Utterby railway station
Encyclopedia
Utterby Halt was a railway halt on the East Lincolnshire Railway
which served the village of Utterby
in Lincolnshire
between 1905 and 1961. The station, which opened as part of a new motor train service between and , is reputed to be haunted by the ghost of a ganger killed on the level crossing in 1953. The line through Utterby remained open for freight until December 1980.
service by the Great Northern Railway
. It consisted of two low parallel halt platforms to the south of the level crossing
over Pear Tree Lane; lamps were provided on both platforms, but only the down platform had a waiting shelter for passengers: a small wooden hut equipped with a heating stove. A crossing keeper's cottage lay to the north of the crossing on the up side which was of standard East Lincolnshire Railway
design similar to that seen at , , and , all of which pre-dated the opening of the respective halts. Passenger services called at the station upon request only. The station closed on 11 September 1961, the same day as Fotherby Halt to the south which had also opened on the same day as part of the rail motor service.
The station is reputed to be haunted by the ghost of John Edward Lancaster, a length ganger, who was hit on the level crossing in dense fog by a Grimsby-Louth freight working in January 1953.
long before final closure of the line in December 1980 and little remains of it today. The crossing keeper's cottage survives in good condition as a private residence. Ludborough's old down distant signal post stands over the trackbed to the south towards Louth.
On 28 September 1991, the Lincolnshire Wolds Railway
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 Utterby.
However it will be some time before the level crossing will be re-instated. It is also very unlikely that a Halt will be built here as in BR days it never justified its own existance. The crossing again like Grainsby halt will probably end up being automatically worked. The old signal post will eventually be removed and restored for future use elsewhere on the 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:...
which served the village of Utterby
Utterby
Utterby is a village and civil parish located on the A16 from Grimsby to Louth in the East Lindsey district of Lincolnshire, England.Utterby railway station , on the line between Grimsby and Louth, closed in 1961....
in 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...
between 1905 and 1961. The station, which opened as part of a new motor train service between and , is reputed to be haunted by the ghost of a ganger killed on the level crossing in 1953. The line through Utterby remained open for freight until December 1980.
History
The station was opened on 11 December 1905 to coincide with the introduction of a motor trainRailmotor
Railmotor is a term which was used by several British railway companies for a steam railcar.-Overview:William Bridges Adams started building railmotors as early as 1848, but only in small numbers...
service by the Great Northern Railway
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....
. It consisted of two low parallel halt platforms to the south of the 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...
over Pear Tree Lane; lamps were provided on both platforms, but only the down platform had a waiting shelter for passengers: a small wooden hut equipped with a heating stove. A crossing keeper's cottage lay to the north of the crossing on the up side which was of standard 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:...
design similar to that seen at , , and , all of which pre-dated the opening of the respective halts. Passenger services called at the station upon request only. The station closed on 11 September 1961, the same day as Fotherby Halt to the south which had also opened on the same day as part of the rail motor service.
The station is reputed to be haunted by the ghost of John Edward Lancaster, a length ganger, who was hit on the level crossing in dense fog by a Grimsby-Louth freight working in January 1953.
Present day
The halt was demolished by 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...
long before final closure of the line in December 1980 and little remains of it today. The crossing keeper's cottage survives in good condition as a private residence. Ludborough's old down distant signal post stands over the trackbed to the south towards Louth.
On 28 September 1991, 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...
obtained a Light Railway Order authorising the reinstatement of the East Lincolnshire Railway between and the former Keddington Road level crossing near 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...
, which would include the line through Utterby.
Future
The Lincolnshire Wolds railway is currently extendeing towards Utterby Halt. The extension will be opened as soon as time and money permit. A run round loop operated by a two lever ground frame will eventually be installed here and will form the southern end of the railway for some time. Until work could be granted for further extensions towards Louth.However it will be some time before the level crossing will be re-instated. It is also very unlikely that a Halt will be built here as in BR days it never justified its own existance. The crossing again like Grainsby halt will probably end up being automatically worked. The old signal post will eventually be removed and restored for future use elsewhere on the railway.