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  3. MIDLAND & GREAT NORTHERN JOINT RAILWAY

M&GNJR MISCELLANY

Included here are pictures of the old Midland & Great Northern Joint Railway that are not really about locomotives - coaches, wagons, stations, engine sheds, bridges, etc. These pictures are published for pleasure/information/research purposes only and are not for sale or copy under any circumstances. Information in captions has been researched as thoroughly as possible but its accuracy cannot be guaranteed.
A few thoughts on the tickets - at the bottom centre of some is a four digit number, 2554 in the case of Hillington. This an LNER station identification code, denoting the point of origin but not the destination. On the M&GN, the stations were numbered alphabetically, starting with Attlebridge, 2530, and ending with Yarmouth Beach, 2594. This would suggest that tickets with these number are post-1923 whereas those without would predate that. The destination is printed under this number or left blank to be handwritten. I presume that these outward portions were returned to the station of origin or to regional headquarters for accounting purposes and the code numbers enabled staff to sort them more quickly and accurately. I might add that this is all purely guesswork as I have been unable to find any evidence to support this idea.
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SPALDING - Opened in October 1848 by the GNR on the Peterborough to Boston and Lincoln routes, Spalding quickly expanded into a major railway centre, with lines to Holbeach in 1862, Bourne in 1866 and March in 1867. The railway map was competed in 1882 with the GN/GE Joint line to Sleaford. By this time the station had expanded to 7 platforms and had it's own motive power depot. The station is seen here in about 1910 with an M&GN train about to depart.
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SPALDING - Opened in October 1848 by the GNR on the Peterborough to Boston and Lincoln routes, Spalding quickly expanded into a major railway centre, with lines to Holbeach in 1862, Bourne in 1866 and March in 1867. The railway map was competed in 1882 with the GN/GE Joint line to Sleaford. By this time the station had expanded to 7 platforms and had it's own motive power depot. The station is seen here in about 1910 with an M&GN train about to depart.

  • SPALDING - Although technically a GNR Station, the M&GN enjoyed full use of the generous facilities at Spalding - indeed, any M&GN train calling there was obliged to reverse direction and change engines, hence the presence of an M&GN locoshed. Seen here in about 1920 with an M&GN train departing on the right, 4-4-0 No.4 I think.
  • SPALDING - Opened in October 1848 by the GNR on the Peterborough to Boston and Lincoln routes, Spalding quickly expanded into a major railway centre, with lines to Holbeach in 1862, Bourne in 1866 and March in 1867. The railway map was competed in 1882 with the GN/GE Joint line to Sleaford. By this time the station had expanded to 7 platforms and had it's own motive power depot. The station is seen here in about 1910 with an M&GN train about to depart.
  • SPALDING LOCO DEPOT - Seen here in the 1950's, Class J6 No.64231 nearest the camera, flanked by 2 Ivatt Class 4MT's.
  • SPALDING LOCOSHED - The little two-road locoshed at Spalding usually played host to a fair number of engines due to the fact that all M&GN trains calling at the station were obliged to reverse - notice that all of the engines in this picture face south! Spalding was also the terminus of local services from Sutton Bridge and Bourne. Seen here in the 1920's I think.
  • STALHAM - Opened by the Yarmouth & North Norfolk Railway in July 1880, Stalham was the second stop from North Walsham on the line to Yarmouth Beach. After closure, the station building was eventually demolished and re-erected at Holt on the NNR - seen here in 1920.
  • STALHAM - Opened by the Yarmouth & North Norfolk Railway in July 1880, Stalham was the second stop from North Walsham on the line to Yarmouth Beach. It closed along with almost everything else. The station building was eventually demolished and re-erected at Holt on the NNR.
  • STALHAM - Opened by the Yarmouth & North Norfolk Railway in July 1880, Stalham was the second stop from North Walsham on the line to Yarmouth Beach. It closed along with almsot everything else. The station building was eventually demolished and re-erected at Holt on the NNR. The station platform furniture is of interest in this view.
  • STALHAM - Opened by the Yarmouth & North Norfolk Railway in July 1880, Stalham was the second stop from North Walsham on the line to Yarmouth Beach. It closed along with everything else and in this picture appears to be in use as a builders yard. Most of the buildings appear to be fairly intact. The station building was eventually demolished and re-erected at Holt on the NNR.
  • SUTTON BRIDGE, Lincolnshire (1) - Cross Keys Bridge is a swing bridge that spans the tidal River Nene in Sutton Bridge, Lincolnshire. When it was built in 1897, it was the third bridge to cross the Nene in Sutton Bridge. The bridge is still in use today carrying the busy A17 between Lincolnshire and Norfolk. It was originally a dual purpose bridge serving the Midland and Great Northern Joint Railway Company on what is now the westbound carriageway and the road was on the eastbound side. The railway line was closed in 1965 and the bridge took on its present day use as a road bridge. Armstrong Whitworth built the engines which supplied the power to swing the bridge. The hydraulic house is now undergoing conversion to a family home but will retain the hydraulics and accumulators, which are housed in a 40-foot high tower. The bridge swings to allow ships and pleasure craft using the River Nene to pass through to the Port of Wisbech, in the 1880's the 11th busiest timber port in Britain. Seen here on March 24th, 2014, looking east. The right hand arch carried the railway. Much of the nearby outside furniture shown on other pictures is modelled on the design of the bridge.
  • SUTTON BRIDGE, Lincolnshire (2) - In this small park area just by the Cross Keys Bridge, all of the furniture has been made to resemble the construction of the bridge - here we see a bench and cycle rack at the western end of the bridge - March 24th, 2014.
  • SUTTON BRIDGE, Lincolnshire (3) - In this small park area just by the Cross Keys Bridge, all of the furniture has been made to resemble the construction of the bridge - here we see a notice board and a planter at the western end of the bridge - March 24th, 2014.
  • SUTTON BRIDGE, Lincolnshire (4) - In this small park area just by the Cross Keys Bridge, all of the furniture has been made to resemble the construction of the bridge - here we see furniture in a small grassy area at the eastern end of the bridge - March 24th, 2014.
  • SUTTON BRIDGE, Lincolnshire (5) - In this small park area just by the Cross Keys Bridge, all of the furniture has been made to resemble the construction of the bridge - here we see that even the signpost at the eastern end of the bridge is modelled after it - March 24th, 2014.
  • SUTTON BRIDGE, Lincolnshire (6) - In this small park area just by the Cross Keys Bridge, all of the furniture has been made to resemble the construction of the bridge - here we see barriers on a traffic island modelled on the girders that span the bridge - March 24th, 2014.
  • SUTTON BRIDGE, Lincolnshire (7) - In this small park area just by the Cross Keys Bridge, all of the furniture has been made to resemble the construction of the bridge - here we see the town sign board at the eastern end of town modelled on the bridge girders - March 24th, 2014.
  • SUTTON BRIDGE - Aerial shot of the Cross Keys Bridge in about 1930. The station is just out of shot to the left.
  • SUTTON BRIDGE - An Ivatt 0-6-0 arrives with a local from Spalding, bound into the bay platform, in BR days while a westbound train awaits it, this section being single line.
  • SUTTON BRIDGE - An Ivatt 0-6-0 is backing into the station in BR days. Looking east from the station footbridge, both signalboxes are clearly seen and the Cross Keys Bridge in all it's majesty.
  • SUTTON BRIDGE - An unidentifiable Class J17 approaches Sutton Bridge from Spalding on an eastbound freight train.
  • SUTTON BRIDGE - CROSS KEYS BRIDGE - Opened in 1897, the Cross Keys Bridge is an hydraulically powered swing bridge across the River Nene, necessary to allow ships access to the port of Wisbech, in the top to of English timber importing ports at that time. The south side of the bridge carried a single track of the M&GN and the north side the road, both sides now being devoted to road use. Note the signals at the western end of the bridge and the crossing keeper's cottage, which still stands. Seen here looking north, seawards.
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