The Harpenden to Hemel Hempstead branch railway, or the Nickey Line as it is generally known, was a seven-mile-long railway built in 1877 to connect the villages between the West Coast Main Line, which ran north to Birmingham and Manchester, and the Midland Main Line, which ran north to Leicester and Sheffield. The etymology surrounding the term “Nickey Line” is obscure, and there are many competing theories as to how the name originated. The line was initially used mostly by freight trains, but passenger services were also started, and the…
