ON COURSE FOR EXPANSION
The Northampton & Lamport Railway (NLR) sits in beautiful countryside on the site of the former Northampton to Market Harborough line. A little off the beaten track, the railway’s current headquarters are approximately five miles north of Northampton.
Perhaps not the most imposing of facades upon arrival, the railway buildings hide behind a nearby pub and accompanying car park. The sole station of Pitsford & Brampton comprises a single platform, around which are housed a jumble of buildings – including a makeshift shed and workshop for engineering work, alongside which several temporary buildings and a former signalbox act as offices, mess rooms and passenger facilities.
At first glance the site has a rather ramshackle feel, although the smart signalbox at the heart of the station is imposing. However, this exterior belies an organisation that – after years of slow progress – is starting to move forward with a smouldering determination that is worth taking notice of.
Route origins
The Northampton to Market Harborough line was conceived to transport the large amounts of ironstone discovered in Northamptonshire in 1851. A George R Stephenson railway, it was opened by the London & North Western Railway (LNWR) in 1859 between the existing station at Market Harborough and a new station at Northampton, enabling passenger services as well as freight.
Originally built in 1859, today’s mainline station of Northampton was the second station to be built in the
