Lincoln Avoiding (High) line

[@ROGERBRYANT-rr6io]

Hi David, Possibly I am the only person left who worked Greetwell and Pyewipe Jct boxes when it was busy in the 60 and and 70's I also signelled Kestrel many times. I did suggest to BR to put a chord off the avoiding line over the closed Grantham line to Sincil bank and slew the Newark line over the the LD&ECR to come in at Pyewipe. This would have removed trains from the High street or at the least made it very few. They did not think it a good idea!

[@akrills]

As a young lad (8 years old) in 1963 I began to watch Lincoln City at Sincil Bank and remember vividly seeing the (mostly goods) trains cross over the embankment behind what was then known as the 'Railway End' for a good number of years thereafter. For some reason, many of the trains stopped for a while above SB and I used to think that was because the engine driver was an Imps supporter! Great memories of steam locos at the time, too!

[@robertbaglin3973]

Remember it too and lived in Louth at the time watching Lincoln City and Grimsby Town the following Saturday as they used to alternate home games in those days.Saw many a train pass by the ground which was a bit of a novelty at the time.

[@ianwiseman3247]

I have a friend who lives on Kingsway in Lincoln. Back in the early 80s obviously before it closed, I remember watching a loco from their front window as the embankment was just opposite them. It had coal trucks and was heading from the Canwick Road bridge (to the right) towards the Gowt's Bridge over the high street. It used to pass one corner of Sincil Bank football ground as the line approached High Street. Shame they closed that line, would cut a lot of the time spent waiting for through freight crossing the only remaining level crossing at Central Station!

[@grumpyoldman47]

Part of north end is still in use - it was used when St Mark's closed and the connection constructed which allowed trains from Newark to access Central

[@mickymondo7463]

I remember in the early eighties seeing freight workings on the avoiding line, when I visited Lincoln, I believe it was often used for Fish Trains coming from Grimsby after the East Lincolnshire Railway from Grimsby down through Boston, Spalding and onto Peterbro' was closed

[@g8ymw]

The main reason for this line was for the never ending stream of coal for the South. There was freight from the Doncaster yards, Worksop via Torksey (bridge parapets still there) and Sykes Junction. Also Mansfield via Ollerton and Skellingthorpe. All going to Whitemoor yard near March on the closed Spalding-March line

[@22pcirish]

As a freight train driver, I have to say this line is sorely missed and would be rather busy today! Taking a long container train through the centre of the city at a painful 35mph gets some wonderful looks at the level crossings! 😂😂

[@neiloflongbeck5705]

Photos at the 3:58 mark shows one of the floodlight towers at the football ground in the distance.

[@daz9275]

So why was it removed? My mum was brought up in the SkewBridge part of Lincoln on Beresford Street.

[@deauvilledad07]

Interesting piece of history. Well done 🤓

[@davidtomlinson907]

I remember the iron bridge over the high street and also the trains running behind the Sincil Bank football ground..

[@davidreetham7437]

If the Avoiding Line was still extant today, would the original route satisfy present day freight traffic routing, or would new connections have been needed? If so, where to? A very good video, thanks for posting.

[@hornet1068]

It would need a new connection as even when it was operational it never connected to the line to Grimsby/Immingham, only to the Sleaford line

[@MalcolmBrown-z5o]

I was a pupil at Sincil Bank school for Unruly boys and we used to spend our time train spotting as the steam trains went past our classroom.i ajways thought that the Central Station could have been made a terminus closing the High Street crossing, and using the High Line for the incoming Doncaster and Nottingham trains meaning a new curve at the side of Robeys. i also remember the Grantham curve train crash under Pelham Bridge on a Main line [ECML] through Lincoln day.

[@1936cord812]

I have some photos of the avoiding line but cannot see a way of posting them to you.

[@hornet1068]

Hi, I would like to see those you can possibly add them to my Facebook page, link facebook.com/david.smalley.988

[@carlbentley80]

Interesting video, I don't know the area but still interesting to see the changes.

[@neiloflongbeck5705]

For old maps you can do no worse that the National Library of Scotland old maps archive. Free to browse.

[@charlieb6138]

Test reply

[@andyt3277]

try looking up The old Ropewalk or Holmes train yard lincoln you might get a few more pics

[@waynesmith4612]

Amazing memories, we used to live on Coulson Road the goods trains passing on a night used to send you to sleep. Yes it's sad that so little remains of the avoiding line now. Not sure but at the start of the video where it says Pyewipe junction. Im not sure that is Pyewipe junction. The background terraced houses were not there they were cottages.

[@hornet1068]

Found the picture years ago, labelled as Pyewipe Junction, didn't know much about the Highline then, so assumed it was correct, there was a lot of buildings and houses around there many years ago, so it could be right! I've never checked, just glad I found as much as i did.

[@waynesmith4612]

@@hornet1068 Oh don't get me wrong, the video you have made is amazing, it really is. The thing with the pyewipe photo is the drainage running alongside is not in that position and the engine shed there was a different style. For what it's worth to you i have been going down the pyewipe for over 40 years and still go down pyewipe now most days as i live near it. One of the water towers is still there as is the base of the engine shed and its slightly smaller than the one pictured. But then who am i to argue with an historical pic? When i first started going down there the canteen was still open (that old building is still there even today) and on other youtube videos. 40 years ago i used to know a couple of the old signalman down there so we always passed the time of day and they filled me in on some of it's history over the years. The old avoiding line has some real stories to it as and place with history to it has. Carved into wooden buffers down there was dates and initials from the early 1900s men who worked down there i would imagine.

[@Grid56]

Love the pic of Kestrel, you don't see much of this beautiful 4000hp monster

[@22pcirish]

Its legacy lives on as class 56.

[@lightanddreamsphotography7140]

And this, I remember the trains would slow down on this section as they passed the football ground, especially if there was a game going on :) kzbin.info/www/bejne/e37CcnSEh5d6a8U

[@exb.r.buckeyeman845]

I love the name Pyewipe Junction. Anyone know its origins ?

[@waynesmith4612]

Yes pyewipe is a bird if im not mistaken and it was named that for that reason.

[@lightanddreamsphotography7140]

Named after the nearby Pyewipe pub, which is named after the local name for a magpie I believe?

[@exb.r.buckeyeman845]

@@lightanddreamsphotography7140 Thanks for replying, that’s really interesting, possibly of Magpie decent.

[@waynesmith4612]

@@lightanddreamsphotography7140 Isn't it the pub named after the area? If you time date it wasn't the railway there and named Pyewipe junction before the pub?

[@lightanddreamsphotography7140]

@@waynesmith4612 Possibly, the railway certainly predates the current pub, but I'd be amazed if that was the first pub there?