pete_mcfarlane Posted August 25, 2016 Share Posted August 25, 2016 As a long time former resident of Grantham I've always been intruiged by the town's original railway station, which later became a goods yard and the branch line that served it. But I've always struggled to find out much about it. There's a very brief Wikipedia article on the station itself, and a few snippets in the RCTS book on the GNR in the East Midlands that covers Grantham. It is also possible to trace the route on old OS maps such as this one. I've also found some information in the IRS book on Lincolnshire about the scrapyard at the end of the branch having a few Ruston 88DS locos, the last of which was cut up in (IIRC) 1981. The scrapyard also appears to have scrapped some steam locos. The 'Return to Grantham' site on the Town's railways doesn't seem to have much on the line beyond some mention of freight workings I have vague memories of the bridge carrying it over Dysart Road being in place when I was a kid in the 1980s, and of some track being lifted in around 1987 (when we moved house to near the line). So are there any more bits of information around about this obscure line? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
LNER4479 Posted August 25, 2016 Share Posted August 25, 2016 Hi, As you can imagine, I have been interested in this line for my layout project. The Wikipedia article, however brief, does explain the reason for its existence, being the original terminus of the first railway to reach Grantham. It seems that the Ambergate, Nottingham, Boston and Eastern Junction Railway(!) was a typical project of the early railway mania era, the idea being to use the relatively new-fangled railway technology to link up various established water-borne transportation systems. Hence the terminal at Grantham was connected to the then canal basin (wharf) at Grantham. At the Ambergate end it was to have been the Cromford canal, I believe. Only the Nottingham to Grantham section was ever built under the governance of the original scheme. The arrival of the GNR 'towns line' (ie the present ECML) soon eclipsed the wharf station and it became a goods depot thereafter. What we only came to appreciate relatively recently was that it was the place where all the coal merchants for the town congregated - this explains why none of the maps or pictures of the main station indicate anywhere where coal traffic was handled. There was a daily pilot (shunt) turn to take traffic to and from the 'Ambergate Yard' (as we believe it was called) and we depict this on the layout as a short train of loaded coal wagons leaving Grantham down goods yard, followed by a corresponding rake of empties coming back later in the day. There is quite a bit of information on the Ambergate, Nottingham, Boston and Eastern Junction Railway in Grantham, including a picture of coal wagons in the yard, in the book 'Grantham and Railways' by Frank Cossey. The line also shows up quite well on some of the aerial pictures on the britainfromabove website. Hope that helps (a bit!) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold beast66606 Posted August 25, 2016 RMweb Gold Share Posted August 25, 2016 Another map - but allows a comparison with todays. http://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/sidebyside.cfm#zoom=16&lat=52.9123&lon=-0.6528&layers=10&right=BingHyb Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
pete_mcfarlane Posted August 25, 2016 Author Share Posted August 25, 2016 What we only came to appreciate relatively recently was that it was the place where all the coal merchants for the town congregated - this explains why none of the maps or pictures of the main station indicate anywhere where coal traffic was handled. That makes a lot of sense now you mention it - the goods facilities at Grantham station seem to have been relatively limited for a town of Grantham's size. Most of the sidings at the station seem to be on the up side, and linked to the Ruston and Aveling-Barford factories. http://maps.nls.uk/view/101590685 (I did two weeks work experience at barford in the summer of 1991, long after rail traffic finished, but there was plenty of inset track still in place at the site). Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Richard E Posted August 25, 2016 RMweb Premium Share Posted August 25, 2016 Ah, the embankment upon which that was laid can, I think, still be seen in part. I'd often wondered if the railway had run that way. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bungus the Fogeyman Posted August 27, 2016 Share Posted August 27, 2016 Theres still a bridge parapet next to Dysart Road, next to Henry Bells feed place. Theres also a picture or 2 in the 'Peterborough to Grantham' book by middleton press..... Disgusting of Market Harborough Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Enterprisingwestern Posted August 27, 2016 RMweb Gold Share Posted August 27, 2016 Theres still a bridge parapet next to Dysart Road, next to Henry Bells feed place. Theres also a picture or 2 in the 'Peterborough to Grantham' book by middleton press..... Disgusting of Market Harborough You know far too much. I feel another layout coming on Dave? Mike. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bungus the Fogeyman Posted August 28, 2016 Share Posted August 28, 2016 What Mike, along with finishing Abbey Street, Weslo Steels and Victoria, then cracking on with Friday Bridge, Broughton Sidings, Auriga Street, Deltic Avenue.............well, its a thought anyway! Disgusting of Market Harborough Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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