Bygone Railways of East Lincolnshire

Yesterday marked 50th anniversary of the closure of the branch line to Horncastle. Opened on 11th August 1855 between Kirkstead (subsequently renamed Woodhall Junction), with one intermediate station at Woodhall Spa. Passenger trains ceased on 13th September 1954 after which the line continued to be served by goods trains only until 5th April 1971. The following cuttings are from 1978 issues of the Horncastle News , and their look back into earlier issues covering the opening of the line.

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...

In 1933 the London & North Eastern Railway came up with the novel concept of renting out some of it's withdrawn vintage rolling stock, after conversion, as holiday accomodation. Veteran carriages, mainly of Great Northern, Manchester Sheffield & Lincolnshire origins, and to a lesser extent those of Great Eastern, East Coast Joint, and Great Central heritage, were thus deployed to sidings around their network. Three of these were based in Lincolnshire at: Woodhall Junction, Seacroft, and Theddlethorpe, the latter being illustrated below. An example of LNER publicity for these can be seen from extracts from the 1935 booklet below. Rental of these would require a valid rail ticket per person to the location of the carriages. Two types of carriage were available. For £2 10s 0d per week the carriage would require guests to exit the "Day Compartment" to access the bedrooms. £3 0s 0d would gain the user "superior"...