63-456: The Lincolnshire loop line was a railway built by the Great Northern Railway , that linked Peterborough to Gainsborough via Spalding , Boston and Lincoln . It ran through the counties of Lincolnshire and Northamptonshire (then the Soke of Peterborough , now Cambridgeshire ) The Lincolnshire loop line was authorised on 26 June 1846 as part of the London and York Railway bill. The then renamed Great Northern Railway purchased
126-567: A London and York Railway was submitted to the 1845 session of Parliament. There were 224 railway bills in that session, and the Board of Trade was instructed to set up a committee to assess groups of proposed lines; the committee became known as the Five Kings. When the London and York Railway scheme came before the parliamentary committees, Hudson set up such a protracted series of objections that
189-585: A duck alongside Gresley in reference to his hobby of breeding water fowl and his bird-themed locomotive names such as Mallard , but this was removed from the final design when two of Gresley's grandsons complained it was "demeaning". The Wetherspoons public house in Swadlincote , Derbyshire , is named The Sir Nigel Gresley in his honour. He was inducted into the Scottish Engineering Hall of Fame in 2023. See: Locomotives of
252-427: A failed scheme. At this time George Hudson , a railway financier, was exceptionally skilled in promoting railways and having them built, and most particularly of neutralising or destroying any opposition or competition to his lines. His methods were not always respectable. Some promoters wanted to build a railway from London to York, and after much negotiation with promoters of other lines that might connect or compete,
315-546: A junction with the Great North of England Railway, just south of York Station. Also included in the act was a loop from Werrington Junction, north of Peterborough, via Spalding to Boston, Lincoln to Gainsborough and back on to the main line at Bawtry. Land acquisition proved to be difficult; in particular, the King's Cross site was occupied by a smallpox hospital. The freeholder demanded an impossibly large price to vacate, and
378-404: A number of reasons, not all connected with railways, there was a massive slump in the following year, and investment money, especially for railway projects already authorised, became almost impossible to get. The Great Northern Railway directors had a dauntingly large railway network to build, and they had to prioritise the parts of their authorised network which they would start to construct. In
441-744: A problem. In 1863 the BW&;LR changed its title to the West Yorkshire Railway, and in that year both it and the LB&;HJR agreed to be absorbed by the GNR; this was authorised by an act of Parliament in 1865. The GNR was therefore able to consolidate a substantial network in West Yorkshire, bringing Wakefield, Leeds, Bradford and Halifax into its area of influence. However, trains from Doncaster still had to rely on running powers over
504-628: A public poll of Doncaster residents. Sir Nigel Gresley Square was opened to the public in May 2012 as part of the Queen's Diamond Jubilee celebrations, by the Mayor of Doncaster Mr. Peter Davies and two of Nigel Gresley's grandsons. LNER Class A4 4498 Sir Nigel Gresley is named after its designer. A statue of Gresley was unveiled at King's Cross station in London on 5 April 2016, the 75th anniversary of his death. Sculptor Hazel Reeves originally included
567-578: A pupil under John Aspinall at Horwich of the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway (L&YR). After several minor appointments with the L&;YR he was made Outdoor Assistant in the Carriage and Wagon Department in 1901; in 1902 he was appointed Assistant Works Manager at Newton Heath depot, and Works Manager the following year. He became Assistant Superintendent of the Carriage and Wagon Department of
630-524: A separate terminal at London Road, Nottingham. This opened on 3 October 1857. The GNR leased the Ambergate company from 1 August 1861. On 14 October 1852 King's Cross station was at last brought into use, and the Maiden Lane temporary station was closed. King's Cross had two large sheds, familiar to the present day, but only two passenger platforms, the later platforms 1 and 8. The intervening space
693-495: A temporary station at Grantham . It now connected into the GNR at Grantham, opening the connection on 2 August 1852; it was worked by the GNR. The Ambergate company relied on running powers into the Midland Railway station at Nottingham, but there were considerable disputes about the matter for many years, and the GNR had difficulty in getting access. To resolve the situation the Ambergate company built its own line into
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#1732782601789756-466: Is now under the A16 road . The final section to Peterborough also had three intermediate stations, Littleworth , St James Deeping , and Peakirk . This section is the only part of the line that remains in operation, although most of the stations have long been closed and disused. Six stations, Gainsborough Lea Road, Saxilby, Lincoln, Boston, Spalding and Peterborough North remain open, and are still part of
819-703: The IMechE . Gresley died on 5 April 1941, after a short illness, and was buried in the Churchyard Extension of St Peter's Church, Netherseal , Derbyshire. At this time, Gresley was serving as a Lieutenant Colonel in the Royal Engineers Railway Staff Corps. He was succeeded as the LNER CME by Edward Thompson . A memorial plaque to Gresley's achievements was unveiled at Edinburgh Waverley railway station in 2001. It
882-681: The North Eastern Railway and the North British Railway so as to offer seamless travel facilities. The main line railways of Great Britain were "grouped" following the Railways Act 1921 into one or other of four new larger concerns. The Great Northern Railway was a constituent of the London and North Eastern Railway , which took control at the beginning of 1923. Although many local lines have been closed, much of
945-558: The Witham Navigation and all navigation rights the same year and began construction of the new line, partly beside the river, in 1847. The line opened in 1848 and was for a short period the main route to the north and Scotland until the line from Peterborough to Retford was opened in August 1852. Closure came in sections: the first was Woodhall Junction to Boston which closed to passengers and goods on 17 June 1963. Followed by
1008-500: The BW&LR, on 10 October 1857, the LB&HJR opened a direct line from Ardsley on the BW&LR to Laisterdyke, near Bradford. This was an extension of its Gildersome mineral line; although steeply graded this formed an additional through route for GNR trains. Both the LB&HJR and the BW&LR constructed (or obtained approval to construct) some branches within their area of influence. There were branches to Batley, opened by each company separately in 1864. Perhaps more significant
1071-500: The Bradford and Thornton Railway and the associated Halifax, Thornton and Keighley Railway. These were built by the GNR at huge expense, with daunting engineering features. They opened progressively from 1876 to 1884. A loop line through Pudsey from Bramley to Laisterdyke was created, opening in 1893, as an extension of an earlier dead end line. Nigel Gresley Sir Herbert Nigel Gresley CBE (19 June 1876 – 5 April 1941)
1134-531: The GNR and the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway. Now at last the GNR had the line it sought. On 1 January 1847 the Manchester, Sheffield & Lincolnshire Railway came into existence by the merger of some smaller lines. The GNR had been granted running powers from Retford to Sheffield and in 1850 it informed the MS&;LR that it was to run passenger trains from Lincoln from 7 August 1849. The GNR
1197-530: The GNR got access to Bradford and Halifax. Another independent railway, the Bradford, Wakefield and Leeds Railway opened its line between Wakefield (the present-day Kirkgate station) and junctions near Leeds, on 3 October 1857. The GNR and the L&YR had running powers over the new line, and this enabled the Great Northern Company to route its Doncaster to Leeds trains by this route, using
1260-403: The GNR opened a new locomotive works at Doncaster in 1853, replacing earlier facilities at Boston. The authorised network of the GNR had included the line from Doncaster to York. The Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway was building from Knottingley to a junction at Askern, near the present-day Shaftholme Junction north of Doncaster, and mutual running powers had been agreed. The line was opened to
1323-683: The Great Northern had just obtained power to run its trains to Wakefield and to Methley on the way to Leeds. The directors decided to build the Loop Line first, as that was the easiest to complete in order to start earning income. The first portion of the Great Northern Railway was opened on 1 March 1848. It was actually on the leased East Lincolnshire Railway line, from Great Grimsby to Louth . Five trains ran each way every weekday, and on from Grimsby to New Holland on
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#17327826017891386-459: The L&YR from Askern to Wakefield. The junctions near Leeds were with the LB&HJR at Wortley, forming a triangle and enabling through running towards either Leeds or Bradford. This development allowed the GNR to avoid using the hostile Midland Railway track at all, and allowed a direct entry to Leeds Central station, avoiding the awkward reversal on the Thirsk line. A week after the opening of
1449-691: The L&YR in 1904 and a year later moved to the Great Northern Railway (GNR) as Carriage and Wagon Superintendent. He succeeded Henry A. Ivatt as CME of the GNR on 1 October 1911. At the 1923 Grouping , he was appointed CME of the newly formed LNER (the post had originally been offered to the ageing John G. Robinson ; Robinson declined and suggested the much younger Gresley). During the 1930s, Sir Nigel Gresley lived at Salisbury Hall , near St Albans in Hertfordshire. Gresley developed an interest in breeding wild birds and ducks in
1512-514: The Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway (between Askern Junction and Methley), and the Midland Railway (between Methley and Leeds). On reaching Leeds the trains ran forward onto the Leeds and Thirsk Railway, and then reversed into the central station at Leeds. The South Yorkshire, Doncaster and Goole Railway opened its line from Doncaster to Barnsley on 1 January 1851. The GNR had running powers over
1575-525: The Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway between Askern Junction and Wakefield. The solution was on the horizon, when the West Riding and Grimsby Railway opened its line between Wakefield and Doncaster. It was to make an eastward branch to Thorne, justifying the Grimsby reference in its title. It opened its line on 1 February 1866 and on the same day the hitherto independent concern became the joint property of
1638-416: The Loop Line via Lincoln at the expense of the so-called Towns Line, the direct line from Peterborough to Doncaster. When this work was pressed forward, a number of difficulties presented themselves, including failure of a contractor. However, the line opened for goods traffic on 15 July 1852, and for passengers on 1 August 1851. The Towns Line ran from Werrington Junction north of Peterborough to Retford, where
1701-546: The MS&LR connected by a spur, known as the Lincoln Curve. There were flat crossings at Newark with the Midland Railway and at Retford with the MS&LR main line. A south to west curve was laid in at Retford, enabling a GNR service to Sheffield. The Ambergate, Nottingham, Boston and Eastern Junction Railway had been formed to connect the manufacturing districts of Manchester with the port of Boston, and had opened in 1850 between Colwick Junction, near Nottingham, and
1764-523: The River Humber , by alliance with the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway . This was followed by the opening from Louth to Firsby on 3 September 1848. On 2 October 1848, the line was opened from Firsby to a temporary station at Boston. The GNR opened a section of its own line from Stockbridge and Askern , and the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway opened from Knottingley . There
1827-734: The Royston and Hitchin Railway, the East Lincolnshire Railway (Boston to Great Grimsby; both authorised, but neither yet built) and the Boston, Stamford and Birmingham Railway (never built). It also took about a third-of-a-million-pounds-worth of shares in the South Yorkshire Railway . 1846 was a peak year for railway scheme authorisations, fuelled by the feverish hunt for quick riches in railway shares. For
1890-536: The St Leger race meeting. It was a priority for the GNR to get access to the great manufacturing towns of West Yorkshire, to which it had been denied its own connection in Parliament. Leeds was the first to be reached. A Central station at Leeds was authorised on 22 July 1848. It was joint with three other companies, and GNR trains first reached it on 1 October 1848. GNR trains ran from Doncaster to Leeds over
1953-434: The company was already considerable, and a further million of money was authorised by an act of 1853. Another demand on financial resources was willingly undertaken: the installation of the electric telegraph, at first at the southern end of the system. It was soon used for signalling trains through the tunnel sections, and by 1856 it was used throughout as far north as Hitchin. Reflecting the anticipated focus of operations,
Lincolnshire loop line - Misplaced Pages Continue
2016-494: The junction and used the MS&LR station at Gainsborough. A junction was made with the MS&LR line at Durham Ox Junction, Lincoln, some time after 3 April 1848, and sanctioned by Parliament retrospectively. The direct line between Peterborough and Doncaster was known as the Towns Line. The first part of it was opened between the MS&LR station at Retford and Doncaster on 4 September 1849. A proper station at Doncaster
2079-436: The line, and started running passenger trains to Barnsley, and mineral trains to and from Horbury. On 1 August 1854, the independent Leeds, Bradford and Halifax Junction Railway (LB&HJR) opened its line between Leeds and Bowling Junction, close to Bradford, where it made a connection with the L&YR. The LB&HJR had running powers over the L&YR to Halifax, and the GNR were granted running powers over this line, so
2142-566: The matter had to go before a jury. This, and the subsequent removal of the hospital to new premises, would incur a huge delay. The GNR board decided to make a temporary London terminal at Maiden Lane . The company undertook some extraordinary commitments at this time. It arranged to purchase the Stamford and Spalding Railway; this would form a loop from north of Peterborough back on to the GNR Loop Line near Crowland ; and leases at 6% of
2205-476: The moat including Mallard ducks. The Hall still exists today as a private residence and is adjacent to the de Havilland Aircraft Heritage Centre , with its links to the design of the famous Mosquito aircraft during World War II. In 1936, Gresley designed the 1,500 V DC locomotives for the proposed electrification of the Woodhead Line between Manchester and Sheffield . The Second World War forced
2268-551: The national network. The line from Lincoln to Woodhall Junction now forms part of National Cycle Route 1 , and is known as Water Rail Way . From Woodhall Junction to Boston, the entire line is private and has no permissive paths or access. From Boston to Spalding, the line is occupied by the A16 . At Spalding, the line is still open to Peterborough. 53°08′33″N 0°14′31″W / 53.1424°N 0.2419°W / 53.1424; -0.2419 Great Northern Railway (Great Britain) The Great Northern Railway (GNR)
2331-413: The network is active today. In 1836, a railway to be called the Great Northern Railway was proposed. It was to run from Whitechapel in east London via Cambridge and Lincoln to York. However, this was a stupendously ambitious project for such an early date, and Parliament turned it down. By 1844 there was only one trunk railway from London to the north of England: the London and Birmingham Railway
2394-480: The outset the Great Northern Railway had been anxious to acquire local railways or at least make arrangements with them, in order to expand the company's territory. In 1852 the shareholders expressed their displeasure at the volume of financial commitments implied by these, but the Chairman Edmund Denison continued his policy, without showing his hand. The company had prioritised construction of
2457-442: The postponement of the project , which was completed in the early 1950s. Edgar Claxton was Gresley's assistant throughout this project, working on power supply, equipment and systems, besides carrying out the trials. Gresley was appointed CBE in 1920 and was knighted in the 1936 Birthday Honours by King Edward VIII . Also in the latter year, Gresley was awarded an honorary DSc by Manchester University and presided over
2520-432: The project ran out of parliamentary time in that session. The London and York Railway scheme was submitted to the 1846 session of Parliament; some other schemes for railways to the north had by now fallen by the wayside, and their supporters joined the London and York project; reflecting that, the proposed company name was altered to the Great Northern Railway . George Hudson continued to use his dubious methods to frustrate
2583-537: The public on 6 June 1848, between Knottingley and Askern. This was extended on 7 June 1848 over the GNR to Stockbridge, a place on the Bentley Road between Askern and Doncaster. The GNR stretch amounted to 2 miles 45 chains. Stockbridge was later renamed Arksey. The GNR further extended southwards to a temporary station immediately north of the River Don at Doncaster; it opened on the following 5 August in time for
Lincolnshire loop line - Misplaced Pages Continue
2646-485: The record for being the fastest steam locomotive in the world (126 mph). Gresley's engines were considered elegant, both aesthetically and mechanically. His invention of a three-cylinder design with only two sets of Walschaerts valve gear , the Gresley conjugated valve gear , produced smooth running and power at lower cost than would have been achieved with a more conventional three sets of Walschaerts gear. Gresley
2709-507: The scheme, but on 26 June the Great Northern Railway Act 1846 ( 9 & 10 Vict. c. lxxi) was given royal assent . Numerous branches earlier proposed had been deleted, but the main line was approved. Authorised capital was £5.6 million. The company had spent £590,355 on parliamentary expenses. The authorised line was from London ("Pentonville") via Huntingdon, Peterborough, Grantham, Retford, Doncaster and Selby to
2772-475: The second half of 1847, the directors, owing to the state of the Money Market... decided to abstain from letting the works from Doncaster to York. But at the end of July a further small contract was let to Messrs. Peto & Betts for the works from ... Doncaster, northwards to Askern, with the object of forming an "end-on" junction there with the branch of the Lancashire and Yorkshire Company, over which...
2835-638: The section from Boston to Spalding and finally from Lincoln to Woodhall Junction as well as to Firsby and Horncastle. The line from Lincoln to Boston was known as the Witham loop because it followed the course of the River Witham , passing through Washingborough , Five Mile House , Bardney , Southrey , Stixwould , Tattershall , Dogdyke , and Langrick . The line from Boston to Spalding passed through three intermediate stations, Kirton , Algarkirk and Sutterton , and Surfleet ; much of this section
2898-476: The train service started on 1 October 1848. The York and North Midland Railway was urging the GNR to use the Y&;NMR line from Knottingley to York, shortly to be opened, and to abandon the GNR's plans for its own line to York. After considerable deliberation, the GNR agreed to this on 6 June 1850. By arrangement with the MS&LR the GNR started running trains between Lincoln and Sheffield on 7 August 1850;
2961-415: The trains were routed over the MS&LR from Sykes Junction, a few miles north of Lincoln. The London (Maiden Lane) to Peterborough line was ready for a demonstration opening run on 5 August 1850, and it was opened to the public on 7 August 1850; eight passenger trains were run each way daily, with three on Sundays. On 8 August 1850 trains started running through from London to York. The Maiden Lane terminal
3024-473: The use of Victoria, but then made an outright payment of £25,000 to secure permanent half-rights to the station. From 1859 GNR trains also ran to Huddersfield via Sheffield and Penistone. From 1866 the Great Northern Railway had the control it wanted in West Yorkshire. A number of additional branches were built; perhaps the most important was the Dewsbury branch. A Dewsbury terminus opened in 1874, but this
3087-593: Was a British railway company incorporated in 1846 with the object of building a line from London to York . It quickly saw that seizing control of territory was key to development, and it acquired, or took leases of, many local railways, whether actually built or not. In so doing, it overextended itself financially. Nevertheless, it succeeded in reaching into the coalfields of Nottinghamshire , Derbyshire and Yorkshire , as well as establishing dominance in Lincolnshire and north London . Bringing coal south to London
3150-644: Was a British railway engineer. He was one of Britain's most famous steam locomotive engineers, who rose to become Chief Mechanical Engineer (CME) of the London and North Eastern Railway (LNER). He was the designer of some of the most famous steam locomotives in Britain, including the LNER Class A1 and LNER Class A4 4-6-2 Pacific engines. An A1 Pacific, Flying Scotsman , was the first steam locomotive officially recorded over 100 mph in passenger service, and an A4, number 4468 Mallard , still holds
3213-432: Was a formal opening on 5 June 1848 and a public opening two days later; at that stage the L&YR operated the passenger trains. On 5 August 1848 the GNR section was extended south to a temporary Doncaster station, and a goods service was operated. Part of the Loop Line was soon ready, and 58 miles from Walton Junction (near Peterborough, on the newly opened Midland Railway ) to Lincoln opened on 17 October 1848. The line
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#17327826017893276-622: Was born in Edinburgh , Scotland, during his mother's visit there to see a gynaecologist, but was raised in England at Netherseal , Derbyshire, a member of a cadet branch of a family long seated at Gresley, Derbyshire . After attending school in Sussex and at Marlborough College , Gresley served his apprenticeship at the Crewe works of the London and North Western Railway , afterwards becoming
3339-428: Was built and ready by the middle of 1851. By this means, the GNR was able to start a service between London and Leeds using running powers and agreements over other lines in a roundabout routing northward from Retford; George Hudson tried to repudiate his earlier undertaking to permit this, but at this time his disgraceful methods had come to light, and he had resigned from the Midland Railway and several other boards;
3402-501: Was created by the Gresley Society and incorporates line drawings of his Flying Scotsman and Mallard locomotives. Following the redevelopment of the site previously home to Doncaster College, the square outside the new Doncaster Metropolitan Borough Council Offices and Cast Theatre was named Sir Nigel Gresley Square, in honour of the designer of some of the most famous steam locomotives built at Doncaster Plant Works following
3465-498: Was dominant, but general agricultural business, and short- and long-distance passenger traffic, were important activities too. Its fast passenger express trains captured the public imagination, and its Chief Mechanical Engineer Nigel Gresley became a celebrity. Anglo-Scottish travel on the East Coast Main Line became commercially important; the GNR controlled the line from London to Doncaster and allied itself with
3528-522: Was double except for a mile at Boston, which was made double track by a deviation on 11 May 1850. Captain Wynne viewed the line from Lincoln to Gainsborough on 29 March 1849, but refused permission to open until signals were provided at the swing bridge at Brayford Mere (Lincoln); the line opened on 9 April 1849 when they had been provided. The route made a junction with the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway at Gainsborough; GNR trains reversed at
3591-467: Was followed by a through line to Batley via a new Dewsbury through station, opened in 1880. From 1867, the GNR launched into an expensive and ultimately unremunerative entry into the hilly terrain west of Bradford and north of Halifax. This started with the Halifax and Ovenden Junction Railway, a short line in the northern heights of Halifax, opened in 1874, jointly with the L&YR. This was followed by
3654-620: Was in an uneasy alliance with the Grand Junction Railway , which in turn connected with the North Union Railway which connected to Preston and Fleetwood . Scottish travellers made use of a steamer service from Fleetwood to Ardrossan . This was the period of the Railway Mania , when myriad schemes, not all of them realistic, were promoted, and anyone could get rich quickly if they were not caught with
3717-429: Was not made welcome at Sheffield, but a change of policy from 1856 brought some changes. In particular from 1 August 1857 the GNR "Manchester fliers" started running. They were worked by GNR locomotives through to Sheffield, and covered the 203 miles (325 km) from King's Cross to Manchester London Road via Sheffield in 5hr 20min, soon to be cut to an even five hours. Until February 1859 the GNR paid £1,500 per annum for
3780-552: Was occupied by carriage sidings. At the end of 1852 it was considered that the company had achieved its objectives as originally conceived, with the line opened from King's Cross over both the Towns Line and the Loop, into Yorkshire. Four passenger trains ran from Kings Cross to York, one of them first class only and one parliamentary train . The directors of the company continued to seek to consolidate occupation of territory, without necessarily building new lines. The capitalisation of
3843-459: Was opened on 21 October 1850; this was extended to Shepreth on 3 August 1851. Captain Mark Huish had been appointed General Manager of the London and North Western Railway on its formation in 1846. Huish was a skilful railway diplomat, and while his methods were generally more proper than Hudson's, they were aggressive in finding means of disadvantaging competitors, such as the GNR. From
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#17327826017893906-509: Was referred to by the company as "King's Cross". A through train to Edinburgh was run from 2 September 1850; the train ran via Peterborough, Boston, Lincoln, Retford, Doncaster, Knottingley, Milford Junction and York, thence by the York, Newcastle and Berwick Railway (not yet open on a direct route). Goods traffic started on the main line from 12 December 1850, and the Hitchin to Royston line
3969-419: Was the decision to connect to the L&YR station at Bradford (later Bradford Exchange). The LB&HJR station was a terminus, called Adolphus Street, and the connection towards Halifax by-passed it. A new curve was built of that connecting line to allow trains to enter the L&YR terminus; this started on 7 January 1867. Train movements at the throat of the L&YR station were frequent, and congestion became
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