Northampton & Lamport Railway

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Northampton & Lamport Railway

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 (1435 mm)
Preserved Operations
Operated by	Northampton & Lamport Railway Preservation Society
Stations	1
Length	1½ miles
Gauge	4 ft 8½ in (1435 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 railway station, near the villages of Pitsford and Chapel Brampton, roughly 5 miles (8 km) north of Northampton.

The line between Northampton and Market Harborough finally closed in 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 Light Railway Order, the line carried its first fare-paying passengers in November 1995. The official Grand Opening Ceremony took place on 31st 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 horseriders 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).

Northampton & Lamport Railway

Legend

		Former route to Northampton

		Boughton Crossing (Terminus)

		(Under Construction)

		Horse farm crossing

		Bridge 11
		End of passenger services

	4½
		Pitsford Sidings


		Footpath and vehicle crossing
	4¾

		Bridge 12 (under Pitsford Road)
		Footpath crossing
		Pitsford and Brampton

		Plant crossing


	5	Station Loop


		Bridge 12a

		Pitsford and Brampton siding

		Bridge 13

	5¼
		Farm crossing



		Bridge 14
		Future extension
		(former route to Market Harborough)

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

[edit] Locomotives

Steam Locomotives
- GWR 2-8-0 2884 Class no. 3862 - In pieces, boiler currently not on site
- Kitson & Co. 0-6-0ST no. 5470 (Stewarts & Lloyds no. 45) "Colwyn" - featured on Dad's Army TV Series - undergoing restoration
- Peckett and Sons 0-4-0ST no. 2104 - operational
- Peckett and Sons 0-6-0ST no. 1378 "Westminster" - undergoing restoration
- TKh 0-6-0T no. 5374 "Vanguard" - out of service for boiler repairs

Main Line Diesel Locomotives
- BR Bo-Bo Class 27 no. D5401 (ex-27056/27112) - operational, currently visiting Great Central Railway
- BR A1A-A1A Class 31 no. 31289 "Phoenix" - long term loan from FM Rail- operational
- BR 1Co-Co1 Class 45 no. 45118 "The Royal Artilleryman" - operational
- BR Co-Co Class 47 no. 47205 - undergoing restoration

Industrial Diesel Locomotives and Shunters
- BR Ruston & Hornsby 0-6-0 165DE British Rail Departmental "PWM" no. 97651
- Ruston & Hornsby 4wDM 88DS no. 1 "Merry Tom"
- Ruston & Hornsby 0-4-0 165DS no. 764 "Sir Gyles Isham" first loco to arrive on line - operational
- Fowler/Thomas Hill 0-4-0 DH no. 146C "Bunty" - donated by Redland Aggregates - awaiting restoration
- Fowler 0-4-0 DH no. 21 - awaiting restoration

Diesel Multiple Units
- BR Class 117 unit 51359 - stored awaiting restoration
- BR Class 122 no. 55001 - undergoing restoration

[edit] Image Gallery

Steam Locomotive 7646 "Northampton" officially named by the Mayor of Northampton	The first 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