Other than my 50th, 2007 was an important year for 50th anniversaries for space related matters, including: Sputnik, The Sky at Night, the Lovell Telescope at Jodrell Bank and the MRAO. The MRAO had a series of open days for the 50th anniversary, and these pictures were taken on one of those occasions. Its 50th preceded mine by only a week.

However this was also a rather nostalgic visit for myself. In the early 1960's, as a small child, we used to go on an occasional trip to Cambridge and I remember seeing the telescopes from the train. My main interests in those days were, and still include, railways and astronomy (plus my Meccano set in those days). So to go on a train and see the telescopes was a highlight of the trip and I still remember seeing them out of the train window.

The Bedford to Cambridge line was closed in 1967 and, in fact, the station at Lord's Bridge (the last before Cambridge) had already closed by the time I made my trips, though I didn't realise that at the time. As a small boy when I heard that the line was to be closed I was most upset! However when it was announced, shortly after the line closed, that Cambridge University was going to use the track for a set of new moveable radio telescopes I was pleased that the old line had been put to a good use. These were built in 1971. Ironically the research for which these telescopes needed to move has just now concluded and they have all been grouped together at one place for another piece of research. So the railway is fully disused once again and I didn't get to see them set out along the track. However the Google Earth^TM view from 2007 shows them as they were set out, which is why I have included it in this collection of pictures.

The old station buildings now from part of the complex, with the main station building being used for presentations. So at least the station has been preserved much in its original form, still with the platforms.