The Lincolnshire potato railways were a network of private narrow gauge farm

Farm

A farm is an area of land, or, for aquaculture, lake, river or sea, including various structures, devoted primarily to the practice of producing and managing food , fibres and, increasingly, fuel. It is the basic production facility in food production. Farms may be owned and operated by a single...

 railways

Rail transport

Rail transport is a means of conveyance of passengers and goods by way of wheeled vehicles running on rail tracks. In contrast to road transport, where vehicles merely run on a prepared surface, rail vehicles are also directionally guided by the tracks they run on...

 which existed in the English

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

 county

Counties of England

Counties of England are areas used for the purposes of administrative, geographical and political demarcation. For administrative purposes, England outside Greater London and the Isles of Scilly is divided into 83 counties. The counties may consist of a single district or be divided into several...

 of 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...

 in the mid 20th century, for the purposes of transporting the annual potato

Potato

The potato is a starchy, tuberous crop from the perennial Solanum tuberosum of the Solanaceae family . The word potato may refer to the plant itself as well as the edible tuber. In the region of the Andes, there are some other closely related cultivated potato species...

 crop between the fields and the nearest standard-gauge

Standard gauge

The standard gauge is a widely-used track gauge . Approximately 60% of the world's existing railway lines are built to this gauge...

 main line railhead

Railhead

The word railhead is a railway term with two distinct meanings, depending upon its context.Sometimes, particularly in the context of modern freight terminals, the word is used to denote a terminus of a railway line, especially if the line is not yet finished, or if the terminus interfaces with...

.

Major systems

There were two major systems of potato railways: one located near the village of Nocton

Nocton

Nocton is a village south of Lincoln in the North Kesteven district of Lincolnshire, England. To the east of the village is Nocton Fen, and a small area known locally as Wasps Nest....

 (the "Nocton Estate Light Railway" south 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....

), centred on Nocton and Dunston railway station

Nocton and Dunston railway station

Nocton and Dunston railway station served Nocton and Dunston in Lincolnshire which shared a GNR/GER Joint railway station until it was closed in 1955. Trains still run along the Peterborough to Lincoln Line, but do not stop at the former station...

; the other to the north of Holbeach

Holbeach

Holbeach is a fenland market town with in the South Holland district of southern Lincolnshire, England. The town lies from Spalding; from Boston; from King's Lynn; from Peterborough; and a by road from the county town of Lincoln. It is on the junction of the A151 and A17...

 in the south of the county, serving Fleet

Fleet railway station (Lincolnshire)

Fleet railway station was a station in Fleet, Lincolnshire. It closed to passengers in 1959, with the last goods train running in 1965.Former Services-References:...

 and Sutton Bridge

Sutton Bridge railway station

Sutton Bridge railway station was a station in Sutton Bridge, Lincolnshire, England, which opened in the 19th century. It became part of the Midland and Great Northern Joint Railway network, and served as a junction where the line from Great Yarmouth split into two sections one heading for Wisbech...

 stations. There were other, smaller systems elsewhere in Lincolnshire, for example at Deeping St Nicholas.

Closure

All of the potato railways were closed by 1969; their duties taken over by farm lorries

Truck

A truck or lorry is a motor vehicle designed to transport cargo. Trucks vary greatly in size, power, and configuration, with the smallest being mechanically similar to an automobile...

. Some of the rolling stock

Rolling stock

Rolling stock comprises all the vehicles that move on a railway. It usually includes both powered and unpowered vehicles, for example locomotives, railroad cars, coaches and wagons...

 and track from the Nocton system have been preserved at the Lincolnshire Coast Light Railway

Lincolnshire Coast Light Railway

The Lincolnshire Coast Light Railway was a narrow gauge heritage railway built in 1958 using equipment from the Nocton Potato Estate railway.The railway was built by a group of railway enthusiasts who wished to preserve the stock and atmosphere of the Lincolnshire area potato railways...

 near 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....

.