Wolverton to Newport Pagnell Railway

I am sure if you asked most people to name the first thing to come to mind when they think of Milton Keynes they would probably mention either concrete cows or roundabouts. I doubt anyone would refer to the city's railway heritage but there is plenty of the latter and the railways were important in the development of the original towns of Wolverton and Bletchley, which would become part of the new city of Milton Keynes. Last Wednesday I went for a walk along the route of a long-closed railway route from Newport Pagnell to Wolverton.

The line was open for almost a hundred years. The line was opened in 1867 and its main purpose was to bring workers to the newly established railway works at Wolverton. Closure to passengers came in September 1964 with full closure in 1967. Today the route has become part of the Milton Keynes redway network - pedestrian/cycleway paths, which criss-cross the new city. Appropriately named Railway Walk, it runs from the site of Newport Pagnell station to Blue Bridge, to the south of Wolverton where it then joins other redway routes.

In Newport Pagnell itself there is little to remember that this was once served by a railway. There is a Station Road but it appears that more modern road developments have truncated its original purpose to serve the station site. The site of the old station itself is now a modern housing development and the only railway reminder is the post for the starting signal. It still stands proudly, although sadly looking a bit weather-beaten and marked with graffiti. On one side are houses, the other is now allotments. Near here was the site of the single road engine shed and I believe that there was also a small goods yard provided at Newport. Traces of all this have now sadly been swept away under new town development.

One of the most striking features of the line is that it is remarkably straight and with very little in terms of gradient, although the route of the line does rise from Great Linford to the crossing of the Grand Union Canal.

The line was provided with two intermediate stations, the aforementioned Great Linford and New Bradwell. Remains of the platforms for both stations are still extant but little else exists to provide evidence of the previous railway use. Before Great Linford station, the line passed under the M1 motorway, which opened in 1959. Shortly to the north of here is the Newport Pagnell services. On the Wolverton side of the M1 is the industrial area of Blakelands before the redway passes under the V10 Brickhill Street into Giffard Park.

Great Linford station is situated in this modern housing development, although as you can see from this photo taken looking towards Wolverton, you would not know that - it all looks quiet and tranquil! The lamppost on the platform rather spoils the view and the attractive bridge in the distance has sadly been defaced by the modern scourge of graffiti. It was pleasing to see though that this route is still well used, mainly by pedestrians.

From here, as mentioned above, the route starts to climb slightly passing through Manor Park to the crossing of the Grand Union Canal, which is carried on this rather attractive bridge. I had the pleasure of a canal boat holiday in May this year and our journey took us through Milton Keynes and under this bridge, which as can be seen is situated on a rather tight turn, all the more precarious when meeting a narrow boat coming the other way! This part of the Railway Walk is the most attractive. Although still within the boundaries of the new city, the housing has slipped away into the distance and parks and woods line the route.

Next the line passes under V7 Saxon Street and enters Bradville. Shortly beyond here is New Bradwell, a railway village, built to house the railway workers from the nearby Wolverton Works. New Bradwell station like Great Linford, was a simple one platform affair with a modest station building at the Newport end. Bradwell Road crosses the line here and a ramp runs down to the platform. The Grand Union canal runs close by to the north of the station. From here I understand that the line ran to a junction with what is now the West Coast Main Line to the south of Wolverton station. I have seen this represented as twin spurs - one to join the northbound running lines and one to the southbound lines, thus creating a railway triangle. As far as I am aware all trains from the branch terminated at Wolverton.

This final view shows the view from the former trackbed looking down the platform at New Bradwell towards the Bradwell Road bridge. The separated pedestrian bridge to the front is a more recent addition. Again, nothing here to describe the original railway purpose of the redway, only a sorry looking sign to say that this is 'Railway Walk.'