Northampton & Lamport Railway

Northampton & Lamport Railway
Northamptonshire
Boughton, the end of the line
Gauge:	standard
Track:	1½ miles
Information
Operated by:	Northampton & Lamport Railway Preservation Society
Website:	nlr.org.uk

The Northampton & Lamport Railway is a short, standard gauge heritage railway in Northamptonshire. It is based at Pitsford and Brampton station, near the villages of Pitsford and Chapel Brampton, roughly 5 miles 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 a mile and a half in length, departing from and arriving at the only station, Pitsford and Brampton.

However, as of November 2013, an extension south has been under construction which adds another half mile of running line, with around 90% of track-relaying completed around Spring 2012. Once complete it will include a new station, Boughton, 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 the 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 5½ 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.

Visiting

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, steam-hauled from April to September (subject to availability).

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.

Locomotives

Steam

• GWR 2-8-0 2884 Class № 3862 Built in 1942. - under restoration
• GWR 4-6-0 4900 Class № 5967 Bickmarsh Hall Built in 1937. - under restoration
• Kitson & Co. 0-6-0ST № 5470 (Stewarts & Lloyds № 45) "Colwyn" Built in 1933. - featured in The Royal Train episode of Dad's Army TV Series - under restoration
• Peckett and Sons 0-4-0ST № 2104 Built in 1948. - in service
• Peckett and Sons 0-6-0ST № 1378 "Westminster" Built in 1914 for the Fovant Military Railway - under restoration
• TKh49 0-6-0T № 5374 "Vanguard" Built in 1959. - out of service for repairs

Main line diesel

• British Rail Class 31 A1A-A1A № 31289 "Phoenix" - operational
• British Rail Class 47 Co-Co № 47205 - operational

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

• British Rail Mark 2 TSO № 5174 - out of service for repairs
• British Rail Mark 2 TSO № 5132, formerly named Clan Munro- operational
• British Rail Mark 2 BSO(T) № 9102. Converted for operation by Motorman- out of service for repairs
• British Rail Mark 1 TSO № 3919. -
• British Rail Mark 2 TSO № 5174 -
• British Rail Mark 1 RBR (Buffet Car) № 1647 - out of service for repairs
• British Rail Mark 1 NAV № 84031 - operational (as temporary Buffet)

Pictures

• 
  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
• 
  British Rail PWM locomotive № 97651
• 
  The Brampton Valley Way which runs alongside the railway
• 
  JCB excavator used in the railway's construction
• 
  Stanley Steamer visiting an event at the railway
• 
  Peckett R4, № 2104, on 25 February 2007
• 
  Class 31, № 31289 in the sidings, 22 April 2007
• 
  31289 alongside the platform signal box
• 
  Santa Special hauled by № 7646

("Wikimedia Commons" has material about Northampton & Lamport Railway)

Outside links

• The Northampton & Lamport Railway