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Written by Iain Wright - 27 Sep 2008
last update by Marcus Dawson - 30 Aug 2009
and by Iain Wright - 16 Mar 2016
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Location notes
A quite location on the out skirts of Ashwell village, in the tiny county of Rutland. The line here runs between Peterborough and Leicester or Loughborough, depending on the route at Syston.
The crossing is a remote crossing where the barriers remain down, unless someone presses the 'Asking Plunger' to notify the signalman to raise the barriers.
Railway type and traffic
The usual traffic is Cross Country 170s between Birmingham and Stansted.
Freight traffic is mostly class 66s and 70s on aggregate and intermodals. There are occasional 60s but these are rare.
It is also common to find Serco test trains running from Derby to the east of England which can produce 37s, 31s or 67s or even 68s on occasion.
Link to Real Time Trains
RTT Link Ashwell, Rutland
This link should be close to the location, but may not be the actual location so please check the page. This link will take you to what is happening 'around now'. Dates and times can be changed at the top of the page.
Environment
It is a quiet and safe place to visit being so rural. There should be no trouble with farmers or the like.
Road directions
From the A1 at Stamford:
Take the A606 westbound, towards Melton Mowbray, and follow this road to Oakham. When you reach the roundabout take the 2nd exit, right turn, to the next roundabout. Here take the 3rd exit, right turn, onto the B668 Burley Road and continue north up this road for about 500 yards. After the playing fields there is a left turn to Station Road then a left turn to Ashwell Road, take Ashwell Road and continue north untill you reach the village.

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Ashwell, Rutland map co-ordinates
Parking
There is a grass verge on both sides with room for about 3 cars.
Public transport
From Oakham Station take the no.19 bus to the village of Ashwell.

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Amenities
There are no local amenities. Oakham, which is a few miles to the south, is your best bet for Tescos, Take aways etc.
Accommodation
There are local B&Bs available in Oakham and Whissendine, all within 10 minutes drive.
Sun Compass
Sun Compass using Suncalc by brought to you by Vladimir Agafonkin:
It might be necessary to adjust the time to suit your visit, this link should open with the current day.
Ashwell, Rutland

Googly map
Streetmap links
Ashwell, Rutland general view map
Ashwell, Rutland close up map

Windows Local Live Link - image quality may vary
Ashwell, Rutland



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Photographic notes
With the line running north south the location would favour an afternoon south bound shot. The only slight hitch would be the line side vegitation, which will require steps to get over properly. As an added bonus there is a semaphore on the Peterborough bound line.
Given that the crossing barriers are usually down you can set up steps near the crossing, only having to move if road traffic approaches. A bell rings when the barriers are lowering.


General views - All photographs © Iain Wright unless otherwise stated
Fig 1 - Looking north


Fig 1 - Looking north


Fig 2 - Looking south


Fig 2 -  Looking south


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