Bedfordshire village to finally get railway station… 144 years late

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By Geoff Courtney

THE quiet Bedfordshire village of Stevington is to get its own station… nearly 150 years after being ignored during the Victorian railway boom.

Making tracks: Members of Stevington Railway Modellers with their partially-completed St Evington station layout. From left: David Bonham, Peter Evans, Eric Patterson, Peter O’Dell, Graham Wareing and Terry Horsman. GEOFF COURTNEY

The settlement of some 700 souls was located literally within sight and sound of the railway that linked the county town with Northampton, but the line’s nearest station was four miles away, at Turvey.

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Now, though, that will soon change. The 22½ mile line is no more, having been closed to passengers in 1962, but Stevington is soon to witness the opening of its very own station. Mind you, there’s a catch for those villagers who may want to enjoy rail travel, and a clue lies in the name chosen for the station – not Stevington, but St Evington.

For this newcomer to the railway scene is being built in an upstairs room in the historic Stevington Baptist chapel, and is being created in OO gauge by a group of modellers led by local resident Graham Wareing.

On Sundays the congregation worships, on Mondays the needleworkers meet, on Wednesdays the 360-year-old building hosts a bible study meeting – and on alternate Thursdays, Graham and his fellow model enthusiasts continue their task of bringing miniature locomotives and rolling stock to the attractive village.

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