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East Lincolnshire Line

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Harlesden

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I would greatly appreciate it if someone could direct me to a website (or a book) dealing in depth with the East Lincolnshire Line.
I was a small child when I actually traveled the line with no realization that it would soon be gone.
Although Beeching's logic and reasoning are now known to have been seriously flawed, I wonder why it is when other European countries manage to operate their rail network at a profit with much cheaper fares, Britain's solution to mounting debt was to simply shut down a third of the network.
 
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MidnightFlyer

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Shutting a third down in the 60s saved us so much for the present. Something had to be done, otherwise 90% could have gone!
 

4SRKT

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Other European countries didn't manage to operate their railways at a profit, they just accepted the losses (and still do so, as in reality do we). There have also been widespread closures in the rest of Europe, some far more extensive than in Britain (Ireland for example). There is a depolorable tendency in this country to simply assume that things must always be better 'abroad', wherever that may be.

AFAIK the only nationalised railway ever to have operated at a profit since at least the War was British Rail's Inter City Sector prior to privatisation. In itself this is not especially interesting if you believe as I do that railways aren't really there to make a profit, but like roads, schools, hospitals, the Police etc they are part of the national infrastructure.
 

Welshman

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I would greatly appreciate it if someone could direct me to a website (or a book) dealing in depth with the East Lincolnshire Line.
I was a small child when I actually traveled the line with no realization that it would soon be gone.


Not in any depth, I'm afraid, but Paul Anderson's "Railways of Lincolnshire" [Irwell Press - 1992 ISBN 871608 30 9] has a short section on this line, and articles on Louth, the Mablethorpe Loop,Spilsby and Grimsby, plus some interesting photos of Firsby when it used to be a junction station.
 

Kernowfem

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There are a few options. Firstly there's the Disused Stations site, which has a lot of the old East Lincs line on there including pictures etc.

Secondly theres the Lincolnshire Wolds Railway website that also has details and history on the old line.

Books wise there is the Lost railways of Lincolnshire by Alan Stennett, country side books.

Also the past and present series - lincolnshire railways (no 27) in the collection, by Roger Hill and Carey Vessey.

Hope this helps.
 
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Johned

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Beeching was appointed by the Macmillan Conservative Government to look into the finances of British Railways. The larger transport picture asked the question whether we wanted a motorway network which private car use was demanding or did we want to spend cash instead on maintaining a "social" railway. The government were also being pressured by the powerful road haulage lobby in the Conservative party which represented The Road Haulage Assocation who were demanding a simpler commercial vehicle licensing scheme and removal of protection of the railway's carriage of goods. In the main the government acceded to their demands. The railway ceased to carry local goods; it's role was to be the "block" freight train and passenger traffic was to be confined to fast "inter-city" expresses attracting the expense account businessman. Many seaside towns lost their rail link and the Skegness line was fortunate to survive. Finally for me, the definitive book on the East Lincolnshire Railway is so titled, written by A.J.Ludlam (Oakwood Press) originally published in 1991 at £13.50p.
 

Harlesden

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Thanks for the link, trentside, and to everyone else who responded.
Hoping for another London-Grimsby trip in the spring - going via Spalding and Sleaford (for the first time) on either the outward or return journey.
 
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