23rd September 2025: The Kettering to Cambridge Branch Line, a presentation by Robin Cullup
Around 30 members from the Northampton and Milton Keynes Branches met for our annual joint meeting at Roade Village Hall on 23rd September for a presentation by Robin Cullup on ‘The Kettering to Cambridge Branch Line’.
Robin started with an overview of how the Kettering, Thrapston and Huntingdon Railway opened in 1866, connecting the Midland Railway main line at Kettering to ironstone deposits to the south-east of the town, as well as opening up the agricultural district around Thrapston and reaching the regional centre of Huntingdon. A basic passenger service operated through from Kettering to Cambridge, by using running powers east of Huntingdon via St Ives. Robin explained that there were never more than four passenger trains daily running throughout on the line, but he showed us some interesting images of the summer Saturday trains in the 1950s from Leicester to Clacton-on-Sea, usually with pairs of Ivatt 2-6-0s.
The passenger service was withdrawn in 1959 and the line west of Kimbolton closed completely. From 1963 the line was only open from Kettering to Twywell to serve the extensive iron workings there. Motive power seen ranged from a Kirtley 156 Class, to J15s, through to the aforementioned Ivatts and a Class 25 on the final train in 1978.
Robin’s references to anecdotes, articles and news reports on unusual occurrences (such as a visit by the Royal Train to Butlin’s Sidings), brought the presentation to life and made for a very enjoyable afternoon.
This was the first meeting after the summer break and the Northampton Branch will resume its usual pattern of meetings at Weston Favell Village Hall on Monday afternoons starting at 2pm, the next one being 20th October “Castle Station in Camera”