20th April 2026: Railway Rambles in Northampton, by Richard Heacock

Rewarded by a high turnout for this meeting, Richard, a non resident of Northampton, put his head in the lion's mouth by presenting an illustrated talk on discovering abandoned bits of railways in the borough of Northampton. Despite an audience of locals, he presented an entertaining talk, discovering routes and evidence of the once complex railway system. He concentrated on the lines south of Castle Station, initially around the Far Cotton area and then heading east, tracking, where he could without trespassing on fenced off areas, the former Peterborough and Bedford lines. I have walked the footpaths in much of the area in recent years but never strayed off them, little realising there was so much evidence still to see only a few yards away.

Although he faced an audience of  local railway enthusiasts of long standing, he was happy to take additional information, but there was little wrong in his facts.  An eloquent speaker with no notes, delivering a very well researched talk.

Richard Deacon

Chairman/Secretary