Northampton & Lamport Railway
| Northampton & Lamport Railway | |
|---|---|
 |
|
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| Boughton, end of the line as of May 2012 | |
| Locale | England |
| Terminus | Pitsford and Brampton |
| Commercial operations | |
| Name | Northampton to Market Harborough line ("Harborough Line") |
| Built by | London and North Western Railway |
| Original gauge | 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge |
| Preserved operations | |
| Operated by | Northampton & Lamport Railway Preservation Society |
| Stations | 1 |
| Length | 1 1⁄2 miles (2.4 km) |
| Preserved gauge | 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge |
| Commercial history | |
| Opened | 1858 |
| Closed | 1981 |
| Preservation history | |
| 1984 | Work started at (and around) Pitsford and Brampton station site |
| 1995 | Light Railway Order, Granted with First public passenger train operated |
| 1996 | Grand Re-opening (NLR re-opened, officially) |
| Headquarters | Pitsford and Brampton |
| Website | |
| www |
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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 (8.0 km) north of Northampton.
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 1 1⁄2 miles (2.4 km) 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 1⁄2 mile (0.80 km) 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 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 Northamptonshire County 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).
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Wikipedia