Body will fight to retain branch line
For many years, rumours have circulated to the effect that the “push-pull” branch railway line from Wellingboro' to Rushden and Higham Ferrers would be closed.

Thoughts of such a closure have been in people’s minds again recently, and we have received the following letter from Mr. Nigel J. Watt, Arkesden, Saffron Walden, Essex, on behalf of the committee of the Society for the Reinvigoration of Unremunerative branch lines in the United Kingdom (branch line reinvigoration society):

Threatened
“The railway wage dispute has led British Railways to promise a further cut in branch lines and local stations. Thus, the line from Wellingborough to Rushden and Higham Ferrers is now threatened with possible closure.

“The Branch Line Reinvigoration Society does not believe in opposing the closure of any line that can be shown to be almost useless as well as uneconomic, and we would agree that many of the lines that have been closed since the war had no future.

Many Advantages
“However not many of the lines that still remain open are useless, and the Higham Ferrers branch is certainly not one of them, linking as it does the expanding towns of Rushden and Higham Ferrers with Wellingborough and the main line. A railway has many advantages over a bus, especially in a case like this where it is providing reliable connections with main line trains.

“Yet, it seems reasonable, that a line should close if it is running at a loss. But need this line run at a loss? Or could it be made almost to break even so that it would be worth keeping open in view of the through traffic on to the main line, which might be lost if the line were closed?

Diesel Railcar?
“We would maintain that the loss could be cut enormously by the use of a diesel railcar, such as has been introduced (with commendable enterprise) on other lines. This could run a more intensive service, or it could make through journeys to Northampton, Bedford and Kettering, providing a more attractive service at less cost to run.

“Tickets at Higham Ferrers and Rushden should be issued on the train, at slack periods at any rate, and when no staff needed at the station for goods traffic. Train services and cheap tickets should be advertised widely and connections at Wellingborough made as convenient as possible. Of course a diesel railcar is a considerable capital investment, but it would provide extra services on the Northampton line, and if it were run on this line only for an experimental period and the experiment failed, it could then be used elsewhere.

This society hopes to oppose the closure of this line if it comes before the Transport Users’ Consultative Committees, and to submit proposals for improving the service. We shall not be able to do this without some support from people in the district.

“I should be very glad if any of your readers who are anxious to keep this line open would write to me for details of individual or corporate membership, or simply to indicate their support.”

We must fight to save our railway service
Although Rushden Urban Council will fight against the threatened closure of the Higham Wellingborough railway passenger service, a strong general expression of opinion may be needed if the effort is to succeed.

The “Echo and Argus” will be glad to publicise views from all quarters, and has set the ball rolling by obtaining the opinions and suggestions of several residents.

In a snack bar in Wellingborough Road, Mrs. R. V. I. Ball said that although it would not affect her personally, she knew people who would be affected. They used the train for going to Leicester and Northampton for shopping purposes housewives mainly, who could not take prams on a bus very easily.

Mr. H. Desborough, also encountered at the snack bar, said that if through trains were run to Northampton for football matches he was sure that better support would be forthcoming.

Cheaper By Rail
Mrs. Ball pointed out that it was cheaper to go to Wellingborough by rail than by bus (including the bus journey at the other end into the town centre).

Mole and Sons, butchers, Wellingborough Road, said that the closure of the service would not have much effect on trading, but they thought it would be a very bad advertisement for the town not to have a passenger service. “If it had not been for the railway and the convenient position of the station in past years,” said Mr. Mole, senior, “Raunds would have outstripped Rushden in importance a long time ago.” He thought the trouble with the service seemed to be more at the Wellingborough end than at this end.

“If the Transport Commission could improve the service,” said Mr. Mole, “possibly by introducing the diesel-and-one-coach trains on a sort of shuttle-service, the line could surely be made remunerative.”

Two people who use the railway regularly, and who would be sorry to see it fall into disuse, are Mrs. K. Betts and Mrs. E. Johnson. Their view was that for people living in the town near the railway station it was more convenient and cheaper than other means of transport.

The proposed closure would, in the opinion of Mr. W. F. Oatridge, manager of the Queen Victoria Hotel, be “a great loss.” He says that many of his residents use the railway and find its situation very convenient.

Mr. A. Ryland, taxi proprietor, said taxi-drivers had very little call from people wishing to be taken to the station, except during the holiday season, when they had a lot of luggage. Some commercial travellers wanted taxis to and from the Rushden station but a much greater number of people were driven to and from the Wellingborough station.

Mrs. D. J. Hart, wife of another taxi proprietor, said that as Rushden was very central for buses, this might be one of the reasons why people did not use the station. Occasionally calls came from the more distant estates for cars to the Rushden station, but they were very few.

Rushden railway service might become a paying proposition if a shuttle service between Rushden and Wellingborough could be run. This was the suggestion put forward by Mr. Ross Neville, of Rushden High Street. These trains, said Mr. Neville, could meet all trains arriving at Wellingborough from London and other cities and thus obviate the irritating waits for local connections. At the moment the trains were too infrequent and would-be passengers found it more convenient to get a bus or taxi to Wellingborough.

Mr. R. E. Iliffe said that the town would become cut off if the passenger service was closed, but the infrequent train service would deter him from catching a Rushden train. He would either go to Wellingborough or Bedford.

Now that Mr. Ken Joyce has his own transport he very rarely uses the railway, but before he was independent of public transport he used the station regularly. The town would be isolated without it, he said.

As far as Higham Ferrers is concerned the branch line is a great convenience, believes the Methodist minister, the Rev. J. W. J. Scott. If the line was closed people would have to catch their train to London at Wellingborough, and that would mean a long walk from the town centre to the station.

“It is an awkward business,” he said. “I don’t know what we all shall do if it closes. If I am going to London it might be better to go to Bedford and catch the train there, but that is not very convenient. I have been surprised by the number of people who rely on the train and I think it will be a pity if the line closes. So do a number of other people.”

A Rushden man who works at Higham Ferrers said it was much better for him to go by train to work in the morning, especially in bad weather as it was quicker and more direct than by bus, as well as being cheaper.

The same view was held, he said, by a number of factory girls who found the close proximity of the station to the John White factory to be of great convenience.

Step Backwards
Mr. Tom Oberman, of High Street Higham Ferrers, agreed that the line was at present uneconomical. “But it would be a shame if the town lost its station; it would seem like a step backwards.”

The main thing in deciding whether the line should continue would lie in whether the railway should be regarded from a business angle or whether it should be regarded as a service.

Mrs. Oberman mentioned that several Higham Ferrers mothers of young children use the train to transport themselves and their perambulators from Rushden, so that the heavy push up the Higham Road hill is avoided.

Elderly and invalid people greatly appreciate the branch line, said another Higham man. If the line closed, they would find things very difficult.

Joint fight by councils
Official opposition to the proposed withdrawal of passenger services on the railway branch line from Wellingborough to Rushden and Higham Ferrers strengthened on Monday, when Higham Ferrers Town Council decided to fight the proposal.

The council received a letter from Rushden Urban Council about the matter and decided to join in representations to the British Transport Commission for a meeting with the Commission prior to any public hearing.

The Finance and General Purposes Committee recommended that a thoroughly informative case should be prepared as to the hardship which would be caused by the withdrawal of the services and that councillors should advise the Town Clerk of any instances where such hardship might arise.

“This may give rise, I am sure, tomany hardships, especially to women and children getting to Wellingborough,” said the Mayor, Mr. J. D. Wilson. “I do feel that we should strongly support Rushden in their efforts.

Acknowledging that the passenger service was not a paying proposition, but adding that facilities were in any case very poor, Ald. E. J. Rowlett declared: “I think we at Higham Ferrers would have more hardship than Rushden. For people wanting to go to London or to other places in the holiday season it will be very difficult.”

‘Not For Us To Say’
If people were forced to travel to Wellingborough by bus, they might miss important train connections, he said. He recalled that Rushden Urban Council had strongly criticised British Railways and had blamed them for declining trade because of bad services. “That is not for us to say,” he continued, stressing the value of a good case against the proposal.

Ald. J. W. Barker thought high fares deterred would-be passengers and said of British Railways: “They should set their house in order, reduce charges and give better facilities.”

Ald. H. R. Patenall thought there had been some instances where there had been exaggerations in the matter, but he felt that any representations made from Higham Ferrers would be done in an efficient and business-like manner.

If the representations should fail, he said the council should ask that alterations should be made so that it would be more convenient to make connections at Irchester, for getting on the main line was the most important object.

Diesel Line for Economy
If the Rushden and Higham Ferrers branch line is to be made to pay, the introduction of diesel trains will be a necessity.

This observation was made by Mr. W. J. A. Peck at an “Any Questions” meeting of the Rushden St. Crispin Townswomen’s Guild on Monday night.

A fellow panellist Mr. E. Mabbutt, an industrial safety officer at British Timken, Ltd., Duston, said he would have thought that this new type of loco should be quite economical on a branch line.

A murmur of agreement from the audience was heard when Mr. Peck stressed that the difficulties with the local line seemed to be experienced mainly at the Wellingborough end, where connections with the main line trains just don’t seem to be provided.

Railway talks did not raise local hopes
Some ideas for improving passenger services instead of closing them down on the Higham Ferrers Wellingborough branch line were put before British Railways at Rushden on Tuesday, but nothing calculated to raise local hopes was achieved.

The conference, to which British Railways had agreed following protests from the Rushden and Higham Councils, was held at the Council Buildings, Rushden.

The Mayor (Mr. J. D. Wilson), Ald. F. G. Felce, Ald. E. J. Rowlett and the town clerk (Mr. G. H. Crapper) represented Higham Ferrers Town Council; the chairman (Mr. Frank Brown), Mr. R. R. Griffiths, Mr. E. E. Newell and the clerk (Mr. A. G. Crowdy) spoke for Rushden Urban Council.

Representing British Railways were Mr. R. D. Gardiner, assistant divisional traffic manager, Nottingham, and Mr. H. Bullough, district commercial manager, Leicester.

Mr. Brown, who welcomed the railway officials, spoke of the strong public feeling which had been aroused locally by news of the proposal to withdraw the passenger trains. He said it was hoped that the meeting might lead to the services being preserved.

Improvements suggested by the local delegates included more modern rolling stock and the brightening of the stations.

Better publicity for the services, it was submitted, might include the issuing of local timetables.

Parking facilities at Rushden Station would help.

Why not special fares on a par with the daily cheap rates between Bedford and London and between Kettering and Leicester.

Why not better connections at Wellingborough?

Would it not be possible to combine the branch line service with the Northampton service, so providing through journeys on that route?

According to the official hand-out these ideas were “fully discussed.”

The railway officials said they would receive consideration. But, they added, the decision already made to submit closure proposals to the Transport users’ Consultative Committee could not be revoked. This was the body which would ultimately make the final decision and the matter must be left for them to deal with.

Railway closure notices on station walls
ALTHOUGH THE MATTER HAS FOR SEVERAL MONTHS BEEN OF COMMON INTEREST TO ALL THE PEOPLE OF RUSHDEN AND HIGHAM FERRERS, LITTLE HAS BEEN SAID PUBLICLY IN THE PAST WEEK OR TWO ABOUT THE PROPOSED CLOSURE OF THE BRANCH LINE FOR PASSENGERS FROM WELLINGBOROUGH.

Notices now displayed at the railway stations show, however, that British Railways still intend to go ahead with their plans and are not letting things slide.

It is generally acknowledged that the passenger service is not used as much as other services, but the people of the two towns think it is necessary for Rushden and Higham Ferrers to retain passenger traffic facilities.

Posted next to usual notices at Rushden Station about cheap day fares is a notice stating without hints that the closure is anything but a virtually accomplished fact, that people may already start checking about new bus services to cater for them.

The notice says: “The passenger service between Wellingborough and Higham Ferrers has become unremunerative, and it is regretted that it has become necessary for a proposal for its withdrawal, with the closing of Rushden and Higham Ferrers stations for passengers, to be submitted to the Transport Users’ Consultative Committee for the East Midlands area.

Bus services
“Information about additional bus services, which, subject to the approval of the Traffic Commissioners, it would be proposed to provide between Higham Ferrers, Rushden and Wellingborough (Midland Road) stations can be obtained from Mr. H. Bullough, district commercial manager, Leicester.

“Parcels traffic for dispatch would continue to be accepted at the station concerned, and collection and delivery facilities for the traffic would be maintained.”

Other notices telling the same story have been posted at Higham Ferrers and Wellingborough.

Struggle ahead
The abolition of the passenger service on the line will not be effected without a struggle. Rushden Urban Council and Higham Ferrers Town Council are united in the belief that the service should continue, and talks have already been held with British Railways’ officials.

Evidence is being gathered to prove hardship which would be caused by people having to travel by bus instead of by their usual train.

The Society for the Rejuvenation of Unremunerative Branch Lines in the United Kingdom, which has on several occasions joined in fights to retain services in other districts, has also spoken against the proposal, and has put forward suggestions to make the line more of an economic proposition.

Railway Closure: BR Give Details
In their details of factors involved in the proposed withdrawal of the Wellingborough-Higham Ferrers passenger service, British Railways (London Midland Region) show that it would be expensive to introduce diesel trains, as suggested by various bodies.

The cost of working the present service by diesel units is estimated at £7,500 per annum and British Railways believe there would not be sufficient extra traffic to make the branch line pay, whatever the kind of engine.

It is proposed with strong opposition from Rushden Urban Council and Higham Town Council to cut out the passenger service altogether and to deal only with parcels and freight.

If this proposal becomes fact buses would provide extra services between Higham Ferrers, Rushden and Wellingborough Midland Road Station for “certain long distance train connections.” The present services terminate in the middle of Wellingborough, a mile and a quarter from the station.

Savings
Figures issued by British Railways show that the closure of the passenger service would affect immediate and short term savings of working expenses of an estimated £11,424. Also saved would be £495 in money set aside for renewals of rolling stock and plant.

From this would have to be deducted £2,567 as the estimated loss of gross receipts and £1,415 as the estimated cost of providing alternative road services in lieu of rail services.

The net estimated savings would be £7,287.

Special trains are to continue to be run as required from Rushden and Higham Ferrers to London and other destinations, to cater for town holiday and other excursion traffic, say British Railway.

No bus monopoly plead objectors
Thirteen objections were listed against the proposal to close the Wellingborough Higham Ferrers branch line when it came before the Transport Users’ Consultative committee at Leicester on Tuesday.

Three attended to put their viewpoint Higham Ferrers Borough Council, Rushden Urban Council and Rushden Higham Ferrers and District Chamber of Trade.

On behalf of the Higham contingent, which included the Mayor, Mr. J. D. Wilson, Ald. Fred G. Felce and Ald. F. J. Rowlett, the town clerk, Mr. G. H. Crapper, said that a bus service did not provide a satisfactory alternative to trains because of the time taken by the journey and the uncertainty about being able to board a bus.

No Benefit
He submitted that it would appear that a through service could be provided between Higham Ferrers and Northampton taking no more than 38 minutes. This would attract passengers and go a long way towards making the branch line into a paying service.

Mr. Crapper said the bus service between Higham Ferrers and Northampton took 75 minutes.

“Rushden and Higham Ferrers are linked to Northampton by the A45 class one road, which in recent years has been vastly improved at great cost, without any benefit to the traveller who has to depend on the buses,” he said.

Mr. D. A. Crew, United Counties Omnibus Co. traffic manager told the meeting that buses will be diverted via Wellingborough Midland Road station if the line is closed.

Further, a scheme had been prepared for improving the service between Northampton, Wellingborough, Rushden, Higham Ferrers and Raunds by reducing the running times. It was hoped to do the Northampton to Rushden journey in sixty minutes.

Monopoly
In their written submission, Higham Ferrers Council said that to substitute bus for rail travel would create a bus monopoly and the council objected most strongly to this.

There were people in the community whose needs could not be met by buses women and children with prams, people who suffered from travel sickness and physically handicapped people.

The train service from Higham Ferrers to Wellingborough took 12 minutes; by the special road service the journey would take between 35 and 40 minutes, and by the ordinary service an hour, allowing 30 minutes on the bus and 30 minutes to walk to the railway station.

With careful consideration, the line could be made remunerative was the view put forward by Mr. F. E. Brown, chairman, on behalf of Rushden Urban Council. The best way to provide for people wishing to go to Northampton was to provide a 35-minute train service. That would be of more use to them than anything provided by buses. They did not regard it as satisfactory that a population of over 20,000 should be handed over to a bus monopoly. They were not satisfied that £7,000 would be saved by the closure.

The viewpoint of the third objector, the Chamber of Trade was put by Mr. A. C. Wright, their president, and Mr. C. Knight, their vice-president. Mr. Wright drew attention to the fact that nothing had been said about whether buses were going to run from station to station.

Mr. George Dow, Divisional Traffic Manager for British Railways, said decisions to close lines were not taken lightly.

“We don’t like closing lines if we can help it. Every possibility was considered.”

Negligible
Mr. Crew said it was proposed to divert certain journeys via Wellingborough Midland Road railway station. He distributed folders containing alternative bus services and said that 68 per cent of the people travelling between Higham Ferrers and Wellingborough did not go any further. The number travelling to Northampton was negligible.

The main ground for the Chamber’s objection was that the proposed special road service was quite inadequate because it would not give connections with a number of trains to London, Leicester and the North.

The chairman of the committee, Professor R. Peers, said at the close of the hearing: “You will know in due course what we are going to do in our limited way.”

Other objectors who did not appear were Northamptonshire County Council, Raunds Urban Council, Wellingborough Urban Council, Wellingborough and District Chamber of Trade and Commerce, the National Farmers’ Union, the National Union of Boot and Shoe Operatives and four individual objectors.

Local line closure
Approval of the proposed withdrawal of the passenger train service between Wellingborough and Higham Ferrers has been recommended by the East Midland Area of the Transport Users’ Consultative Committee.

A statement from the secretary of the committee says: “My committee considered this proposal of the British Transport Commission and objections that had been received at a meeting at Leicester on Tuesday, April 7.

“Deputations from the objecting bodies submitted their views and representatives of the British Transport Commission who were present replied on the points raised.

Buses Adequate
“The committee were satisfied that the existing facilities provided by the United Counties Omnibus Company could absorb the passengers now using the trains without difficulty, and that these services designed to give connections at Wellingborough Station, were reasonable and adequate for long-distance passengers.

“It was noted that the United Counties Omnibus Company were prepared to meet representatives of the local authorities and other users to discuss adjustments to the bus service.

“The committee resolved to recommend that the proposal of the British Transport Commission to withdraw the passenger train service between Wellingborough and Higham Ferrers be approved, and this recommendation will now be passed to the Central Transport Consultative Committee.

10.20 p.m. IS THE LAST TRAIN - Death blow for railway
The 10.20 p.m. train from Higham Ferrers is expected to carry more passengers than usual to Wellingborough on Saturday, for it is the LAST TRAIN. Not just the last train of the day, but the LAST TRAIN.

From Monday the only traffic on the railway branch line connecting Wellingborough, Rushden and Higham Ferrers will be freight. After years of rumour and after months of argument, the passenger service will at last have been withdrawn.

When the last train steams out of Rushden at 10.23 past the flickering gas lamps of the platform, passengers will be putting their heads out of the windows for a hitherto quite ordinary view which in normal circumstances, they will never see again.

For some the journey may be just a return to Wellingborough after a day in Rushden, but for most it will be a sentimental journey bidding goodbye to the familiar passenger carriages and mourning for a service killed by economies.

Several local amateur photographers are said to be preparing for this unwelcome piece of local history, and cine-cameras will be whirring as the train pulls out.

As far as the British Railways’ staff is concerned the closure of the service will not make much difference. For a long time the goods traffic has been the main factor.

Mr. S. Yorke will remain as station-master and the one change in staff establishment is a declaration of redundancy for a porter at Higham Ferrers and a clerk at Rushden but these posts are at present unfilled.

The existing goods office and service will be operated as before.

At holiday times for the factories, the passenger booking office will be open temporarily and the usual holiday trains to London, Manchester, Scarborough and Blackpool will run unless a change in policy is made. These trains have been scheduled but not finally authorised so far. They will be the only ones to run after the closure is affected.

An official of the Higham Ferrers History Society said the society was interested only in the recording of past history, but that several individual members were expected to witness the local “history of the future.”

Crowds turn out to say: Goodbye to an Old Friend
“One shop-soiled engine for sale £3” was the offer displayed on a poster at Rushden railway station on Saturday night when the passenger service ended and the last train went out. The notice, needless to say, was not official. It had been posted by members of a local youth group who went along to brighten things up.

The group had several brightening-up plans, but not all came to fruition. “Would you mind if we white-wash the engine?” one of the company hopefully asked of the station-master, Mr. S. York, only to receive a firm no.

Gathered on the platform early for the farewell to the Higham Flier, the 30-strong party soon discovered that other people had the same sentimental feeling for the old push-pull train. Before long they were joined by many others wishing to take a last ride, and when the train arrived from Wellingborough with four coaches instead of the usual two most of the seats were already occupied.

The crowd from the platform climbed into the compartments with waving, cheering and singing, photographed as they did so by several local amateur photographers popping off dozens of flash bulbs.

The cheering became louder as the train moved on to Higham Ferrers, the engine-driver blasted away with the whistle and detonators on the line exploded one after another.

For those who were waiting at the Higham station the noise of gaiety gave an indication of approach long before the train could be seen. The excitement mounted as the passengers jumped out, mingled with those on the platform, posed for more pictures and climbed back in again.

More detonators exploded, more shrieks issued from the whistle and more streamers unravelled along the train as it chugged back to Rushden, where an even bigger crowd had gathered.

More photographs, more songs, more cheers, and more detonator bangs, and for the last time the train carried passengers over the High Street bridge and away to Wellingborough. Fireworks were set off by spectators and along the embankment.

People Amazed
There was no reception party at Wellingborough. However, a train-full of people travelling from London to Glasgow, looked amazed at what was going on during their halt.

The Glasgow-bound passengers had every right to look bewildered, for it is not every day that one sees a bowler-hatted railway fireman, clutching his shovel, and surrounded by a cheering crowd, making a speech.

Waving banners and slogans, the crowd stayed for some time after their arrival, and sang “Auld Lang Syne” before the train shunted off. They were then faced with the problem of how to get back to Rushden and Higham, but they had done their duty. They had given a fitting send-off to an old friend.

Economics probe for three more stations
Following the “shut down” of passenger traffic from Rushden and Higham Ferrers railway station last month, three more rural stations may be threatened with the same fate.

A statement from the British Railways at Nottingham this week confirmed that the three stations were “under review” as far as passenger service is concerned. This review has been ordered because it is believed that the stations are running uneconomically, but there is no suggestion at this stage that the stations will close or that the goods service will in any way be affected.

Both Irchester and Sharnbrook are on the St. Pancras line. Castle Ashby and Earls Barton station halfway between the two villages, is on the Northampton Peterborough line.

At present it appears the proposals only cover the possibility cessation of passenger traffic and parcel delivery.

Facilities for goods trains will be maintained.

Re-Assuring
This is re-assuring news for a number of factories and firms in the Earls Barton Irchester area who rely on goods trains to ship their finished products to various parts of the country.

From an economical point of view, the review of Irchester station does appear to have some justification. Passenger traffic is light and only an average of seven people a day use the station.

The majority of these travellers journey to Wellingborough and there is an adequate alternative bus service.

Castle Ashby
Many Rushden and Higham Ferrers people deprived of their train services last month had hoped that Irchester station would have been developed so that would-be holiday-makers and workmen could enjoy an adequate service again.

Coal merchants, seed distributors and sugar beet farmers are all good customers of the Castle Ashby area, though passenger traffic is slight according to the local station master, Mr. I. Jones. There was no proposition to suspend passenger services they were just being reviewed. Goods traffic would carry on normally.

It is understood that now only an average of five people daily travel from the station. There are no regular travellers, and most of the villagers use the bus service.

The Vicar of Sharnbrook, the Rev. H. L. Clothier, never uses the railway. Nevertheless, he feels that it would be a pity to see the station closed down for good, as it has for a long time been a part of the village.

But logic overcomes sentiment in this matter as far as he is concerned, for however much the village is attached to the station, it is by tradition only and not by present support.

Mr. Clothier acknowledges that the station does not pay its way and feels that the withdrawal of the un-remunerative services is not only inevitable but necessary for British Railways. It would no doubt cause some difficulty for those people who do use the service regularly, he said, and spoke of children who travel by train to Luton Technical College as an example.

Mr. H. Shepperson, the Sharnbrook station-master, has half-a-dozen men under his command. He emphasised that the only action taken at present was a proposal to the Transport Users’ Consultative Committee. It might not be approved, and even if it were approved it might be some long time before the closure was applied.

At present there are three passenger trains a day and one goods train. “We have a fair amount of goods traffic,” he said.

Mr. Shepperson remembered the time when a special branch line was considered for the then just expanding Thurleigh airfield.

There had been a suggestion that there would be an underground line to the royal aircraft research establishment, but he could remember only a proposal for a surface line. “Evidently it did not expand to the great extent they expected,” he said.

Sharnbrook folk have so far shown little concern possibly because the news is not generally known, or perhaps because it is regarded as just another rumour of the type which circulates every few years.

Many would-be passengers had hoped that Irchester station would be developed to cater for Rushden’s passenger traffic but it now looks as if Irchester will share a similar fate to Rushden and Higham Ferrers stations.