Passenger trains to Grimsby Pier and Grimsby Royal Dock

[Richard Maund]

Can anyone point me to accessible research or archive material about the dates between which the MS&L and GC regular passenger trains that were advertised as running "alongside ship" actually ran. Despite what their public timetables say about running alongside ship, GCR working timetables that I have seen (seem not to be many about....) do not seem give any suggestion of any working beyond Grimsby Dock passenger station itself - which was hardly "alongside ship"! So - after Pier Station closed in the 1870s - which side of the dock were the Rotterdam/Hamburg/Antwerp regular passenger-carrying vessels berthed? And how were passenger carriages worked there - portion detached (?front ?rear) from a Cleethorpes-bound train at Dock station thence by pilot? or what? I'm not referring to the "immigrant specials".

[Atlantic 3279]

I believe that examination and re-cataloguing of the GCRS archive at Immingham Museum is under way. There may be something of value in there. I've become aware one of two interesting photographs of Grimsby Docks in the GC period as a result of contact with one or two of those who are currently dealing with the archive.