Railways around Peterborough & The National Rail Network & Heritage railways in the UK
ukrailways1970tilltoday.me.uk
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'Sandy'
'Signal box'
& BR days
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Sandy Signal box
Sandy signal box
This signal box was at Sandy just to the south of the station on the ECML. This signal box went when Peterborough power box took over this part of the ECML controling the new colour light signals and points. Kings Cross Power Box taking over to the south of Sandy.
Sandy signal box was opened in 1874 by the Great Northern Railway. This signal box closed in December 1977 when the Peterborough power box came into use. This part of the ECML, is now the most southernly point of the Peterborough's power box's area. Kings Cross power box takes control just to the south of were this box was from here to London Kings Cross.
A class 55 Deltic at Sandy near one of the signals that Sandy box worked.
'Sandy railway station in BR days'
Two 2 car Cravens DMUs in Sandy Station on a cold Febuary morning in 1978
The photo above was taken when Sandy station used to have just two platforms for the ECML trains.
During the day local stoping trains often used these Cravens DMUs all way from the Cross to Peterborough if they did not overheat.
The station used to have trains from the Bedford to Sandy which went over the ECML on a bridge north of the station. Trains then went Sandy to Cambridge, both line of these lines are now closed.
The Bedford Cambridge line had its own platforms which is were the two platforms on the left of the photo above are. The tracks have been removed and the old footbridge now going to a closed platform.
Class 31 in Sandy station on a Peterborough train.
The ECML platforms at Sandy were short with the Peterborough trains of mark one stock in the rush hour longer than the platform, Passengers were told to use only certain coaches.
Sandy station with a Deltic class 55002 The King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry on the down line of the East Coast Main line.
Work was well in hand to make Sandy station have four tracks that it now has, instead of just two.
The new up platform and new foot bridge are in place but no new track is yet in place for this up platform.
After the track was down and the fences and lights in place
This DMU ran only from Peterborough to Hitchin. This was a stop gap service while waiting for the wires to reach Peterborough.
The closed Bedford Cambridge line that once also used Sandy station is now being slowly re-opened as part of 'East West Rail' from Oxford to Cambridge. It has not yet opened to Milton Keynes. Some of old track still in place, The fly over over the WCML is still in place at the south end of Bletchley station (now part of MK) . The Part from MK to Bedford is open and was never closed, but is is a not a good service and will need some upgrading with one unit used for most of the day.
Detailed planing for the part from Bedford to Cambridge is not yet passed. Some of old line line has been built on.
It is hoped that either Sandy or Hitchin station can be used so passenger do not have use the tube across London to get to the west of England or from the north and east. You need to go to south to London from Sandy and then all the way back to north to Bedford along the Midland Main line.
Milton Keynes was just a pipe dream and was just a few small villages and small towns when this line closed. Milton Keynes is now a very large town ans still grywing. It now has large station and two others on the West Coast main line. the new MK station had to be made bigger.
The town of Cambridge is also now far bigger than when the line closed, and it's station has also been added to. It will need to be made bigger again if EAST West Rail works
The A14 road that also runs East to west from Cambridge to Huntingdon is full and is having to have lanes added. Some of this traffic could go by rail. Not ever one wants to go to London.
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Signal boxes that were along this part of the ECML
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Page updated 5/11/2018
This website is Ukrailways1970tilltoday.me.uk it is on railways, but it is not just on trains, but all things railways, with photos, which I have taken from the 1970s till now. I take photos of all things railways, steam diesel and electric trains, signal boxes, wagons any thing that is on the National Rail network, which was BR when I started taken photos.
Today Virgin East Coast Hull trains and DRS are just some of the names on the trains. The name on the train does not mean, thats whos train it is these days. These names keep changing, but that means I have to keep taking photos. I also take photos of preserved railways with steam diesel and electric trains.There is lots more to add and I keep taking More!
