The LNER Encyclopedia

Out of curiosity, and because my relatives (and myself) would love to know for a future Geocaching project, does anyone have any photos of trains in action or stations on the old Nicky Line in Hertfordshire?
My parent's house falls next to the old line which is now sadly heavily overgrown at the Welwyn Garden end with a vague footpath carved along the middle. What engines worked the line for instance? And who actually owned it as it wasn't the obvious local rail operator. An iconic bridge still crosses it at the WGC end, but locally there are no signs or anything of interest to let local walkers know of its history. An internet search drew little results. A photo of the Hemel Hempstead Terminus would also be interesting as I've been told the Kodak building and part of the infamous magic roundabout now sit ontop of it. A link to a map of the route with all the stations would be fabulous!

Any information would be greatly appreciated

The line you refer to is the Hatfield, Luton & Dunstable branch of the Great Northern Railway. It dates back to the 1850s and was built by an independent company funded by Luton businessmen and local landowners. It was later absorbed by the GN, LNER, then BR Eastern Region.

From Hatfield the line ran parallel to the GN main line as far as Welwyn Junction (more or less where WGC station is now) where the branch diverged and ran to Ayot, Wheathampstead, Harpenden, Luton, Dunstable. From Harpenden to Luton it ran parallel to the Midland (constructed a few years later), but there was no connection. The Midland had a branch from Harpenden to Hemel Hempstead and Boxmoor and that is the line that was called the Nicky line. Again no physical connection to the Welwyn Line, the stations in Harpenden being about half a mile apart and separated by a large ridge. At Dunstable the line met the LNWR branch from Leighton Buzzard.

There were branch passenger trains and through trains to London in the early days. Also a lot of goods traffic from Luton and the upper Lea Valley. It closed to passengers in 1965 and completely in 1971. The line was permanently severed at Ayot by the building of the A1(M) a year or two later and the rails must have been lifted in the late 70s.

I remember seeing or have photographs of the following diesel services: Class 08, 15, 26, 31, Cravens 105 DMU. In earlier days I believe the branch was worked by tank engines such as N7 based at Hatfield, maybe also N2, N7 etc.

I suggest you try the book by Sue and Geoff Woodward for more info. The second edition (or later) is better. They also run the private Harpenden Railway Museum, well worth a visit if you are passing, has a lot about the line.

Some info and photos at http://www.disused-stations.org.uk/l/lu ... ndex.shtml and also Wikipedia.

Simon.

I would support simonh's details on the necessary differentiation of which line is being referred to : - It does sound like it is meant to be the Hatfield-Luton/Dunstable.
I can't confidently comment on how long through passenger services to/from London lasted (though I've an inkling that there were still one or two around 1960), but the track layout and signalling at the north end of Hatfield station that made that possible, lasted to the mid-1960s ; I think it was still there when the Luton line (single) was abruptly severed; not being restored following the semi-collapse of 'the Wrestlers' road bridge which crossed all six tracks a few hundred yards north of the station: I've an idea that this was 1966, whereas Luton line passenger services I think may have already ended (1965?).

[ If the 'Nickey line' (Harpenden-Hemel Hempstead) is of interest, you might find this 2006 link of use :
http://www.hemeltoday.co.uk/CustomPages ... geID=59143 ,
which refers to the name as Nickey, as I had always thought it to be, and mentions a DVD about the line. ]

Regarding Harpenden Railway Museum, I visited once more than ten years ago, when I passingly knew Geoff Woodward, and it was truly remarkable - well worth a visit indeed.
Sometime not long ago, though, I thought I'd heard in a round about fashion that it was rumoured to be closing/have closed. 'Googling' doesn't seem to find any info.to support that however, and one of the many 'local/area/county'-type websites (a local radio station) still refers to the museum on a page dated only about a year ago.
I certainly hope the museum is still going strong.