Area around Northampton Bridge street

[Leicester Thumper]

Hi all,

 

Have been doing ym usual internet ramblings on disused railway lines,

 

I have discovered Bridge street station, with the disused railway site having pictures from 2006 when the signalbox was burnt down.

 

They also have a picture of the track in 2005 showing very shiny railheads, I am just wondering, is this line used in any way or form these days or have they left the track in place as a plan b route or something?

 

any ideas?

 

 

Bruce

[roythebus]

Don't know, I lived in Northampton 1973-76, and a mate was 2nd man at Northampton. thye had an occasional train to a military depot along that way, and fairly regular freight to Bridge Street. mind you, the line to Leicester was still open too, with one train a day which ran at about 0010! Very encouraging for people wishing to use it.

[Leicester Thumper]

Don't know, I lived in Northampton 1973-76, and a mate was 2nd man at Northampton. thye had an occasional train to a military depot along that way, and fairly regular freight to Bridge Street. mind you, the line to Leicester was still open too, with one train a day which ran at about 0010! Very encouraging for people wishing to use it.

 

ah yes, I think you mean the line to Market Harborough?

 

what a great time to have a scheduled train though

 

right, the military depot and frieght would answer something, there are some industrial units right next to the railway around the area, so perhaps they had rail access?

[Rugd1022]

The Bridge Street Branch has been closed for some time I'm afraid, the last time I worked a train down there was c.2005.

 

 

[Leicester Thumper]

The Bridge Street Branch has been closed for some time I'm afraid, the last time I worked a train down there was c.2005.

 

 

 

one of the options I had suspected.

 

as far as I am aware they have left the track in situ? (if google maps is accurate)

 

EDIT: What type of working was it? was it one of those MOD runs?

[Rugd1022]

one of the options I had suspected.

 

as far as I am aware they have left the track in situ? (if google maps is accurate)

 

EDIT: What type of working was it? was it one of those MOD runs?

 

 

No LT, not an MOD job, just a local trip working with redundant track panels from the previous week's engineering jobs. Trips down the branch always seemed to be hit and miss, run on an 'as required' basis. Some weeks you'd go there two or three times on the trot, then not see the place again for months. When I was road learning it, I went down on a 37 with a mate.... we made plenty of noise coming back up to Northampton station with the empties

[CovDriver]

The branch has had some activity recently I was in the car park next to the bridge about two weeks ago and the rails had certainly had some travel over them ?

[Leicester Thumper]

The branch has had some activity recently I was in the car park next to the bridge about two weeks ago and the rails had certainly had some travel over them ?

 

could have been anything in which case...

 

might have been the railtrack measuring condition thingy doo.....

[Leicester Thumper]

No LT, not an MOD job, just a local trip working with redundant track panels from the previous week's engineering jobs. Trips down the branch always seemed to be hit and miss, run on an 'as required' basis. Some weeks you'd go there two or three times on the trot, then not see the place again for months. When I was road learning it, I went down on a 37 with a mate.... we made plenty of noise coming back up to Northampton station with the empties

 

Sweet!

 

Bet everyone thought hell and damnation was coming when they heard that noise

 

got to love Tractor's

[Trog]

The branch has had some activity recently I was in the car park next to the bridge about two weeks ago and the rails had certainly had some travel over them ?

 

 

Probably road-rail machines as there is a gate a few hundred yards down the branch which gives access to the track from a supermarket carpark. The branch is out of use due to lack of traffic and because the long timbers on the bridge over the river nene beside where the No1 box used to be are rotten.

 

The last uses of the branch were traffic to the old BR Central Materials Depot at Bridge St and to the Geismar factory just beyond Brackmills level crossing.

[Leicester Thumper]

Probably road-rail machines as there is a gate a few hundred yards down the branch which gives access to the track from a supermarket carpark. The branch is out of use due to lack of traffic and because the long timbers on the bridge over the river nene beside where the No1 box used to be are rotten.

 

The last uses of the branch were traffic to the old BR Central Materials Depot at Bridge St and to the Geismar factory just beyond Brackmills level crossing.

 

so technically the line has no use now anyway, lol

[Lee m22]

I remember that line!

 

Used to walk down there and take the occasional photo.

 

There was a large gangtry rail crane in the yard just behind the signal box.

 

The line is "locked off" at the station, just after the pointwork out of platform 1, and before the line crosses the bridge out of the station.

 

Last thing I saw go down that line was the Gronk out of castle yard. Sadly, that seems gone itself these days

 

Think you'll find the barriers on bridge street are removed now, and the railway fenced off on the level crossing. Was a few months ago I last went across there but I always have a peek when I pass it.

 

Regards

 

Lee

[RANGERS]

The MOD trains ceased in the mid-late 70s when the Yardley Chase depot was downgraded to a training area. The line beyond Brackmills Ind Est was closed and the track lifted. A steel stockholder on the Industrial Estate was granted a Sec 8 grant to install a railhead around this time and a new gantry crane was built along with a siding. As far as I know, this was little used for rail traffic and the line beyond Bridge St was little used after the seventies, although I did see 25s down there at least twice in the early eighties.

 

The former MOD depot is still a training area I believe. I used to take Army Cadets there in my coach driving days and you could wander round pretty much the whole site. Thankfully they weren't using live rounds! Track still existed within the site but I never ventured as far as the former exchange sidings so no idea what was left of them.

[LNERGE]

The sectional appendix makes an interesting read (not that i can find mine right now) for the Piddington - Brackmills section. The section was worked by key token but not under the control of any signalbox. It worked on a first come first served basis and MOD locos could come to Brackmills or BR locos could go to Piddington.

[Great Western]

The branch from Northampton Castle Station is still used by Network Rail contractors to enable Road/Rail vehicles to access the mainline from the access point a few 100yds down from Castle Station.

The track is in situ right down to Bracmills, past the level crossing at Brackmills is a short loop with track machines on then approx 100 yds of track then stop blocks. There is a siding into a industial unit Glasmo? or something that again has track machines in.

 

Going back to Bridge St Level Crossing, in the direction of Brackmills you have a large compound with sidings in (the former signalbox side) then on the other side of the compound there is a fan of sidings that used to go into a power station or similar and to the off to the right where the line to Wellingborough used to go off.

 

 

The end of the line.

 

 

The Bedford end of the loop.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Looking towards the crossing at Brackmills.

 

Bedford straight on and Glasmor to the right.

 

I have a more detailed walk through from the stops to the crossing and back into Glasmor if anyone is interested ?

 

Great Western.

[LNERGE]

There are some really good pictures here..

 

http://picasaweb.google.com/craigwdonald/NorthamptonBritishRailPhotos#

 

Including this gem

 

http://picasaweb.google.com/craigwdonald/NorthamptonBritishRailPhotos#5360241075206261314

[Trainshed Terry]

There is some great photos. Thank you for posting the link.

 

Terry

[spamcan61]

 

I have a more detailed walk through from the stops to the crossing and back into Glasmor if anyone is interested ?

 

Great Western.

 

Yeah I'd be interested, I lived near Brackmills during the late eighties but never got chance to explore.

[Great Western]

Yeah I'd be interested, I lived near Brackmills during the late eighties but never got chance to explore.

 

 

From the block then......

 

.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The junction with the 'mainline' and the sidings off to Glasmor Site - Brackmills Level Crossing in the distance.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Looking from the crossing towards Northampton.

 

 

Back towards Glasmor Site.

 

The boundary on the mainline just short of the above point with Railtrack.

 

 

Looking back up the mainline towards the loop, to the right is Glasmor.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thats the whole line from the block to the crossing and back into Glasmor. I hope to do the Northampton end one day.....

Ive also got some more pictures like this of Machen Quarry in Gwent - South Wales.

 

 

Great Western.

[spamcan61]

Thanks for those, off to 'walk' the line via Google Earth now.

[dibber25]

Taken last summer at Northampton Bridge Street for my RAIL feature on roundabout routes. Not much is going to go through here! Nice crossing cottage - shame its disused.

CHRIS LEIGH

[cobbler]

The track is lifted between the level crossing at Bridge Steet and what remains of Hardingstone Junction, this is were the lines to Bedford and Wellingborough diverged. I walked over the old level crossing at Hardingstone Junction without even realising where I was as the track and area is heavily overgrown.

 

The lines to Wellingborough are still in situ and end near the A45, heavily overgrown.the line is still in between Hardingstone Junction and Brackmills.The site of the old power station is derilict. The steel depot was called Hammer Steel, I believe it is now converted to a retail unit, on Google Earth you can still see the tracks in the concrete leading into the old unloading shed.

 

The track depot know as the CMD ( Central Material Depot ) has been lifted and is being prepared for a large housing development. Across the track the yard know as Far Cotton yard has been lifted and built over, 2 lovely old LMS wharehouses remain. Also the old Midland Railway loco shed is still there, semi derelict and with a burnt roof. This served the Midland Railway station at Northampton St Johns Street.The station side of the Bridge Street level crossing was the site of the PAD ( prefab assembly depot ) this has been lifted and houses built on it, the original LNWR loco shed ( 1880,s ) is still there used as P-Way offices. The site of the Northampton Bridge Street station can still be made out, a small section of platform wall remains.

We think the last train ran in late 2005, very early 2006, It was a train of empty cable laying wagons. The P-Way engineer put a block on the line after it had run owing to rotten sleepers, it was never reopened.

The on track plant depot at Brackmill is owned by Geismar.

 

Richard

[cobbler]

Chris Leigh,s picture of the "Jungle" taken through the fence is the site of Northampton Bridge Sreet station, the bush on the right hides what remains of the platform wall, the white pointed roof in the centre is the roof of the LNWR loco shed with the old PAD sidings to the left. There are 2 overgrown tamper sidings to the extreme left.

 

Richard

[ess1uk]

There is a campaign to get this line reopened.

https://www.facebook.com/bedfordnorthamptonrailway/info/?entry_point=page_nav_about_item&tab=page_info

[cobbler]

The track bed from the crossing to the old power station site has been sold to the Council, this will be built over and is the site of the new University and a massive housing development.

They have also been given permission for new road access to be built across track bed on the old Bedford section rather than expensive bridges.

 

There are also plans to build a much needed link road across the line just West of Northampton station on the remains spur,

This has been dragging on for years, delayed by level crossing costs over a derelict railway line.

 

The level crossing has been dug up, the rotten rails removed and tarmaced over.

 

Good news, the Midland Railway loco shed of 1871 and Foremans office are preserved. Going to be restored and used as offices and a possible gym

 

Richard