Then & Now: Woodhall Spa

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My photo was taken in autumn 1981 from the former level crossing where the Horncastle branch cossed Station Road at Woodhall Spa.The site of the level crossing and Woodhall Spa Station being behind me, the photograph looks in the direction of Woodhall Junction. I had just walked the trackbed from the latter, now impossible as it has since been breached by redevelopment, illustrated aptly in the modern day Google Street View comparison.

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Remains of the Mablethorpe - Louth Railway

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The single track branch railway from Louth was the first to reach Mablethorpe, opened on the 17th October 1877 by the Louth & East Coast Railway Company. Diverging south of Louth on the main East Lincolnshire Railway at Mablethorpe Junction,  there were intermediate stations at Grimoldby, Saltfleetby, and Theddlethope. Further south, the Sutton & Willoughby Railway Company opened their line from Willougby on the East Lincolnshire Line to Sutton-on-Sea on 4th October 1866. This was subsequently extended to join the L&EC Railway's line at Mablethorpe on 14th September 1888. Thus forming the complete loop as illustrated in the British Rail map above. The course of the Mablethorpe to Louth section is shown, when open, from the One Inch Ordnance Survey Map extracts below. This early view looks North from Mablethorpe (LEYTR Collection). A later view of Mablethorpe also looking North (LEYTR Collection) A c
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Kirkstead was one of the intermediate stations on the Great Northern Railway Loop Line between Boston and Lincoln. It was opened to both Passengers and Goods on 17th October 1848. At the time this was the main railway route to the North until the opening of the "Towns Line" through Grantham some four years later. Just to the south of the station, a branch line to Horncastle diverged from the main line, opening on 11th August 1855. As the junction faced away from the station, it meant trains would have to reverse a short distance, before accessing the branch.  Further south, the "New Line" from Bellwater Junction was opened to Coningsby Junction on 1st July 1913. From the 10th July 1922, the London & North Eastern Railway renamed the station Woodhall Junction. For one year only, in 1935, it was also one of three locations in Lincolnshire to be allocated a Camping Carriage. Just north of the station, the opposite bank of the River Witham could be reached by a ferr
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Havenhouse - as seen on TV

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