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The Spilsby branch was a 4-mile (6.4 km) long Firsby to Spilsby Railway single track branch railway line that ran between Firsby, on the Kings Cross London to Cleethorpes main line, to Spilsby, Lincolnshire, via one intermediate station, Halton Holgate. The branch line was authorised in 1865 and construction started in 1867. The branch line opened on 1 May 1868 and services started the following day. The line was poorly used from the start. Proposals to extend the line to Horncastle in the 1880s came to nothing. After the Firsby to Spilsby Railway proved unable to run the line at a profit the Great Northern Railway bought the line in 1890.
Contents
Passing to the London & North Eastern Railway in the 1923 grouping the line closed to passengers on 10 September 1939, as a wartime measure. The line never reopened to passengers and closed completely on 1 December 1958.
Firsby to Spilsby Railway
A small local railway company built a branch line from Firsby junction to Spilsby, which it opened on 1 May 1868. The branch was just over 4 miles (6.4 km)long and connected Spilsby to the King's Cross, London to Cleethorpes main line. The only other railway station on the branch line was Halton Holegate. Necessary parliamentary permission was obtained by an Act in July 1865 which incorporated The Spilsby & Firsby Railway Company with an authorised capital of £20,000 and loans of £8,333 for the construction of the four-mile-long single-track branch.
Construction
Construction of the railway began in March 1867 with the ceremonial cutting of the first turf performed by local rector, the Reverend Rawnsley who was standing in for the railway company's chairman Lord Willoughby de Eresby. The railway was expected to be opened quickly but disputes with the contractors arose over the quality of their work and several lengths of track had to be replaced. With these problems finally fixed the official opening took place.
Traffic
Initial traffic levels and income were promising, however by 1885 rail traffic had slumped leading to the Great Northern Railway buying out the Spilsby & Firsby Railway Company for £20,000 through an Act of Parliament on 25 July 1890.
Accidents
In 1920 there was a major accident when the Spilsby engine was derailed and passengers had to be transported by road. When the locomotive was returned to the tracks it managed to reach Firsby in a record eight and a half minutes instead of the normal thirteen minutes. A few days later the train ran into the buffers of another stationary train at Firsby and several passengers were badly shaken. A 71-year-old local businessman, Mr. Welch, died the following day from the delayed effects of the accident.
Decline and closure
Falling usage caused passenger services to be suspended in 1939 just as the Second World War began and they were never reinstated. A goods train service for grain, potatoes, livestock and other agricultural products continued through Firsby for almost another twenty years. Goods including petrol, paraffin and coal continued into Spilsby via the rail link until its closure on 30 November 1958.
The site today
The Spilsby station building has been demolished but other buildings still stand, and in recent years have been used by an agricultural suppliers as a shop and store with new sections added. Between Firsby and Spilsby most of the old track route can still be seen in aerial photographs, marked by the avenue of trees and bushes, with only 5% ploughed out into fields.