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The Grantham and Lincoln railway line was a line in
Lincolnshire Lincolnshire (), abbreviated ''Lincs'', is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East Midlands and Yorkshire and the Humber regions of England. It is bordered by the East Riding of Yorkshire across the Humber estuary to th ...
, built by the
Great Northern Railway Great Northern Railway or Great Northern Railroad may refer to: Australia * Great Northern Railway (Queensland) in Australia * Great Northern Rail Services in Victoria, Australia *Central Australia Railway was known as the great Northern Railway ...
to shorten the distance between the town of Grantham and city of Lincoln. It had already formed a network in Lincolnshire, but the route from London and points south and west of
Grantham Grantham () is a market town and civil parish in the South Kesteven district of Lincolnshire, England, situated on the banks of the River Witham and bounded to the west by the A1 road (Great Britain), A1 road. It lies south of Lincoln, England ...
was very indirect. The line opened 1867, and was 18 miles in length, from Honington, near Grantham to Pelham Street Junction in
Lincoln Lincoln most commonly refers to: * Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865), the 16th president of the United States * Lincoln, England, cathedral city and county town of Lincolnshire, England * Lincoln, Nebraska, the capital of Nebraska, U.S. * Lincoln (na ...
. Running through rural terrain, it was never heavily developed, and after nationalisation, through traffic was concentrated on a better alternative route via Newark. All local stations except
Leadenham __NOTOC__ Leadenham is a village and civil parish in the North Kesteven district of Lincolnshire, England. The population of the civil parish at the 2011 census was 410. It lies north of Grantham, south of Lincoln and north west of Slea ...
closed in 1962, and the line from Honington to Lincoln closed completely in 1965.


Origins

In 1848 the Great Northern Railway opened part of its authorised network, from
Peterborough Peterborough ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city in the City of Peterborough district in the Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county of Cambridgeshire, England. The city is north of London, on the River Nene. A ...
to Lincoln via Spalding and
Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...
in 1848. The GNR called this the Loop Line, or the Lincolnshire Loop. In due course it opened its Towns Line, which eventually became part of the
East Coast Main Line The East Coast Main Line (ECML) is a electrified railway between its northern terminus at and southern terminus at . The key towns and cities of , , , , and are on the line. The line is a key transport artery on the eastern side of Grea ...
.John Wrottesley, ''The Great Northern Railway: volume I: Origins and Development'', B T Batsford Limited, London, 1979, The
Boston, Sleaford and Midland Counties Railway The Boston, Sleaford and Midland Counties Railway opened a railway line between Grantham and Boston, through Sleaford, England. It opened in two stages, in 1857 and 1859. Although not a major line, it formed part of a route from industrial cities ...
opened a railway line between Grantham and Boston, through
Sleaford Sleaford is a market town and Civil parishes in England, civil parish in the North Kesteven district of Lincolnshire, England. On the edge of the The Fens, Fenlands, it is north-east of Grantham, west of Boston, Lincolnshire, Boston, and sou ...
, providing an east–west line. It opened in two stages, in 1857 and 1859, and was worked by the GNR.Neil R Wright, ''The Railways of Boston, Their Origins and Development'', Richard Kay Publications, Boston, 1971, , pages 38 and 39 It became evident that the route from the south to Lincoln by way of Boston was rather roundabout, and the GNR gave thought to a shorter route. They were also concerned that the rival
Great Eastern Railway The Great Eastern Railway (GER) was a pre-grouping British railway company, whose main line linked London Liverpool Street to Norwich and which had other lines through East Anglia. The company was grouped into the London and North Eastern R ...
sought to penetrate the area of Lincolnshire that the GNR dominated.


Authorisation

A bill in the 1864 parliamentary session was for the railway,Great Northern Railway (No. 2) (Lincoln to Bourn) Bill. Note that the town of Bourne had the alternate spelling at that time. in which the GNR sought powers for a line from a triangular junction at Honington to Lincoln, another from Sleaford to Bourne, and for absorption of the Boston, Sleaford and Midland Counties Railway, and the Bourne and Essendine Railway. The Sleaford—Bourn part of the proposal was rejected, but the remainder of the bill became the ( 27 & 28 Vict. c. ccxlii) on 25 July 1864, with new capital at £310,000 for the GNR.Wrottesley, volume 1, page 150Charles H Grinling, ''History of the Great Northern Railway, 1845 – 1895'', Methuen and Co, London, 1898, page 207


Opening

The line between Honington and Lincoln was opened by the GNR on 15 April 1867. It was 18 miles 2 chains in extent and was constructed by Kirk & Parry for £121,533. There were stations at Caythorpe, Leadenham, Navenby, Harmston and Waddington, and the line joined the Lincolnshire Loop at Pelham Street junction, Lincoln.
Board of Trade The Board of Trade is a British government body concerned with commerce and industry, currently within the Department for Business and Trade. Its full title is The Lords of the Committee of the Privy Council appointed for the consideration of ...
sanction was given for passenger opening, provided that a 5 mph speed limit was observed over Fulbeck bank where a slip was giving trouble, and on condition that all trains over Pelham Street crossing had a pilotman. Captain Tyler withdrew this condition on 2 August, as a satisfactory signalling and locking system had been installed there.Wrottesley, volume 1, page 165Grinling, page 233Stewart E Squires, ''The Lost Railways of Lincolnshire'', Castlemead Publications, Ware, 1986 , page 64Robin Leleux, ''A Regional History of the Railways of Great Britain: volume 9: The East Midlands'', David and Charles (Publishers) Limited, Newton Abbot, 1976, , page 198
George Hussey Packe George Hussey Packe (1 May 1796 – 2 July 1874) was a United Kingdom Member of Parliament, an army officer present at the Battle of Waterloo, and was instrumental in establishing the Great Northern Railway. Personal life George Hussey Packe ...
was chairman of the GNR and lived at Caythorpe Hall; he had the right to have any train stopped at Caythorpe.Squires, page 65 Construction of this branch involved provision of a new station at Honington, built slightly to the west of the old BS&MCR one, and with a refreshment room.


Honington east curve

An east-to-north curve at Honington, for direct Sleaford-Lincoln running, was partly constructed. It appears doubtful if it was ever completed or used, and it was removed about 1882.Wrottesley, pages 165 and 166Squires, pages 65 and 66


Train service

The passenger train service consisted of five trains each way on weekdays between Grantham and Lincoln and two on Sundays. The new route cut three quarters of an hour off the journey time between Lincoln and London. By 1887 the train service had increased to nine each way, but only one each way on Sundays. In 1914 there were six weekday trains from Lincoln to Grantham, of which two, the 11.22 am and the 1.50 pm conveyed through carriages to London. From London through carriages ran on the 12.30 and 4.0 pm trains. In 1938 seven trains each way were normally run but only one conveyed through carriages to London. This was the 10.28 am from Lincoln to Grantham, where it was attached to the express from Newcastle due into Kings Cross at 1.15 pm. Return was by the 5.50 pm London to Yorkshire express, reaching Grantham at 7.55 pm. It left Grantham at 8.3 pm, called at Leadenham on request to set down passengers from London only, and was due into Lincoln at 8.37 pm. Not all trains stopped at all stations; usually one or two each way were Lincoln-Grantham direct to connect with main-line services. Most timetables show that if no scheduled stop was made at Leadenham, then some would stop to pick up or set down there if required.


Block system

Preparations were made in 1878 for the block system of signalling on the Honington to Lincoln line. Temporary cabins were erected at the stations, later replaced by permanent boxes between 1880 and 1883. As part of the work, ironstone sidings and a signal box were brought into use at Frieston.John Wrottesley, ''The Great Northern Railway: volume II: Expansion and Competition'', B T Batsford Limited, London, 1979, , page 69


Automatic train control system trial

In 1897 the line was used for an experiment with an early form of semi-automatic train control invented by Mr Wynford Brierly. A two-lever trip connected to a bell was placed beside the cab footstep on Stirling 2-2-2 no 6 and this contacted a rocker actuated by signal wire near the signals. When at danger the signal rocker engaged the lever on the locomotive, ringing a bell in the cab and displaying a red disc below it. Although the trial proved to be successful the system was never installed on the GNR.Squires, page 67


Bracebridge Gasworks Accident

There was a serious accident on the line on 25 January 1963, in which two drivers were killed. It took place at Bracebridge Gas Works, not far south of Lincoln. A steam locomotive carrying out shunting was standing on the down main line to allow an up train to pass. The signalman forgot about the engine and cleared his signals for a down train, which struck the engine at about 40 mph.Ministry of Transport, ''Report on the Collision that occurred on 25th January 1963 at Bracebridge Gas Sidings Signal Box near Lincoln in the Eastern Region of British Railways'', Her Majesty's Stationery Office, 1963


Diesel trains

In the mid-1950s steam-hauled passenger trains were replaced with diesel multiple units on the line; it was one of the first routes on which this happened. Steam services were restored on some trains for a time in 1963 when Lincoln multiple units were taken temporarily to dieselise the Grantham to Nottingham service. The local goods trains remained steam hauled to the end.Squires, pages 66 to 69


Decline and closure

In the 1960s the decline in local traffic could not be ignored, and all the stations on the line except Leadenham were closed to passenger traffic. Some retained their goods facilities for the time being, although Harmston closed completely. Two years later, on 15 June 1964, all stations lost their goods services other than for coal, at the time still an important resource. In 1965 Leadenham yard looked busier than it had done for many years when truckloads of steel were delivered for the construction of electricity pylons in the area. However complete closure was inevitable, and on 1 November 1965 the line closed completely between Honington and Lincoln, and through trains were diverted via Newark. For a short time afterwards, one mile of track was retained northwards from Honington Junction and used for redundant wagon storage, and until 7 December 1970 the short section from Lincoln to the Gas Works was in use.


Station list

*
Grantham Grantham () is a market town and civil parish in the South Kesteven district of Lincolnshire, England, situated on the banks of the River Witham and bounded to the west by the A1 road (Great Britain), A1 road. It lies south of Lincoln, England ...
; main line station. *
Barkston Barkston is an English village and civil parish in the South Kesteven district of Lincolnshire. The parish population was 497 at the 2001 census and 493 at the 2011 census. The village lies about north of the market town of Grantham, on the A6 ...
; Boston, Sleaford and Midland Junction Railway station; * Honington; Boston, Sleaford and Midland Junction Railway station; * Caythorpe; opened 15 April 1867; closed 10 September 1962; *
Leadenham __NOTOC__ Leadenham is a village and civil parish in the North Kesteven district of Lincolnshire, England. The population of the civil parish at the 2011 census was 410. It lies north of Grantham, south of Lincoln and north west of Slea ...
; opened 15 April 1867; closed 1 November 1965; *
Navenby Navenby is a village and civil parish in the North Kesteven district of Lincolnshire, England. Lying south from Lincoln, England, Lincoln and north-northwest from Sleaford, Navenby had a population of 2,361 in the 2021 census. In March 2011 ...
; opened 15 April 1867; closed 10 September 1962; *
Harmston Harmston is a village and civil parish in the North Kesteven district of Lincolnshire, England. It is situated just west off the A607, and south from the city and county town of Lincoln. It sits on the Lincoln Cliff overlooking the River Wi ...
; opened 15 April 1867; closed 10 September 1962; * Waddington; opened 15 April 1867; closed 10 September 1962; * ''Pelham Street junction''; *
Lincoln Lincoln most commonly refers to: * Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865), the 16th president of the United States * Lincoln, England, cathedral city and county town of Lincolnshire, England * Lincoln, Nebraska, the capital of Nebraska, U.S. * Lincoln (na ...
; main line station.Michael Quick, ''Railway Passenger Stations in England, Scotland and Wales: A Chronology'', the Railway and Canal Historical Society, Richmond, Surrey, 2002Col M H Cobb, The Railways of Great Britain: A Historical Atlas, Ian Allan Limited, Shepperton, 2002


See also

Lincolnshire lines of the Great Northern Railway


Notes


References

{{reflist Rail transport in Lincolnshire