EAST COAST MAIN LINE DIVERSIONS ONTO SPALDING-SLEAFORD-LINCOLN LINE

British Rail Era Images

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Remember Lincoln St. Mark's Station?

By The Boston Old Times Editor, Helen Shinn

It's hard to believe that 30 years has gone by since St. Mark's closed back in 1985 on 11th May.

 

A Class 47 locomotive hauled passenger train ready to depart, probably on a London to Cleethorpes service, in the late 1970s or early 1980s. Barriers had replaced gates on the High Street level crossing.

 

A 1930s view of St. Mark's when passengers using the station still enjoyed the benefit of an overall roof.

 

This station was Lincoln's first, called the Midland Station until after Nationalisation when it was called Lincoln St. Marks. The railway line from Nottingham to here was offically opened on Monday 3rd August 1846 with regular services commencing the day after. There was a great deal of excitement surrounding this new infrastructure for the city, but the station itself was not ready. It was built of Yorkshire stone, and required the line to be operational to bring the material into Lincoln for the construction.

 

In 1848 a new line was opened, which came in from the north-east of the county, by The Great Grimsby and Sheffield Junction Railway which subsequently became The Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway.

 

A Manchester Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway Engine with its driver and fireman. The location is not known.

 

As always, the photographs on this website are available to purchase through mail order or at our shop, please email thebostonoldtimes@gmail.com. For 6 x4 standard size photographs, black and white are priced at £2, colour £2.50. Larger sizes available.

Ruskington Action

By TBOT Editor

Here are a few action shots of ECML diversions taken at Ruskington on Saturday 21st March 2015. The diverted ecml traffic really pick up speed along this section.

 

 

Above: The 14.30 London King's Cross to Edinburgh Virgin Trains East Coast service formed of a Class 91 hauled by a Class 67.

 

 

Above: The 14.46 Bradford Interchange to London King's Cross Grand Central Railways service formed by a Class 180 set.

 

 

Above: The 14.10 York to London King's Cross Virgin Trains East Coast service

 

 

Above: The 16.10 Peterborough to Lincoln Central East Midlands Trains Service formed with class 153 unit 153319 calls at Ruskington at 17.14.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

PHOTO GALLERY - ECML DIVERSIONS VIA THE SLEAFORD AVOIDING LINE AND SPALDING FEB-MARCH 2015

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METHERINGHAM: 14/03/2015

11.49 Peterborough to Lincoln Central service made up of a pair of Class 153s, with the lead unit 153 376 named X24 Expeditious, which was named in April 2014 at Lincoln Central in honour of the submariners of HMS Midget which was built by Marshall and Sons at Gainsborough.

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SPALDING: 07/03/2015

 

A diverted soutbound East Coast Trains service - but formed of a loaned East Midlands Trains HST set - speeds through Spalding on the second weekend of five consecutive weekends of diversions from the East Coast Main Line due to engineering works between Peterborough and Retford.

 

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SPALDING: 07/03/2015

 



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A diverted Virgin East Coast Trains service bound for London King's Cross. A consortium including Virgin Trains took over from the nationally owned public sector East Coast 6 days previous to this photograph being taken.

 

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A diverted northbound Hull Trains service with Adelante unit 180111 on the approach to Spalding Station.

 

 

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A diverted northbound Virgin East Coast Service passed through Spalding, with leading power car number 43313.

 

 

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A diverted northbound Hull Trains service with unit 180110.

 







 

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A diverted southbound freight service double-headed with class 66 locomotives - 66765 leading, with 66710 'Phil Packer' behind.

 

 

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A southbound Virgin East Coast Trains service made up of a Class 91 set hauled through Spalding by 67022.

 

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The rear of a Class 91 Virgin East Coast train service hauled by 67022.

 

 

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Grand Central HST 43465 rushes through Spalding station at speed on a northbound service between London King's Cross and Sunderland.

 

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The rear of the above Grand Central service, rear power car 43468.

 

 



 



 



MORE TO FOLLOW SOON, please check back again later.

Boston Station through time

 

The Station in the Edwardian view above is barely recognisable to anyone catching a train at Boston today. There was a newspaper and book stall on platform one, visible in the view above, and the canopy roof along each platform extended over the train, providing full protection from the elements. On platform two, the buildings have been demolished after decades of neglect, but they had originally housed the refreshment rooms. In its heyday, this was a very busy junction and large numbers of passengers would have made connections here. There were express services between Grimsby and London King's Cross, long distance services from the Midlands to the coast, and local services to Lincoln, Horncastle and Peterborough. Boston was hit hard by Beeching's cuts, and since 1970 has found itself merely a branch line station on the Nottingham to Skegness line, but it remains a staffed station functioning as a base for train crew and retaining an efficient and helpful booking and enquiry office. Extract reproduced here from BOSTON THROUGH TIME by Helen Shinn reproduced with kind permission. Book available from The Boston Old Times, 2 Silver Court Boston PE21 6JR

Photo: Jim Shinn (copyright)