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Sleaford railway station, which is one of two stations serving the town of Sleaford in Lincolnshire; the other station being Rauceby railway station. Sleaford is the last remaining market town in Lincolnshire to be served by both north-south and east-west lines.
The first railway in Sleaford was the Boston, Sleaford and Midland Counties Railway which opened from Barkston Junction, north of Grantham on the Great Northern Railway main line on 16 June 1857 and on to Boston on 13 April 1859. This railway became part of the GNR in 1864. This was followed by the GNR line from Bourne which opened on 2 January 1872. Next came the Great Northern and Great Eastern Joint Railway which opened from Spalding through Sleaford to Ruskington on 6 March 1882, and from there to Lincoln on 1 August of the same year.
Finally the line to RAF Cranwell, then known as 'Royal Naval Air Service, Training Establishment, Cranwell', opened in 1917. This single track branch apparently ran at a loss: in response to a Parliamentary Question, it was revealed that, even allowing for a credit in respect of the c.15,000 tons of Government stores that were transported along it during 1924, the line still made a loss of some £3,570. Having ceased to carry passenger traffic in 1927, it closed completely in 1956. As of May 2012, the original bridge over the River Slea remains in agricultural use, with that part of the track's route (leading from the bridge to Drove Lane) commemorated on an information board. The former Cranwell station building also remains in use, as a guardhouse.
Passenger services on the Bourne branch ceased on 22 September 1930, although the line remained open between Billingborough and Bourne for goods until 1964. The Grantham to Boston and Spalding to Lincoln lines remain open, as does the north to south link line bypassing the station. This has recently been refurbished by Network Rail and returned to full operation after several years of disuse (as part of the plan to route more freight trains onto the latter & away from the busy East Coast Main Line).
Sleaford is still one of only a few places still to have signal boxes named 'North', 'South', 'West' & 'East' around the area. With the North and South boxes on the Peterborough to Lincoln line, and then the West and East boxes are at each end of the station on the Grantham to Boston line. So if travelling from Lincoln to Peterborough on the train you would pass all four boxes. The North & South boxes are however due to be decommissioned as part of the upgrade work mentioned above at the end of 2013.
23163
Sleaford railway station, which is one of two stations serving the town of Sleaford in Lincolnshire; the other station being Rauceby railway station. Sleaford is the last remaining market town in Lincolnshire to be served by both north-south and east-west lines.
The first railway in Sleaford was the Boston, Sleaford and Midland Counties Railway which opened from Barkston Junction, north of Grantham on the Great Northern Railway main line on 16 June 1857 and on to Boston on 13 April 1859. This railway became part of the GNR in 1864. This was followed by the GNR line from Bourne which opened on 2 January 1872. Next came the Great Northern and Great Eastern Joint Railway which opened from Spalding through Sleaford to Ruskington on 6 March 1882, and from there to Lincoln on 1 August of the same year.
Finally the line to RAF Cranwell, then known as 'Royal Naval Air Service, Training Establishment, Cranwell', opened in 1917. This single track branch apparently ran at a loss: in response to a Parliamentary Question, it was revealed that, even allowing for a credit in respect of the c.15,000 tons of Government stores that were transported along it during 1924, the line still made a loss of some £3,570. Having ceased to carry passenger traffic in 1927, it closed completely in 1956. As of May 2012, the original bridge over the River Slea remains in agricultural use, with that part of the track's route (leading from the bridge to Drove Lane) commemorated on an information board. The former Cranwell station building also remains in use, as a guardhouse.
Passenger services on the Bourne branch ceased on 22 September 1930, although the line remained open between Billingborough and Bourne for goods until 1964. The Grantham to Boston and Spalding to Lincoln lines remain open, as does the north to south link line bypassing the station. This has recently been refurbished by Network Rail and returned to full operation after several years of disuse (as part of the plan to route more freight trains onto the latter & away from the busy East Coast Main Line).
Sleaford is still one of only a few places still to have signal boxes named 'North', 'South', 'West' & 'East' around the area. With the North and South boxes on the Peterborough to Lincoln line, and then the West and East boxes are at each end of the station on the Grantham to Boston line. So if travelling from Lincoln to Peterborough on the train you would pass all four boxes. The North & South boxes are however due to be decommissioned as part of the upgrade work mentioned above at the end of 2013.