Lincolnshire Wolds Railway
| Lincolnshire Wolds Railway | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Fulstow no. 2 at Ludborough | |
| Locale | Lincolnshire, England |
| Terminus | Ludborough railway station |
| Commercial operations | |
| Name | London and North Eastern Railway |
| Built by | East Lincolnshire Railway |
| Original gauge | 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge |
| Preserved operations | |
| Operated by | Lincolnshire Wolds Railway |
| Stations | 5 (2 reopened so far) |
| Length | 1.5 miles (2.4 km) |
| Preserved gauge | 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge |
| Commercial history | |
| Opened | 1848 |
| Closed | 1961 passengers, 1965 goods, line closed and abandoned 1980 |
| Preservation history | |
| 1984 | Society moves into derelict station at Ludborough |
| 1998 | line reopened |
| 2008 | line relaid to North Thoresby |
| 26 August 2009 | North Thoresby reopened |
| Headquarters | Ludborough |
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 (GNR), a rail system that opened in 1848 and once linked Grimsby, Louth and East Lincolnshire with London. In early 2002, 2009 and 2013 the Lincolnshire Wolds Railway received a top national award from the Heritage Railway Association for its heritage railway efforts.
Construction of the railway began in 1846 and was completed in 1848. The line ran from Louth to New Holland and was officially opened on 28 March 1848 as the first section of the GNR. The line was constructed by the East Lincolnshire Railway Co (ELR), which leased it to the GNR when they could not raise sufficient funds to operate it. The GNR had obtained running rights over the MS&L from Grimsby to New Holland Pier; in return it allowed the MS&L running rights to Louth. The line south of Louth was extended as far as Boston in October 1848. The GNR ran the line with some of its famous C12 locomotives on the local services. From 1912-1913 Stirling single no.1 (preserved at the NRM York) was based at Louth shed (40c).
In 1923 the GNR was absorbed by the London and North Eastern Railway (LNER) and with it the East Lincolnshire Railway. The LNER carried out a variety of improvements on the line, namely the replacement of the GNR Somersult signals with the more common upper quadrant at some locations on the line. Box name boards were also changed from the black background with white lettering to the usual (and later BR specifications) white background with black lettering, although Louth South obtained an enamel sign, which remained on the box until its closure on 5 October 1970.
In 1948, three years after the end of World War II, Great Britain took the railway assets into public ownership through nationalisation under the Transport Act 1947; it gave the assets to British Railways so that the railway would remain open. At that time, the line's passenger services were operated by steam railcar, but these later were replaced by diesel multiple units.
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Wikipedia