Bygone Railways of East Lincolnshire

An illustrated article about the closure of railways in East Lincolnshire first published in the November 1970 issue of the Lincolnshire Life  magazine. Looking south from Firsby as a diesel multiple unit with van arrives on a train for Grimsby Town. Mr. C. Butler of Boston has worked 47 years on the railway. He knew the line from Bardney to Louth which was one of the first to be closed. A collection of hand lamps that have been in use at Woodhall Junction. This decorative and rare piece of cast iron is to be seen at Woodhall Junction - a Victorian Gentleman's wash-house.  Burgh-le-Marsh station boasts a replica of the windmill which is such a noted landmark across the marsh on the Skegness road. Many of the lamp standards on Woodhall Junction station still bear the initials G.N.R. for this line between Boston to Lincoln was originally on the main London to Ed...

Below are extracts from the L&NER Working Timtable showing the Mablethorpe Louth; Louth - Bardney; Horncastle; Spilsby; and Cranwell branch lines. These show both passenger and goods. Passenger Trains are marked "OP" at the top of columns. The star symbol in the timings shows a goods train which calls there if required. Click on any image for a larger version.

Bardney, on the Great Northern Railway Boston to Lincoln line was also a junction for Louth, until that line closed to passengers on 5th November 1951, and to goods, when the branch was truncated to end at Wraby, on 1st December 1960. Bardney lost its remaining passenger service on 5th October 1970. By this time the line, after Boston services ceased from 17th June 1963, was effectively worked as an extension of the former "New Line" with services between Lincoln and Skegness/Firsby/Tumby Woodside. The following photos were taken in autumn 1980, when the line was still open for freight bringing coal to the nearby British Sugar Corporation factory. This traffic ceased the following year. The once extensive sidings at the neighbouring British Sugar factory. I pre-arranged a visit to the BSC factory to photograph their own diesel shunter hard at work. Ruston & Hornsby 32794 was built in 1954 ...