Louth to Bardney Line

Louth to Bardney Line
( to Grimsby) Louth ( to Boston) Hallington Withcall Withcall Tunnel Donington on Bain High Street Tunnel South Willingham and Hainton East Barkwith Wragby Kingthorpe ( to Lincoln) Bardney ( to Boston)

The Louth to Bardney Line was a railway line built by the Great Northern Railway to link Bardney to Louth. It was closed in 1960.

History

The Great Northern Railway planned and built a branch line from Bardney to Louth in stages, beginning in 1874. The line reached South Willingham on 9 November 1874 with intermediate stations at Kingthorpe and Wragby. The line was extended to Donington-on-Bain on 27 September 1875, via the High Street tunnel at Benniworth. The final stage between Donington on Bain and Louth via Withcall and Hallington opened to goods on 28 June 1876 and passengers on 1 December 1876.^[1] A 48-foot (15 m) turntable was constructed at Bardney to turn the engines working on the branch.

Passenger services ended on 5 November 1951, goods traffic being discontinued in stages over the next 10 years. Louth to Donington on Bain was closed on 17 December 1956, followed by Donington on Bain to Wragby on 1 December 1958. The final section between Wragby and Bardney closed on 1 February 1960, bringing to a close 86 years of railway history.

Present day

Louth – closed in 1970 to all passenger services and to freight in 1980 from Grimsby while Bardney remained open for services to Lincoln and Woodhall Junction until 1970. It continued to be served by freight until 1980 when the entire line closed. The Lincolnshire Wolds Railway are extending their heritage railway towards Louth but to a site around 3/4rd of a mile to the west of the station near the Fairfields Estate Park.

Hallington – closed in 1951 to passengers and later freight in 1956 is now a private residence.

Withcall – closed in 1951 to passengers and 1956 to freight. The station was demolished but the platform remains with the trackbed in use as a small road to some houses.

Donington on Bain – closed in 1951 and later the line to Louth in 1956. The line to Bardney remained in use until 1958. The station is now a private residence.

South Willingham and Hainton – closed in 1951 to passenger traffic and freight in 1958. Remains as a private residence.

East Barkwith – closed in 1951 to passengers and the line closing in 1958 to freight. Remains as a private residence.

Wragby – closed in 1951 to passengers but remained open until 1956 to Louth, followed by Donington-On-Bain in 1958 and to Bardney in 1960 for freight traffic. Now a private residence.

Kingthorpe – closed in 1951 to passengers but remained open to freight until 1956 to Louth, Donington-On-Bain in 1958 and Bardney in 1960. Demolished and the site is now used for wood chipping.

Bardney – closed in 1970 as a result of the beeching cuts and the station demolished. Now a heritage centre and Railworld had the original station bricks but they have since been stolen.

References

Coordinates: 53°19′05″N 0°08′11″W / 53.3180°N 0.1365°W / 53.3180; -0.1365