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And with the ever expanding population in the areas surrounding Bedford it remains another line that is badly missed......

I used to play along this line in the late 50's and early 60's. We lived in Ickleford and it was a beautiful stretch of railway - the train known locally as the Billy Bedford. Next to the railway was a piece of land called Three cornered bit which was the area between the Bedford line and where it joined the main north eastern line. It had been left to go wild and was covered with flowers and all manner of wild plants. The local primary school at Ickleford used to marshall us off two by two every now and then to do Nature Studies in this area. What a dream it was- some of the happiest school time memories being a sunny day out at Three Cornered Bit clutching our notebooks and collecting some specimens to press flowers in our study books. All full of enthusiasm and awe at the nature surrounding us. I can't imagine kids have such fun these days. How blessed I feel to have lived through this time.

such a shame it shut, it takes over an hour to get from Hitchin to Bedford on a bus, it would make getting to Bedford so much easier if there was a train.

I’ll bet that’s where Henry was bricked up in that one Thomas The Tank Engine Episode...

Absolutely fascinating, I love how calm and relaxing your videos are,  honestly,  a superb effort!

As much as I enjoyed the former series you did, this new format is much better. It helps those of us who have no real knowledge of the areas you are covering. Thank you so much for all your hard work.

Hubby's gone all nostalgic - he was born in Bedford General while his Dad was stationed at Cardington and they lived in Old Harrowden. Then with Dad posted just down the road at Henlow, he used to watch the trains steaming over the level crossing at Henlow Camp before the family went off to Cyprus in 1961 for 3 years. Long gone days...

Thank you for an excellent documentary. I live in this area so am familiar with every vantage point you chose for the video. My father-in-law was stationed at RAF Henlow in the late 50s for his national service and he told me that him and his mates would take the train to Bedford on a Saturday evening to attend the dances. I was disappointed at the destruction of the abutments North of Shefford, I saw no value in removing them, only a disrespect of history.

As a train spotter living in Bedford in the 1950s, I travelled to Hitchin on several occasions. I clearly remember being in the front of a DMU when the driver stopped just north of the tunnel, produced a shot gun and got down to bag his meal for the week-end. We probably still arrived at Hitchin on time!

I'm an Aussie, but I love the railways over in Britain. It's interesting to see what little of this line is now left.

Beautiful intonation and enunciation. Calm and measured footage. Excellent choice of music and, as someone else has already said, used very subtly. All entirely fitting for a line which seems to have gently melted away back into the landscape from which it was carved.

I'm from South Wales originally but love watching these rail vids from all over the country.

Had to run down the track bed when we did P E at school remember it well.

I love watch your video's (which are great) and I think back when they spent hours of hard labour building these railways and the money they cost and then one man say's they have to go in 1965 and onwards. Now we could do with more railways and couldn't reopen them as they are housing estates or private property. I think that it's very sad.

I love watching these films . They are very well researched and presented. This is one of the best channels on YouTube. Keep up the good work. It would be nice to see you do a film on the old Banbury to Cheltenham line. This is my local disused railway. I have walked a lot of the route. And used to play on the old track bed as a kid , in the late 70s and 80s. A beautiful and  rural route through the Cotswolds.

Great video ..full of beauty and sadness..never to hear the sounds of a railway engine again..

I remember the last part of the line when it still went to cardington camp from Bedford.  I can also remember standing on bumpy lane bridge watching the track being taken up this would have been around 1970

Thank you for this interesting video, a welcome distraction  in these days of lockdown. Mike

Another wonderful film lamenting the loss of what once made this country one of the greatest on earth. Damn Beeching and the wanton vandalism of his era!