Lincolnshire Wolds Railway

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Lincolnshire Wolds Railway
Fulstow no. 2, Lincs Wolds Rly.jpg
Fulstow no. 2 at Ludborough
Locale Lincolnshire, England
Terminus Ludborough railway station
Commercial operations
Name London and North Eastern Railway
Built by East Lincolnshire Railway
Original gauge4 ft 8+12 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Preserved operations
Operated byLincolnshire Wolds Railway
Stations5 (2 reopened so far)
Length1.5 miles (2.4 km)
Preserved gauge4 ft 8+12 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Commercial history
Opened1848
Closed1961 passengers, 1965 goods, line closed and abandoned 1980
Preservation history
1984Society moves into derelict station at Ludborough
1998line reopened
2008line relaid to North Thoresby
26 August 2009 North Thoresby reopened
Headquarters Ludborough

The Lincolnshire Wolds Railway (LWR) is a heritage railway based at Ludborough station, near Louth, Lincolnshire, England and the only standard gauge steam railway in Lincolnshire open to the public. [1] The line is part of the original Great Northern Railway (GNR), a rail system that opened in 1848 and once linked Grimsby, Louth and East Lincolnshire with London. [1] In early 2002, 2009 and 2013 the Lincolnshire Wolds Railway received a top national award from the Heritage Railway Association for its heritage railway efforts. [2]

Contents

History

Construction of the railway began in 1846 and was completed in 1848. The line ran from Louth to New Holland and was officially opened on 28 March 1848 as the first section of the GNR. The line was constructed by the East Lincolnshire Railway Co (ELR), which leased it to the GNR when they could not raise sufficient funds to operate it. The GNR had obtained running rights over the MS&L from Grimsby to New Holland Pier; in return it allowed the MS&L running rights to Louth. The line south of Louth was extended as far as Boston in October 1848. The GNR ran the line with some of its famous C12 locomotives on the local services. From 1912 to 1913 Stirling single no.1 (preserved at the NRM York) was based at Louth shed (40c).

In 1923 the GNR, and with it the East Lincolnshire Railway, was absorbed by the London and North Eastern Railway (LNER). The LNER carried out some improvements on the line, including the replacement of the GNR Somersault signals with the more common upper quadrant at some locations. Box name boards were also changed from the black background with white lettering to the usual (and later BR specifications) white background with black lettering, although Louth South obtained an enamel sign, which remained on the box until its closure on 5 October 1970.

In 1948, Great Britain's railway assets were nationalised under the Transport Act 1947; it gave the assets to British Railways so that the railway would remain open. At that time, the line's passenger services were operated by steam railcar, but these were later replaced by diesel multiple units.

BR ran the line from 1948 until its eventual closure. BR had announced as early as 1965 that the line would close under the Beeching plan. The first attempt at closure failed after major local opposition and the Minister of Transport's refusal to close a major route. But in 1969 the minister gave BR permission to close the line despite massive local opposition. The line from Firsby Junction to Grimsby was closed after the last passenger train departed on 5 October 1970. The line from Firsby Junction to Louth was quickly lifted, and the infrastructure left to deteriorate.

The section from Louth to Grimsby was singled (the down line lifted), and was retained for an additional 10 years for grain traffic three times a week to the ABM building at Louth. In 1978 BR announced that grain traffic would cease, and that the line would be removed and abandoned. In 1978, a group known as the Grimsby-Louth Group was set up to fight the closure of the line.[ citation needed ]

When the end became inevitable, the group was renamed the Grimsby-Louth Railway Preservation Society, with the aim of preserving the line for continued use. Despite their efforts, British Rail announced that the line would completely close on 20 December 1980. The Grimsby-Louth rail group did run several Santa specials over the line. The last one ran on 20 December 1980. [3] BR closed the line and quickly removed the rails, sleepers and ballast, making it harder for preservationists to restore the line.

Preservation

In 1984 preservation efforts started rebuilding Ludborough Station to its former glory. The site had been virtually flattened by British Rail. All the buildings had been demolished, the railings and platform edges had been removed, as well as the track and ballast. The removal of the latter resulted in blocking the drains, with flooding of the site during rainstorms.

On 28 September 1991, preservationists obtained a Light Railway Order to authorise the reinstatement of the East Lincolnshire Railway between Waltham and the former Keddington Road level crossing near Louth. [4] On 30 August 2003, NER 0-4-0T LNER Class Y7 No. 68088 steamed on the Lincolnshire Wolds Railway. [5] The section towards North Thoresby railway station was reopened in 2009, and on 26 August 2009, the first train between North Thoresby and Ludborough ran for the first time in 47 years. [6] [7]

Work has now begun on track re-laying at the south end of Ludborough station towards Utterby. Included in this work will be a new entrance to the engine shed coming in from the Louth direction. The new point work will be controlled by a 4-lever ground frame, which is released by Ludborough box and features in the new signalling system. The LWR launched an appeal in Summer 2012 to fund the purchase of track and ballast needed to extend the line.

Operations

Ludborough station has been restored to its original condition and is a working station museum, complete with an operational signal box. A 1 34-mile (1.2 km) running line operates northwards to North Thoresby. Trains are operated by both steam and diesel locomotives. One of the line's diesel locomotives, no. D3167 (08102) has strong local connections. The 08 was the resident shunter at Lincoln Central for many years.

Signalling on the LWR

The signalling used on the LWR is very basic but still forms a vital part of the operations. There are two signal boxes in use:

Whilst North Thoresby has the conventional Upper quadrant signals, Ludborough has the more famous GNR somersault signals.

Future of the LWR

The initial goal of reopening the line from Louth to Grimsby is no longer feasible, as part of the section between Grimsby and New Waltham was designated by Humberside County Council for the construction of the A16 Peaks Parkway Road, which was completed in 1998. [8] These roadworks have made any future extension of the LWR to Grimsby Town impossible. [9] However, the LWR aspires to reconstruct the entire surviving 9 miles (14 km) of track bed between a new site at Louth and Holton-le-Clay.

Stations of the LWR

Locomotives

The current permanent stock of locomotives includes the following: [10]

Operational steam locomotives

Non-operational Steam locomotives

Operational diesel locomotives

Diesel locomotives under repair

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">North Thoresby</span> Village and civil parish in the East Lindsey district of Lincolnshire, England

North Thoresby is a village and civil parish in the East Lindsey district of Lincolnshire, England. It is situated between Louth and Grimsby, approximately 7.5 miles (12 km) from each. and has a village population of 1,068 (2011) Some 50.5% of the population is older than 60 years.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tanfield Railway</span> Preserved railway in County Durham, England

The Tanfield Railway is a 4 ft 8+12 instandard gauge heritage railway in Gateshead and County Durham, England. Running on part of a former horse-drawn colliery wooden waggonway, later rope & horse, lastly rope & loco railway. It operates preserved industrial steam locomotives. The railway operates a passenger service every Sunday, plus other days, as well as occasional demonstration coal, goods and mixed trains. The line runs 3 miles (4.8 km) between a southern terminus at East Tanfield, Durham, to a northern terminus at Sunniside, Gateshead. Another station, Andrews House, is situated near the Marley Hill engine shed. A halt also serves the historic site of the Causey Arch. The railway claims it is "the world's oldest railway" because it runs on a section dating from 1725, other parts being in use since 1621.

The London and North Eastern Railway (LNER) produced several classes of locomotive, mostly to the designs of Nigel Gresley, characterised by a three-cylinder layout with a parallel boiler and round-topped firebox. It produced the most famous locomotive of its day, 4468 'Mallard', the holder of the world steam locomotive speed record. It also built the world-famous 4472 'Flying Scotsman'. However, its locomotive inheritance was much greater than just the 'A4 Class', it also produced highly successful mixed-traffic and freight designs.

The Strathspey Railway (SR) in Badenoch and Strathspey, Highland, Scotland, operates a ten-mile (16 km) heritage railway from Aviemore to Broomhill, Highland via Boat of Garten, part of the former Inverness and Perth Junction Railway which linked Aviemore with Forres. It is one of only a handful of former primary/secondary main lines to be preserved in Britain today.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Electric Railway Museum, Warwickshire</span>

The Electric Railway Museum was located in Warwickshire, south-east of Coventry, near the village of Baginton. The heritage railway centre was immediately adjacent to Coventry Airport and so it was also known as "The Airfield Line". The site was managed by the Electric Railway Museum Limited, and was home to a sizeable collection of preserved electric multiple units (EMUs), which was the most diverse and historically significant collection of EMUs in the UK, containing unique items that are the last survivors of once typical and numerous classes. In addition, there were small industrial electric locomotives, two small industrial diesel locomotives, and one small industrial petrol locomotive, along with some other railway vehicles, which are owned by third parties. The land was leased from Coventry City Council, though it is located just outside the city boundary and is in the county of Warwickshire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Northamptonshire Ironstone Railway Trust</span>

The Northamptonshire Ironstone Railway Trust operates a 1+12-mile (2.4 km) long heritage railway line at Hunsbury Hill, south-west of Northampton. The line is mainly dedicated to freight working, featuring many sharp curves and steep gradients which were typical of the industrial railway, but rides are available in a variety of vehicles including a converted brake van.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">British Rail Class 97/6</span> British diesel locomotive

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ludborough railway station</span> Heritage station in Lincolnshire, England

Ludborough is a heritage railway station in Ludborough, Lincolnshire, England, which is the base of the Lincolnshire Wolds Railway. The station, which was previously part of the East Lincolnshire Railway, closed in 1961 to passengers and 1964 to freight, but was taken over by the preservation society in 1984. The first trains from the station to North Thoresby, to the north, ran in August 2009, the first for 47 years. There are proposals to extend the line further in both directions towards Holton-le-Clay and Louth.

Waltham was a railway station on the East Lincolnshire Railway which served the villages of New Waltham and Humberston in Lincolnshire between 1848 and 1964. It was originally named Waltham and Humberstone, but Humberstone was dropped soon after opening. The line through Waltham remained open for freight until December 1980.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Holton-le-Clay railway station</span> Former railway station in Lincolnshire, England

Holton-le-Clay was a railway station on the East Lincolnshire Railway which served the English villages of Holton-le-Clay and Tetney in Lincolnshire between 1848 and 1964. It was originally named Holton-le-Clay and Tetney, but Tetney was dropped soon after opening, even though the station was more conveniently sited for that village. The line through Holton-le-Clay remained open for freight until December 1980, but could be reopened by the Lincolnshire Wolds Railway as its northern terminus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">North Thoresby railway station</span> Heritage station in Lincolnshire, England

North Thoresby is a heritage railway station in North Thoresby, Lincolnshire. The station, which was previously part of the East Lincolnshire Railway, closed in 1970, but has since been reopened by the Lincolnshire Wolds Railway. The first services to the station from Ludborough, to the south, ran in August 2009, the first in 47 years. The LWR aims to extend the line further in both directions, northwards as far as Holton-Le-Clay and southwards to Louth.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Utterby Halt railway station</span> Former railway station in Lincolnshire, England

Utterby Halt was a railway halt on the East Lincolnshire Railway which served the village of Utterby in Lincolnshire between 1905 and 1961. The station, which opened as part of a new motor train service between Grimsby Town and Louth, is reputed to be haunted by the ghost of a ganger killed on the level crossing in 1953. The line through Utterby remained open for freight until December 1980.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fotherby Halt railway station</span> Former railway station in Lincolnshire, England

Fotherby Halt was a railway halt on the East Lincolnshire Railway which served the village of Fotherby in Lincolnshire between 1905 and 1961. The station was opened on the site of a previous station named Fotherby Gate House which had closed in 1872. The second station closed in 1961, but the line through it remained open for freight until December 1980. The line through the station could be reopened by the Lincolnshire Wolds Railway as part of its extension south from Ludborough to Louth.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">East Lincolnshire Railway</span> Railway in England

The East Lincolnshire Railway was a main line railway linking the towns of Boston, Louth and Grimsby in Lincolnshire, England. It opened in 1848. The ELR Company had leased the line to the Great Northern Railway, and it was the latter which constructed the line and operated it, as its East Lincolnshire Line.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grainsby Halt railway station</span> Former railway station in Lincolnshire, England

Grainsby Halt was a railway halt on the East Lincolnshire Railway which served the hamlet of Grainsby in Lincolnshire between 1905 and 1952. The station, which opened as part of a new motor train service between Grimsby and Louth, was opened to serve a Victorian hall situated 2 miles (3.2 km) to the west. The station, one of the smallest to be taken over by British Railways on nationalisation in 1947, never really justified its existence and closed in 1952 following a period of temporary closure during the Second World War. The line through Grainsby remained open for freight until December 1980.

Hainton Street Halt was a railway halt on the East Lincolnshire Railway which served the Welholme Road area of Grimsby in Lincolnshire between 1905 and 1961. The station was opened as part of a new motor train service between Grimsby and Louth. The station briefly closed in 1939 as a Second World War economy measure, but reopened in 1940. The line through Hainton Street remained open for freight until December 1980. The trackbed was later reused by Humberside County Council to construct the A16 Peaks Parkway which now runs through the site. Building of the road put an end to the aspirations of the Great Northern and East Lincolnshire Railway plc to reopen the line as a heritage railway.

The Lincolnshire Wolds Railway Signals and Telecommunications Department is a railway department on the preserved heritage railway in Lincolnshire, England. It installs, maintains and repairs all the signalling and telecommunications on the LWR. Based primarily at Ludborough, the department looks after the railways two functioning signal boxes at Ludborough and North Thoresby.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">North Dorset Railway</span>

North Dorset Railway is a heritage railway based at Shillingstone railway station on the former Somerset and Dorset Joint Railway.

Grimsby engine shed was a railway locomotive maintenance depot located southeast of Grimsby Docks station in North East Lincolnshire.

Louth North railway station is the future southern terminus of the Lincolnshire Wolds Railway where it will occupy a new site on the Fairfield industrial site.

References

Notes

  1. 1 2 Armstrong, Ruth (17 September 2002). "Ride into nostalgia at Forties' weekend". Grimsby Evening Telegraph . p. 10.
  2. "Full Steam Ahead For Extension". Scunthorpe Telegraph . 15 January 2003. p. 12.
  3. Patricia Montgomery (1 October 2010). "Lincolnshire Wolds Railway 1940s Event (2010) – Patricia Montgomery". LincsMag. Retrieved 26 May 2012.
  4. "The Grimsby and Louth Light Railway Order 1991 (S.I. 1991 No. 2210)". Office of Public Sector Information. 28 September 1991. Retrieved 14 September 2010.
  5. "Liner Steams the Wolds". The Railway Magazine . IPC Business Press. 149: 73.
  6. "All Aboard the Steam Train". BBC News. 3 September 2009. Retrieved 21 September 2010.
  7. "Lincolnshire Wolds Railway". Ludborough Parish Council. 2010. Retrieved 21 September 2010.
  8. Ludlam 1991, p. 150.
  9. Stennett 2007, p. 39.
  10. "Locomotives & Rolling Stock at". Lincolnshirewoldsrailway.co.uk. Archived from the original on 26 January 2010. Retrieved 26 May 2012.
  11. Industrial Locomotives: including preserved and minor railway locomotives. Vol. 15EL. Melton Mowbray: Industrial Railway Society. 2009. ISBN   978-1-901556-53-7.
  12. "British Rail Class 08". Preservedshunters.co.uk. Retrieved 26 May 2012.
  13. "Preserved Shunters – RUSTON & HORNSBY : 375713" . Retrieved 8 May 2009.
  14. "> Shunter Details Page". preservedshunters.co.uk. Retrieved 26 May 2012.
  15. "> Shunter Details Page". preservedshunters.co.uk. Retrieved 26 May 2012.
  16. "> Shunter Details Page". preservedshunters.co.uk. Retrieved 26 May 2012.
  17. "> Shunter Details Page". preservedshunters.co.uk. Retrieved 26 May 2012.
  18. "> Shunter Details Page". preservedshunters.co.uk. 15 March 2005. Retrieved 26 May 2012.

53°26′41″N0°01′55″W / 53.44472°N 0.03194°W / 53.44472; -0.03194