We're going back 60 years almost to the day, to the afternoon of Thursday 12th July 1962 when the prototype Brush diesel electric locomotive No. D0280 Falcon calls at Grantham station with The Sheffield Pullman. The man in the cab wearing white overalls is probably the manufacturer's technical representative. Photograph by Cedric Clayson.
Hello all,
We hope this finds everyone well, enjoying some fine summer weather and - depending on where you are of course - coping with the heat.
First, and perhaps most important, we’re very pleased to announce…
Our next Tracks through Grantham meeting: 12th October 2022
We’ve arranged a get-together in Grantham on Wednesday 12th October. If you are already on our Contacts List you should recently have received an email giving additional detail. If you haven't received that email and would be interested in attending please get in touch using the Contact Form on this page, include also a postal address and/or a phone number, and we'll add you to our list of email contacts.
The programme will include a presentation by Chris Nettleton called Steam in and around Grantham. Chris has assembled a really good selection of photographs taken locally by several railway photographers at different periods. Chris edits the Gresley Society’s journal The Gresley Observer and he is also the society’s membership secretary.
So please note the date in your diary; during August we’ll circulate a detailed programme and invitation to people on the Contacts List.
Now for some updates and news…
Updated Website Pages
Tracks through Grantham continues to develop in size and scope, and our website has gained some more photographs and memories including:
- Chris Pearce found a splendid photograph of a group of young men at Grantham Loco standing with one of their main line locomotives in the early 1920s. One of the lads is Chris’s grandfather, ‘Sam’ Pearce, and we’ve added the picture to Sam’s page.
- We’ve added a photograph of a single line key token used on the High Dyke branch between Colsterworth and Skillington Road to retired signalman John Pegg’s page My Early Recollections of Working on the Railway (where there was already a photograph of the token instrument in Highdyke signal box for the Highdyke-Colsterworth section). A similar key token was recently sold as lot 415 in the auction highlighted in item 3 of ‘Other News’ below.
Other News
1. A forthcoming conference in Grantham, themed on Lincolnshire Railways
The 2022 Lincolnshire Railways Conference organised by the Industrial Archaeology Team of the Society for Lincolnshire History & Archaeology (SLHA) will take place at the Guildhall Arts Centre in Grantham on Saturday 19th November. The programme will include a series of talks on various aspects of railways in Lincolnshire. Mel and I have been invited to present a talk in which we will explore the role of the railway in the story of Grantham since 1850 and describe how, with the support and encouragement of many people, Tracks through Grantham is gathering and presenting this history.
For more information about the conference, including the other talks, go to this page on the SLHA website, scroll down to November and download the booking form.
2. The future of Grantham Cottage Hospital
Grantham’s Cottage Hospital has played an important role in the town’s railway history on several occasions, most notably following the high speed accident of September 1906 and the disastrous collision between Peascliffe Tunnel and Barkston South Junction in January 1936. So it was good to read recently that, following concern raised by local groups about the currently disused building’s future, its value has been officially recognised, as announced in The Grantham Journal:
There’s a link here to an account of the hospital’s role caring for accident casualties in the autumn of 1906 which was publicised far beyond the town.
3. Going, Going…
On 2nd July Talisman Railwayana Auctions of Nottingham sold 515 lots of railway relics, mostly of Lincolnshire origin, at Navenby. If you’d like to see what went under the hammer and the prices realised, visit their website:
July 2022 Lots 1 – 50 | Talisman Railwayana (talismanauctions.co.uk) and following pages.
Items of Grantham area interest were spread through the sale in lots 10, 25, 73, 81, 128, 134, 234, 302, 317, 415, 432, 462, 465 and 502.
4. Gone... Grantham’s bid for the Great British Railways HQ
As part of its latest plan to reform the railways the government proposes to establish an organisation to be called Great British Railways (GBR). Last October they announced a competition to identify a location for the organisation’s HQ. Grantham was one of 42 places to submit a bid, but when the shortlist of six was announced on 5th July the town was not among the successful candidates:
There’s more about GBR and the process for selection the location of its HQ at National Headquarters Competition for Great British Railways | Great British Railways Transition Team (gbrtt.co.uk)
5. Online Photo Archives
When you have a few minutes - or even an hour or two - to spare, try putting ‘Grantham’, ‘Barkston’, ‘Ponton’, ‘High Dyke’ / ‘Highdyke’ or other location of your choice into ‘SEARCH’ on these archive websites and see what comes up:
- Rail-Online Home Page
- The Transport Library (…this collection includes buses as well as railways)
Remember that you’re very welcome to stay in touch with us…
via the Tracks through Grantham website:
- for feedback on a specific page, use the 'Comment' box under 'Leave a Reply', which appears at the bottom of most pages;
- otherwise, use the general Contact Form found here.
All the best,
John & Mel