by John Clayson
The Grantham Railway Sports and Social Club was founded in 1955 as the Grantham Branch of the BRSA (British Railways Staff Association) Club. It was opened 10th October 1955 by Eric Trask, who was the Motive Power Superintendent of the Eastern Region of British Railways.
Photograph lent by Roy Veasey.
Below are some historic aerial photographs which show the club's site and earliest building.
The primary school now occupies the site of the buildings at bottom left. Just to right of centre is the abandoned turntable pit. The turntable had been taken out of use because of ground subsidence but the turning triangle next to the shed had not been constructed at this date. Locomotives requiring to be turned had to travel to Barkston Junction to use the triangle there.
http://www.britainfromabove.org.uk/image/eaw028682 © Copyright English Heritage
At platform 5, the Western Platform, stands the 3.55pm to Derby Friargate.
In the late 1950s/early 1960s the Club's facilities were extended by adding buildings and sports facilities.
Photograph from the Grantham Matters website.
Today the Club's outdoor facilities have been built over and the view of the railway is blocked by new homes.
In 2015 the Club held a weekend of celebrations to mark its diamond jubilee. There were events on Friday 9th, Saturday 10th and Sunday 11th October. Here's a great photo of A3 locomotive No. 60046 Diamond Jubilee taken, appropriately, when this engine was based at Grantham shed in the early 1960s.
The Grantham Railway Club remains very active and it is an excellent and friendly venue for meetings, events and celebrations. The address is Huntingtower Road, Grantham, Lincolnshire NG31 7BA. Phone: (01476) 564860. e-mail: granthamrailwayclub@live.co.uk
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With reference to the Diamond Jubilee of the Railway Club and the A3 locomotive No.60046 "Diamond Jubilee", I was pleased to present a nameplate from this loco to Grantham Museum in 1966/7. The Mayor of Grantham, Montague Ogden, received the plate at a ceremony of which I have a copy of the photograph taken by the 'Grantham Journal'. I do not have the exact date. Since the closure of the Museum, and subsequent limited opening, the nameplate has been in the possession of the Museum of Lincolnshire Life and in store at Lincoln. Perhaps it may be possible one day to bring it back to Grantham where it belongs!
I remember the Diamond Jubilee nameplate very well - it was on display when I first visited Grantham Museum in 2007. It was also prominent in an exhibition about Grantham's railway history held the following year, in which the museum kindly exhibited a large number of my father's photographs. Sadly, along with many other exhibits, the nameplate hasn't been seen in Grantham since early in 2011.
To explain, for the benefit of readers who aren't 'in the know', in 2010 Grantham Museum was threatened with closure by Lincolnshire County Council which had decided to 'pull the plug' on its funding. Eventually the museum was 'saved' by being transferred to a voluntary team in 2011. They reopened the museum in 2012 and have been running the 'front of house' operation since then. They've done a great job, especially given that the council withdrew virtually all support practically overnight, without a properly planned transition. However, the town's museum collection was all packed up and moved away to Lincoln because, I suppose, the voluntary group doesn't have the resources and the training of the former professional staff team.
I too hope that the museum will, before too long, once again give Grantham's proud railway history the profile it deserves.
John Clayson