immingham

A 1915 view of Immingham Dock

"The first sod of Immingham Dock was cut in 1906, and on 22 July 1913, the dock was opened by the King and Queen. It is, beyond doubt, destined to become one of the busiest centres of industry in the United Kingdom. The area of the dock property is 1000 acres, its length 2½ m., its breadth 1m., and the actual water-area of the present dock is 45 acres."

("Lincolnshire" by Cox, 1916)

Early in the 20th century, the Great Central Railway Company invested in a new dock in the Immingham area. A series of lines was built during the period 1906 - 1912 to serve the dock with passenger and goods services. The first (1906) was the Grimsby & District Light Railway (GDLR) linking Immingham and Grimsby. This was originally in part a light railway carrying construction gangs to Immingham but later was double tracked and served goods traffic between West Marsh Sidings - Grimsby and Immingham. The line provided for many light engine movements to and from Immingham Shed (40B) for passenger and goods trains from Grimsby and Cleethorpes, notably fish trains. The line is now single but still serves some of the local factories. Pyewipe Road signal box in Grimsby continues in use. Apart from the early years, the line was never used for passenger services. However, due to engineering works on the Grimsby - Habrough main line one Sunday late in 1975, a deviation passenger service with DMUs was provided over the Light Railway via West Marsh Junction, Humber Commercial Railway and to Ulceby. At Ulceby, a reversal was made for the New Holland direction.

November 1975 saw deviation of passenger trains over the GDLR

from Ulceby to West Marsh Junction due to engineering work on the

main line. Both views show a New Holland - Cleethorpes dmu on this

normally freight only line, the one below shows it passing the

Pyewipe Road box which is still there today.

(Top) A view from the Queens Road bridge which once carried the

tramway over the main line. Looking north, the GDLR can be seen

as can the East Junction signal box in the left distance. The curve

diverged to the right and gave access to the Eastern Jetty etc. had

been lifted some time before this 1980 photograph was taken. (Middle)

A view in the opposit direction towards Grimsby. the course of the

former tramway can be seen on the far right. (Bottom) A view of

Immingham MPD. Note the coal tower which still stands.

(Photos : LEYTR Archives)

The Humber Commercial Railway (HCR), a double track section linking Humber Road Junction at Immingham with a junction on the New Holland line at Ulceby, opened for goods traffic in 1910. Apart from some special boat trains between the World Wars, no regular passenger service ever operated over this stretch until the workmen's service which will be described later. This railway enabled direct links to the north and midlands to be made from Immingham and enjoys considerable use today. Humber Road Junction provided the links to the commercial and dock sidings, GDLR and Immingham West Junction. This West Junction provided the links with the dock station and the route to New Holland.

B1 4-6-0: 61003, 61026, 61042, 61089, 61098, 61168, 61195, 61223, 61250, 61365, 61370, 61389, 61406.

WD 2-8-0: 90029, 90035, 90075, 90142, 90242, 90294, 90443, 90660, 90662.

9F: 92035, 92193, 92194, 92197, 92202.

The 1965 allocation of locomotives for Immingham Shed (40B). At this time the number of locomotives based there had been substantially reduced from, previously, 120 in 1950 and 94 in 1959, to only 27. The shed closed to steam in 1966 (one of the last in the Eastern region to do so). Currently, EWS have a large number of locomotives based at what is now termed Immingham TMD.

47218 & sisters at Immingham shed yard 1979

(Photo : John Law)

A GC (?) lower quadrant signal at Immingham 1979

(Photo : John Law)

Immingham diesel depot in 1979

(Photo : John Law)

The missing link was a route to Hull (via the New Holland Ferry) and this was provided by the Barton and Immingham Light Railway (BILR). Only a single track section between a junction with the HCR at Immingham West Junction and the New Holland line at Goxhill was built. In addition to Immingham, there were two stations or rather halts on the line, Killingholme and East Halton. Later in the 1920's, a halt opened at Killingholme Admiralty Platform between Killingholme and East Halton. The passenger service opened in 1911 with some seven trains each way on weekdays and with an extra on Saturdays. There was no Sunday service. Up to closure in 1963 a fairly reasonable service of five round trips ran between Immingham Dock and New Holland Pier, an extra trip was operated on Saturdays. Diesel railcars provided the services which were not heavily used and became a victim of rationalisation in June 1963 when the service was withdrawn. The line fell into disuse although for many years, part of it was used for storing redundant wagons. The Immingham to Killingholme section was still used for oil traffic.

(Above) Killingholme Admiralty Platform and (below) East Halton, both

taken in November 1964 after closure. It was later used for storage of

redundant wagons. At this time the junction and signalling was still

connected to the New Holland line at Goxhill.

With the demise of the Immingham Dock - New Holland passenger service a surprising alternative appeared in the 1963 / 4 winter edition of the Eastern Region timetable. Table 60 showed a direct service between Cleethorpes and Immingham Dock. This service ran via Grimsby Town and then onto the New Holland line and the Humber Commercial Railway via Ulceby into Immingham Dock. Intermediate stops were made at New Clee, Grimsby Docks (here plural and not as with Immingham Dock, where only one dock had been initially conceived), Grimsby Town, Great Coates and Ulceby. At Ulceby, connection was made with the New Holland trains although there was a new early train direct from New Holland Pier to Immingham Dock with reversal at Ulceby. This service became second class only and generally catered for workmen employed at Immingham. The trains left Cleethorpes at 0616 (0705 SaO) and returned from Immingham Dock at 1640 (1705 MO, 1205 SaO); there was no Sunday service. The Cleethorpes trains were steam hauled and a class B1 4-6-0 normally did the honours. Early in 1964 I decided to sample this interesting journey and caught the 1205 SaO from Immingham. Immingham Dock station was a modest affair with a single platform and run through loop; the structure backed onto the Humber and there was little room for a more elaborate construction. The original station was on the Western Jetty, the structure in 1964 being of a later date and somewhat to the east of the original station. The train was an ancient five coach affair drawn by B1, 61089. There were few passengers but plenty of steam everywhere except in the heating system ! The train left punctually and clattered its way over the West Junction onto Humber Road Junction to the Humber Commercial Railway - this section not having seen a passenger train since before the Second World War. The train journey was uneventful making the stop at Ulceby before arriving at my destination, Grimsby Town. I managed to snap what is now quite a period shot of the B1 pulling the train out of Grimsby Town station on its way to Grimsby Docks (see below). Those were real trains !

The journey journey time between Grimsby and Immingham Dock averaged 30 minutes as opposed to the 45 bus rioute which took 37 minutes. The 45 bus route was fairly well established by then and it was amazing to me why the rail service from Cleethorpes to Immingham Dock was provided at all - there were certainly more worthy candidates. This fact finally did not escape British Railways, the service was abandoned in October 1969. Only Immingham Dock station closed as a result.

This service was not very well known and it is perhaps fitting after 30 years since its demise to remember what then existed.

An extract of the May 5th, 1969 timetable and the last for the passenger trains to Immingham, the station

suitably marked as "may be closed during the currency of this timetable). The Immingham service at this

time consisted of 0640 & 0710 (M-F) 0711 (SaO) ex Cleethorpes and 1613 (M-F) and 1207 (SaO). From

New Holland Pier (reversing at Ulceby) at 0815 (M-F).

Readers can also obtain further historical information on the Immingham Railways by consulting George Dow's History of the Great Central, Vol. III, Fay Sets the Pace (Ian Allen, 1965). Additional information with interesting photographs can be found in Scenes from the Past: 5 - The Railways around Grimsby, Cleethorpes, Immingham, Cleethorpes and N.E. Lincs. by King & Hewins (Foxline ISBN I-870119-04-5); Railways to New Holland & The Humber Ferries by A.J. Ludlam (Oakwood Press, 1996 ISBN 0 85361 494 6); The Tramways of Grimsby, Immingham & Cleethorpes by J.H. Price (Pub. Light Rail Transit Association). There are also a few railway related items at the Immingham Museum.