1929
Spratton Station with a Renown 4-4-0 LNW 1954 LMs5121 'Galatea', rebuilt from Alfred the Great October 1924.
The London to Birmingham railway had been built in 1838 by-passing Northampton. The London and Northampton Act of 4 August 1853 permitted the building of a branch line to the London to Birmingham railway (London and North Western Railway), and on 16th February 1859 this was opened from Northampton to Market Harborough, stopping at Brampton, Brixworth and Lamport. It was an 18 mile single line track and two trains ran each way daily. On 1 February, after urgent appeals from people in Spratton (See 'Mercury' article 12March 1859), LNWR opened a new station where the line crossed the Spratton to Brixworth Road at what was then known as Wolfage Bridge (Wolfage was a Manor in Brixworth behind the workhouse down to Park farm, and some of the fields in Spratton were clearly owned by this Manor), with four trains each way stopping daily. By 1871, the Station Master was Isaac Hicks and in 1874 Abraham Matthews took over the job. Because of increased usage another track was built and the double track line was opened on 4th August 1879. Known station masters were Isaac Hicks (1871), Abraham Matthews (1874), John Crabb (1878), Henry Mayse (1910 - 1914).
On 23rd May 1949 Spratton Station was closed but normal passenger services still ran on the line until 4 January 1960, when all the remaining stations were closed. Goods trains ran on the line (and the overnight sleeper service from London Euston to Glasgow Central also between January 1969 and May 1973) until the line was finally closed and the rails removed. The last train ever to run (before this happened) was a 'passenger special', which ran on 15th August 1981, and is seen here approaching Spratton level crossing.
Image Reference: 1945
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