Northampton to Market Harborough line
Encyclopedia
The Northampton to Market Harborough line is a closed railway line in England
. It opened on 16 February 1859 and finally closed on 16th August 1981. The former trackbed is used by the Brampton Valley Way
and part of the route has been re-opened as the Northampton & Lamport Railway
.
(LNWR) proposed a new railway line between Northampton
and Market Harborough
.
The line was designed by George R. Stephenson
(nephew of the Railway Pioneer George Stephenson
) and George Parker Bidder
, and was opened in 1859.
There are two tunnels: Kelmarsh Tunnel
, 322 yards (294.4 m); and Oxendon Tunnel
462 yards (422.5 m) on the Down line and 453 yards (414.2 m) on the Up line. Because the line was originally single track and later doubled, each tunnel consists of two separate bores, one for each track. One bore of each tunnel is open as part of the Brampton Valley Way
.
The original LNWR station at was on its to line which opened in 1850. From 1857 it was shared by the Midland Railway
on the "London Extension" from to . As traffic built up, the Midland built a new line at a higher elevation, crossing the LNWR and then running parallel to a new joint station in the present position, which opened in 1885.
On 15th August 1981, the day before closure, a special train was chartered to run from Northampton to Market Harborough and return. This was the last British Rail
passenger train to run on the line.
.
The Railway Society arranged to lease part of the trackbed from the County Council and began rebuilding the line as a heritage railway
. The name was changed in 1992 to Northampton & Lamport Railway due to the presence of a large number of diesel locomotive
s. A Light Railway Order was granted and the Grand Opening took place on 31st March 1996.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. It opened on 16 February 1859 and finally closed on 16th August 1981. The former trackbed is used by the Brampton Valley Way
Brampton Valley Way
The Brampton Valley Way is a linear park based on the former railway line in England.The railway line was closed in 1981 and the Northamptonshire section was purchased by Northamptonshire County Council with grant aid from the Countryside Commission in 1987, when work began on developing it as a...
and part of the route has been re-opened as the Northampton & Lamport Railway
Northampton & Lamport Railway
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 north of Northampton.-Overview:...
.
History
In 1851 large deposits of ironstone were discovered in Northamptonshire. The London and North Western RailwayLondon and North Western Railway
The London and North Western Railway was a British railway company between 1846 and 1922. It was created by the merger of three companies – the Grand Junction Railway, the London and Birmingham Railway and the Manchester and Birmingham Railway...
(LNWR) proposed a new railway line between Northampton
Northampton
Northampton is a large market town and local government district in the East Midlands region of England. Situated about north-west of London and around south-east of Birmingham, Northampton lies on the River Nene and is the county town of Northamptonshire. The demonym of Northampton is...
and Market Harborough
Market Harborough
Market Harborough is a market town within the Harborough district of Leicestershire, England.It has a population of 20,785 and is the administrative headquarters of Harborough District Council. It sits on the Northamptonshire-Leicestershire border...
.
The line was designed by George R. Stephenson
George Robert Stephenson (engineer)
George Robert Stephenson was a British civil engineer.Stephenson was born to Robert Stephenson Senior in Newcastle upon Tyne...
(nephew of the Railway Pioneer George Stephenson
George Stephenson
George Stephenson was an English civil engineer and mechanical engineer who built the first public railway line in the world to use steam locomotives...
) and George Parker Bidder
George Parker Bidder
George Parker Bidder was an English engineer, architect and calculating prodigy.Born in the town of Moretonhampstead, Devon, England, he displayed a natural skill at calculation from an early age...
, and was opened in 1859.
There are two tunnels: Kelmarsh Tunnel
Kelmarsh Tunnel
The Kelmarsh Tunnels are disused railway tunnels in Northamptonshire, England. The Northampton to Market Harborough line opened in 1859 and had tunnels at Kelmarsh and nearby Oxendon....
, 322 yards (294.4 m); and Oxendon Tunnel
Oxendon Tunnel
The Oxendon Tunnels are disused railway tunnels in Northamptonshire, England. The Northampton to Market Harborough line opened in 1859 and had tunnels at Oxendon and nearby at Kelmarsh....
462 yards (422.5 m) on the Down line and 453 yards (414.2 m) on the Up line. Because the line was originally single track and later doubled, each tunnel consists of two separate bores, one for each track. One bore of each tunnel is open as part of the Brampton Valley Way
Brampton Valley Way
The Brampton Valley Way is a linear park based on the former railway line in England.The railway line was closed in 1981 and the Northamptonshire section was purchased by Northamptonshire County Council with grant aid from the Countryside Commission in 1987, when work began on developing it as a...
.
Stations
When the line opened, there were only three intermediate stations, at Pitsford, Brixworth and Lamport. Further stations were opened, although almost all were closed by 1960. — originally a minor stationThe original LNWR station at was on its to line which opened in 1850. From 1857 it was shared by the Midland Railway
Midland Railway
The Midland Railway was a railway company in the United Kingdom from 1844 to 1922, when it became part of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway....
on the "London Extension" from to . As traffic built up, the Midland built a new line at a higher elevation, crossing the LNWR and then running parallel to a new joint station in the present position, which opened in 1885.
Closure
The line had a staggered history in its final years. It was first closed to passenger traffic on 4th January 1960 but was reopened to through traffic on the 6th January 1969. It was closed again on 1st May 1969 and reopened on 10th July 1972. The passenger service was finally withdrawn on 26 August 1973, although the line continued to be used by freight trains.On 15th August 1981, the day before closure, a special train was chartered to run from Northampton to Market Harborough and return. This was the last British Rail
British Rail
British Railways , which from 1965 traded as British Rail, was the operator of most of the rail transport in Great Britain between 1948 and 1997. It was formed from the nationalisation of the "Big Four" British railway companies and lasted until the gradual privatisation of British Rail, in stages...
passenger train to run on the line.
Heritage Railway
The Welland Valley Rail Revival Group which had campaigned to keep the line open changed its name to Northampton Steam Railway and based itself in the old goods yard at Pitsford and Brampton station. The track was lifted by British Rail and the trackbed was sold to Northamptonshire County Council for use as a "linear park" named the Brampton Valley WayBrampton Valley Way
The Brampton Valley Way is a linear park based on the former railway line in England.The railway line was closed in 1981 and the Northamptonshire section was purchased by Northamptonshire County Council with grant aid from the Countryside Commission in 1987, when work began on developing it as a...
.
The Railway Society arranged to lease part of the trackbed from the County Council and began rebuilding the line as a heritage railway
Heritage railway
thumb|right|the Historical [[Khyber train safari|Khyber Railway]] goes through the [[Khyber Pass]], [[Pakistan]]A heritage railway , preserved railway , tourist railway , or tourist railroad is a railway that is run as a tourist attraction, in some cases by volunteers, and...
. The name was changed in 1992 to Northampton & Lamport Railway due to the presence of a large number of diesel locomotive
Diesel locomotive
A diesel locomotive is a type of railroad locomotive in which the prime mover is a diesel engine, a reciprocating engine operating on the Diesel cycle as invented by Dr. Rudolf Diesel...
s. A Light Railway Order was granted and the Grand Opening took place on 31st March 1996.