The Northampton and Lamport Railway is a standard gauge heritage railway in

Northamptonshire Northamptonshire (; abbreviated Northants.) is a county in the East Midlands of England. In 2015, it had a population of 723,000. The county is administered by two unitary authorities: North Northamptonshire and West Northamptonshire. It is ...

, England. It is based at Pitsford and Brampton station, near the villages of

Pitsford Pitsford is a village and civil parish in West Northamptonshire in the United Kingdom. According to 2001 census, the parish's population was 636 people, increasing to 671 at the 2011 census. The village's name means 'Peoht's ford'. Pitsford ...

and

Chapel Brampton Chapel Brampton is a village and former civil parish in West Northamptonshire in England. Together with nearby Church Brampton, it is known as '' The Bramptons''. At the time of the 2001 census, Chapel Brampton parish's population was 470 peo ...

, roughly north of Northampton.

Overview

The line between Northampton and

Market Harborough Market Harborough is a market town in the Harborough district of Leicestershire, England, in the far southeast of the county, forming part of the border with Northamptonshire. Market Harborough's population was 25,143 in 2020. It is the adm ...

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 three years after the line's closure), a group was formed by Michael William Papworth (of Northampton) 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 Light Railways Act 1896 (59 & 60 Vict. c.48) was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. History Before the Act each new railway line built in the country required a specific Act of Parliament to be ob ...

, 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 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 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 A headshunt (or escape track in the United States) is a short length of track provided to release locomotives at terminal platforms, or to allow shunting to take place clear of main lines. Terminal headshunt A 'terminal headshunt' is a short le ...

at the former Boughton Crossing on the A5199 at the Northamptonshire village of Boughton. A northern extension of the NLR to Spratton currently remains within the planning stage. The previous extension heading north, opened after several years' work and around £50,000 was spent on repairs to Bridge 13, (the same amount (or more) will be required for Bridge 14, when the NLR turns its intention northwards). The

signalling In signal processing, a signal is a function that conveys information about a phenomenon. Any quantity that can vary over space or time can be used as a signal to share messages between observers. The ''IEEE Transactions on Signal Processing'' ...

system, with three working signal boxes (at Pitsford and Brampton station, Pitsford Sidings and Boughton), 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 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. The

Brampton Valley Way The Brampton Valley Way is a rail trail built on the way of the former Northampton to Market Harborough Railway in Northamptonshire, England. It forms what trail managers, Northamptonshire County Council, describe as a linear park. The railw ...

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 specia
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 2884 Class No. 3862. Built in 1942. Under restoration. *GWR 4900 Class No. 5967 Bickmarsh Hall. Built in 1937. Under restoration. *

Peckett and Sons Peckett and Sons was a locomotive manufacturer at the Atlas Locomotive Works on Deep Pit Road between Fishponds and St. George, Bristol, England. Fox, Walker and Company The company began trading in 1864 at the Atlas Engine Works, St. George, ...

No. 2104. Built in 1948. Withdrawn January 2017, awaiting overhaul. *Peckett and Sons No. 1378 ''Westminster''. Built in 1914 for the

Fovant Military Railway Dinton railway station is a disused railway station which formerly served Dinton in Wiltshire, England. It was situated on the West of England Main Line from London Waterloo station to Exeter. It was opened in 1859 and closed to passengers in ...

Under restoration. * Andrew Barclay Sons & Co. No. 776 ''Firefly''. Built in 1896. Under restoration. *Andrew Barclay No. 2323. Built in 1952. Under restoration. *

Hawthorn Leslie and Company R. & W. Hawthorn, Leslie and Company, Limited, usually referred to as Hawthorn Leslie, was a shipbuilder and locomotive manufacturer. The company was founded on Tyneside in 1886 and ceased building ships in 1982. History The company was formed ...

No. 3718 ''Swanscombe No. 4''. Built in 1928. Operational, returned to steam in 2019.

Main line diesel

British Rail Class 31 The British Rail Class 31 diesel locomotives, also known as the Brush Type 2 and previously as Class 30, were built by Brush Traction from 1957-62. They were numbered in two series, D5500-D5699 and D5800-D5862. Construction of the first locomot ...

A1A-A1A No. 31289 ''Phoenix'' - operational *

British Rail Class 33 The British Rail Class 33, also known as the BRCW Type 3 or Crompton, is a class of Bo-Bo diesel-electric locomotives, ordered in 1957 and built for the Southern Region of British Railways between 1960 and 1962. They were produced as a more po ...

Bo-Bo No. 33053 - operational * British Rail Class 47 Co-Co No. 47205 - operational

Industrial diesel and shunters

*Ruston & Hornsby 165DS No. 764 ''

Sir Gyles Isham Sir Gyles Isham, 12th Baronet (31 October 1903 – 29 January 1976) was an English aristocrat, actor (who appeared in several films in the 1930s) and historian. Life and career Gyles Isham was born 31 October 1903 in Lamport, Northamptonshire, E ...

'' (first locomotive to arrive on the line) - operational *Ruston & Hornsby 165DS No. 53 ''Sir Alfred Wood'' - under repair *Fowler No. 21 - Spares recovery before scrapping

Carriages

British Rail Mark 3 The British Rail Mark 3 is a type of passenger carriage developed in response to growing competition from airlines and the car in the 1970s. A variant of the Mark 3 became the rolling stock for the High Speed Train (HST). Originally conceive ...

DVT Deep vein thrombosis (DVT) is a type of venous thrombosis involving the formation of a blood clot in a deep vein, most commonly in the legs or pelvis. A minority of DVTs occur in the arms. Symptoms can include pain, swelling, redness, and enla ...

No. 82114 - being prepared for service by NLRCIO the vehicle owners *

British Rail Mark 2 The Mark 2 family of railway carriages are British Rail's second design of carriages. They were built by British Rail workshops (from 1969 British Rail Engineering Limited (BREL)) between 1964 and 1975. They were of steel construction. Introduc ...

TSO No. 5174 - in service *

TSO No. 5132, formerly named ''Clan Munro''- operational *

BSO(T) No. 9102. - in service. *

British Rail Mark 1 British Railways Mark 1 is the family designation for the first standardised designs of railway carriages built by British Railways (BR) from 1951 until 1974, now used only for charter services on the main lines or on preserved railways. Follo ...

TSO No. 3919. - being overhauled by NLRCIO, the vehicle owners. *

RBR (Buffet Car) No. 1647 - out of service for repairs *

NAV No. 84031 - operational (as temporary Buffet)

Gallery

File:27I08I2016 Northampton and Lamport Railway A2.jpg, The booking office and platform at Pitsford and Brampton File:27I08I2016 Northampton and Lamport Railway A1.jpg, The platform at Pitsford and Brampton Station File:27I08I2016 Northampton and Lamport Railway A3.jpg, Pitsford and Brampton signal box File:27I08I2016 Northampton and Lamport Railway B5.jpg, Pitsford Sidings signal box File:Nlr-loco-naming-amoswolfe.jpg, Steam locomotive 7646 "Northampton" officially named by the Mayor of Northampton File:27I08I2016 Northampton and Lamport Railway B3.jpg,

Peckett Peckett and Sons was a locomotive manufacturer at the Atlas Locomotive Works on Deep Pit Road between Fishponds and St. George, Bristol, England. Fox, Walker and Company The company began trading in 1864 at the Atlas Engine Works, St. George, ...

0-4-0ST Works No. 2104 in the yard, preparing for a day's use on passenger trains File:Rail-class-117-51402-amoswolfe.jpg, The first passenger train to cross Bridge 13, with headboard from 1981 ( Class 117 51402 has since moved to the Strathspey Railway) File:Brampton Valley Way at Boughton looking north in April 2018.jpg, Boughton — end of the

which runs alongside the railway File:Backhoe loader JCB 3CII.jpg, JCB excavator used in the railway's construction File:Cars-stanleysteamcar-amoswolfe.jpg,

Stanley Steamer The Stanley Motor Carriage Company was an American manufacturer of steam cars; it operated from 1902 to 1924. The cars made by the company were colloquially called Stanley Steamers, although several different models were produced. Early history ...

visiting an event at the railway File:27I08I2016 Northampton and Lamport Railway D1.jpg, Hunslet 0-6-0ST 'Ring Haw' and a short goods train File:TKh 5374 Santa Special at Northampton & Lamport Railway.jpg, Santa Special hauled by № 7646

References

External links

Homepage of the Northampton & Lamport Railway
{{coord, 52, 17, 36, N, 0, 55, 24, W, type:landmark_region:GB, display=title Heritage railways in Northamptonshire Rail transport in Northamptonshire Tourist attractions in Northamptonshire