NVR Wagon Group

Nene Valley Railway has been used as a location for over 150 different film or TV productions including feature films, dramas, documentaries, adverts and even music videos (see Filming at NVR). While many of these feature trains being used for passenger travel, there are some notable productions which have used our wagons.

1982 Octopussy (EON Productions)

Possibly the most famous use of our wagons, four ex-LMS CCTs were modified for use as the Octopussy International Circus Train Vans – with small personnel doors added to the large end doors, steps for moving between wagons, and various steps and handles to assist the stunt team. These wagons were used alongside three of the continental carriages to form the complete circus train, hauled by Danish State Railways DSB S 740 disguised as German DRG 62.015.

Octopussy Train Scenes
BBC Look East: Behind the scenes

Several Bond fan-sites cover the train related aspects of the film:

00 Aficionado – Trolley Trouble Part 4 – Octopussy
James Bond International Fan Club – All Time High
James Bond Radio – The Octopussy International Circus Train

During 2013 the Wagon Group restored CCT 37071 to the condition as used for the filming of Octopussy, and it now resides in Wansford Station Platform 1 providing static storage.

The rest of the CCTs are, sadly, currently in generally poor condition, but can be seen stored at various locations along the railway (Wansford Station, Wansford Civil Engineers siding and Peterborough Railworld).

1989 Queen – Breakthru

The band decided the drum shuffle in the song was very train like so Queen came up to NVR for a couple of days filming. They were driven along the railway while performing the song on our ex Danish State Railways flat wagon DSB-8959 hauled by ex-GWR steam locomotive 3822 (on hire from Didcot at the time), liveried as the “Miracle Express”. There are rumours about exactly what speed they were travelling during the filming, and Freddie Mercury hanging off the railings raised a few eyebrows! The loco is no longer at NVR, but the wagon can be seen in the Civil Engineering siding outside Wansford (it’s the one with “BORAIL” and “8959” painted on the side).

Not only can we see the end result in the music video, but ITV made a behind the scenes documentary about it.

The Miracle Express (Behind the scenes)

1992 B&Q “Why pay pots for paint? – Train”

A rake of box vans are transformed from a uniform drab colour to a spectacular array of colours having passed under a bridge. For the filming the colours were painted on one side of the rake only. Many of the vans had to be transported to the railway rather hurriedly from the British Sugar Spalding site in order to be available for use in the filming. Several of these vans can be seen in our demonstration freight rake, in a rather more conventional BR bauxite brown livery, with others stored around the railway awaiting refurbishment. It’s rumoured that one currently stored in the tunnel at Wansford is still painted blue on one side.

B&Q advert in Nene Park documentary
(Many thanks to Marc Hernandez for the pointer to this footage.)

2010 EastEnders (BBC)

On one of their visits to NVR for filming, EastEnders used a freight train for a near miss at the (heavily disguised) Wansford level crossing. The signal box is boarded up and the crossing has been dressed with modern automatic barriers in place of usual gates. The train was made up of civil engineering wagons hauled by a Class 31.

EastEnders near miss clip on iPlayer

Work has continued on the two open wagons which have now been painted and just require the floors to be replaced before they can rejoin the demonstration freight rake. One of them may even gain a dummy load in the process.

Tim has put together a DVD of wagon related material to be displayed in the Banana Van when it is fully kitted out as the Wagon Group display and sales stand.

After all our efforts to change the wheel sets, vanfit B778019 finally made it back to Wansford having initially failed an FTR due to a defective buffer which had to be rectified before it was hauled back.

The long running body restoration of the civil engineering brake van also saw significant progress with the bulk of the re-panelling now complete. This vehicle now needs the roof boarding and the canvas fitted before it can be finished off with a new paint job.

Tim arranged the recovery of a grounded van body (W65567 – a GWR van) which will be restored for use as storage.

In early June the group had a day trip to the East Lancs Railway to collect some wagon equipment we have purchased from them, and took the opportunity to have a tour of the Baron Street workshops and stock yard – all most impressive. We also managed a pleasant lunch at The Trackside pub on the Bury Bolton Street platform, some photography, and some second-hand model railway purchases!

We returned with plenty of goodies including a pair of wagon vacuum cylinders and a pair of wagon jacks.

A big thank you to Simon at Teversham Motors for the kind loan of the garage van which allowed us to keep the transport overheads down to the cost of the fuel.

Phil & Colin continued sprucing up the open wagons in the running rake with a quick repaint of the MOD wagons up at Peterborough NVR.

And finally, towards the end of June, the planking arrived for the open wagon floors and Tim, Jonathan & Steve made good progress treating them with a 50/50 mix of creocote and waste oil in preparation for fitting.

See up-to-date information on our Facebook Page.

This update has been a long time coming, but following Paul’s sudden illness and untimely passing, a certain amount of soul-searching occurred about how/whether to continue with the Wagon Group culminating in the decision to carry on and make the Express Freight Project a suitable tribute to Paul and his vision for freight on the railway.

Over the next year or so, membership of the group fluctuated significantly, until eventually it settled with a core of regular volunteers, perhaps not managing to work as frequently or regularly as the team had originally, but still chipping away…

The website was one of Paul’s areas and, unfortunately, has had only minimal updates in the intervening time. Stu has now stepped up to manage the website, and it has undergone a quick refresh to improve the aesthetics and bring the content up-to-date.

So, here is a brief summary of everything that happened between May 2016 and December 2018, and then we will switch to quarterly summaries on this website, with more frequent up-to-date information available on FaceBook.

• Express Freight Project renamed Paul Foxwell Express Freight Project
• B761651 restored and returned to traffic
• Express Freight Project appeared in Steam Railway magazine
• Freight rake appeared at 2016 Steam Gala
• Tim’s brake van B953944 underwent a repaint
• B881987 (Banana Van) cosmetically restored
• Tim developed process to cast replica D-plates in resin
• Freight photo charter with Jinty 47406
• Evening Freight Experience with 92 Squadron sadly did not happen
• B786075 restored and returned to traffic
• B768248 restored and returned to traffic
• B954024 civils brake van body restoration commenced
• D-plates made by Tim fitted to RVP Diesel Brake Tender at GCR
• B773100 restored and returned to traffic
• B785122 restored and returned to traffic
• Freight Driving Experience with Jinty 47406
• B759852 re-wheeled (eventually!) and returned to traffic
• Flying Scotsman and Tornado both spent time alongside us undergoing repairs

We have decided to try a slightly different format for the Wagon Group online news updates from now on. This page will be updated on a monthly basis, in order to package a few weeks of progress in one place. Short pictoral updates, often posted within a few hours of a work session, will be posted on our Facebook page (which can be viewed even if you’re not a member of Facebook). So to kick us off, here was the progress made during April…

Above: Van B761651 has received black gloss topcoat to all the underframe areas, including wheels and axles. At the end of the ‘Industrials’ event it was shunted from a live shed road and moved into the old open shed, temporarily buffered up to B786075 (which is still awaiting funds to finish the doors which will complete its restoration). Now B761651 is no longer blocking any ‘live’ vehicles, the brakes can be stripped and overhauled, which will complete the restoration of this van apart from a tiny bit of special signwriting and the end blackboards yet to be applied…

Above: BR Banana van B881987 has had a metal patch applied to seal in some exposed fibreglass insulation, where the plywood had rotted away. This van is to receive some minor repairs and a cosmetic repaint as it now looks rather tatty.

All in all, an unusually quiet month for the Wagon Group – however there is a very exciting development which will be announced soon… watch this space!

Unlike the previous update, there is now an abundance of photogenic material with the end of the overhaul firmly in sight!

What’s more, we also welcome two new volunteers to our ranks, Stan and Peter. Stan will be looking at fundraising initiatives on behalf of the group, and Peter joins Tim, Philip, James and myself on the restoration team. With more volunteers available, restoration work should speed up – but the fundraising then becomes more critical to keep up with progress. You can help – please consider donating towards our cause!

Above: B786075 cleaned up and prepped with red-oxide primer as required. The brake gear has been stripped off and is undergoing restoration off the van.

Above: During March, the underframe and headstocks were painted up to topcoat, followed by the bodywork with the exception of the doors, which require replacement.

Above: The fully-overhauled 8-shoe brake gear was reinstalled with plenty of grease and new split pins throughout.

Above: B786075 now looks like this – apart from the doors and signwriting, it’s now pretty much good to go. It will join van B759852 already running in the goods rake, and B761651 will join it soon after, the overhaul of which is well in hand. We require £100 for materials to make the new doors, finish the job and get this van back in traffic – which means we need only 10 people to donate £10 each (or more of course, if you are that way inclined!)

Please help us – make your cheque payable to ‘Nene Valley Railway’, download a donation form and send it to: Wagon Group, Nene Valley Railway, Wansford Station, Stibbington, Peterborough, PE8 6LR. Please write “Wagon Group” clearly on the back of the cheque.

Above: Speaking of sister van B761651, the south side of the underframe has been cleaned up and painted. Once ply-bodied B786075 is completed, B761651 can then undergo its own brake overhaul before also being returned to traffic for the first time in many years – we will then be up to three operational vans, with plans for many more…

For some inspiration of what we’re trying to recreate with our “Express Freight” project to restore the unique NVR 1950/60s van train, and with “Flying Scotsman” back in traffic and wowing the crowds after a decade in pieces undergoing overhaul, I leave you with this beautiful shot from Steve Nakoneczny, so redolent of the early 1960s but actually taken at NVR during 1994…

With our “Express Freight” project to restore the NVR van train now physically under way, the Wagon Group website has had a minor overhaul. An introduction to “Express Freight” can now be found here, and our ‘Image Gallery‘ pages have had a few updates.

Good working progress continues to be made with several small tasks on 1961-built ply-bodied box van B786075, which although essential, are not of a particularly photogenic nature. The chassis cleaning has continued, and the bodysides have received a skim of filler where required ready for painting. Yet more of the brake gear has been cleaned up and painted up to topcoat, with the bearing surfaces greased ready to be reinstalled back on the wagon. The curved roof strips have been added above the doors, and the roof has received a first application of bituminous roof coating, in an effort to extend its life for a few more years. A trial area of BR brown paint has been applied to part of the bodyside, but this will need further work.

These small updates can be followed as and when they happen on our Facebook page, which can be viewed here: https://www.facebook.com/nvrwagongroup

With the overhaul of the roof and bodywork of van B761651 outside in the yard completed in time for winter, attention has now switched to 1961-built van B786075 in the shed. We intend to work on this van until it can be released into traffic, before bringing the more advanced B761651 into the shed for final mechanical attention to split pins and the like, and completion of minor finishing touches before also being outshopped.

Ply-bodied B786075 requires new doors, but apart from this appears to be in generally good order. We have managed to salvage the existing roof covering by means of a small localised repair, and will give the whole roof a coat of bituminous roof paint in order to prolong its life for as long as possible.

Cleaning and preparation of brake parts continues, and will do so until the brake gear can be reassembled. We anticipate a quick wash and rub down, with a little filler in places, will take care of the majority of the bodywork. Philip has cleaned up the chassis and body ironwork, and has also cleaned back the chassis of  B761651 outside in the yard, ready for painting below solebar level once its own mechanical overhaul is completed.

With winter now closing in, efforts are being made to complete ‘Vanfit’ B761651 in the yard before it gets too cold and wet to paint. A opportune window of drier weather allowed enough time to complete the overhaul of the body, as seen below…

Above: The final previously-prepared side undergoing painting into topcoat…

Above: …and then completed, wrapping up the roof and body overhaul in time for the colder and wetter winter months. Apart from the lettering, all work remaining is now focused on the chassis/underframe, namely an overhaul of the brake gear and renewal of corroded split pins, and some new underframe black paint to smarten it up.

Above: After completing the topcoat to the van body, my attention turned to cleaning up the headstocks and patch-priming any bare metal…

Above: …before giving the whole lot a coat of black underframe gloss. Both ends were completed to the same level as the last of the daylight faded.

Above: Newly-restored James Bond “Octopussy” film star, ex-LMS CCT No.37071, has also now been shunted into position in order to serve the railway in its new storage role. It was stood next to the loco prep area for quite some time, so has got quite dirty and could do with a quick wash over! Here we see the van being turned, as the doors only open on one side due to previous structural damage.

Above: Now parked up in its final location with ongoing preparations for the ‘Santa Special’ trains happening all around, interior works by others are continuing in order to fit out the vehicle for its static support role in the bay platform.

Work has been progressing with ‘Vanfit’ B761651, with the bulk of the works to the roof and bodysides now completed.

 Above: Tim and James spent an ambitious session installing the new felt roof covering. The old single-layer felt is being replaced with a new 2-layer felt roofing system, which should allow the felt covering to expand and contract at a different rate to the roof boards underneath. This should help prevent cracks and bubbles appearing in the roof covering (as was the case with the previous stuck-down felt), and will therefore hopefully give a longer lifespan to the roof covering. The 2-layer system should also be easier and quicker to remove when it does eventually become life expired – at least that’s the theory! The first layer is an underlay felt with sealed lapped joints…

Above: …The underlay is then covered with a capping sheet, care being taken to stagger the joints with those of the underlay underneath, in order to minimise the possibility of water ingress. The roof is very nearly complete – only requiring a little further attention to the seams seen above to finish off.

Above: Philip has now given the remaining body side its last preparatory works, wood hardener and primer being used as required before applying topcoat as soon as we are able.

Something of a misleading title to this update, as there have been snippets on the restoration progress made on this wagon in earlier compilation postings. However, since the completion of a collection of smaller projects (cosmetically restoring vans B777654 and B764248, partially reflooring MoD open No.4730 – which is now back in traffic – and starting to strip the brake gear on van B786075), our efforts have been focused solely on this vehicle in the last few weeks, with particular credit due to Wagon Group volunteer Philip Halstead, who has undertaken most of the physical work seen so far on this van and provided the first three images in this report…

Above: The corrugated steel ends, generally in very good condition, have been cleaned back and patch-primed as required, with some attention also given to the headstocks.

Above: The ends then received a coat of topcoat to finish them off. This van requires replacement shunter’s blackboards to be made and fitted into the brackets that can be seen above the nearest buffer, which will be done as part of the overhaul. In practice, this feature seems to have been seldom used, remaining unmarked whilst vehicle destinations were simply chalked on the bodyside instead!

Above: A start was then made on the metalwork on the last remaining side. Some slightly soft timber has received some wood hardening treatment, which will be painted in due course to complete the bodywork renovation. The generally excellent condition of this van  has meant very rapid progress has been made with the overhaul so far.

Above: Attention then turned to the roof, the seams of the roof covering being in poor condition. A day was spend stripping the old covering, which had been adhered directly to the roof using bitumen adhesive. The life-expired covering will be replaced with a 2-layer roof felting system, that will allow the felt and the roof boards to expand and contract at different rates without breaking up, plus hopefully make it a lot easier to renew the felt in future when replacement is required!

Above: Close to the end of a long day, the old felt is completely gone (the remnants hanging down the sides were removed shortly after this photo). The van is now temporarily under cover in the shed to keep the rain off whilst the roof boards are exposed, with plans in hand to install the new covering as soon as possible.