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| The proposed route of the East Lincolnshire Light Railway. |
(The only part of this that has even a grain of truth is the fact that an Act of Parliament was passed for the construction of a line from Saltfleetby to Saltfleet. In fact, a copy of it appeared on that well known auction site about 10 years ago. I bid on it but didn’t win. The farmers were noted potato farmers in the area and there was an RAF base at North Cotes)
The Route.Diverging from the Louth to Mablethorpe line at Saltfleetby. This railway was close to 12 miles in length with stations at Saltfleet, Skidbrooke, North Somercotes, Grainthorpe, Marshchapel and North Cotes. In addition there were 2 freight only extensions, one a branch of just under a mile to the harbour at Saltfleet Haven and at North Cotes the line extended on to the RAF base from the village station. There was also a branch line of just under 6 miles from North Somercotes to Covenham with an additional station at Conisholme. In addition to this several sidings were constructed at the larger potato farms around along the line.
A Brief History.
With the completion of the branch line from Louth to Mablethorpe in 1877 the communities of the East Lincolnshire coastal plain felt that a railway would be beneficial to them. Indeed the construction of a section to Saltfleet, including the Haven and on as far as North Somercotes was authorised in the 1877 act of Parliament at the time of the construction of the Louth - Mablethorpe line but this had not proceeded with so farmers, townsmen and bankers from the area approached firstly the Great Northern Railway where their plans for the line initially fell on deaf ears.
In 1892 a new act of Parliament was passed authorising the construction of the East Lincolnshire Light Railway. With no major earthworks to be constructed on the route construction was swift and the line was passed as safe for operation in early 1895 by Her Majesties railway inspector. The first day of operation was March 20th 1895.
The line was an immediate success with the trains to Louth on Market day a huge success. These early years were to be the lines golden years. Many of the potato farmers in the region who already had 2’ or 2’ 6” gauge lines working their fields, found it to their advantage to ship the potatoes away from their farms on this new railway line.
Robert Caldwell had many farms in the Grainthorpe and North Somercotes area with 11 miles of trackage linking them alone. He had a siding connecting to the E.L.Lt. Rly at Haxby field close to Grainthorpe Station. Another farmer S.S. Mossop, had a siding built at Clyde house farm near to Marshchapel.
Like all railways the line struggled through the first world war. Many people fearing that they would loose the railway after the cessation of hostilities in 1918. The services were cut back but the large quantities of potatoes alone (potato farms were producing as much as a ton of potatoes per acre in the post war years) coming down the line was enough to convince the management of the L.N.E.R. that the line still served a valuable purpose when it took over the line in 1923 under the railways act of 1921.
The branch line down to the Haven was built with the intent of harnessing the potential of the small fishing fleet harboured there. Though it did not cause the hoped for expansion in fish landed at the Haven. There was enough landed for specific fish trains to be added to the timetable.
Passenger traffic between the wars was not as heavy as it had been before 1914. Improvements in the roads and the increase in the use of the motor vehicle first put paid to the branch line to Covenham in 1930. Though the still huge volumes of potatoes being produced meant that the lines future carrying freight was pretty secure.
Shortly after the start of the second world war the line as a whole closed to passengers. Though it was hoped that might be a temporary measure the line never reopened for a regular passenger service. Though freight services were continued especially with the R.A.F. Station at North Cotes at the end of the line. Some airmen were bought into the station by train.
But this stations spotted operational history was to cause problems. The station was closed and reopened several times and by the late 1950’s it was feared that the line would close for good. One leg of the wye junction down to the Haven in Saltfleet was lifted. The daily goods service train was cut to Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays and then cut to only on a Wednesday.
With the announcement that the Louth to Mablethorpe line was to close in 1963 it seemed that this would be the end but once again R.A.F. North Cotes was to be the lines saviour. It was to become the first base for a Bloodhound missile squadron. Our first line of defence in case of attack from the Communist bloc. 25 squadron reformed at North Cotes on 1st. October 1963.
Once again the line was very busy with armaments, munitions and all kinds of supplies on the line as the developments took place at the base. The line was even upgraded due to the heavy weight of the traffic. The light railway standard that the line was originally laid to was not good enough to take the heavier more frequent trains The villages along the line also saw a freight service start up again and several unsuccessful attempts were made to start up a passenger service. With only the market day trains being utilised.
The earlier lifting of one leg of the wye in Saltfleet meant that trains had to reverse down the line to the Haven before heading up to North Coates, as one particular farmer had ploughed over the old track bed after that piece of line was removed.
Alas, all good things must come to an end and with an improvement of the roads around Grimsby and Cleethorpes not so far from North Cotes, coupled with the forthcoming closure of the station in 1971 the R.A.F. opted to bring any supplies in by road and without that traffic to sustain the line it closed for good in 1970.
Track lifting was swift and thorough and if you were to travel to North Lincolnshire today You would see no remanants of the railway at all. Though those of a keen eye and a good imagination might well be able to trace where the line ran down to Saltfleet Haven
Stations and Mileages.
Saltfleetby (junction for the E. Lincolnshire light railway)....0 miles
Gowts Farm Junction (junction for the Haven)...................1.9 miles
Saltfleet Station ......................................................….........2.4 miles
Skidbrooke.............................................................…….......3.7 miles
North Somercotes (junction for Covenham)..........…...........4.7 miles
Haxby’s Field siding (Cauldwells Farms)...................….....7.25 miles
Grainthorpe..............................................................……......7.4 miles
Clyde Farm siding (S.S. Mossop farm)...................…..........9.4 miles
Marshchapel.............................................................……......9.6 miles
North Cotes........................................................…..............10.5 miles
North Cotes Airfield…......................................…...............11.9 miles
HAVEN BRANCH (miles from Haven Junction)
Saltfleet Haven......................................................................0.9 miles
COVENHAM BRANCH (miles from N. Somercotes)
Covenham Branch Junction.................................................0.4 miles
Conisholme.....................................................….................1.6 miles
Covenham......................................................…..................5.7 miles
