Louth North railway station

Last updated

Louth North
Station on heritage railway
Location Louth, East Lindsey
England
Coordinates 53°23′03″N0°00′22″W / 53.384102°N 0.006136°W / 53.384102; -0.006136 Coordinates: 53°23′03″N0°00′22″W / 53.384102°N 0.006136°W / 53.384102; -0.006136
Operated byGreat Northern & East Lincolnshire Railway plc
Lincolnshire Wolds Railway
Platforms?
History
Original company Lincolnshire Wolds Railway
Key dates
1980line closed to all traffic
1998first trains run at Ludborough
26 August 2009Opening to North Thoresby
2017clearance begins towards Utterby site

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. [1] [2]

Contents

History

The line was opened in 1848 as the East Lincolnshire Railway which served the towns of Grimsby, Louth and Boston.

It was opened to passengers the same year with stations at Ludborough, North Thoresby and Waltham while there was various halts along the Grimsby-Louth section which opened during the railmotor era of the line but all these closed in the 1930s/60s. [1]

Closure

The line was closed from Grimsby-Firsby to passengers on October 5, 1970. The Louth-Firsby section was quickly lifted.

The line from Louth-Grimsby was singled and remained open to freight to serve the Associated British Maltsters and the occasional rail tour until December 1980 when the line was closed, despite demands not to close it.

The station buildings were demolished at most of the stations along with the signal boxes. The only two original signal boxes to remain on the line were Hainton Street in Grimsby and Louth North. The original grain store remains at Ludborough and the original station master houses remain at Ludborough, North Thoresby and Holton-le-Clay. Louth station building still remains, and is grade 2 listed, but has been converted to flats. [1]

Reopening

In 1978, a small preservation group called the Grimsby-Louth Rail group was set up with aims to preserve the entire section. However, as the Waltham-Grimsby section has been turned into a bypass road, and could not be preserved as a railway, the group was renamed to Grimsby-Louth Railway preservation society. [2]

A new company, the Great Northern and East Lincolnshire Railway plc, was formed to purchase the 11-mile (18 km) trackbed from Louth to Waltham as BR would not sell to a society. The company now trades under the name Lincolnshire Wolds Railway.

In 1991 a light railway order was granted to the Great Northern and East Lincolnshire Railway plc who then bought 11 miles (18 km) of trackbed between Keddington Road, Louth and Waltham.

The original plan was to extend to Waltham and to the former level crossing at Keddington road, however plans forced the LWR to lose two miles of the original trackbed due to the section between Holton-le-Clay and Waltham being built on by housing. The railway will as and when time and money permit run from Holton-le-Clay station-Louth(LWR). A distance of approx. 8–9 miles.

The plan to reach Grimsby has since been thwarted as a result of the construction of the Peaks Parkway which runs the course of the railway, north of Waltham itself.

Related Research Articles

North Thoresby 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) with 50.5% of the population being over 60.

Louth, Lincolnshire Market town and civil parish in Lincolnshire, England

Louth is a market town and civil parish in the East Lindsey district of Lincolnshire, England. Louth serves as an important town for a large rural area of eastern Lincolnshire. Visitor attractions include St James' Church, Hubbard's Hills, the market, many independent retailers, and Lincolnshire's last remaining cattle market.

Lincolnshire Wolds Railway

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. 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. 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.

Waltham, Lincolnshire Large village and civil parish in North East Lincolnshire, England

Waltham is a large village and civil parish in North East Lincolnshire, England. It is 4 miles (6 km) south of Grimsby close to the suburb of Scartho and to the smaller villages of Brigsley, Barnoldby-le-Beck, and Holton le Clay. Less than 2 miles (3 km) to the east-north-east is the village of New Waltham. In the 2001 census, Waltham had a population of 6,420, reducing slightly to 6,413 at the 2011 census.

Firsby Small rural linear village and civil parish in the East Lindsey district of Lincolnshire, England

Firsby is a small rural linear village and civil parish in the East Lindsey district of Lincolnshire, England. It is situated 30 miles (48 km) east from the city and county town of Lincoln, 4 miles (6.4 km) south-east from the nearest market town of Spilsby, and 7 miles (11 km) inland from the holiday resort town of Skegness.

Ludborough railway station 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.

Holton-le-Clay English village, civil parish and electoral ward

Holton-le-Clay is a village, civil parish and electoral ward in the extreme north of the East Lindsey district of Lincolnshire, England, 5 miles (8.0 km) south of Grimsby on the A16. The village is twinned with Sargé-lès-le-Mans, Sarthe, France.

Firsby railway station Former railway station in Lincolnshire, England

Firsby railway station was a station in Firsby, Lincolnshire. It served as a main line station and a terminus for two branch lines to Skegness and Spilsby respectively. The station was popular in the 19th and early 20th centuries for seaside connections to Skegness, but was recommended for closure in the Beeching Report and closed in 1970. The station was mostly demolished.

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.

Holton Village Halt railway station Former railway station in Lincolnshire, England

Holton Village Halt was a railway halt on the East Lincolnshire Railway which served the village of Holton-le-Clay in Lincolnshire between 1905 and 1961. The station, which opened as part of a new motor train service between Grimsby and Louth, was the second station to serve the village after Holton-le-Clay and Tetney situated further to the south. The line through Holton-le-Clay remained open for freight until December 1980.

Holton-le-Clay railway station 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.

North Thoresby railway station 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.

Utterby Halt railway station 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.

Fotherby Halt railway station 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.

East Lincolnshire Railway 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.

Grainsby Halt railway station 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.

Weelsby Road Halt was a railway halt on the East Lincolnshire Railway which served the Weelsby Road area of eastern Grimsby in Lincolnshire between 1905 and 1940. The station was opened as part of a new motor train service between Grimsby and Louth. It was the site of major works in 1933 when a plate girder bridge was constructed to replace a level crossing, enabling road traffic to pass underneath through a subway. The station closed in 1952 following a period of temporary closure during the Second World War. The line through Weelsby 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.

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.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Louth". Disused Stations. 2017.
  2. 1 2 "Railway enthusiasts are making tracks for Louth - Grimsby Live".