Spalding railway station
Encyclopedia
Spalding railway station serves the town of Spalding
in Lincolnshire
, England
.
Spalding is on the branch line to Lincoln operated by a roughly hourly service in both directions usually by Class 153
single car units. Between 9 am and roughly 5 pm services usually run from Peterborough
to Lincoln
, however two early morning services commence from Nottingham , one arriving via Grantham
and Peterborough
, the other via Newark Castle and Lincoln
, meaning that Spalding can be reached from Nottingham by both northbound and southbound services. Also at 9 pm there is a service that returns to Nottingham via Peterborough
and Melton Mowbray
, bringing the total number of routes, via which direct trains operate between Spalding and Nottingham to three. Two afternoon services in each direction continue to/originate from Newark North Gate. Another service operates to Doncaster (only one way).
Despite the diversity of destinations, the only place reachable during peak times
is Peterborough
, with the service terminating at Spalding. This is due to the high cost of operating the line north of the station, where a large quantity of manned level crossings are in place. During Sundays Spalding has no services at all.
Network Rail have plans to upgrade the line to enable freight train to be diverted from the East Coast main line but it appears that this will only be during the present operating hours indicating that no modernisation of the level crossings etc will be undertaken.
Spalding nowadays has only two platforms. Platform 1 (adjacent the station building) is mainly used for southbound services towards Peterborough and terminating trains from Peterborough, but is also used by some northbound through services towards Sleaford and Lincoln; Platform 2 can only be used by northbound services. The station used to have seven platforms, five through tracks and two terminal bays with services to March and Sleaford on the Great Eastern and Great Northern Joint, Bourne and King's Lynn on the Midland & Great Northern Joint and finally the Great Northern line going to Boston. There was also, past the Northern Junction a freight line going off to the former British Sugar plant. The bridge connecting Platforms 1 and 2 to the rest of the station still exists; however the entrance to the old platforms have been fenced off and the walk through on the bridge bricked up. The tracks meanwhile have been lifted and the site is now used for housing. Very little remains on the old station, however the façade remains as it was when first built.
Only 22 minutes from Peterborough, Spalding railway station is a few minutes away from the bus station connecting Spalding to Boston, King's Lynn and Peterborough.
Spalding gained its first rail links to Peterborough, Boston and Lincoln
in 1848, courtesy of the Great Northern Railway
(GNR) who built their main line from London to Doncaster
through the town. This was superseded by the direct line via Grantham within four years, but it remained well used by traffic heading towards Louth
and Grimsby
over the former East Lincolnshire Railway.
The GNR subsequently added a line eastwards to Sutton Bridge
via Holbeach
(the Norwich & Spalding Railway) in stages between 1858 and 1862, a westward route to Bourne
in 1866 and another to March
the following year in an attempt to thwart the ambitions of the competing Great Eastern Railway
(GER). These efforts didn't succeed however and the company eventually agreed to work these routes jointly with the Midland Railway
(the former pair forming the backbone of the Midland and Great Northern Joint Railway
system) and the GER (March line) by the beginning of the 1870s. The collaboration between GNR and GER also led to the construction of the last route out of the town, the GE&GN Joint line to Sleaford
which opened to traffic on 1 August 1882.
By the end of the nineteenth century the town had become a major rail crossroads and the station had grown to reflect this, having more than doubled in size from its opening half a century earlier. It would also later become a popular destination in its own right, with the annual Tulip Festival
bringing excursion trains into the town from all over the country from the late 1950s onwards.
The station, known in steam days as 'Spalding Town', was honoured on 3 May 2002 when a main line locomotive was dedicated to it. Class 31 diesel No. 31106, owned by Cambridgeshire businessman and enthusiast Howard Johnston, who was born nearby, arrived on a Tulip Parade day special train, and a short stopover was arranged for Colin Fisher, Chairman of South Holland District Council, to unveil the cast Spalding Town nameplate (which includes the authority's crest within it) on the side of the engine. He was also presented with a replica plate as a permanent reminder of the occasion. Although intended for public display, this has not yet taken place.
Spalding, Lincolnshire
Spalding is a market town with a population of 30,000 on the River Welland in the South Holland district of Lincolnshire, England. Little London is a hamlet directly south of Spalding on the B1172 road....
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...
, England
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...
.
Spalding is on the branch line to Lincoln operated by a roughly hourly service in both directions usually by Class 153
British Rail Class 153
The British Rail Class 153 Super Sprinter is a single car diesel multiple unit converted from British Rail Class 155s.-Description:These units were originally built as two-car Class 155 units by British Leyland from 1987–88, but were converted by Hunslet-Barclay at Kilmarnock from 1991-92...
single car units. Between 9 am and roughly 5 pm services usually run from Peterborough
Peterborough railway station
Peterborough railway station serves the city of Peterborough, England. It is located approximately north of London Kings Cross on the East Coast Main Line...
to Lincoln
Lincoln Central railway station
Lincoln Central railway station serves the city of Lincoln in Lincolnshire, England. The station is operated by East Midlands Trains, who provide services along with Northern Rail and East Coast....
, however two early morning services commence from Nottingham , one arriving via Grantham
Grantham railway station
Grantham railway station serves the town of Grantham in Lincolnshire, England and lies on the East Coast Main Line north of London Kings Cross.-Description:Junctions near the town also connect to branches to Nottingham, and to Sleaford and Skegness...
and Peterborough
Peterborough railway station
Peterborough railway station serves the city of Peterborough, England. It is located approximately north of London Kings Cross on the East Coast Main Line...
, the other via Newark Castle and Lincoln
Lincoln Central railway station
Lincoln Central railway station serves the city of Lincoln in Lincolnshire, England. The station is operated by East Midlands Trains, who provide services along with Northern Rail and East Coast....
, meaning that Spalding can be reached from Nottingham by both northbound and southbound services. Also at 9 pm there is a service that returns to Nottingham via Peterborough
Peterborough railway station
Peterborough railway station serves the city of Peterborough, England. It is located approximately north of London Kings Cross on the East Coast Main Line...
and Melton Mowbray
Melton Mowbray railway station
Melton Mowbray railway station serves the town of Melton Mowbray in Leicestershire, England. It is owned by Network Rail and operated by East Midlands Trains train operating company ....
, bringing the total number of routes, via which direct trains operate between Spalding and Nottingham to three. Two afternoon services in each direction continue to/originate from Newark North Gate. Another service operates to Doncaster (only one way).
Despite the diversity of destinations, the only place reachable during peak times
Rush hour
A rush hour or peak hour is a part of the day during which traffic congestion on roads and crowding on public transport is at its highest. Normally, this happens twice a day—once in the morning and once in the evening, the times during when the most people commute...
is Peterborough
Peterborough railway station
Peterborough railway station serves the city of Peterborough, England. It is located approximately north of London Kings Cross on the East Coast Main Line...
, with the service terminating at Spalding. This is due to the high cost of operating the line north of the station, where a large quantity of manned level crossings are in place. During Sundays Spalding has no services at all.
Network Rail have plans to upgrade the line to enable freight train to be diverted from the East Coast main line but it appears that this will only be during the present operating hours indicating that no modernisation of the level crossings etc will be undertaken.
Spalding nowadays has only two platforms. Platform 1 (adjacent the station building) is mainly used for southbound services towards Peterborough and terminating trains from Peterborough, but is also used by some northbound through services towards Sleaford and Lincoln; Platform 2 can only be used by northbound services. The station used to have seven platforms, five through tracks and two terminal bays with services to March and Sleaford on the Great Eastern and Great Northern Joint, Bourne and King's Lynn on the Midland & Great Northern Joint and finally the Great Northern line going to Boston. There was also, past the Northern Junction a freight line going off to the former British Sugar plant. The bridge connecting Platforms 1 and 2 to the rest of the station still exists; however the entrance to the old platforms have been fenced off and the walk through on the bridge bricked up. The tracks meanwhile have been lifted and the site is now used for housing. Very little remains on the old station, however the façade remains as it was when first built.
Only 22 minutes from Peterborough, Spalding railway station is a few minutes away from the bus station connecting Spalding to Boston, King's Lynn and Peterborough.
History
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....
in 1848, courtesy of 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....
(GNR) who built their main line from London to Doncaster
Doncaster railway station
Doncaster railway station serves the town of Doncaster, in South Yorkshire, England. It is situated on the East Coast Main Line north of London Kings Cross, and is about five minutes walk from Doncaster town centre. The station is managed by East Coast...
through the town. This was superseded by the direct line via Grantham within four years, but it remained well used by traffic heading towards 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...
and Grimsby
Grimsby Town railway station
Grimsby Town railway station serves the town of Grimsby in North East Lincolnshire, England. It is currently operated by First TransPennine Express, and is also served by Northern Rail and East Midlands Trains...
over the former East Lincolnshire Railway.
The GNR subsequently added a line eastwards to Sutton Bridge
Sutton Bridge
Sutton Bridge is a village and civil parish in southeastern Lincolnshire, England on the west bank of the River Nene in the district of South Holland.-Geography:...
via 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...
(the Norwich & Spalding Railway) in stages between 1858 and 1862, a westward route to Bourne
Bourne, Lincolnshire
Bourne is a market town and civil parish on the western edge of the Fens, in the District of South Kesteven in southern Lincolnshire, England.-The town:...
in 1866 and another to March
March railway station
March railway station serves the town of March in Cambridgeshire, England. The station is east of Peterborough on the Ely to Peterborough Line....
the following year in an attempt to thwart the ambitions of the competing Great Eastern Railway
Great Eastern Railway
The Great Eastern Railway was a pre-grouping British railway company, whose main line linked London Liverpool Street to Norwich and which had other lines through East Anglia...
(GER). These efforts didn't succeed however and the company eventually agreed to work these routes jointly with the Midland Railway
Midland Railway
The Midland Railway was a railway company in the United Kingdom from 1844 to 1922, when it became part of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway....
(the former pair forming the backbone of the Midland and Great Northern Joint Railway
Midland and Great Northern Joint Railway
The Midland and Great Northern Joint Railway, was a joint railway owned by the Midland Railway and the Great Northern Railway in eastern England, affectionately known as the 'Muddle and Get Nowhere' to generations of passengers, enthusiasts, and other users.The main line ran from Peterborough to...
system) and the GER (March line) by the beginning of the 1870s. The collaboration between GNR and GER also led to the construction of the last route out of the town, the GE&GN Joint line to Sleaford
Sleaford railway station
Sleaford railway station is one of two stations serving the town of Sleaford in Lincolnshire, England; the other station being Rauceby railway station...
which opened to traffic on 1 August 1882.
By the end of the nineteenth century the town had become a major rail crossroads and the station had grown to reflect this, having more than doubled in size from its opening half a century earlier. It would also later become a popular destination in its own right, with the annual Tulip Festival
Tulip Festival
Tulip Festivals are held in several cities around the world, including a number in North America — most often cities with Dutch heritage — such as Albany ; Ottawa ; Gatineau ; Montreal ; Holland ; Lehi ; Orange City ; Pella ; Mount Vernon ; and Woodburn , and in other countries such as Australia and...
bringing excursion trains into the town from all over the country from the late 1950s onwards.
Later years
The Midland & Great Northern routes into the town were heavily used (particularly during the summer months) well into the fifties, but they were the first to suffer from the BR economy drive of the time, closing to passengers on 28 February 1959. The East Lincolnshire line to Boston was to suffer a similar fate a decade later, with the last trains to Grimsby & Peterborough running on 3 October 1970. This left the 'Joint Line' as the only surviving route through the town, but it was to regain its status as a junction within months - the line to Peterborough regaining a limited (peak hours only) passenger service on 7 June 1971. The Joint line remained a busy freight artery for the next few years, serving as one as the main outlets for the marshalling yard complex at Whitemoor but the general decline in freight traffic in the area would ultimately lead to the Spalding to March portion's closure to all traffic on 27 November 1982. This left the town effectively with the same rail access as it had back in 1848, albeit with trains to Lincoln running via Sleaford rather than Boston.The station, known in steam days as 'Spalding Town', was honoured on 3 May 2002 when a main line locomotive was dedicated to it. Class 31 diesel No. 31106, owned by Cambridgeshire businessman and enthusiast Howard Johnston, who was born nearby, arrived on a Tulip Parade day special train, and a short stopover was arranged for Colin Fisher, Chairman of South Holland District Council, to unveil the cast Spalding Town nameplate (which includes the authority's crest within it) on the side of the engine. He was also presented with a replica plate as a permanent reminder of the occasion. Although intended for public display, this has not yet taken place.