East Lincolnshire Line

[Harlesden]

Does anyone know anywhere online I could see a 1960's timetable for the East Lincolnshire Line - Peterborough North - Sleaford - Alford Town - Louth - Grimsby Town.
I believe there were nine direct trains per weekday between London King's Cross and Grimsby Town in the 1960's.
I'm reluctant to buy from eBay as there is no way to tell if an item described as "Eastern Region timetable" is a King's Cross book or a Liverpool Street book.

 

[Welshman]

My Eastern Region timetable,[dark blue paper covers] dated 18th June to 9th September 1962, gives the details of all services in the old Eastern Region - from both Kings Cross and Liverpool St. So anything you buy from that period should include all services within the old Eastern Region.

I remember buying it from Robert Humm's bookshop at Stamford station[for about £10 I think a few years ago], when I'd probably thrown the original one I bought [price 1 shilling] in 1962 away. :cry:

Just out of interest, that shows through trains at 4.12pm and 6.50pm from Kings Cross to Cleethorpes via the East Lincs line [arriving Cleethorpes 8.13pm & 10.46pm]

Both trains called at Spalding Town, Boston, Firsby, Alford Town, Louth & Grimsby Town.

Other services on the East Lincs line were connections out of/into EC trains at Peterborough North.

 

[Harlesden]

Apologies for the size of the image- any smaller and the detail would be unreadable.
In response to the previous post, I am seeing direct trains at 01:15, 04:00, 05:55, 08:20, 10:20, 11:10, 13:20 and 14:20 - assuming I am correct in identifying times in bold type as a direct service.
Not shown in the posted image are the 16:05 and 18:50 services.

 

[Welshman]

No - don't be misled!

In those days [1960s], times in heavy print did not imply a through service. All times from major stations on the line were given in heavy print and times from smaller ones in feint print.

It was not until later that the more sensible practice of using heavy print for through services and feint print for connections was introduced.

Through trains in the 1960s were indicated by column notes, ie Through train and RC from London Kings Cross to Grimsby, etc.

In your own example, the 1.13pm from Boston to Firsby is described by a column note as a through train from Grantham to Skegness, but the departure time from Grantham and arrival times at Skegness are shown in feint print as those stations are not on the direct line from Peterborough to Grimsby.

 

[Harlesden]

Thanks for your guidance, Welshman.
Been looking for an old Table 58 which, I believe, showed services to/from Cleethorpes.
Services approaching Grimsby via the East Lincolnshire Line could not reach Cleethorpes without a reversing movement at Grimsby so I assume.

 

[Welshman]

Yes, Table 58 gave the services from Cleethorpes to Grimsby Town, New Holland and Hull.

And, incidentally, its a classic example of the point I was making, as, despite times at New Holland Pier and Hull Corporation Pier being in bold type, it certainly wasn't intended to be understood as a through train to Hull!

According to my atlas, there was a link from the Great Northern to the Great Central to allow services direct from the East Lincs line to Cleethorpes/Grimsby Docks via GN & GC goods yards, but I suspect you're right in that most, if not all through passenger trains would reverse at Grimsby Town, as that would be too important a station to omit.

But I suspect the Grimsby Docks-London Kings Cross fish train you mention in another thread would have avoided Grimsby Town by this link.

 

[Harlesden]

Thanks welshman. I'll check local libraries for a good historical rail atlas. It's my birthday next month (58) but I'm not known as a railway enthusiast

 

[David Barrett]

Does the 1967/68 issue make things any better for you? Being post 1965 it uses, as Welshman points out, italic to denote connections and bold for through services. As you will see there were two through services each way during the week although this did reach as high as four each way during the 1970s but, as the E.L.R. was closed in 1970, via Newark and Lincoln.

 

[High Dyke]

Wikipedia has this 1914 map of the area, showing the ELL.

 

[Puffing Devil]

I have a 1957 OS map of Grimsby and the curve from the ELL to direct to Cleethorpes is missing.