Archive Series Volume 7 - Routes From Northampton

Until the 1960s, a network of railway routes radiated from the East Midlands town of Northampton. Its two main stations, Bridge Street and Castle, provided mainline and secondary cross-country services, many of which are now but memories. Until closure in 1965, Northampton's motive power depot played an important part in providing locomotives for local freight and passenger services, until the large-scale introduction of diesel traction. This transitional period, the depots decline and eventual closure - including the demolition of its coaling plant - is featured in detail. Castle Station handled northwards traffic to Rugby and Crewe plus southbound traffic to London, with Duchesses and Jubilees on passenger work and 'Crabs, 8Fs, 9Fs and Bl. 5s' powering freights. Bridge Street Station had a more sedentary air and handled mostly cross-country services, linking Northampton to Wellingborough, Peterborough, Bedford and Rugby with journeys to these destinations shown. At Rugby, footage of the famous locomotive test plant is complemented by film taken around Rugby between 1035 and 1968 showing a wide variety of WCML motive power. To the West of Northampton, scenes at Woodford Halse on the Great Central main line, Banbury on the Western Region and the rural charms of Fenny Compton portray the diverse nature of the various routes that were linked to Northampton. The industrial rail network of Northamptonshire is also featured with views of the Stewart and Lloyd’s steelworks at Corby with its fleet of brightly painted yellow tank locos. At the nearby Kettering Coal and Iron Company, unique film of the narrow gauge engines at work shows that industrial rail systems could be equally fascinating as the main line.