The Disused Railway from the Trent to Lincoln

We’re back on the LD&ECR and picking up the Eastern section from Fleborough viaudct across the River Trent, towards Lincoln. This is the Lancashire, Derbyshire and East Coast Railway between Chesterfield and Lincoln. Opening in 1896 and closing in 1980 due to a freight train derailment. Through that time, goods and laterly coal to the nearby High Marnham power station was it’s life blood. The LD&ECR was bought by the Great Central Railway (GCR) in 1907. Although it had grand ambitions of a much wider network, the LD&ECR only made it between Chesterfield and Lincoln.

Starting at the former Clifton-on-Trent station site, the line appears as straight line through the flatlands of Nottinghamshire and Lincolnshire heading for the city of Lincoln and Pyewipe Junction.

Heading east from Clifton, the lost railway line, now a popular trail with walkers, runners and cyclists crosses drains and ducks under roads before arriving at the next former station site – Doddington and Harby. It opened in 1897 but was closed to passengers by British Railways in 1955, although goods continued to be handled until 1964. On the approach to the station we can see the shell of the former goods shed.

The next village we pass through is Skellingthorpe. The former station is gone, as is the signal box and level crossing. The station house and cottages remain as well as a small weigh hut – now the local history group office.

From here, the line continues in it’s straight formation towards Pyewipe junction and sidings. This is where the LD&ECR met with the Great Northern and Great Eastern Joint Railway (GNGEJR). Once a bustling location with an engine shed too. Now mostly an overgrown wasteland with only the former relief hut left standing.

Become a channel member – https://www.youtube.com/wobblyrunner/join
Buy me a coffee – https://ko-fi.com/wobblyrunner
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/wobbly.runner
Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/wobbly.runner

[Applause] [Applause] [Applause] [Applause] [Applause] [Applause] So good morning welcome back to Clifton on Tren I wasn’t here that long ago it was only a couple of months I filmed the series over walking over fled RW did three videos me and Adam from Clowny local issue Society we started at fled finished here the old Clifton entren

Station I said on that video we’ll be back and I’ve got Jim with me today morning all morning Jim um and we’re going to be walking today the rest of the line from here as far as pie WIP Junction just on the outskirts of Lincoln now we did Clifton on Trent

Station last time it’s a lot less vegetation I always say this I mean it’s quite obvious we’re now in well week before Christmas it was September when we came there’s the old there’s the old station just on the left hand side on the left platform we’re going that

Way and here’s the sign that was at the end of that linkoln bound station platform we are coming at in an extremely wet time aren’t we yeah we are Jim I think it’s going to be a case of just just getting through looks a bit dirty essentially this is the start of our

Journey today cuz you obviously you finished there oh yeah I walked as far yeah we walked as far as this bridge didn’t yeah right didn’t realize I’d come this far up past the station yeah tensioner and a telegraph pole and another tensioner just behind it look so

This was the Lancashire darish Shir and East Coast Railway when it was originally built um is it 18 oh I need to start writing these dates down Jim and fetching 1890 something can’t remember the exact date late 18 yeah n i I was going to say 1897 I don’t know if

That’s that’s stuck in my mind for some reason um and just you might know if you’re watching this video you might probably know a bit of the history of the lanasa darisha East Coast Railway and the name there Lancashire we’re in Nottingham sh at the moment we’re at heading into

Lincolnshire um darbishire and East Coast doesn’t go anywhere near Lancashire the close it it gets to Lasher is Chesterfield um it doesn’t really go anywhere near the East Coast closest it gets to the east coast is where we’re going today just on the outskirts of Lincoln when this Railway was conceived

Obviously as the name suggest it had a lot grander ideas getting out to the east coast at Sutton and across on the West in Lancashire um to Warrington but they only Built This little middle bit well I say little um Chesterfield to Lincoln basically isn’t it and then obviously the baon ranch

That we know clown um and that is on and I suppose it staple diet was the col RZ that was scattered all along this route and although it never really lived up to its initial expectation station um it did serve quite well um the colis and surrounding infrastructure for a number

Of years blue brick which was the seems to be the brick the building of choice when uh when this line was was being constructed I think they’re they’re Telegraph AR they there there Telegraph brackets yeah they are yeah down here see those up there oh wow I walked past them

Yeah look at these here if you can see those oh yeah those up there look a quick shout out for this week’s new channel members um thanks to Richard Harris and Robert appreciate the support guys and while we are discussing the history of this line this line compared

To a lot of the um other LD ECR branches I’ve covered in the past survived quite late on 1980 this closed cuz it was still serving quite a lot of um coal traffic for um High man and power station which is just the other side of

Where we started um and it only closed in 1980 because there was a derailment somewhere between Clifton and oh yeah wherever it only closed because there was that derailment and at the time with Railways being rationalized Etc it was deemed that it wasn’t economically viable to do the repairs and reopen it

Started East incing sheer Loop line that closed cuz it was a derailment south of lurn Road just south of LA and they ended up closing the whole line because of that derailment yeah you know they just took the opportunity to close that’s it they don’t yeah they were

Looking for that opportunity 1970 that was the trend of the time wasn’t it to be closing Railways yeah give them an excuse trally placed something concrete bases for something yeah yeah that one’s got a screw or something sticking out of there it’s got an hole in or something yeah this might be signal

Well we was wondering it kind of opens out and the this side into a plate here not seeing anything on the maps in this location though Jim here we have a site of a an Old Railway Crossing at the size of these Gates almost as big as them ones on the little

Eating line that me and me and Phil saw that day see these aren’t the original Gates might they don’t look new little foot foot cross in there same as that side you say this is a Crossing keeper Cottage and they’ve obviously taken the middle bit out to strengthen it yeah

That’s blue brick yeah retaining W on the side there isn’t it’s a skew angle as well isn’t it so wonder if it was always a gerder that’s good condition isn’t it on on the top before they’ve obviously strengthened it up fresh one blowing through there same this side

Look yeah retaining wall big old bridge isn’t it it is a little cette a lot of drains it’s obviously that type of area isn’t it Flatland um a lot of drain dkes whatever they call them crisscrossing the railway various points another one of those bridges

That’s I call it infield why did they do this Jim I get I think I think it to do with the uh sust strands that own the uh own this track bed now it’s a long distance cycle way I think they had it all but you don’t see this on this SC on

Other other lines de yeah with with the farm traffic and heavy Goods yeah um you can see why it might need strengthening but but this is your side in okay on the left hand side yeah where did the lines go off then for these down so the access was from the other end

Into it I’ll show in a minute but so yeah the sings are there that’s where it is on the map platform uh good good ah like a loading platform yeah loading platform or a cattle dock or something so we’re in um the area of the sidings right is called thorny sidings thorny

Sidings so in geographical terms Jim we’re just on the I suppose we’re not far off dodington no are we in that direction 20 minutes walk ah there is indeed a little building a peek inside not a lot to see old rails look see the old rails there the roof beams

Oh the light’s gone off apologies so it’s right just this context this Hut we’re in those sidings obviously the lines just there look the path that we’re walking down there’s not been too much line side infrastructure here oh wow what what are these I thought these were sleepers they’re not this is

A sleep I know I think there I think it’s a signal yeah I think it’s a signal look yeah all right could do we getting a little bit of do we getting a little bit of foliage off off of these but look at this look

At that can you see there’s a there’s a bolt on there yeah but look at this beauty just having a quick nosy this a little platform little loading platform Jim yeah fantastic just poke the camera in a second isn’t that great it’s great that things like L are left

Isn’t it yeah and still in view um could easily be knocked down or I know turned into something else still see it yeah well that tree is having a good a good bite it isn’t it yeah he’s having a lot he’s taking that that window at this side are these the platforms these

Mounds yeah either side are the platforms still underneath here yeah I think they are it’s a shame you can’t see it’s so thick isn’t it look I know I know you can see in but yeah all you can see is more yeah um more rumbles what a shame I know but they are

They are the platforms they are definitely there but they just cover the stuff and we’ve got the sign um as we’ve seen at the other stations we’ve we’ve seen since F and Clifton on Trent uh the dodington and Harvey station sign so is that the the Station House

Then is it the right the best the Station House ever it’s quite clear in the trees today I can imagine if some of you not seeing that house same design I mean um clown Station House featured many many times the same design isn’t it um all up this line yeah another one of

Those bridges couple of uh well more than a couple isn’t there couple of dozen Railway sleepers repurposed into it I thought it was a seat is it a seat that a seat isn’t it is SE made the sleepers we got a post here boundary of linol Notting linol here out noting them

Zero yep that’s it this is they are so we’ve got some sidings here just by this by this bridge Jim’s going to look at some if he’s going to the toilet but we’ll we’ll follow him anyway oh it’s it’s a platform that a platform Edge yeah right

So where were the sidings then here they so were they sings going along this platform hedge yeah dotting and sidings so the top of the platform Edge Look is is old planks of wood Poss sleepers I’m not sure you can see a bolt there to come exposed with the

Rotten getting fast than everything and you can see the uh the end here look you can see that the end the ramp going down at the end of the platform it’s fair old distance on this platform what are you seeing Jim something’s been stff is been dismantled yeah

Yeah I’m looking on it out might be like a building or or something it’s a lot of reinforced concrete isn’t it welcome to another episode of Railway walks you can deal with an umbrella it’s deteriorated a bit hasn’t it it’s we’ve been walking through light drizzle it’s got worse on and off and

It’s it’s it’s now in the in a state where you actually feel yourself get getting wet might have to ring me bobat out in a minute yeah it’s an interesting structure isn’t it this look it’s like caner Leever overhang on there look strange strange Dimensions got some uh more Telegraph fittings as

Well see them there get a bit closer on these no insulators it’s like a swamp down there I don’t think you’re getting maybe the wrong wrong season can you see the arch there that is a big a decent sized bridet isn’t it mhm I thought we could have a walk on that’s a

Shame right back on the Trap bed did forget to say we’ve not been walking on the Trap bed for about half a mile um since that just before the arch bridge that we couldn’t get get to for the for the flood water uh but yeah now now we’re

Back on back underneath this bridge um up towards skelling thought station coming up soon that’s Jerusalem Road in skelling thought so we’re literally in skelling thought now this is the uh this is the Wednesday so that’s a week next Monday is Christmas day oh dear but this

Won’t be going out till January so just ignore any talk of Christmas I’m just glad it didn’t turn up in a Santa rat I thought about it it’s a lot of work trying to blur your face out coming a Santa R yeah you know this wasn’t the

First station in skel thought was it it was another originally a station was it out on the other line you know the line between Lincoln and gainsbury well that closed I can’t remember the dates now it closed a long time before this arrived in 1897 so this is the station site sking

Thorp station the station was on the left hand side of what the track is here wasn’t it so there nothing left of the station this is actually the platform see we’re on now oh is it yeah yeah actually the Trap bed there right oh so it was right so right yeah

Understand when we get down here you’ll see when it lines up with the rest of it go up towards high white to go on the road yeah you see it lines up and you get straight across so skeleton thought station not a lot to see um as you can see look

Through there these are station houses look oh yeah on your right you’ve got the station master house on that it’s radway Cottages but yeah that’s looking back from where we’ve come there is a couple of well is something interesting down here we’ll just take you and show

You in fact in fact just look at this this sign here site of skelethor railway station and another one that was uh a better view of it look site of skell andth railway station obviously these are modern buildings um take a genius to to work that out was

There like I’m assuming there were sings and goods things at the back here was there I mean there must have been yeah the the way Hut answers that question for me but yeah it’s a nice little setting uh isn’t it at least they you know they’re they’re nodding to the

Original use of the site with all the signs another two signs down there nice little Heritage room RF obviously important in the area so skelling for Heritage room it is still use which is nice it’s not just abandoned or anything so building isn’t it so we walk all the way around shall we

[Applause] so that’s a little skell andth sign um it’s got a a steam engine couple of coold wagons on there as well isn’t it so we’re going to cross the road here and what was originally a level crossing and I think photographs seen as a signal box as well let get over this

Road another interesting piece of trivia is this was the only station on the line in Lincolnshire cuz the Lincoln station um where this line supposed goes now or went um wasn’t an ldcr station was it Great Northern it was a great northern station it is it’s very straight isn’t it

Hello Bas of a signal look at that I mean you can see these look at the sleeve yeah what is that made of couple of snails made made home in there now the sleeve that that the the wire would have come up I should probably explain what

We’re doing now now that we’ve passed skelling Thor just behind us there this line um the ldcr laner darish East Coast Railway I suppose technically as far as we’re concerned it ends when it joins up with what’s now the existing uh gains re linoln line at a place called pie wipe

Uh pie wipe Junction that’s where this line met so in terms of the Lancer D Coast Railway that’s it that’s the end we don’t really care what happens in Lincoln on the story of this line do we that’s as far as it far as it gets so we’re just heading heading down there

Now and another signal post so that was a long straight slug from skelling thought wasn’t it so rich a46 yeah um this is it this is the end of as far as we can we can get unfortunately so we’re not far off now from where this would meet the main Railway

Line the trajectory of the line if we look back spin you around quickly there we go straight in that direction it goes underneath the new Trunk Road and it Lees to the right yeah and we’re going to go down there and have a look p

P wi let’s just talk about P wi pie wipe for a moment P wipe Junction sends there’s even an engine shed turntable Etc it doesn’t look like you can get access over to the main parts around the junction it is looks like it’s still Railway land it’s bordering the main

Train line that’s still heavily used so we’re not going to be trespassing um but there is some more stuff uh there is something of Interest should I say um down near the sight yeah there’s a clump of trees on your right just at the end of this fence

That’s the alignment of the track it curves around that way you can see it curving yeah can and it says this side of those Trees [Applause] He That feels quite a sad end to uh the LD ECR story that is it that is the east in the railway name I suppose you could say even though it’s not East Coast this is as far east as the LD ECR made it as a line when it was built it’s not really

Much of a a shender is it you know bit wow underneath the bridge of the 846 thanks again to all my channel members anyone who buys me a coffee or sends me a super thanks the support really is appreciated but anyway you enjoyed it the weather’s not been too

Bad in the end so never mind um so yeah as always from me and Jim signing off there take care we’ll see you [Applause] Soon [Applause] [Applause] Oh