Fotherby railway station
Encyclopedia
Fotherby Halt was a railway halt on the East Lincolnshire Railway
which served the village of Fotherby
in Lincolnshire
between 1905 and 1961. The station was opened on the site of a previous station named Fotherby Gate House which had closed in 1872. The second station closed in 1961, but the line through it remained open for freight until December 1980. The line through the station could be reopened by the Lincolnshire Wolds Railway
as part of its extension south from to .
between and had opened on 1 March 1848. The origins of the station's name lay in the gatehouse
constructed in 1847 by contractor
John Waring and Sons of Rotherham
to control the crossing
over Peppin Lane near Fotherby
, to the south of which the station lay. It was served by a twice-weekly passenger service restricted to market days. This reduced its patronage to such an extent that it was closed on 28 June 1872, but remained in public timetables until October 1872.
The station was reopened on 11 December 1905 as Fotherby Halt to coincide with the introduction of a motor train
service by the Great Northern Railway
. It consisted of two low parallel halt platforms to the south of the level crossing; a signal box
was sited at the northern end of the up platform next to the crossing and opposite Fotherby gatehouse which served as the crossing keeper's cottage. Passenger services called at the station upon request only. The station closed on 11 September 1961, the same day as to the north which had opened on the same day as part of the rail motor service.
long before final closure of the line in December 1980 and little remains of it today. The crossing keeper's cottage survives in good condition as a private residence, but the original windows have given way to upvc replacements. The rails remain embedded in the tarmac over Peppin Lane and an old signal stands over the trackbed to the south towards Louth. The signal box was moved to Chappel and Wakes Colne railway station
in 1985 as part of the East Anglian Railway Museum
.
On 28 September 1991, the Lincolnshire Wolds Railway
obtained a Light Railway Order authorising the reinstatement of the East Lincolnshire Railway between and the former Keddington Road level crossing near Louth
, which would include the line through Fotherby.
East Lincolnshire Railway
The East Lincolnshire Railway was a main line railway linking the towns of Boston, Louth and Grimsby in Lincolnshire, England. It opened in 1848 and was closed to passengers in 1970.-History:...
which served the village of Fotherby
Fotherby
Fotherby is a village and civil parish in the East Lindsey district of Lincolnshire, England. It lies just east off the A16, east of Market Rasen and south of Cleethorpes....
in 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...
between 1905 and 1961. The station was opened on the site of a previous station named Fotherby Gate House which had closed in 1872. The second station closed in 1961, but the line through it remained open for freight until December 1980. The line through the station could be reopened by the Lincolnshire Wolds Railway
Lincolnshire Wolds Railway
The Lincolnshire Wolds Railway is a heritage railway based at Ludborough station, near Grimsby in Lincolnshire, England and the only standard gauge steam railway in Lincolnshire open to the public. The line is part of the original Great Northern Railway , a rail system that opened in 1848 and once...
as part of its extension south from to .
History
The station was opened in February 1853 as Fotherby Gate House, some five years after the East Lincolnshire RailwayEast Lincolnshire Railway
The East Lincolnshire Railway was a main line railway linking the towns of Boston, Louth and Grimsby in Lincolnshire, England. It opened in 1848 and was closed to passengers in 1970.-History:...
between and had opened on 1 March 1848. The origins of the station's name lay in the gatehouse
Gatehouse
A gatehouse, in architectural terminology, is a building enclosing or accompanying a gateway for a castle, manor house, fort, town or similar buildings of importance.-History:...
constructed in 1847 by contractor
General contractor
A general contractor is responsible for the day-to-day oversight of a construction site, management of vendors and trades, and communication of information to involved parties throughout the course of a building project.-Description:...
John Waring and Sons of Rotherham
Rotherham
Rotherham is a town in South Yorkshire, England. It lies on the River Don, at its confluence with the River Rother, between Sheffield and Doncaster. Rotherham, at from Sheffield City Centre, is surrounded by several smaller settlements, which together form the wider Metropolitan Borough of...
to control the crossing
Level crossing
A level crossing occurs where a railway line is intersected by a road or path onone level, without recourse to a bridge or tunnel. It is a type of at-grade intersection. The term also applies when a light rail line with separate right-of-way or reserved track crosses a road in the same fashion...
over Peppin Lane near Fotherby
Fotherby
Fotherby is a village and civil parish in the East Lindsey district of Lincolnshire, England. It lies just east off the A16, east of Market Rasen and south of Cleethorpes....
, to the south of which the station lay. It was served by a twice-weekly passenger service restricted to market days. This reduced its patronage to such an extent that it was closed on 28 June 1872, but remained in public timetables until October 1872.
The station was reopened on 11 December 1905 as Fotherby Halt to coincide with the introduction of a motor train
Railmotor
Railmotor is a term which was used by several British railway companies for a steam railcar.-Overview:William Bridges Adams started building railmotors as early as 1848, but only in small numbers...
service by the Great Northern Railway
Great 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....
. It consisted of two low parallel halt platforms to the south of the level crossing; a signal box
Signal box
On a rail transport system, signalling control is the process by which control is exercised over train movements by way of railway signals and block systems to ensure that trains operate safely, over the correct route and to the proper timetable...
was sited at the northern end of the up platform next to the crossing and opposite Fotherby gatehouse which served as the crossing keeper's cottage. Passenger services called at the station upon request only. The station closed on 11 September 1961, the same day as to the north which had opened on the same day as part of the rail motor service.
Present day
The halt was demolished by British RailEastern Region of British Railways
The Eastern Region was a region of British Railways from 1948. The region ceased to be an operating unit in its own right in the 1980s and was wound up at the end of 1992...
long before final closure of the line in December 1980 and little remains of it today. The crossing keeper's cottage survives in good condition as a private residence, but the original windows have given way to upvc replacements. The rails remain embedded in the tarmac over Peppin Lane and an old signal stands over the trackbed to the south towards Louth. The signal box was moved to Chappel and Wakes Colne railway station
Chappel and Wakes Colne railway station
Chappel and Wakes Colne railway station is a railway station serving the villages of Wakes Colne and Chappel in Essex.The station itself is located in Wakes Colne. It has one platform station on the Marks Tey/Sudbury branch line...
in 1985 as part of the East Anglian Railway Museum
East Anglian Railway Museum
The East Anglian Railway Museum is located at Chappel and Wakes Colne railway station in Essex, which is situated on the former Great Eastern Railway branch line from Marks Tey to Sudbury...
.
On 28 September 1991, the Lincolnshire Wolds Railway
Lincolnshire Wolds Railway
The Lincolnshire Wolds Railway is a heritage railway based at Ludborough station, near Grimsby in Lincolnshire, England and the only standard gauge steam railway in Lincolnshire open to the public. The line is part of the original Great Northern Railway , a rail system that opened in 1848 and once...
obtained a Light Railway Order authorising the reinstatement of the East Lincolnshire Railway between and the former Keddington Road level crossing near Louth
Louth, Lincolnshire
Louth is a market town and civil parish within the East Lindsey district of Lincolnshire, England.-Geography:Known as the "capital of the Lincolnshire Wolds", it is situated where the ancient trackway Barton Street crosses the River Lud, and has a total resident population of 15,930.The Greenwich...
, which would include the line through Fotherby.