Northampton & Lamport Railway

Heritage Railway
name = Northampton & Lamport Railway


caption = Boughton, end of the line as of August 2008
locale = England
terminus = Pitsford and Brampton
linename = Northampton to Market Harborough branch line ("Harborough Line")
builtby = London and North Western Railway
originalgauge = RailGauge|ussg
preservedgauge = RailGauge|ussg
era =
owned =
operator = Northampton & Lamport Railway Preservation Society
stations = 1
length = 1½ miles
originalopen = 1858
closed = 1981
stageyears = 1984
stage = Work started at Pitsford and Brampton
years = 1995
events = First public passenger train
years = 1996
events = Grand Opening

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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 km) north of Northampton.

Overview

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

In 1984 a group was formed with the intention of 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 on 31 March 1996.

Currently, passenger trains operate on a section of line approximately 1¼ miles (2km) in length. An extension south is under construction which will add another ½ mile of running line, with around 50% of tracklaying completed as of March 2007. When complete it will include a station with sidings and run-round loop at the former Boughton Crossing on the A5199.

A northern extension is in the planning stage, but before work can start, however, extensive repairs are needed to Bridge 14 which carries the track over a river. The previous extension opened after several years' work and around £50,000 was spent on repairs to Bridge 13. A similar amount of work and expense will be required before trains can cross Bridge No. 14.

The signalling system, with two working signal boxes, is one of the most comprehensive and detailed on any heritage railway. The Booking Office at Pitsford and Brampton station was built using the disused Lamport signal box, originally located around 5½ miles away on the same line. It has been converted in such a way that it can be easily converted back into a signal box if required in the future. A third signal box will be installed at the Boughton Terminus; the former Betley Road signal box from Crewe will be used following its restoration.

The Brampton Valley Way is a "linear park" offering a traffic-free route for 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 13:30 - 17:00 Monday to Friday, and 10:00 to 17:00 on Sundays. Train rides are available on Sundays from March to October, steam-hauled from April to September (subject to availability).

Events

A number of special [http://www.nlr.org.uk/events.htm events] take place throughout the year, the popular Santa Specials run throughout the month of December.

On 18 July 2007 the " [http://www.vintagetransport.org.uk/show-40s.php Railway at War Weekend] ", an event held at the railway every September, was named "Best Event" in the 2007 Northamptonshire Renaissance Heritage Awards. [Northampton Chronicle & Echo, 19 July 2007, [http://www.northamptonchron.co.uk/ViewArticle.aspx?SectionID=255&articleid=3044450] ]

Locomotives

team

*GWR 2-8-0 2884 Class no. 3862 - under restoration
*GWR 4900 Class 5967 Bickmarsh Hall - under restoration
*Kitson & Co. 0-6-0ST no. 5470 (Stewarts & Lloyds no. 45) "Colwyn" - featured in The Royal Train episode of Dad's Army TV Series - under restoration
*Peckett and Sons 0-4-0ST no. 2104 - out of service for repairs
*Peckett and Sons 0-6-0ST no. 1378 "Westminster" - under restoration
*TKh 0-6-0T no. 5374 "Vanguard" - out of service for repairs

Main line diesel

*British Rail Class 27 Bo-Bo no. D5401 (ex-27056/27112) - operational
*British Rail Class 31 A1A-A1A no. 31289 "Phoenix" - long term loan from FM Rail- operational
*British Rail Class 45 1Co-Co1 no. 45118 "The Royal Artilleryman" - out of service
*British Rail Class 47 Co-Co no. 47205 - operational

*British Rail Class 37 Co-Co no. 37679 - under restoration

Industrial diesel and shunters

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

Diesel multiple units

*British Rail Class 117 no. 51359 - in unrestored condition

Carriages

*British Rail Mark 2 TSO no. 5174

*British Rail Mark 2 TSO no. 5132, formerly named "Clan Munro" - operational

*British Rail Mark 2 BSO(T) no. 9102. Converted for operation by Motorman - operational

*British Rail Mark 1 TSO no. 3919. - operational

*British Rail Mark 1 CK no. 16012. Originally thought to be identical 16019, the two having accidentally swapped identities during a repaint. - operational

*British Rail Mark 1 RBR (Buffet Car) no. 1647 - out of service for repairs

*British Rail Mark 1 NAV no. 84031 - operational (as temporary Buffet)

Image gallery

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External links

* [http://www.nlr.org.uk/ Homepage of the Northampton & Lamport Railway]
* [http://www.vintagetransport.org.uk/ Vintage Transport Group] which runs events at the Railway
* [http://www.vintagetransport.org.uk/forum/ Northampton & Lamport Railway discussion forum]
* [http://www.dan700.fotopic.net/ Photo gallery by a volunteer at the railway]

References