Waltham was a

railway station Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a prep ...

on the

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. The ELR ''Company'' had leased the line to the Great Northern Railway, and it was the latter whic ...

which served the villages of

New Waltham New Waltham is a village and civil parish in North East Lincolnshire, England. It is situated just south of Grimsby and Cleethorpes, close to the A16 ( Louth Road), and between the villages of Waltham and Humberston. The village originates ...

and Humberston in

Lincolnshire Lincolnshire (abbreviated Lincs.) is a Counties of England, 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-we ...

between 1848 and 1964. It was originally named ''Waltham and Humberstone'', but Humberstone was dropped soon after opening. The line through Waltham remained open for freight until December 1980.

History

The station opened on 1 March 1848 as part of the

between and . It was constructed by contractor John Waring and Sons of

Rotherham Rotherham () is a large minster and market town in South Yorkshire, England. The town takes its name from the River Rother which then merges with the River Don. The River Don then flows through the town centre. It is the main settlement of ...

who, in December 1846, had agreed to construct the line for the sum of £46,102 (). The architects of the station buildings were

John Grey Weightman John Grey Weightman (29 March 1809 – 9 December 1872) was a British architect based in Sheffield. Career He was born on 29 March 1809 in Bawtry, West Riding of Yorkshire, the son of Robert Weightman and Mary Gray. He trained in the offices of ...

and

Matthew Ellison Hadfield Matthew Ellison Hadfield (8 September 1812 – 9 March 1885) was an English architect of the Victorian Gothic revival. He is chiefly known for his work on Roman Catholic churches, including the cathedral churches of Salford and Sheffield. Trai ...

of Sheffield. The station was initially named ''Waltham and Humberstone'', although it was in fact two miles from each village. It consisted of staggered platforms either side of a level crossing; the down platform to the north and the up to the south. The stationhouse, which was visible from the road, was situated on the south side of the crossing, on the down side of the line. Opposite, at the end of the lay a signal box of typical East Lincolnshire Railway construction; this controlled the crossing and a small

goods yard A goods station (also known as a goods yard or goods depot) or freight station is, in the widest sense, a railway station where, either exclusively or predominantly, goods (or freight), such as merchandise, parcels, and manufactured items, are l ...

adjacent to the down line. The yard initially handled coal and potatoes, but was later expanded to take cattle with the addition of a large cattle holding pen at its southern end. The goods yard was served by a single siding trailing off the down line which forked either side of the cattle pen. A row of three terraced railwayman's cottages were built on the south side of the crossing, adjacent to the signal box. The arrival of the railway at Waltham led to the development of the area around the station and the creation of a thriving village known as

. The

parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one o ...

of New Waltham was created in 1961. The July 1922 timetable saw 13 up and down weekday services, plus one Sunday service each way, call at Waltham. The station closed to passengers on 11 September 1961, with the goods yard remaining open until 15 June 1964. The line through Waltham was closed at the end of 1980.

Present day

Tracklifting commenced in early 1981, with the section between Grimsby and Waltham - constructed of bullhead rail - being the last to be removed. This section was designated by

Humberside County Council Humberside County Council was the county council of the non-metropolitan county of Humberside in northern England. History Humberside was a non-metropolitan county governed by Humberside County Council and nine non-metropolitan district councils. ...

for the building of the A16

Peaks Parkway The Peaks Parkway is part of the northern end of the A16 road, in Grimsby, North East Lincolnshire, England. It was conceived in the 1970s and follows part of the trackbed of the former East Lincolnshire Railway between and . Following on ...

. The roadworks put an end to hopes by the Great Northern and East Lincolnshire Railway plc to put the railway back in to Grimsby. The station site survived largely intact until 2009 when, following a structural survey, it was determined that the Station House was beyond restoration due to water damage in the foundation level and would have to be demolished. The Station House was deconstructed and rebuilt on exactly the same foot print after the footings were raised 4 feet to match the average level of New waltham and many of the original features returned to the exterior. The rebuilt house retains the name of "Station House". The former goods yard with 7 new houses built on the original grounds is now called "Station Mews" and involving the construction of eight properties (including the station house reconstruction) accessed by a private road, although has not been fully completed to this date by the developer "Station Mews Development Company". The original three terraced cottages with outbuildings, adjacent to the up platform and signal box, survive to this day. On 28 September 1991, a

Light Railway Order The Light Railways Act 1896 (59 & 60 Vict. c.48) was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. History Before the Act each new railway line built in the country required a specific Act of Parliament to be ob ...

was obtained which authorises the reinstatement of the East Lincolnshire Railway between Waltham and the former Keddington Road level crossing near

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 ...

. The Lincolnshire Wolds Railway had intended on opening a station at Waltham. However, as developers have built over the track bed to the south at Holton-le-Clay and at Waltham itself, it is now impossible to re-lay the track as far as Waltham. On 26 August 2009, the first train between and ran for the first time in 47 years.

References

Sources

* * * * * * *

External links

Waltham station on navigable 1946 O. S. map
{{Closed stations Lincolnshire Disused railway stations in the Borough of North East Lincolnshire Railway stations in Great Britain closed in 1961 Railway stations in Great Britain opened in 1848 Former Great Northern Railway stations John Grey Weightman railway stations Matthew Ellison Hadfield railway stations