on with the totems.

Meanwhile, Tim and Annika got on with the repaint of the Banana Van/ Wagon Group Museum.

In an effort to make the site look a bit better, Mark, Jason, and Paul started to paint the fence and decking around the Banana Van.

As an unexpected treat a Lancaster Bomber made an appearance over the wagon rake.

By the close of play, the Banana Van was painted and ready for lettering, the fence and decking was painted, and the scarab trailer was looking awesome!

Hot off the press, our next freight driving course has just gone on sale. Join us on Friday 8th August for a chance to drive Class 14 No 9529.

To book, visit – https://nvr.org.uk/product.php/351/teddy-bear-freight-experience

Over the weekend Matt was flying solo to press on with the repaint of the road vehicles into British Railways livery.

Saturday saw new canvas in the correct colour added to Tim’s trailer, then a bit of painting to the areas where the poster boards sit, and a start on the crimson.

Matt was then back on Sunday to finish off the crimson. This will allow the lettering to be started this weekend.

These repaints are all part of the Overton Goods, Coal, and Travelling Post Office Depot Project…which will see the entire site transformed into a British Railways Eastern Region country station and goods yard set in the early 1960s. All those involved in the station are now beginning to embrace this concept, with all future work on the site moving towards the final goal. Look out for further exciting news on the project coming soon.

In other news, places are still available in the morning session of our next driving course, so if you fancy driving the Peak (No 45041 ‘Royal Tank Regiment’), then book now!

https://nvr.org.uk/product.php/553/the-peak-of-summer-freight-driving-experience

A bit more was achieved at Overton, with a repaint of the Banana Van being top of the list. Tim got on with some filling and then Mark and Paul sanded down and started painting.

Meanwhile, Matt was busy with the cream topcoat of Tim’s trailer. The transformation of the vehicle fleet is progressing really well and looking fabulous. The rectangular patches on the sides are where the poster boards will be reattached.

There was an early finish to proceedings due to Tim giving a lecture for NVR Members about wagons and the Overton Project. The evening was another success with positive comments all round.

Tickets are selling well for our next driving course, with the afternoon already sold out. If you’d like a chance to drive our Class 45 ‘Peak’ loco, then more details and how to book are at the following link –

https://nvr.org.uk/product.php/553/the-peak-of-summer-freight-driving-experience#jumpbook

A slightly late update covering a week of wagon activity….

On Friday 16th May we hosted another extremely successful freight driving course with GWR Prairie No 4144. With the freight rake being at Overton a slight adjustment to the timetable saw our course start and end from Overton. The new look course worked really well, with staff and participants having a great time.

The next day, Saturday 17th May, a few members of the wagon group were at Overton doing a few bits.

Matt got to work with some signwriting, whilst Tim was busy measuring and writing chain markings along the running line. This will aid the site plan that is currently being drawn up by NVR volunteer and former BR designer, Stan Thompson. As an aside, a very successful meeting was held recently at Overton to finalise the proposed track layout for the Overton Goods, Coal & Travelling Post Office Depot. This will then allow costings to be formed for infrastructure and will lead to the completion of the business plan.

Meanwhile, Paul and Jason made a start on the repaint of the Banana Van / Wagon Museum, but Tim forgot to take some pictures!

On Saturday 24th May the short freight was out again for the Welsh Valleys event. The freight left Overton behind Class 14 No 9529, then later in the day was behind No 4144 again.

Photos courtesy of David Pond and Lewis Morrissey

Whilst the freight was out, Matt Baker was busy in Overton yard starting the repaint of Tims Scammell trailer.

All road vehicles are in the process of being repainted into British Railways livery.

The next day, Sunday 25th May, Matt was back at Overton to continue the undercoat. Unfortunately, due to the Class 14 failing the freight was pulled from the event, leaving it stuck at Wansford.

The wagon group will be back at Overton on Saturday 31st for more progress. In the evening, Tim will be giving a talk to NVR members about wagons and the Overton Goods, Coal and Travelling Post Office Depot Project.

Well what a day! Today, in partnership with the Travelling Post Office Group we hosted our first event at Overton as we work towards the Goods Yard Project.

With only a few weeks to prepare for this event there was plenty to do to make the yard safe and welcoming for our visitors.

Following a shunt yesterday to bring the freight rake down to Overton, the day started with a sunrise over the wagons looking great from the platform.

In the spirit of the VE80 celebrations, Matt had held off repainting his Scarab and Tims trailer, leaving them in RAF livery with a nod to Peterborough.

There was then plenty to see and do in the yard, with staff getting in the spirit and dressing up. Stu and Josh had brought their Hornby tinplate set and put together a shunt puzzle, the TPO boys were demonstrating the coaches and running pump trolley experiences, Tim was demonstrating coupling and braking wagons, Matt was accompanying his Scarab in RAF dress, and Mark, Paul, and Jason were dressed as Porters loading and unloading a barrel. Meanwhile, Annika and Alan were looking after our customers and handing out treasure hunts and colouring sheets.

A great day was had by all, with plenty of happy staff and customers. Towards the end of the day we were even joined by a special guest, as A1 No 60163 ‘Tornado’ made an appearance.

Tomorrow we will do it all again, so we hope to see you at Overton.

The sun was shining, the birds were singing and a certain little blue engine did us proud as we hosted our Branch Line Goods driving course.

It was another triumph for the wagon group, with everything going to plan and plenty of happy customers and families alike. For this occasion Thomas only had a short freight and was running from Wansford to Yarwell and then out to the TPO apparatus at Sutton Cross. The customers got to drive, ride in the brake vans, get involved with a bit of Guarding, and then visit the Signal Box.

Stuart from our group had even paid money to have a go and looked to be enjoying himself thoroughly!

Don’t forget tickets are still available for our next course on Friday 16th May – https://nvr.org.uk/product.php/232/western-goods-driving-experience

We are also hosting an open weekend at Overton Station on Saturday 3rd/Sunday 4th May, so please pop in and see us.

Activities will include:

✔️ Wagon displays

✔️ Wagon Museum – Open for the first time at Overton

✔️ TPO coaches open for exploration

✔️ Demonstrations of TPOs apparatus (non moving), brake sticks and shunting poles

✔️ Letter sorting, colouring and children’s activities

✔️ Treasure hunt

✔️ Vehicle displays, including visiting Scammell Scarab

✔️ Pump trolley rides

And much more…

For more details, visit –

https://nvr.org.uk/product.php/583/ve-80-weekend

Our first working session in our new home of Overton Yard mostly involved some head scratching about where things should go and what needed moving.

The main priority was to start to get the yard safe for public access. This involved mainly picking up discarded items and moving some of the equipment to the non-public areas.

It was great to see some wagons in the yard, even if they do need some work. At the end of the session the walking routes were clear and Annika was spotted celebrating with a wagon themed snack.

A few days later we took delivery of some very welcome exhibits. Our friend Matt Baker has returned to the group after a short absence and with him comes his Scarab, two flat trailers, and a box trailer owned by Tim (which was on loan to Matt). The flat trailers will be quickly repainted into BR livery, with the Scarab and box trailer staying in RAF livery until after the VE weekend.

Over the first May Bank Holiday we will be hosting an open event in partnership with the TPO group at Overton. There will be plenty to look at and activities for all the family.

For more info, visit – https://nvr.org.uk/product.php/583/ve-80-weekend

Monday saw a day of shunting to move some stock from Overton that does not fit within the remit of the Overton Goods Yard Project.

Helped by the HST Group, the Class 14 was joined at Overton by the HST power cars in order to collect the two Mk3 coaches that make up the HST set. All done under a full line possession, the Mk3s were collected from Overton, whilst the Class 14 went to Peterborough to collect some wagons.

Once back from Peterborough, the wagons were put into the siding at Overton to allow the HST to pass.

Then the remaining coaches in the first siding were pulled out to take to Wansford, with the wagons pushed in against the bufferstop.

After several months of planning, this is the first visual evidence that the project is underway.

The wagon group will be on site at Overton this Saturday as we start to tidy the site and make plans for an open weekend at the beginning of May….more details to follow on this event as soon as possible.

On Sunday there were plenty of members of the group on hand for the arduous task of oiling and inspecting the rake prior to our Flying Scotsman Photographic Charter this Friday – tickets still available!

The first job was to collect some empty beer bottles that had been saved for us by the bar staff to act as props in the 15 beer crates Stu had collected last week. With the help of the Pacer crew we got them onboard and dropped them off down the siding.

Once everyone was down the siding, the team split into two groups to get everything achieved. Some recent civils work to level the track in the siding had resulted in mounds of ash right where we needed to be working to open axle boxes, so Tim, Jason, Alan, Ed, and Annika set to work levelling the ground.

It was hard work, but after a couple of hours the entire north bank of the siding had been levelled making a nice flat working area.

Meanwhile, Paul, Mark, Colin, Stu and Josh started opening axle boxes for inspection, checking pads and looking for any issues, then topping up oil. Annika also assisted with removing those sometimes tricky split pins!

The axle boxes hadn’t been inspected since October last year, so it was important to do a thorough job. Whilst all the oiling was going on, Tim and Annika broke off to make some supporting frames for our newly purchased wagon tarpaulins. A few months ago our friend at the railway, Jim Rowden, passed away and kindly left us some money, so we decided to buy three wagon tarpaulins. This was mainly so that the rake looks right behind Flying Scotsman, but also to fulfil a long term aspiration of protecting our open wagons from the elements. We would like to publicly thank Jim Rowden and his family for this kind bequest.

Unfortunately, by the time we finished work and got the tarpaulins fitted it was dark, so a final picture wasn’t possible. We’ll get one for the next update!

As our follows will no doubt be aware, there is a celebrity guest at the railway at the moment, so there was no shortage of distractions whilst we were working. Some of the group managed to get some very good pictures of Flying Scotsman passing us.

Places are still available on our Photographic Charters for Flying Scotsman this Friday, but also Britannia in two weeks time. This is a unique opportunity to see Flying Scotsman on freight and the first time in just over 30 years that the A3 will be hauling wagons. The last time was at the NVR in 1994 when 60103 was disguised as classmates ‘Sandwich’ and ‘Flying Fox’.

DON’T MISS THIS OPPORTUNITY TO SEE FLYING SCOTSMAN ON FREIGHT!

For more information and to book, visit – https://nvr.org.uk/section.php/2/1/special-events/ce2c7345577387e693f2cec6d415bc8e

As we get ever closer to our Scotch Goods Photographic Charter, featuring none other than A3 Class No 60103 ‘Flying Scotsman’, we have been very busy making sure every detail of the event is covered.

Following a recent appeal for newspapers, the group have spent the last two sessions wrapping bundles of newspapers ready for the recreation of the back end of a newspaper train; which will feature in the evening event.

It should be pointed out that no trains were operating on Sunday and suitable protection measures were in place…it was just easier to set up a working area alongside the vans in the siding.

After a lunch break and a warm up in Tim’s Brake Van, it was time to move on to parcel wrapping. Over the last year, everyone in the group has been collecting boxes, so it was time to make them look more ‘1950s period’.

We have also been purchasing some original artefacts to use as demonstration loads. Tim turned up with two pigeon baskets and Stu has managed to acquire some Saxa salt boxes (other brands of salt are available)!

Though not in attendance on Sunday, we are pleased to announce that our event will feature a period Land Rover, courtesy of NVR member Russ Jenner. A few staged shots at the level crossing will certainly be in order.

Next session we will be oiling the rake and there will be further preparations to be made to ensure the event is a massive success.

Tickets are still available for both the daytime and the evening photographic events, so don’t miss this unique opportunity to see Flying Scotsman on freight for the first time in 30 years.

To book, visit – https://nvr.org.uk/product.php/569/flying-scotsman-scotch-goods

Also, don’t forget about our photographic charter with No70000 ‘Britannia’. Tickets are still available to book at –

https://nvr.org.uk/product.php/567/rule-britannia

On Sunday we took a break from wagon restoration and started some vegetation clearance at Overton as part of a new and exciting development for the wagon group and the Nene Valley Railway.

Several months work have led up to this point, but we are now very pleased to announce the start of the ‘Overton Goods Yard Project’. The board and management have supported a proposal put forward to develop the Overton station site into a centre of non-passenger traffic, which will see a collaboration between the wagon and travelling post office (TPO) groups to create a 1950s/1960s operational goods yard and living/working museum space.

Those who follow NVR news may be aware that the Overton site has historically been dedicated to the TPO Nightmail Project, which sought to create a dedicated TPO museum over the whole site.

The Nightmail project has stalled and stagnated and so a new proposal has been put forward which will realise some of the Nightmail objectives on a much smaller scale, whilst leaving space for wagon group aims to create a working space in order to demonstrate goods movements from rail to road. The project seeks to tidy and open up the site to provide museum and educational opportunities, whilst providing space for events and working demonstrations.

The NVR board has appointed Tim Hobman as project manager with their full support to move the scheme forward and so the working session on Sunday saw members of the wagon and TPO groups come down to start tidying the site and uncover the original LNWR wall that forms the boundary. The initial stages of work will see site tidying and then stock movements to relocate items that don’t fit within the chosen early BR Eastern Region period. This will all happen over the next few months as time allows, whilst a full costed and phased business plan is developed for the whole site.

The outline plans for the site show all of the usual goods yard facilities, with creation of an LNWR style goods shed, museum building, second platform and finally signalling. The goods shed is planned to be a multi-use space, primarily used as restoration facilities for the wagon and TPO groups, but also an occasional undercover events space. Similarly the museum space has been considered as a multi-use space to tell the story of the TPOs, but also encourage educational opportunities with visiting groups and partnership working with the NVR museum group.

It is also hoped that the development and improvement of the rest of the site will encourage more volunteers and involvement from existing departments to staff the station and yard, making Overton a vibrant and attractive destination for visitors to the NVR.

The project will naturally require significant external funding, whilst not detracting from other NVR objectives and as already stated a full business plan is currently in progress. Whilst still in the planning phase, it is hoped that some progress can be made during 2025 to tidy the site and relocate some current projects to the yard to continue the good work of the wagon and TPO groups.

It is certainly an exciting prospect and one to watch as things develop!