Boughton crossing set for first trains this year
NORTHAMPTON & Lamport Railway volunteers continue to make steady progress on the new southern terminus at Boughton despite the pandemic.
The main platform wall was completed last summer and now has a finished platform surface for an initial distance equivalent to two coach lengths. The remainder is due to be infilled with surplus material from elsewhere on the railway and surfaced later this year.
As reported in issue 275, in early November 2020 the heritage line obtained a lease for some additional land from the adjacent Windhover pub, owned by Mitchells and Butlers. This land will enable the construction of a bay platform with associated trackwork and, one day, a permanent station building.
This new station is intended to be in a replica LNWR style, appropriate to the line's history. In the interim a temporary booking office and shop will be provided within a Mk.3 buffet coach in the bay.
Progress
Since the start of December, volunteers have cleared the land of unwanted vegetation and prepared the trackbed for the bay. They have also dug and concreted the foundations for the bay platform, constructed the blockwork walls, and started on laying the brickwork, including some corbelling to the ramp at the end of the main platform.
An initial bed of ballast has also been laid into the bay (27 tons, all dug by hand and moved by wheelbarrow), and work has begun on constructing the points that will connect into the bay road.
Fencing has been constructed along the new boundary with the pub, and includes direct access from the pub garden to the station.
On February 16, a large load of concrete sleepers was delivered. They will mainly be used for laying track into the bay in the coming weeks.
Achievements
The line's infrastructure director, Graham Peacock, said: “The efforts of our loyal and dedicated volunteers are amazing. We've managed to make great progress in recent weeks, all the more remarkable when you consider that we only work at weekends, have no heavy plant to assist us, and have to abide by Covid-19 restrictions. Our aim is to hopefully still open the extension later in 2021.”
The new station at Boughton will give the line a much higher profile main road presence alongside the A5199, which runs from Husbands Bosworth to Northampton via a junction with the busy A14 dual carriageway.
At Pitsford and Brampton, the doors and cladding on either end of the new locomotive running shed have just been completed, making the building secure and weather-tight.
➜ Anyone who would like to volunteer on the Boughton project is invited to email memberships@ nlr.org.uk. Donations to help the line finish the work are welcome at www.goldengiving.com/fundraising/ boughton-extension