Lincolnshire lines of the Great Northern Railway

The Great Northern Railway was authorised in 1846 and was to build from London to York via Newark and also a "Loop Line" via Lincoln.

The haulage of coal from the Nottinghamshire and Yorkshire coalfields to London and East Anglia was a lucrative traffic.

After about 1965 many of the lines declined substantially, and in 1970 a widespread closure took place, leaving only key routes from the former GNR network.

The East Lincolnshire Company remained in existence, handling the lease charge and dividend payments, but now took a back seat.

[8] The Board were elated to have secured authorisation of their line, and reviewed what should be done in the light of the loss of the Sheffield branch.

On the same day the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway opened its line from Brigg and New Holland to Grimsby.

So far as the GNR's own network was concerned, the Directors had decided to concentrate on construction of the Loop Line, as that was technically simpler than other areas.

A large section of the GNR Loop Line was soon ready, and 58 miles from Walton Junction (near Peterborough) to Lincoln via Boston opened on 17 October 1848.

[18] For a while the steam packets on the River Witham continued to operate between Boston and Lincoln, and the railway introduced a fourth class at a very low fare of a halfpenny a mile.

Captain Wynne of the Board of Trade inspected the line on 29 March 1849, but refused permission to open until signals were provided at the swing bridge at Brayford Mere (Lincoln).

[23] In May 1850 the GNR understood that the Leverton branch was ready, and published an intended opening date for its own services of 1 July 1850.

However the MS&LR, previously co-operative, physically blocked the line on that day, and the GNR had to continue to send its traffic round via Gainsborough.

[24] The matter looked different from the MS&LR point of view: The Leverton line was fit to carry goods traffic (but not passenger traffic owing to the absence of signalling) and on 26th January Allport [General Manager of the MS&LR] was instructed to start working goods trains over it.

But the Great Northern thwarted this by refusing to allow MS&L trains to pass between Sykes Junction and Lincoln.

The line was eventually opened on 7th August, when the Great Northern, adopting a more reasonable attitude, made use of it to introduce a through service between Doncaster and Lincoln via Retford.

Stamford was an important town, but it already had a Midland Railway connection, and the new route requiring a change of trains at Essendine was unpopular.

In an effort to encourage traffic the Stamford and Essendine company extended southwards to Wansford, opening in 1867.

Stations were at Marton, Lea (on the earlier line) and Gainsborough, Beckingham, Walkeringham, Misterton, Haxey, and Finningley.

The independent company was constantly short of money, and for some years the GNR gave it a subsidy to keep it operational.

There was a significant mineral flow from Nottingham to the Lincolnshire towns, as well as a developing holiday and excursion traffic.

Although authorised, the Louth and Lincoln Railway Company was unable to raise enough money to build the line.

[41] The haulage of coal from Yorkshire and Nottinghamshire to the south of England and East Anglia was extremely lucrative, and for many years the Great Eastern Railway, connecting the GNR at Peterborough, had sought to get a larger part of the trade.

The GNR could see that Parliamentary opinion was moving in favour of the GER and that it was only a matter of time before that company was granted its desire.

The GER profited immensely from this new arrangement, bringing coal to East Anglia, and also to London via Cambridge.

The GNR March-Spalding, and the GER Huntingdon-St Ives and Needingworth junction-March lines were transferred to the Joint Committee.

[46] The seaside resorts of the Lincolnshire Coast proved increasingly popular, with holidaymakers and excursionists, especially from the industrial population centres of the East Midlands and Yorkshire.

The route for most trains involved running via Boston and reversing there, a considerable diversion from a direct line.

After a request by Skegness Town Council, the GNR built the New Line, forming a short cut between Kirkstead and Little Steeping, opened in 1913.

Nevertheless the city of Lincoln and the port town of Boston never became major centres of industry, and the traffic they generated was limited.

Skegness continued to be served via Grantham, Sleaford and Boston, but the rest of the East Lincolnshire Line closed.