Firsby railway station
Encyclopedia
Firsby railway station was a busy station in Firsby
, Lincolnshire
which closed in 1970 as a result of the Beeching Axe
. Firsby served as a main line station and a terminus for two branch lines, one to the seaside resort
of Skegness
and one to the market town
of Spilsby
.
Firsby station was located in a small rural linear village
36 miles (58 kilometres) east from the county town
of Lincoln
, 4 miles (6.4 kilometres) south east of the nearest market town
of Spilsby
and 8 miles (12.9 kilometres) inland from the popular holiday resort town of Skegness
.
The station was served by two public houses, one of which doubled as the Firsby Railway Hotel. There are several mentions in old records of a second drinking establishment around 1852, called Whyley's Beerhouse, that stood adjacent to Firsby railway Station.
's London Kings Cross to Cleethorpes east coast mainline railway. During the summer months holiday passenger traffic from all over the country alighting at Firsby for their connection to Skegness was substantial with hundreds and sometimes thousands of passengers passing through the station at a weekend and the platforms would be teeming with families and their luggage. In the Victorian era most holidaymakers travelled by train and Firsby was one of the busiest stations on the east coast main line. The station was the major employer in the area and between the station master and his assistants, ticket office staffs, ticket inspectors, signalmen, porters, catering staffs, drivers, firemen, guards and track maintenance staff for three separate railway companies, several hundred people worked at or from Firsby station on a regular daily basis.
Between 1943 and 1958 Firsby station was kept busy as the nearest railhead staging point for RAF and later USAF
airmen travelling to and from the nearby RAF Spilsby
airfield at Great Steeping.
cuts, and the majority of the station and the platforms were demolished. Only the most southerly section of the station building remains and is now a private residence. With the old east coast mainline between Firsby and Cleethorpes removed a new direct link to Skegness was installed at the junction a few hundred metres south of the old Firsby station. Although the station is long gone many locals still remember the station master calling out "Skegness passengers, Over the bridge for Skegness!"
has been open for 9 years. This was built mainly for excursion trains to Skegness, and the local service is sparse, consisting of only 2 trains each way per day, with one extra on Mondays and Saturdays.
Firsby
Firsby is a small rural linear village and civil parish in Lincolnshire, England, 36 miles east from the county town of Lincoln, 4 miles south east of the nearest market town of Spilsby and 8 miles inland from the holiday resort town of Skegness.The village lies on the northern side of the...
, Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire is a county in the east of England. It borders Norfolk to the south east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south west, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire to the west, South Yorkshire to the north west, and the East Riding of Yorkshire to the north. It also borders...
which closed in 1970 as a result of the Beeching Axe
Beeching Axe
The Beeching Axe or the Beeching Cuts are informal names for the British Government's attempt in the 1960s to reduce the cost of running British Railways, the nationalised railway system in the United Kingdom. The name is that of the main author of The Reshaping of British Railways, Dr Richard...
. Firsby served as a main line station and a terminus for two branch lines, one to the seaside resort
Seaside resort
A seaside resort is a resort, or resort town, located on the coast. Where a beach is the primary focus for tourists, it may be called a beach resort.- Overview :...
of Skegness
Skegness
Skegness is a seaside town and civil parish in the East Lindsey district of Lincolnshire, England. Located on the Lincolnshire coast of the North Sea, east of the city of Lincoln it has a total resident population of 18,910....
and one to the market town
Market town
Market town or market right is a legal term, originating in the medieval period, for a European settlement that has the right to host markets, distinguishing it from a village and city...
of Spilsby
Spilsby
Spilsby is a market town and civil parish in Lincolnshire. England. The town is situated adjacent to the main A16 Trunk Road at the southern edge of the Lincolnshire Wolds north of the Fenlands, east of the county town of Lincoln, north east of Boston and north west from Skegness.The town has...
.
Firsby station was located in a small rural linear village
Linear village
In geography, a linear village, or linear settlement, is a small to medium-sized settlement that is formed around a transport route, such as a road, river, or canal. Wraysbury, a village in Berkshire, is one of the longest villages in England....
36 miles (58 kilometres) east from the county town
County town
A county town is a county's administrative centre in the United Kingdom or Ireland. County towns are usually the location of administrative or judicial functions, or established over time as the de facto main town of a county. The concept of a county town eventually became detached from its...
of Lincoln
Lincoln, Lincolnshire
Lincoln is a cathedral city and county town of Lincolnshire, England.The non-metropolitan district of Lincoln has a population of 85,595; the 2001 census gave the entire area of Lincoln a population of 120,779....
, 4 miles (6.4 kilometres) south east of the nearest market town
Market town
Market town or market right is a legal term, originating in the medieval period, for a European settlement that has the right to host markets, distinguishing it from a village and city...
of Spilsby
Spilsby
Spilsby is a market town and civil parish in Lincolnshire. England. The town is situated adjacent to the main A16 Trunk Road at the southern edge of the Lincolnshire Wolds north of the Fenlands, east of the county town of Lincoln, north east of Boston and north west from Skegness.The town has...
and 8 miles (12.9 kilometres) inland from the popular holiday resort town of Skegness
Skegness
Skegness is a seaside town and civil parish in the East Lindsey district of Lincolnshire, England. Located on the Lincolnshire coast of the North Sea, east of the city of Lincoln it has a total resident population of 18,910....
.
Opening
The railway station at Firsby opened on 3rd September 1848 , and was a substantial structure for a country station, totally unlike the majority of small isolated rural halts. The station had three platforms each two hundred metres long and covered with buildings, booking offices, several waiting rooms (male, female and general), restaurants, toilets, baggage and goods halls, crew rooms, staff canteen and housing, and several railway offices. The main line tracks were crossed by a substantial passenger footbridge and most of the station was covered by an ornate cast-iron and glass canopy normally only seen at main city stations. The station also had signal boxes, water towers, extensive goods sidings and engine repair sheds.The station was served by two public houses, one of which doubled as the Firsby Railway Hotel. There are several mentions in old records of a second drinking establishment around 1852, called Whyley's Beerhouse, that stood adjacent to Firsby railway Station.
Branch lines
Firsby was a junction for the Skegness line and the Spilsby line on their short branches from the main Great Northern RailwayGreat Northern Railway (Great Britain)
The Great Northern Railway was a British railway company established by the Great Northern Railway Act of 1846. On 1 January 1923 the company lost its identity as a constituent of the newly formed London and North Eastern Railway....
's London Kings Cross to Cleethorpes east coast mainline railway. During the summer months holiday passenger traffic from all over the country alighting at Firsby for their connection to Skegness was substantial with hundreds and sometimes thousands of passengers passing through the station at a weekend and the platforms would be teeming with families and their luggage. In the Victorian era most holidaymakers travelled by train and Firsby was one of the busiest stations on the east coast main line. The station was the major employer in the area and between the station master and his assistants, ticket office staffs, ticket inspectors, signalmen, porters, catering staffs, drivers, firemen, guards and track maintenance staff for three separate railway companies, several hundred people worked at or from Firsby station on a regular daily basis.
Between 1943 and 1958 Firsby station was kept busy as the nearest railhead staging point for RAF and later USAF
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
airmen travelling to and from the nearby RAF Spilsby
RAF Spilsby
-Units and aircraft based at Spilsby:-References:*Halpenny, Bruce Barrymore Action Stations: Wartime Military Airfields of Lincolnshire and the East Midlands v. 2 -External links:*...
airfield at Great Steeping.
Closure
The line was closed down in 1970 due to the Beeching axeBeeching Axe
The Beeching Axe or the Beeching Cuts are informal names for the British Government's attempt in the 1960s to reduce the cost of running British Railways, the nationalised railway system in the United Kingdom. The name is that of the main author of The Reshaping of British Railways, Dr Richard...
cuts, and the majority of the station and the platforms were demolished. Only the most southerly section of the station building remains and is now a private residence. With the old east coast mainline between Firsby and Cleethorpes removed a new direct link to Skegness was installed at the junction a few hundred metres south of the old Firsby station. Although the station is long gone many locals still remember the station master calling out "Skegness passengers, Over the bridge for Skegness!"
Former services
Timetable for February 1863
The table below shows the train departures from Firsby & Spilsby station on weekdays in February 1863. At this point, the East Lincolnshire line is only 13 years old, and none of the branch lines have been built yet, but Firsby is still an important station on account of being the railhead for the nearby town of Spilsby.| Departure | Going to | Calling at | Arrival | Operator |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 03.33 | Great Grimsby | Alford, Louth, Great Grimsby | 04.35 | GNR |
| 07.22 | Boston | Little Steeping, East Ville, Old Leake, Sibsey, Boston | 08.05 | GNR |
| 07.35 | Great Grimsby | Burgh, Willoughby, Alford, Claythorpe, Authorpe, Legbourne, Louth, Ludborough, North Thoresby, Holton-le-Clay, Waltham, Great Grimsby | 09.15 | GNR |
| 09.35 (Wed) | Louth | Burgh, Willoughby, Alford, Claythorpe, Authorpe, Legbourne, Louth | 11.15 | GNR |
| 11.15 | Boston | Little Steeping, East Ville, Old Leake, Sibsey, Boston | 12.00 | GNR |
| 13.02 | Great Grimsby | Burgh, Willoughby, Alford, Claythorpe, Louth, North Thoresby, Great Grimsby | 14.20 | GNR |
| 16.30 (Wed, Sat) | Louth | Burgh, Willoughby, Alford, Claythorpe, Authorpe, Legbourne, Louth | 17.35 | GNR |
| 18.23 | Boston | Little Steeping, East Ville, Old Leake, Sibsey, Boston | 19.05 | GNR |
| 18.24 | Great Grimsby | Burgh, Willoughby, Alford, Claythorpe, Authorpe, Legbourne, Louth, Ludborough, North Thoresby, Holton-le-Clay, Waltham, Great Grimsby | 19.50 | GNR |
| 21.18 | Peterborough Cowgate | Boston, Spalding, Peterborough Cowgate | 22.48 | GNR |
Timetable for July 1922
The table below shows the train departures from Firsby station on weekdays in July 1922, when services were at their peak. The most recent addition, the Midville lineMidville Line
The Kirkstead and Little Steeping Railway, locally known as the New Line, was a railway line linking the East Lincolnshire Railway to the Lincoln to Boston railway through the Lincolnshire Fens in Lincolnshire, England...
has been open for 9 years. This was built mainly for excursion trains to Skegness, and the local service is sparse, consisting of only 2 trains each way per day, with one extra on Mondays and Saturdays.
| Departure | Going to | Calling at | Arrival | Operator |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 06.57 | Peterborough North | Little Steeping, East Ville, Old Leake, Sibsey, Boston, Kirton, Algakirk & Sutterton, Surfleet, Spalding, Littleworth, Deeping St James, Peakirk, Peterborough North | 08.47 | GNR |
| 07.10 | Skegness | Wainfleet, Skegness | 07.28 | GNR |
| 08.30 | Grimsby Town | Burgh, Willoughby, Alford, Aby for Claythorpe, Authorpe, Legbourne Road, Louth, Ludborough, North Thoresby, Holton-le-Clay, Waltham, Grimsby Town | 09.50 | GNR |
| 08.35 | Skegness | Thorpe Culvert, Wainfleet, Havenhouse, Seacroft, Skegness | 08.58 | GNR |
| 08.47 | Spilsby | Halton Holegate, Spilsby | 09.01 | GNR |
| 08.50 | Lincoln High Street | Little Steeping, Midville, Stickney, New Bolingbroke, Tumby Woodside, Coningsby, Woodhall Junction, Bardney, Washingborough, Lincoln High Street | 10.08 | GNR |
| 09.00 | Boston | Little Steeping, East Ville, Old Leake, Sibsey, Boston | 09.34 | GNR |
| 10.25 | Peterborough North | Boston, Spalding, Peterborough North | 11.33 | GNR |
| 10.28 | Spilsby | Halton Holegate, Spilsby | 10.39 | GNR |
| 11.02 | Mablethorpe | Willoughby, Mumby Road, Sutton-on-Sea, Mablethorpe | 11.32 | GNR |
| 11.05 | Boston | Little Steeping, East Ville, Old Leake, Sibsey, Boston | 11.40 | GNR |
| 11.10 | Skegness | Thorpe Culvert, Wainfleet, Havenhouse, Seacroft, Skegness | 11.35 | GNR |
| 11.15 | Spilsby | Halton Holegate, Spilsby | 11.30 | GNR |
| 11.37 (Mon) | Skegness | Skegness | 11.52 | GNR |
| 11.49 | Mablethorpe | Willoughby, Mumby Road, Sutton-on-Sea, Mablethorpe | 12.20 | GNR |
| 11.53 | Skegness | Skegness | 12.08 | GNR |
| 12.40 | Boston | Boston | 13.00 | GNR |
| 12.50 | Grimsby Town | Burgh, Willoughby, Alford, Aby for Claythorpe, Authorpe, Legbourne Road, Louth, North Thoresby, Waltham, Grimsby Town | 14.01 | GNR |
| 13.05 | London King's Cross | Boston, Spalding, Peterborough North, London King's Cross | 16.00 | GNR |
| 13.10 | Spilsby | Halton Holegate, Spilsby | 13.21 | GNR |
| 13.10 | Skegness | Thorpe Culvert, Wainfleet, Havenhouse, Seacroft, Skegness | 13.35 | GNR |
| 15.59 | Boston | Little Steeping, East Ville, Old Leake, Sibsey, Boston | 16.34 | GNR |
| 16.06 | Grimsby Town | Burgh, Willoughby, Alford, Aby for Claythorpe, Authorpe, Legbourne Road, Louth, Ludborough, North Thoresby, Waltham, Grimsby Town | 17.29 | GNR |
| 16.15 | Spilsby | Halton Holegate, Spilsby | 16.29 | GNR |
| 16.15 | Skegness | Thorpe Culvert, Wainfleet, Havenhouse, Seacroft, Skegness | 16.40 | GNR |
| 16.20 | Woodhall Junction | Little Steeping, Midville, Stickney, New Bolingbroke, Tumby Woodside, Coningsby, Woodhall Junction | 17.03 | GNR |
| 17.03 | Nottingham Victoria | Boston, Sleaford, Nottingham Victoria | 18.46 | GNR |
| 18.13 | Peterborough North | East Ville, Old Leake, Sibsey, Boston, Spalding, Peterborough North | 19.45 | GNR |
| 18.16 | Spilsby | Halton Holegate, Spilsby | 18.27 | GNR |
| 18.20 | Skegness | Thorpe Culvert, Wainfleet, Havenhouse, Seacroft, Skegness | 18.38 | GNR |
| 19.07 | Grimsby Town | Willoughby, Alford, Louth, Waltham, Grimsby Town | 20.00 | GNR |
| 19.15 (Fri) | Skegness | Skegness | 19.30 | GNR |
| 19.15 (Fri) | Mablethorpe | Willoughby, Mumby Road, Sutton-on-Sea, Mablethorpe | 19.50 | GNR |
| 19.23 | Spilsby | Halton Holegate, Spilsby | 19.34 | GNR |
| 19.31 | Grimsby Town | Burgh, Willoughby, Alford, Aby for Claythorpe, Authorpe, Legbourne Road, Louth, Ludborough, North Thoresby, Holton-le-Clay, Waltham, Grimsby Town | 20.49 | GNR |
| 19.35 | Skegness | Thorpe Culvert, Wainfleet, Havenhouse, Seacroft, Skegness | 19.59 | GNR |
| 19.50 (Mon) | Lincoln High Street | Little Steeping, Stickney, New Bolingbroke, Coningsby, Woodhall Junction, Lincoln High Street | 21.02 | GNR |
| 21.00 | Grimsby Town | Alford, Louth, Waltham, Grimsby Town | 21.53 | GNR |
| 21.06 | Peterborough North | Boston, Spalding, Peterborough North | 22.23 | GNR |
| 21.08 | Skegness | Wainfleet, Skegness | 21.26 | GNR |
| 21.10 (Tue, Thu) | Spilsby | Halton Holegate, Spilsby | 21.21 | GNR |