Ludborough railway station
Encyclopedia
Ludborough is a heritage railway
station in Ludborough
, Lincolnshire
, which is the base of the Lincolnshire Wolds Railway
. The station, which was previously part of the East Lincolnshire Railway
, closed in 1961 to passengers and 1965 to freight, but was taken over by the preservation society in 1984. The first trains from the station to , to the north, ran in August 2009, the first for 47 years. There are proposals to extend the line further in both directions towards and Louth
.
village of Ludborough
, the station is in fact situated half way between that village and Fulstow
. It was constructed by by contractor
John Waring and Sons of Rotherham
who, in December 1846, had agreed to construct the line between and for the sum of £46,102 (£ as of ). Ludborough, some 5 miles (8 km) from Louth
, was provided with staggered platforms either side of a level crossing
; the up platform to the south of the crossing and the up to the north. A third lower platform was later added in connection with the rail motor service introduced from 1905. Situated opposite the up platform, the rail motor platform is adjacent to a brick stationmaster's house which also comprised the booking office and passenger waiting room. The architectural style of the house and the station layout is similar to the stations at , and .
A signal box
on the up platform which contained a 20 lever frame controlled the crossing gates as well as access to the small goods yard with two sidings
on the opposite side. Ludborough had the most comprehensive goods facilities on the line between Louth and Grimsby, having cattle pens and a large brick goods shed
; one siding ran into a loading dock behind the down platform. The design of the shed is based on the warehouse built by the Louth Navigation
at Austen Fen. The station closed to passengers on 11 September 1961, the same day as and to the south and and to the North. This made the only intermediate staion open between Louth and Grimsby . It closed completely on 25 May 1965 when goods facilities were withdrawn.After the closure of the line to passengers in 1970, the down line was removed between Louth and Hainton Street leaving only the up line through Ludborough to remain open until December 1980.
of Ludborough station site which became its base. A new company was formed with the intention of buying the remains of the track bed as BR would not sell to a society at that time. The new company was called the Great Northern and East Lincolnshire railway company plc. On 28 September 1991, the company Great Northern and East Lincolnshire Railway co plc obtained a Light Railway Order authorising the reinstatement of the East Lincolnshire Railway between and the former Keddington Road level crossing near Louth, which would include the line through Ludborough. The signal box at Hainton street was destroyed by fire in the early 1990's. The frame and the gate wheel were removed and placed in to storage at Ludborough ready for re-use. The frame is now in use as Ludborough's frame. The wheel is also in Ludborough box but will never be used in this location. Louth North was restored by the society but suffered continual vandalism. The box is a grade 2 listed structure and has been converted in to a house but still retains it's signal box look.
With the order in place this allowed the company to acquire track, locos and rolling stock with the society supporting the company as much as it can. The company (now trading as the Lincolnshire Wolds Railway) have had to rebuild all of the station's facilities, including a replica Great Northern
signal box in its original position, a two-road locomotive shed and a passenger waiting room which houses a museum and shop.In 1997 the level crossing was relaid and allowed access over the road for the railway to bring rolling stock that had been stored on the north side of the crossing. Between 2001 and 2004, the north (down) platform was developed with a toilet block, garden and running-in board. By this point, the track extended north for a distance of ¾ of a mile. A major step for the LWR came in 2004 when HMRI approved the signalling for use. This then enabled the railway to run trains in the dark for the first time at Hallow'een. Tracklaying reached North Thoresby in 2008 and the first train for 47 years between the two stations ran on 26 August 2009.
The Lincolnshire Wolds Railway plans to extend the line in both directions to Louth via Utterby and Fotherby and via Grainsby to the former Holton-le-Clay station recreating 8 miles between Holton Le Clay and Louth. Sadly the trackbed through to Waltham has been built over at Waltham and Holton Village halt and thus making it impossible to rebuild the railway to Waltham. The stationmaster's house has survived and is available as a holiday let. The goods shed also remains, but is in private ownership.
Heritage railway
thumb|right|the Historical [[Khyber train safari|Khyber Railway]] goes through the [[Khyber Pass]], [[Pakistan]]A heritage railway , preserved railway , tourist railway , or tourist railroad is a railway that is run as a tourist attraction, in some cases by volunteers, and...
station in Ludborough
Ludborough
Ludborough is a village in the East Lindsey district of Lincolnshire, England. It lies at the end of the A18 road. Ludborough has a population of 760 people. The Prime Meridian passes to the east of the village....
, Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire is a county in the east of England. It borders Norfolk to the south east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south west, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire to the west, South Yorkshire to the north west, and the East Riding of Yorkshire to the north. It also borders...
, which is the base of the Lincolnshire Wolds Railway
Lincolnshire Wolds Railway
The Lincolnshire Wolds Railway is a heritage railway based at Ludborough station, near Grimsby in Lincolnshire, England and the only standard gauge steam railway in Lincolnshire open to the public. The line is part of the original Great Northern Railway , a rail system that opened in 1848 and once...
. The station, which was previously part of the East Lincolnshire Railway
East Lincolnshire Railway
The East Lincolnshire Railway was a main line railway linking the towns of Boston, Louth and Grimsby in Lincolnshire, England. It opened in 1848 and was closed to passengers in 1970.-History:...
, closed in 1961 to passengers and 1965 to freight, but was taken over by the preservation society in 1984. The first trains from the station to , to the north, ran in August 2009, the first for 47 years. There are proposals to extend the line further in both directions towards and Louth
Louth, Lincolnshire
Louth is a market town and civil parish within the East Lindsey district of Lincolnshire, England.-Geography:Known as the "capital of the Lincolnshire Wolds", it is situated where the ancient trackway Barton Street crosses the River Lud, and has a total resident population of 15,930.The Greenwich...
.
History
The station was opened on 28 March 1848 and was originally named Ludborough for Fulstow although the for fulstow was dropped. Although its name is taken from the LincolnshireLincolnshire
Lincolnshire is a county in the east of England. It borders Norfolk to the south east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south west, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire to the west, South Yorkshire to the north west, and the East Riding of Yorkshire to the north. It also borders...
village of Ludborough
Ludborough
Ludborough is a village in the East Lindsey district of Lincolnshire, England. It lies at the end of the A18 road. Ludborough has a population of 760 people. The Prime Meridian passes to the east of the village....
, the station is in fact situated half way between that village and Fulstow
Fulstow
Fulstow is a small marsh village in the East Lindsey district of Lincolnshire, England, half way between the towns of Louth and Grimsby. It is scattered around the "30 foot" contour road. which joins Fulstow to the neighbouring villages of Covenham and Alvingham to the south and Tetney to the...
. It was constructed by by contractor
General contractor
A general contractor is responsible for the day-to-day oversight of a construction site, management of vendors and trades, and communication of information to involved parties throughout the course of a building project.-Description:...
John Waring and Sons of Rotherham
Rotherham
Rotherham is a town in South Yorkshire, England. It lies on the River Don, at its confluence with the River Rother, between Sheffield and Doncaster. Rotherham, at from Sheffield City Centre, is surrounded by several smaller settlements, which together form the wider Metropolitan Borough of...
who, in December 1846, had agreed to construct the line between and for the sum of £46,102 (£ as of ). Ludborough, some 5 miles (8 km) from Louth
Louth, Lincolnshire
Louth is a market town and civil parish within the East Lindsey district of Lincolnshire, England.-Geography:Known as the "capital of the Lincolnshire Wolds", it is situated where the ancient trackway Barton Street crosses the River Lud, and has a total resident population of 15,930.The Greenwich...
, was provided with staggered platforms either side of a level crossing
Level crossing
A level crossing occurs where a railway line is intersected by a road or path onone level, without recourse to a bridge or tunnel. It is a type of at-grade intersection. The term also applies when a light rail line with separate right-of-way or reserved track crosses a road in the same fashion...
; the up platform to the south of the crossing and the up to the north. A third lower platform was later added in connection with the rail motor service introduced from 1905. Situated opposite the up platform, the rail motor platform is adjacent to a brick stationmaster's house which also comprised the booking office and passenger waiting room. The architectural style of the house and the station layout is similar to the stations at , and .
A signal box
Signal box
On a rail transport system, signalling control is the process by which control is exercised over train movements by way of railway signals and block systems to ensure that trains operate safely, over the correct route and to the proper timetable...
on the up platform which contained a 20 lever frame controlled the crossing gates as well as access to the small goods yard with two sidings
Rail siding
A siding, in rail terminology, is a low-speed track section distinct from a running line or through route such as a main line or branch line or spur. It may connect to through track or to other sidings at either end...
on the opposite side. Ludborough had the most comprehensive goods facilities on the line between Louth and Grimsby, having cattle pens and a large brick goods shed
Goods shed
A goods shed is a railway building designed for storing goods before or after carriage in a train.A typical goods shed will have a track running through it to allow goods wagons to be unloaded under cover, although sometimes they were built alongside a track with possibly just a canopy over the door...
; one siding ran into a loading dock behind the down platform. The design of the shed is based on the warehouse built by the Louth Navigation
Louth Navigation
The Louth Navigation was a canalisation of the River Lud. It ran 11 miles from Louth to Tetney in Lincolnshire, England, through 8 locks.-Construction:...
at Austen Fen. The station closed to passengers on 11 September 1961, the same day as and to the south and and to the North. This made the only intermediate staion open between Louth and Grimsby . It closed completely on 25 May 1965 when goods facilities were withdrawn.After the closure of the line to passengers in 1970, the down line was removed between Louth and Hainton Street leaving only the up line through Ludborough to remain open until December 1980.
Preservation and reopening
In 1978, the Grimsby-Louth Rail Group was formed with the aim of reintroducing a service between Grimsby and Louth. They were unsucessful in saving the line intact. After BR ripped up the track and destroyed all the buildings the group decided to rename themselves the Grimsby-Louth Railway preservation society. The society focussed their efforts in to restoring the two sole remaining signalboxes on the line:- Hainton street in Grimsby and Louth North. Both these boxes were left behind by BR as they had gate wheels in them which made it easier to operate the crossing gates for the last few years. Sadly both the boxes suffered severe vandelism. In 1984, the Society took a lease from British RailEastern Region of British Railways
The Eastern Region was a region of British Railways from 1948. The region ceased to be an operating unit in its own right in the 1980s and was wound up at the end of 1992...
of Ludborough station site which became its base. A new company was formed with the intention of buying the remains of the track bed as BR would not sell to a society at that time. The new company was called the Great Northern and East Lincolnshire railway company plc. On 28 September 1991, the company Great Northern and East Lincolnshire Railway co plc obtained a Light Railway Order authorising the reinstatement of the East Lincolnshire Railway between and the former Keddington Road level crossing near Louth, which would include the line through Ludborough. The signal box at Hainton street was destroyed by fire in the early 1990's. The frame and the gate wheel were removed and placed in to storage at Ludborough ready for re-use. The frame is now in use as Ludborough's frame. The wheel is also in Ludborough box but will never be used in this location. Louth North was restored by the society but suffered continual vandalism. The box is a grade 2 listed structure and has been converted in to a house but still retains it's signal box look.
With the order in place this allowed the company to acquire track, locos and rolling stock with the society supporting the company as much as it can. The company (now trading as the Lincolnshire Wolds Railway) have had to rebuild all of the station's facilities, including a replica Great Northern
Great Northern Railway (Great Britain)
The Great Northern Railway was a British railway company established by the Great Northern Railway Act of 1846. On 1 January 1923 the company lost its identity as a constituent of the newly formed London and North Eastern Railway....
signal box in its original position, a two-road locomotive shed and a passenger waiting room which houses a museum and shop.In 1997 the level crossing was relaid and allowed access over the road for the railway to bring rolling stock that had been stored on the north side of the crossing. Between 2001 and 2004, the north (down) platform was developed with a toilet block, garden and running-in board. By this point, the track extended north for a distance of ¾ of a mile. A major step for the LWR came in 2004 when HMRI approved the signalling for use. This then enabled the railway to run trains in the dark for the first time at Hallow'een. Tracklaying reached North Thoresby in 2008 and the first train for 47 years between the two stations ran on 26 August 2009.
The Lincolnshire Wolds Railway plans to extend the line in both directions to Louth via Utterby and Fotherby and via Grainsby to the former Holton-le-Clay station recreating 8 miles between Holton Le Clay and Louth. Sadly the trackbed through to Waltham has been built over at Waltham and Holton Village halt and thus making it impossible to rebuild the railway to Waltham. The stationmaster's house has survived and is available as a holiday let. The goods shed also remains, but is in private ownership.