The Future of LWR

The restoration of the Grimsby to Louth railway was the long-term objective of the preservation group which was formed when the line was closed by British Rail in 1980.

Ludborough station became the group’s base and then the long haul began to rebuild this historic line as a heritage railway. Since then much progress has been made, and in 2009 a milestone was reached when steam trains started running to North Thoresby.

The plan now is to extend the line in stages, as funds become available, southwards towards Louth. The LWR owns the trackbed as far as the industrial estate on the outskirts of Louth – a distance of 5 miles.

Our first target is to reach Pear Tree Lane, which is close to the site of the former Utterby Halt station. The picture below shows the site in 1982, not long after closure. Our volunteers have already started work on this three-quarter-mile section: the trackbed has been cleared and levelled, drainage has been installed, and a fence has been erected across the southern perimeter of the site. Vital works were also carried out south of Ludborough station between December 2018 and March 2019 during the period when trains aren’t running to relay the existing track and upgrade it to passenger-carrying standards.

In May 2019 our fundraising appeal topped the £50,000 mark. This enabled us to purchase 30 lengths of rail and another 300 sleepers at a cost of £25,000. Thanks to everyone’s generosity, we will have enough materials to reach the half way mark. Two wagon-loads of sleepers have already been moved on site and a hard standing area is being built at the Pear Tree Lane end for storing materials.

In early July 2019 three lorry-loads of concrete sleepers were delivered to Pear Tree Lane. In all, 264 sleepers, each weighing 290 kilos, were unloaded at the site. This was followed by the arrival of the 60ft lengths of rail, each weighing around a tonne.

Building a quarter mile of track requires…

44 lengths of rail

£70,000

800m drainage pipe

450 tons of ballast

You can help!

The running, restoration and maintenance of the railway are all carried out by volunteers at LWR. They are the lifeblood of our organisation. Volunteering gives you the opportunity to meet new people from all walks of life and gain new skills. There is a wide choice of jobs covering every aspect of the railway’s activities.

Donate now!

Making tracks for Louth!

The enthusiasm of our volunteers has allowed us to secure the future of LWR.

Find out why people love visiting LWR

					  We (my two friends and I) visitied Sunday last (13th Spet '20) after having to postpone the week prior and wer elucky enough to getthe last 'compartment' :) We had... read more a lovely time and everyone was so friendly and the staff and volunteers are to be commended for making us feel so welcome. Yes, the railway is (for now) only a short ride there and back, but it was so relaxing and for all of us (as we are of a certain age (!) very nostalgic...the 'safety' (virus) arrangements were really efficiently done too; each 'party' had a compartment for themselevs so no problem there :)  I think those old Mk1 carriages should be made compulsory on today's railways :) So comfortable compared to the awful claustrophobic seating etc on modern railway stock..well done to you all and we will visit again :) Regards John D and Co x (Sheffield)				
jdybo
9/14/2020 

					  What a great couple of hours spent with family at a volunteer run station and train. The station is great, a flash to a bygone era and we had a... read more look in the small museum and shop before having a hot drink and a snack in the cafe carriage, whilst we waited for our departure time. The outbound journey to the North Pole was good and the kids and adults all seemed to be enjoying themselves. Santa came through the carriages giving gifts to the children and the adults each got a pen, which was an unexpected touch. On the return journey the elves got everyone involved in a sing and dance, which was great cheesy fun. Once back at the station, there was a photo with Santa and then we had a look at the engine and our youngest was very happy to have his photo with the driver on the loco footplate. All round good fun and for a great volunteer workforce, I salute them.

Not sure what experiences others had, but we for sure had a great time and highly recommend. I guess it's all about expectations and attitude. Keep up the good work.				
Fergusonhunter-art
12/21/2019 

					  We had a lovely morning trip out on the santa train. My children (3 and 5) loved it. Marc the elf was jolly and enthusiastic and got our carriage into... read more the spirit of things with singing and dancing which made the trip so much fun. 

It is a short train ride but we knew this already and saw this as a positive as our little kids won't sit still for long anyway. The toys were age appropriate and both were played with for the train journey and car journey home. I would without a doubt recommend to others with young children.				
Juboo16
12/22/2019

					  We visited this for the christmas railway visit with our children and their grandparents

The location is fine, plenty of off street parking  nicely set, I love old steam... read more trains and carriages and you know its nice to have a bit of christmas cheer

We got our drinks settled down and then off we set along the track, the kids got a little present each which was decent

The carriages show their age, but hey you know what your getting when you go along to an old station

Santa came and saw the kids then a gent dressed as an elf turned up did some songs and we came back into the main station

My main issue was that in some of the wood sections you could see people had scrapped abusive words into the wood which was a bit annoying and it had been painted over rather than removed

It was a bit of cheesy fun though and highly recommended for people

Makes a nice break				
WilbertD_13
12/21/2019 

					  We took our 4 Yr and 5 months old boys on the santa train yesterday. Lovely festive feeling from the moment we stepped onto the platform, getting hot chocolate from... read more the cafe (which is converted train carriages) to stepping off again. Elf Marc provided our entertainment singing and dancing and getting everyone whipped up on the way to the station (North Pole) where santa boarded and greeted each child by name as he walked down the carriages and gave them a gift. Adults also recieved a pen. The grotto in carriage C was lovely and once we got back into the station we were able to visit santa again and take pics. Wonderful experience and will definitely be going again next year.				
626cerip
12/23/2019 

					  8 of us attended the Santa special yesterday,its hard to believe that these events are run by volunteers.

The attention to detail, the layout, decoration, gifts etc.

Absolutely fantastic experience... read more and genuinely lovely people! 

Parking was the only issue we had on the day.				
gemmag2018
12/23/2019