The Kirkstead and Little Steeping Railway, locally known as the New Line, was a railway line in England built to shorten the route between
Lincoln
Lincoln most commonly refers to:
* Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865), the sixteenth president of the United States
* Lincoln, England, cathedral city and county town of Lincolnshire, England
* Lincoln, Nebraska, the capital of Nebraska, U.S.
* Lincol ...
and
Firsby
Firsby is a small rural linear village and civil parish in the East Lindsey district of Lincolnshire, England. It is situated east from the city and county town of Lincoln, south-east from the nearest market town of Spilsby, and inland fro ...
in
Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire (abbreviated Lincs.) is a county in the East Midlands of England, with a long coastline on the North Sea to the east. It borders Norfolk to the south-east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south-west, Leicestershire ...
, England.
It was built by the
Great Northern Railway (GNR), and opened as a double track line in 1913. It was authorised under a
Light Railway
A light railway is a railway built at lower costs and to lower standards than typical "heavy rail": it uses lighter-weight track, and may have more steep gradients and tight curves to reduce civil engineering costs. These lighter standards allow ...
Order, which simplified the legal process. Long distance holiday and excursion passenger trains to the east coast resports were routed over the line, which also carried an ordinary rural passenger and goods service.
During
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
, the materials from one track were lifted and sent to France for tactical use there. The track was reinstated and normal operation was resumed in 1923.
When the direct line from Lincoln to
Boston
Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...
was closed east of Coningsby Junction in 1960, some Lincoln stopping trains ran to
Coningsby
Coningsby is a village and civil parish in the East Lindsey district in Lincolnshire, England, it is situated on the A153 road, adjoining Tattershall on its western side, 13 miles (22 km) north west of Boston and 8 miles (13 km) so ...
to terminate their journeys. The New Line itself was closed on 5 October 1970.
[Stewart E Squires, ''The Lost Railways of Lincolnshire'', Castlemead Publications, Ware, 1986 , pages 38 and 39]
Before the New Line
![Kirkstead new line](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7f/Kirkstead_new_line.png)
In 1848 the Great Northern Railway opened two main lines: part of its Loop Line (or Lincolnshire Loop) from Boston to Lincoln, and the
East Lincolnshire Line from Boston to
Grimsby
Grimsby or Great Grimsby is a port town and the administrative centre of North East Lincolnshire, Lincolnshire, England. Grimsby adjoins the town of Cleethorpes directly to the south-east forming a conurbation. Grimsby is north-east of Linco ...
. The GNR leased the East Lincolnshire Line from the owning company. From the 1860s seaside holidays and excursions became increasingly popular, and a nominally independent branch line was opened from Firsby to Skegness in 1873.
[Stephen Walker, ''Firsby to Wainfleet and Skegness'', KMS Books, Boston, 1987, , page 7] Mablethorpe was connected to the East Lincolnshire Line at
Louth Louth may refer to:
Australia
*Hundred of Louth, a cadastral unit in South Australia
* Louth, New South Wales, a town
* Louth Bay, a bay in South Australia
**Louth Bay, South Australia, a town and locality
Canada
* Louth, Ontario
Ireland
* Cou ...
in 1877 and additionally at
Willoughby further south, in 1888.
[ The railway connections encouraged the huge popularity of the seaside, and the towns and the railways did excellent business in the season.
The approach to Skegness and Mablethorpe from the Midlands was rather circuitous, involving a sweep through Boston, reversing there in the case of trains running via Lincoln.
]
Demand for a quicker route
Although the GNR thought it had treated Skegness well, the Town Council approached the GNR chairman in November 1910, asking for a better passenger train service from Manchester, Birmingham, and Leeds. They suggested a new line from Spilsby
Spilsby is a market town, civil parish and electoral ward in the East Lindsey district of Lincolnshire, England. The town is adjacent to the main A16, east of the county town of Lincoln, north-east of Boston and north-west of Skegness. It ...
to or through Horncastle
Horncastle is a town and civil parish in the East Lindsey district in Lincolnshire, east of Lincoln. Its population was 6,815 at the 2011 census and estimated at 7,123 in 2019. A section of the ancient Roman walls remains.
History Romans
Alt ...
, shortening the journey to Lincoln and beyond. They said they would ask the Midland Railway
The Midland Railway (MR) was a railway company in the United Kingdom from 1844. The Midland was one of the largest railway companies in Britain in the early 20th century, and the largest employer in Derby, where it had its headquarters. It am ...
, which ran to Lincoln from Nottingham
Nottingham ( , East Midlands English, locally ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area in Nottinghamshire, East Midlands, England. It is located north-west of London, south-east ...
, for help if the GNR would not do something. The GNR board undertook to investigate an alternative new line, and promised improved services. In the summer of 1911, the long-distance trains were indeed improved and accelerated.[John Wrottesley, ''The Great Northern Railway: volume III: Twentieth Century to Grouping'', B T Batsford Limited, London, 1981, , pages 113 and 114]
In April, the Board noted that a light railway from Kirkstead to Little Steeping would give a more direct route from the north, Manchester, Sheffield, and Lincoln, avoiding the Boston reversal. The estimated cost was £207,164; the board approved this scheme. The Light Railway Commissioners held an inquiry at Boston on 18 July, and granted the order, and this was confirmed on 27 December 1911. The light railway authorisation did not impose any particular restrictions on the operation of the line when completed, but merely streamlined the legal authorisation process in non-controversial situations.[
No time was lost in getting on with the construction of the line. A tender from a Mr Arnold for the earthworks and track in the amount of £93,993 was accepted in February 1912. McKenzie and Holland supplied the signals.][Wrottesley, volume 3, page 126]
Opening
The line was 15 miles in length; it was built as a double line. It opened for all traffic on 1 July 1913.[Wrottesley says 1 August 1913.][Squires, pages 86 to 89][Wrottesley, volume 3, page 131][Paul Anderson, ''Railways of Lincolnshire'', Irwell Press, Oldham, 1992, , page 55] There were stations at Coningsby, Tumby Woodside, New Bolingbroke, Stickney and Midville. In summer through carriages from Manchester and Sheffield, and the Leeds train, were diverted to the new route, besides services to Sutton-on-Sea and Mablethorpe.[
Local traffic was always slight, usually four trains each way daily between Lincoln and Skegness. It was immediately dubbed "The New Line" by railwaymen, and so it remained for all its life.][
]
World War I
During World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
heavy holiday traffic continued to the Lincolnshire coastal resorts in the 1915 and 1916 summers. The Kirkstead and Little Steeping line was less than two years old, and its passenger service was reduced to two each way by May 1915, but a daily Lincoln-Skegness through train continued throughout the war.[Wrottesley, volume 3, page 142]
There was pressure to release track materials considered to be able to be spared, for use in France as part of the war effort. The GNR board decided to lift one of the two tracks on the Kirkstead-Little Steeping line for the purpose.[Wrottesley, volume 3, page 145] Squires says that the line was "closed as part of the railway's effort to reduce their consumption of coal. Relaying of the missing track began in June 1922, and the line reopened the following year,"[Squires, page 88] and Leleux says that the line was "closed between 1915 and 1923 as a coal economy measure".[Robin Leleux, ''A Regional History of the Railways of Great Britain: volume 9: The East Midlands'', David and Charles (Publishers) Limited, Newton Abbot, 1976, , page 205] These statements appear to be mistaken; the line seems never to have ''closed'', merely to have been singled. Anderson says "every station remained open" and Quick, usually meticulous in temporary closures, does not show any suspension.[Michael Quick, ''Railway Passenger Stations in England, Scotland and Wales: A Chronology'', the Railway and Canal Historical Society, Richmond, Surrey, 2002]
After 1945
After World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
the popularity of the seaside resorts at Skegness, Mablethorpe and Sutton on Sea was restored, and through holiday trains resumed in summer. Nevertheless, the ordinary traffic of the district declined as passenger and goods transport transferred to roads.[
It was the line from Coningsby Junction to Boston that closed first, on 17 June 1963, due to an accumulated backlog of track and signalling renewals, the cost of which was considered insupportable in the context of the line's earnings. ]RAF Coningsby
Royal Air Force Coningsby or RAF Coningsby , is a Royal Air Force (RAF) station located south-west of Horncastle, and north-west of Boston, in the East Lindsey district of Lincolnshire, England. It is a Main Operating Base of the RAF and hom ...
was still a busy RAF station generating a significant passenger traffic, and trains from Lincoln were diverted to Coningsby or Tumby Woodside to serve the RAF passengers, who would otherwise have used Dogdyke; there were three such trains daily. For the time being the Skegness ordinary passenger trains continued. Goods facilities were withdrawn on 30 March 1964. As an economy measure, the stations on the New Line became unstaffed halts from 7 October 1968; tickets were issued on the train by conductor guards. By 1970, Tumby Woodside was the terminus for three trains each way daily from Lincoln, the remainder of the branch served only by four Lincoln to Firsby trains, and three in the opposite direction.[
The New Line closed on 5 October 1970, along with most of the rest of the East Lincolnshire network.][
]
Present Day
Most of the stations along the line survive except for Stickney and Coningsby
Coningsby is a village and civil parish in the East Lindsey district in Lincolnshire, England, it is situated on the A153 road, adjoining Tattershall on its western side, 13 miles (22 km) north west of Boston and 8 miles (13 km) so ...
which have been demolished with Stickney being occupied by an industrial unit and Coningsby being left landscaped. Little Steeping
Little Steeping is a village and civil parish in the East Lindsey district of Lincolnshire, England, about south-east from the town of Spilsby
The parish church is dedicated to Saint Andrew, and is a Grade II* listed building. It dates from t ...
survives as a private residence and the line remains in use. Midville is now under private ownership. New Bolingbroke is now in use as a reclaimers and antiques yard. Tumby Woodside
Tumby is a village in the East Lindsey district of Lincolnshire, England. It is situated approximately north from Coningsby and south from Horncastle, and in the civil parish of Kirkby on Bain.
Tumby Woodside
Tumby Woodside is a hamlet about ...
has been left neglected and abandoned with the platforms still in situ as well as the decaying station building. Woodhall Junction
Woodhall Junction railway station (previously Kirkstead railway station) is a former station in Woodhall, Lincolnshire. It served as a junction where several different lines met, none of which are still open.
The station opened as ''Kirkstead ...
is now in private ownership with the former line to Lincoln now in use for the Water Rail Way trail.
Location list
All stations opened 1 July 1913, and closed 5 October 1970;
* ''Coningsby Junction'';
* Coningsby;
* Tumby Woodside;
* New Bolingbroke;
* Stickney;
* Midville;
* ''Bellwater Junction''.[Col M H Cobb, ''The Railways of Great Britain: A Historical Atlas'', Ian Allan Limited, Shepperton, 2002]
Notes
References
{{Closed stations Lincolnshire
Rail transport in Lincolnshire