Bygone Railways of East Lincolnshire

Tuesday 13th April 1982 was a good day for Peak enthusiasts at Skegness. On the left, on platform 4, is 46004 awaiting its return on the 1Z20 1820 ADEX to Alfreton & Mansfield Parkway; in the middle on platform 6, is 45111 which had worked in on the 1E85 0928 from Derby; on the right, on platform 7, 45033, which had worked in on the 1E86 0824 from Leicester.

31154 and 31292 are seen reversing from the sidings at Skegness on Saturday 24th August 1985. They had worked in as the 1D20 0810 SO from Leeds. The locomotives, now repositioned, would later work the 1L19 1330 SO to Leeds.  This was an era I would spend most Saturdays either at the sidings or station watching and photographing the locomotive hauled services, an era, sadly, long gone.  Other locomotives that same day were: 45066 on 1E02 1043 to Sheffield 20005 + 20055 on 1M05 to Leicester 20146 + 20176 on 1140 to Derby The 1M54 through train to Manchester Piccadilly, previously locomotive hauled, from this year was now worked using First Generation Diesel Multiple Units, and the morning and afternoon through services to King's Cross were no more.

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...