Luton & Dunstable Railway 

Many thanks for posting this. I was a loco fireman at Hatfield in the early 60s, and we worked both passenger and freight trains to Luton, Dunstable and Leighton Buzzard. Happy days, now long gone.

Quite emotional watching the images from 7:30 to 8:15. My grandparents lived in Houghton Regis and when I was very young they used to take me over the bridge at 8:13 to go to Dubstable. The abandoned and overgrown railway was a huge fascination for a train obssessed 7 year old. One day me and my granddad just decided to go on an adventure and see how far we could go. If I remember right there was a small graveyard of train carriages by the crossing at 1:06. It's very strange seeing it all taken up and the forest all cut back. I haven't been there for about 15 years now so it must be very different.

luton where i live, it’s basically empty but apparently has a population of 240,000. also thanks for this video mate :)

I lived in Luton for a couple of years and remember taking the bus to Dunstable the odd time and seen how it had declined. A extension to the Thameslink services like have been great with not only regular connections to Luton but also at pancreas and the wider Thameslink. These guided bus ways are a white elephant

Didn't get a chance to do this but I did walk it after the busway opened. Its railway heritage is obvious. I'm sure I read somewhere that the line between Dunstable and Luton never actually went through the formal closure process. Not sure how true that is seeing as it was completely cut off at both ends, but the fact that all the bridges and most of the track were still there (rather than being scrapped) might support it. I guess a station in Dunstable was just eventually seen as unnecessary given its proximity to Luton.

Interesting in the extreme but also sad likewise, another line and opportunity lost forever.

i think they should have atleast ran a special last ever train down the branch line. just to have something to remember the line. it is a terrible shame that half the branch is a busway but surely they could still re-open the line from leighton buzzard to dunstable as most of the route is unblocked and standbridgeford station+platforms are still in place!

plus i think we can all agree that dunstable doesnt look the same without duck bridge

Remember train spotting at Luton during 50s & 60s. Thrilling contrasts with express maroon liveried LMS steam locos speeding through whilst Brush diesel LNER passenger service awaited departure across the road to WG City from Bute Street. Saw the Midland Pullman too.Think the line from Dunstable carried freight from a Cement Works near Dunstable. Was a bi annual day out for me whilst the grown ups shopped in Luton. No choice of shops were we lived then. Also was safe to leave solo children then too. Times change in many ways. Strange that so much apparant recyclable material was apparantly abandoned. Saw similar Rilwayania castings & bolts at an Antique Fair once with pre nationalisation lettering & post nationalisation prices.The photos make it look like the track remained in parts ... just in case.

Thanks for posting this. How's the busway working out?

Such a shame,another badly needed cross country rail route destroyed ,in the name of `progress` and no doubt...the old chestnut `profit`? Thanks for posting these pictures of our once railway past.

Hope the track went to a preserved line but i will guess it was scrapped.

I always hoped they could've run a steam train service instead of a busway..... But looking at the rotten sleepers it wouldn't be viable !

Wouldn't it of been great if they keeped it rail and ran a little steam train and carriage back an forth...

Now an ugly guided busway...why didn't they reinstate the line?

Great stills showing what the remains of the railway were like. What mindless vandalism ripping it up and replacing it with a ridiculously expensive guided busway.

Cambridge has a guided busway it’s shite People of Luton and Dunstable should campaign for a tramway

Everything i've read goes against what I'm about to write but I went to Ashton Middle School in the 1980s and early 90s which used playing fields alongside where the dog kennel walk footbridge is and playing football there sometime around 1990 i was amazed to see a diesel locomotive go past as we played. I never even knew Dunstable had a railway line at the time. From everything I've read, the line was completely out of service by 1990 but it definitely happened. I loved trained (aged 11) and i remember being the only kid to stop and stare as it went past the playing field!

a tramway I think would of been better, one end should of been at the airport terminal, following the route that DART is about to take

All that money on the new bridge and you still cannot drive under it when it rains.....