Northampton & Lamport Railway
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| Northampton & Lamport Railway | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Steam Locomotive No. 7646 | |
| Location | |
| Place | England |
| Terminus | Pitsford and Brampton |
| Commercial Operations | |
| Name | Northampton to Market Harborough branch line ("Harborough Line") |
| Built by | London and North Western Railway |
| Gauge | 4 ft 8½ in (1,435 mm) |
| Preserved Operations | |
| Operated by | Northampton & Lamport Railway Preservation Society |
| Stations | 1 |
| Length | 1½ miles |
| Gauge | 4 ft 8½ in (1,435 mm) |
| Commercial History | |
| Opened | 1858 |
| Closed | 1981 |
| Preservation History | |
| 1984 | Work started at Pitsford and Brampton |
| 1996 | Grand Opening |
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.
Contents |
[edit] 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).
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[edit] 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]
[edit] Locomotives
[edit] Steam
- 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
[edit] Main line diesel
- British Rail Class 27 Bo-Bo no. D5401 (ex-27056/27112) - out of service for repairs
- 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" - operational
- British Rail Class 47 Co-Co no. 47205 - operational
- British Rail Class 56 Co-Co no. 56098 - operational
- British Rail Class 37 Co-Co no. 37679 - under restoration
[edit] Industrial diesel and shunters
- Ruston & Hornsby 0-6-0 165DE British Rail Departmental "PWM" no. 97651 - out of service for repairs
- 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
- 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
[edit] Diesel multiple units
- British Rail Class 117 no. 51359 - in unrestored condition
- British Rail Class 122 no. 55001 - pending removal to the East Lancashire Railway
[edit] 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)
[edit] 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 |
 Pitsford and Brampton signal box |
 British Rail PWM locomotive No. 97651 |
 The Brampton Valley Way which runs alongside the railway |
 Locomotive No. 7646 with helper |
 JCB Excavator used in the Railway's construction |
 Stanley Steamer visiting an event at the Railway |
 Class 122, No. W55001 undergoing restoration, 22nd April 2007. |
 Peckett R4, No. 2104, on 25th February 2007. |
 Class 31, No. 31289 in the sidings, 22nd April 2007 |
 31289 alongside the platform signal box |
| Preceding station |  Heritage railways |
Following station | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boughton (planned) | Pitsford and Brampton | - | ||
[edit] External links
- Homepage of the Northampton & Lamport Railway
- Vintage Transport Group which runs events at the Railway
- Northampton & Lamport Railway discussion forum
- Photo gallery by a volunteer at the railway
