71. Discovering Northampton's lost lines-11.11.21

THE ARCHIVE FILES > Archive-2021 > 71. Discovering Northampton's lost lines-11.11.21
An interesting couple of hours exploring the lost railways to the east of Northampton with Mike. We also took in the delights of the recently reopened Engine Shed student union building at the University of Northampton's (UON) Riverside campus.
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Interior of The Engine Shed, Students' Union building, UON Riverside campus When I was a student back in the early 1980s our Student Union was little more than a Portakabin in the corner of a car park! Today this organisation is at the heart of student life with facilities to match as illustrated here at the University of Northampton. At UON's Riverside campus their activities are housed in the former Midland engine shed that was saved from almost certain decline and dereliction back in 2016. The superbly restored building is now a great resource for the students as well as for two much older railway enthusiasts who sat and enjoyed a relaxing coffee admiring the interior of the building! Keywords: Interior of The Engine Shed Students' Union building UON Riverside campus
Information map, The Engine Shed, Students' Union building, UON Riverside campus Probably ignored by the students were a number of extremely interesting boards located around the central hub in the Student Union building at UON's Riverside campus. These boards gave a very detailed history of their SU building from its construction in 1872 by the Midland Railway until its reopening in 2018. One of the items on display is this superb reproduction of an Ordnance Survey map of Northampton dated 1938. It reveals the complexity of railway routes in the town that existed then in stark contrast to today's situation. The Midland engine shed in which I am standing is located clearly in the lower right-hand corner as the dark black rectangle at what was called Hardingstone Junction where the Midland spur leading to the now-closed St. John's station splits off from the Peterborough line. Keywords: Information map The Engine Shed, Students' Union building UON Riverside campus
Interior of The Engine Shed, Students' Union building, UON Riverside campus The restoration of the rebuilding of the Grade II listed Midland engine shed on the Riverside campus of the University of Northampton has been a triumph appearing to provide a perfect home for the Students' Union. The transformation was undertaken by the award-winning architectural and heritage consultancy practice Purcell. They document the work undertaken on their website, see..... https://www.purcelluk.com/projects/university-of-northampton-engine-shed Keywords: Interior of The Engine Shed Students' Union building UON Riverside campus Univesity of Northampton
Exterior of The Engine Shed, Students' Union building, UON Riverside campus From the front of the former Midland Railway engine shed it looks a little incongruous with the doors being non-central due to the angled wall on the southern side of the building. This strange quirk of the design was due to the need to have a running line passing very close to the building off to the right to give clearance. The polychrome brickwork is also clear to see in this view that was a rare and what would have been a somewhat costly design feature back in 1872 that took a considerable amount of effort to restore when the building was rescued. During its reconstruction, the historic ventilator lantern was reinstated having been removed many years ago. Keywords: The Engine Shed, Students' Union building UON Riverside campus University of Northampton
Information board, The Engine Shed, Students' Union building, UON Riverside campus Mike and I were impressed with the amount of information in and around the Students' Union building at the University of Northamptonton's Riverside campus. There was a series of boards inside the former Midland Railway engine shed documenting the building's history as well as some around the outside such as this one. Students and visitors can be left with no doubt as to the heritage of the building! Keywords: Information board The Engine Shed Students' Union building UON Riverside campus University of Northampton
Associated building, The Engine Shed, Students' Union building, UON Riverside campus A small building located just in front of the former Midland Railway engine shed at the University of Northampton's Riverside campus. Like the main building, just behind where I am standing, this has also been carefully restored and is in use by the Students' Union. Also, like the main building, it is constructed by rather expensive, for the era, polychrome brickwork that could well have been regarded as a little extravagant by the shareholders of the Midland Railway! Keywords: Associated building The Engine Shed Students' Union building UON Riverside campus
Telegraph pole, The Engine Shed, Students' Union building, UON Riverside campus A telegraph pole is a reminder of the practicalities of the area around the Midland Railway's former line adjacent to the superbly restored 1872 engine shed that is behind me. The area was home to a substantial area of sidings being in use by the PW department in various forms up until as relatively recently as 2003. This telegraph pole still with a number of its porcelain insulators would have carried wires linking Hardingstone Junction and Bridge Street signal boxes. Keywords: Telegraph pole The Engine Shed Students' Union building UON Riverside campus
Trackbed, L&NW line to Wellingborough, Delepre Lake SP767593 Walking along the northern bank of Northampton's Delapree Lake one walks parallel with the course of the former L&NWR route that would then head northeast along the Nene Valley to Wellingborough and beyond. For the vast majority of this section next to the lake, the tracks are still in situ if being completely taken over by nature having not seen any traffic for a number of decades. In this view looking back towards Northampton and Hardingstone Junction, the remnants of a modern-day resident exist in the form of a makeshift shelter for some poor homeless sole with items of clothing strewn around the spot; a sad sight in so many ways and a sad inditement of the world that we live in. Keywords: Trackbed L&NW line to Wellingborough Delepre Lake SP767593
Trackbed, L&NW line to Wellingborough, Delepre Lake SP767593 A photograph taken in the opposite direction to the last one of the former L&NWR route next to Delapre Lake to the south of Northampton. This overgrown view is looking towards Wellingborough and was once a busy route along the Nene Valley ultimately ending up at Peterborough. Indeed, the far eastern end of this line is now the home of the Nene Valley Railway. The double-track has not seen traffic for many years despite its intact appearance. I would love to know why the wrecking gangs did not remove this track when the line was closed in 1964 due largely to the high running costs on account of the high number of manned level crossings. Keywords: Trackbed L&NW line to Wellingborough Delepre Lake SP767593
Trackbed, L&NW line to Wellingborough, Delepre Lake SP768592 This is a strange thing! The L&NWR double-track still in situ running along the northern side of Northampton's Delapre Lake appears to be coming to end at this point with a buffer stop on what would have been the down Wellingborough to Northampton track. However, just beyond the buffer stop, the track continued again running alongside the untruncated down track. Mike and I commented on the condition of the track and many of the sleepers with them looking in excellent order despite not being in use for well over fifty years! Mike also commented that as a young lad he would have travelled along these same metals living on one of the villages along the route to towards Wellingborough. Keywords: Trackbed L&NW line to Wellingborough Delepre Lake SP768592
Trackbed, L&NW line to Wellingborough, Delepre Lake SP768592 I love the atmospherics of this photograph taken of the former L&NWR railway route to the southeast of Northampton near Delapre Lake. The gently curving track, the trees growing through the trackbed and the slightly backlit lighting all add up to a vaguely eerie scene. One can almost hear the whistle and beat of a distant 2MT 2-6-2 Standard approaching leading the lunchtime Northampton to Wellingborough push-pull service with two crimson coaches in tow! Keywords: Trackbed L&NW line to Wellingborough Delepre Lake SP768592
Buffer stop, L&NW line to Wellingborough, Delepre Lake SP768592 Another mysterious buffer stop on the former down line from Wellingborough to Northampton facing the 'wrong' way just near Northampton's Delapre Lake. However, this one is the end of the line as the track was just about finished at this point with the route about to be obliterated by the A45 dual carriageway. Notice the increasing sharpness of the curve of the track beyond the buffer stop. At this point, the line was beginning to take a much more easterly (even northeasterly) course to head out along the Nene Valley, next stop Billing and Castle Ashby & Earls Barton. A short distance behind where I am standing it was also about to pass under the Midland line route to Bedford that it had been running parallel to for about a mile across a field. Keywords: Buffer stop L&NW line to Wellingborough Delepre Lake SP768592
Former occupation crossing, L&NW line to Wellingborough, Delepre Lake SP768592 The remains of a former occupation crossing on the L&NWR route between Northampton and Wellingborough is still partially extant near to Delapre Lake. The concrete post, now at rather a jaunty angle, once would have supported a gate with one of the double tracks still visible through the undergrowth. A short distance behind me across the field was an embankment and an overbridge that once carried the Midland line route to Bedford. Keywords: Former occupation crossing L&NW line to Wellingborough Delepre Lake SP768592
Former bridge, L&NW line to Wellingborough, Brackmills SP772592 The remains of a metal bridge, seen through the undergrowth on the edge of Northampton's Brackmills Industrial Estate, once carried the L&NWR track to Wellingborough along the Nene Valley. At this point, it was crossing Hardingstone Dyke, a drainage channel that then ran parallel with the route of the line for some distance. The bridge last carried passenger traffic in 1964 when most of the route between Northampton and Peterborough closed except for a few sections such as that which served Oundle for school traffic. Keywords: Former bridge L&NW line to Wellingborough SP772592 Brackmills
Mike, Mid. route to Bedford, Brackmills SP776589 Mike makes his way along the trackbed of the former Midland Railway route between Northampton and Bedford. He is walking on the ballast through the Brackmills Industrial Estate toward Bedford. As late as 2009 Network Rail still had responsibility for this section of the route designating it as 'Out of Use (temporary)' in September of that year. The route is largely intact and there has been a number of reports and investigations into its reopening. If the whole route between Northampton and Bedford was not to open some sort of rapid transit link between Northampton and the busy Brackmills estate would go some way to easing the town's chronic transport congestion. Keywords: Mike, Midland route to Bedford Brackmills SP776589.
Former level crossing, Mid. route to Bedford, Brackmills Burryport Road A view looking across Burryport road on Northampton's Brackmills Industrial Estate reveals track laid and appearing to be in use on the other side. Until relatively recently there was a level crossing at this location with some heavily vandalised warning lights but no barriers. This infrastructure has been removed, along with the tracks and the road surfaced over the trackbed. Keywords: Former level crossing Midland Railway route to Bedford Brackmills Burryport Road
Geismar (UK) test facility, Mid. route to Bedford, Brackmills Geismar (UK) has had a presence on Northampton's Brackmills Industrial Estate for many years. They are a global organisation involved in the manufacture of railway plant equipment, see...... https://geismar.com/?lang=en As part of their operations they maintain a short section of track for testing purposes that is directly linked to their factory. The track is the only section of the former Midland Railway route between Northampton and Bedford that is actually in use but, looking at the rusty railhead, this is pretty infrequent! Keywords: Geismar (UK) test facility, Midland route to Bedford Brackmills
Geismar (UK) test facility, Mid. route to Bedford, Brackmills The message is clear, Mike and I should walk no further along the former Northampton to Bedford line here in the Brackmills Industrial Estate! This is the only section of track still laid and in use on this route is being used by Geismar (UK) for testing of their railway plant equipment. A few years ago the company used the entire section of the remaining track between here and Claughton Road in Northampton where track panels were taken for onward transportation. This facility eventually closed on December 2005 so with the track now serving no further purpose it was lifted and the level crossing over Brackmills' Buryport Road removed. With continued and sustained efforts to revive the Northampton to Bedford route one wonders if 'proper' trains will ever pass this spot again; not in my lifetime, I suspect! Keywords: Geismar (UK) test facility Midland route to Bedford Brackmills

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