Northampton and Lamport Railway

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Northampton & Lamport Railway
100px
280px
Boughton, end of the line as of May 2012
Locale England
Terminus Pitsford and Brampton
Commercial operations
Name Northampton to Market Harborough line ("Harborough Line")
Built by London and North Western Railway
Original gauge 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm)
Preserved operations
Operated by Northampton & Lamport Railway Preservation Society
Stations 1
Length Lua error in Module:Convert at line 452: attempt to index field 'titles' (a nil value).
Preserved gauge 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm)
Commercial history
Opened 1858
Closed 1981
Preservation history
1984 Work started at (and around) Pitsford and Brampton station site
1995 Light Railway Order, Granted with First public passenger train operated
1996 Grand Re-opening (NLR re-opened, officially)
Headquarters Pitsford and Brampton
Website
www.nlr.org.uk


[ ]
Northampton & Lamport Railway
Brampton Valley Way
MP (Milepost)
former route to Northampton
Boughton Crossing
Brampton Valley Way (Terminus)
Boughton(Terminus)
Passing Loop
Boughton Sidings
Community Woodland
footpath crossing
horse farm crossing
Bridge 11
end of passenger services
4½
Pitsford Sidings
footpath and vehicle crossing
summit
4¾
Bridge 12Pitsford Road
footpath crossing
Pitsford and BramptonHeritage railway
plant crossing
5¾ Station Loop
Bridge 12A
River Nene
Pitsford and Brampton siding
Bridge 13
5¼
farm crossing
Bridge 14
Merry Tom Halt(proposed)
Merry Tom Lane
former route to Market Harborough
Brampton Valley Way continues

The Northampton & Lamport Railway is a standard gauge heritage railway in Northamptonshire, England. It is based at Pitsford and Brampton station, near the villages of Pitsford and Chapel Brampton, roughly 5 miles (8.0 km) north of Northampton.

Overview

The line between Northampton and Market Harborough was finally closed (by British Rail) on 16 August 1981, the intermediate stations on the route having been closed for many years.

In 1984 (just 3 years after the line's closure) a group was formed with the intention of re-opening a section of the line as a heritage railway. The site opened to the public shortly afterwards. Following the granting of a Light Railway Order, the line carried its first fare-paying passengers in November 1995. The official Grand Opening Ceremony took place (just 4 months later) on 31 March 1996.

Currently, passenger trains operate on a section of line approximately Lua error in Module:Convert at line 452: attempt to index field 'titles' (a nil value). in length, departing from and arriving at the only station, Pitsford and Brampton.

However, As of November 2013, An extension south had currently been under construction which adds another Lua error in Module:Convert at line 452: attempt to index field 'titles' (a nil value). of running line, with around 90% of track-relaying completed around Spring 2012. Once complete it will include a station with sidings and run-round loop at the former Boughton Crossing on the A5199 at the Northamptonshire village of Boughton.

A northern extension of the N&LR currently remains within the planning stage, but before work can start, however, extensive repairs are needed to Bridge 14 which carries the track over the River Nene. In addition Northamptonshire County Council, which owns the former trackbed, will not grant a lease on the land required for the extension until the NLR's southern extension (to as far as Boughton) is completed. The previous extension opened after several years' work and around £50,000 was spent on repairs to Bridge 13, (the same amount required for Bridge 14, when the NLR turns its intention northwards).

The signalling system, with two working signal boxes (and a third under construction), makes it one of the most comprehensive and detailed on any heritage railway of its size, within Preservation. The Booking Office at Pitsford and Brampton station was built using the disused Lamport signal box, originally located around Lua error in Module:Convert at line 452: attempt to index field 'titles' (a nil value). miles away on/up the same line. It had since been converted in such a way that it can be easily converted back into a signal box if whenever required in the future.

A third signal box has been installed at the Boughton Terminus; the former Betley Road signal box from Crewe is being used following its restoration.

The Brampton Valley Way is a "linear park" offering a traffic-free route for walkers, cyclists and pedestrians, and which runs alongside the railway, separated by a stout safety fence. Access is also available to horse riders on other sections away from the railway.

The railway is open for viewing from 10:00 to 17:00 on Sundays. Train rides are available on Sundays from March to October, diesel hauled with steam-hauled trains for special events(subject to availability). Open from March to October and throughout December for Santa's visit.

Events

A number of special events take place throughout the year, the popular Santa Specials run throughout the month of December.

On 18 July 2007 the Railway at War Weekend, an event held at the railway every September, was named Best Event in the 2007 Northamptonshire Renaissance Heritage Awards.[1]

Locomotives

Steam

Main line diesel

Industrial diesel and shunters

  • Ruston & Hornsby 4wDM 88DS № 1 "Merry Tom" - out of service
  • Ruston & Hornsby 0-4-0 165DS № 764 "Sir Gyles Isham" (first locomotive to arrive on the line) - operational
  • Ruston & Hornsby 0-6-0 165DS № 53 "Sir Alfred Wood" - under repair
  • Fowler/Thomas Hill 0-4-0 DH № 146C "Bunty" - donated by Redland Aggregates - out of service
  • Fowler 0-4-0 DH № 21 - awaiting restoration

Carriages

Image gallery

  • Steam locomotive 7646 "Northampton" officially named by the Mayor of Northampton

  • The first passenger train to cross Bridge 13, with nameplate from 1981 (Class 117 51402 has since moved to the Strathspey Railway)

  • Pitsford and Brampton signal box.jpg

    Pitsford and Brampton signal box

  • British Rail PWM locomotive № 97651

  • Brampton Valley Way.jpg

    The Brampton Valley Way which runs alongside the railway

  • Tj-loco.jpg

    Locomotive № 7646 with helper

  • Backhoe loader JCB 3CII.jpg

    JCB excavator used in the railway's construction

  • Stanley Steamer visiting an event at the railway

  • Peckett R4, number 2104 at Northaampton and Lamport Railway.jpg

    Peckett R4, № 2104, on 25 February 2007

  • Number 31289 at the Northampton and Lamport Railway.jpg

    Class 31, № 31289 in the sidings, 22 April 2007

  • 31289 resting at the Northampton and Lamport Railway.jpg

    31289 alongside the platform signal box

  • TKh 5374 Santa Special at Northampton & Lamport Railway.jpg

    Santa Special hauled by № 7646

References

  1. ↑ Northampton Chronicle & Echo, 19 July 2007
  2. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.

External links

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