The LNER Encyclopedia

Years ago the East Lincs main line ran up to Grimsby and Cleethorpes from Boston via Alford and Louth (amongst other places). The old trackbed is now the route of the present 'A16 Peakes Parkway' as it enters Grimsby. A look at FlashEarth clearly shows the remains of the triangle to the east of Grimsby Town station where the trains made thier final approach into Grimsby Town.


What is puzzling me is - what was the arrangement for loco's once the working had arrived in Grimsby Town station? was the loco detached and a pilot used to complete the journey to Cleethorpes? or - did the loco complete its journey to Cleethorpes pushing its stock 'backwards'? or - did the loco 'runaround' its stock and turn round in the goods yard to complete the journey? or - did the loco go partway down the Cleethorpes branch before stopping and then backing into Grimsby Town?

Anyone out there able to enlighten me?

It varied over time. Some of the older Immingham men with whom I had worked talked of the Cleethorpes Passenger Pilot engine working the train between Cleethorpes and Grimsby Town with a main line engine working onwards to London with the pilot engine being detached from one end of the train and the main line engine coupled to the other end. The Summer 1956 Working Timetable bears this out with a Light Engine from Immingham Shed to Grimsby Town to work the 09.05 Cleethorpes to King's Cross service. After Dieselisation it seems that the practice was to send locomotives from Immingham to Cleethorpes to work the trains throughout with a run round at Grimsby Town. The Working Timetables are not always clear in every case but the 1967/68 issue shows a Light Engine from Immingham To Cleethorpes to work the 06.55 King's Cross service but no Light Engine is evident for the later train.

I lived in Grimsby during the 60's and can tell you what happened in diesel days. The train would arrive from Cleethorpes on platform 1 [nearest the ticket office], uncouple the loco and run it through the station on the third track between platforms 1 and 2 and recouple at the reverse end before departing towards Louth. the return from London/Louth still ran into platform 1, so i suspect this was the fastest /simplest way to operate the run round. Speed was in a way of the essence here because to complete the task both sets of level crossings at Wellowgate and Garden Street had to be closed, as the points were outside these crossings, and this could cause considerable traffic congestion.
My memory doesn't extend back to Steam operation, but i believe pushing is prohibited with passengers so they must have a) used a pilot, b) run round and just run the loco tender first c) used the triangle of track just east of the station to turn the loco. Since the line to Cleethorpes was in no way high speed, I would suspect option b would have been the simple option.

Does some of this route now form the Lincolnshire Wolds railway? Just out of interest how much of the trackbed do they own? This there any realistic chance of getting back into Louth? (I think the station get re-developed in flats???)

I don't know how much of the trackbed is actually owned by the (in my opinion) very falsely titled "Lincolnshire Wolds Railway" (they're nowhere near the Wolds proper, previous titles like East Lincs Railway or Grimsby-Louth Railway Preservation Society seemed a much more truthful and sensible name to me) but the potential extreme southern limit for (unlikely) future extension appears to me to be the still-standing (and well maintained when I last looked) Keddington Road signal box by the level crossing at the former northern end of Louth station. Track is now down from Ludborough to North Thoresby, but apparently there's no money to run a service between the two villages, only some occasional local shuffling taking place at the Ludborough end. Further north, at Holton le Clay, there are signs suggesting to me that the residents or builders are gradually "adopting" (by lawful means?) or stealing the trackbed, which is hardly surprising when it has been derelict and trackless since the early eighties.
I feel the preservation / resurrection scheme stands very little chance of ever being a big or lasting success. They are so far behind other lines, who now command the public interest and the money. Things might be different had the attempted route purchase occured in 1980 when the track was still down to provide a flying start, and far few competing schemes were up and running.

I emphasize this is all only my view and not intended as a criticism of, or a slur upon, anybody involved.

Atlantic,
I've always thought Louth was in the Wolds, but you're right that the line is not really among the hills. Still better than Robin Hood airport at Doncaster.
I see what you mean about the gardens in Holten le Clay and if they are unofficial and could be moved, there is a complete and fairly large house on the former trackbed at New Waltham, which has to have had planning permission, so that would be the definite Northern limit.

Louth at best stands only on the very edge of the Wolds. There are no hills of any significance on its Eastern side, the land through which the East Lincs line used to run, which is actually almost as flat as a pancake, most of it much more arguably part of what used to be called the Lincolnshire Marshes than part of the rolling hills of the Wolds. Add to this the fact that the line at present, and for the forseeable future, stops several miles short of Louth in a position that is even more convincingly coastal plain or former "marsh". There is no factual justification whatsoever in my mind for claiming that this line is any kind of "Lincolnshire Wolds" Railway.
Is it just a publicity stunt, an attempt to jump on the "Wolds tourism band wagon"? It wouldn't surprise me, as it still seems that nothing has to be TRUE in the world of publicity, advertising and hype

The Lincs Wolds Railway runs from Ludborough as far as North Thoresby, so only a relatively short section of the former East Lincs route More infor about them can be found here http://www.lincolnshirewoldsrailway.co.uk/

I agree with previous posters that the title is rather misleading - Lincs Wolds would have been more appropriate to the long closed Louth - Bardney branch.

At least the section from Werrington Jn - Spalding and Boston - Firsby S Jn (now part of the Skegness line) still remain very much in use. Sadly, Boston - Spalding is now under the A16

Hello,

I've just recently joined this forum and found the interesting thread on the east lincs line and in particular the comments about the Lincolnshire Wolds railway.

When the group first started in the late seventies their intention was to save the former track bed (with track on) between Grimsby and Louth. BR made it impossible to do that as they wanted the track for elsewhere on the network. When they were lifting the track they cut it all in to little lengths and sold it all for scrap. When the demolition train arrived at Ludborough the group asked BR again to leave the track behind between Ludborough and North Thoresby but BR again refused to do so. They did however tell the group they could buy it from them at the following costs: 1 1/2 miles of rail £400,000, sleepers £97,000 and the ballast was agian to cost £97,000!!! There simply was no way the group could afford that. So everything was removed and the group started from nothing to what it is today. Unlike the big railways who had everything left behind these guys built the line with a lot of shear determination. Yes it's taken them a long time to the job but the result is still the same. At least part of the former east lincs main line is preserved with rails on again.

The actual length of the line is going to be Holton station (fordy's scrap yard) to 3/4 mile short of where Louth station still stands. Which means approx 8-9miles of track bed saved. The former Louth North signalbox has now been converted in to a house.

As regards the name. Well thats the thing you see the original name Great Northern and East Lincs Railway co could have been anywhere from Grimsby to Boston. So it was changed to the Lincolnshire Wolds Railway as you can clearly see from Ludborough Station the Wolds.

Hope this helps and this is my own opinion and not to upset or offend any comments or anyone who has commented on this.

Kind Regards

JIM TYERS
LWR S&T Director

Well said Mr Tyers and good luck with the project.

Hi Jimsig, must get up and see you sometime..