Chapter 8 - Railway Openings

Summary

The opening of each of the nine railways in this county has been mentioned, but nothing said about the official ceremonies. The Victorians did these ceremonies well; the tables sagged with food and the speeches were verbose. To paraphrase the speeches would be to lose the atmosphere, and so a few are therefore given as reported in the Bedfordshire newspapers of the day.

The Bedfordshire Times 21st November 1846:

’OPENING OF THE BEDFORD & LONDON & NORTH WESTERN RAILWAY

EXCURSION TRIP TO BLETCHLEY 17th November 1846 The long-deferred ceremony of opening this railway took place on Tuesday when the shops were closed, and a general holiday was given in Bedford. Throughout the morning there were arrivals from different parts of the country; and some thousands of persons made their way to the station at St. Leonard’s, until, at length, every other part of the town appeared deserted. At 12 o’clock, a large party who had received the excursion tickets, entered the station, and shortly afterwards the formidable train of upwards 30 carriages, crowded by nearly 600 passengers, and drawn by two powerful engines, started amidst strains of music from the Bedford brass band, and shouts from the assembled multitude - the bells of the parish churches toning aloud their merry peals. The banks on each side of the line were crowded with spectators and at every crossing of the roads large numbers of persons were assembled to witness the passage of the first train.

‘Mr. Randle, the chief agent of the contractor, Thomas Jackson, Esq., Mr. Storey and the other gentlemen who have been engaged in the superintendence of the works, were on the engines, pointing out the gradients on the line, which was necessary in consequence of the tremendous train, and from the circumstance of the rails being somewhat slippery from the rain which began to fall soon after the train started. Large parties were assembled at the several stations on the line, and appeared to take great interest in the event. On arriving at the famed Brogborough-hill, where the gradient is steep (namely, 1 in 127) the train went slowly, but on reaching the open fields again it went on at a rapid pace, and eventually reached the station at Bletchley about half-past one o’clock.