Trains at: Kettering, MML, 27/02/26

A very enjoyable afternoon session spent at Kettering on the Midland Mainline where we see services from East Midlands Railway and freight from GBRF and Freightliner.

Kettering was opened by the Midland Railway in 1857, when the station was first opened it was actually on a line linking to the Great Northern Railway at Hitchin. The coming of the railway saved Kettering from near total collapse. This is because in 1857 the leather trade in Kettering was in a deep recession as no one wanted to travel the distance by horse and carriage, so with the coming of the railway it then allowed the various businesses in Kettering to utilise the network to start trading their goods further afield which in turn brought much prosperity to the town.

From 1886 to 1959 Kettering was also the terminus of a Cross Country route from Cambridge, but you can thank Dr. Beeching for that route closure, as with many others around the country.

In 1879 the railway was quad tracked to allow for better access with the faster express services needing to go North and South of Kettering without being disrupted by the slower services, that layout is now how the station looks, albeit with a few slight modifications as the years went by. There used to be a two bay engine shed at the northern end of the station which stayed in place until the late 1950's.

My next station will be Wellingborough.

You can find me on Facebook through the group Tornado922, there you will find regular updates, videos and photos from all of my goings on throughout 2026.

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