The track bends south-east on an embankment known as Broughton Bank which was, and still is, the most troublesome embankment on the whole line. Slips to the bank occurred in 1878 and 1879 before the line opened and have continued since, often resulting in the placing of temporary speed restrictions over the embankment.

The detail given to the construction problems of Broughton Bank in the 1880 Wright's Directory is perhaps an indication of the extent of the problem.

"The line is carried across the valley to the east of the village on a very large embankment and considerable difficulty was experienced in giving it sufficient stability on account of the boggy state of the soil. Many hundreds of tons of earth were lavished in one part apparently to no purpose, but at last a strong stone foundation was laid deep in the soil on both sides and steps taken to drain off the water so that the bank, one of the loftiest in the Kingdom, is now apparently as firm as a rock."

The line crosses Station Road from Nether Broughton to Old Dalby at bridge number 48, the public road having to be lowered to accommodate the railway, which has resulted in flooding from time to time. Major maintenance was necessary on bridge 48 in October 1991, the road being closed for 3 weeks.

South of bridge 48 is the Station. Famous as home for a Military Base, the Advanced Passenger Train and site of the CEGB Nuclear Flask crash, it still plays an important role as part of the Test Track. The yard has had a variety of layouts - initially for iron ore traffic, then for military use, and finally as a Test Centre. See later in the chapter for more details.

Old Dalby village was originally called Wold Dalby to distinguish it from other Dalbys in the region. Old trade directories describe Old Dalby as "a beautifully placed village in a fold of land below a steep escarpment of the Wolds", while another description said Old Dalby was "the most beautifully placed village in Leicestershire".

It was one of the larger villages served by the line, with a population of around three to four hundred until the 1950s, rising to six hundred or so in the 1970s. When the railway first arrived, Old Dalby was principally a farming community, with "three hundred milk cows", and a production centre for Stilton Cheese until the 1930s.

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