GOOD NUMBERS
We still seem to have a good number of people using the trains, especially at Carlton when I am there on a Friday morning.
June 26 saw six on and five off the 08.41 to Grimsby, including two for Edinburgh via Newark. The 09.03 to Crewe had 17 join and one alight, back up to numbers we had pre-covid on this service, although many people say to me that they miss the direct trains to Matlock, so don’t go as often because it now means a change with quite a long wait for a connecting train. In the same way the loss of an early morning train to Lincoln has also caused problems. Lowdham and Fiskerton still have early trains. One regular traveller tells me he now has to go into Nottingham to catch a Lincoln train.
TICKETS PLEASE
You will have seen that bases with electrical connections have appeared at both stations. These are for ticket machines to enable people to collect pre-booked tickets or obtain a ticket before travelling, rather than having to obtain one from the conductor guard. However, you will still be able to buy tickets on the train as the machines will not accept cash. Also, the one at Carlton is on platform 2. It would have been better on the Nottingham side, but it had to go where there were suitable electrical points.
When there was a fire at Nottingham station a few years ago, people kept turning up to see if there was a ticket machine where they could obtain their pre-booked tickets, which shows to me that many people do not start their rail journeys at Carlton or Netherfield, but rather Nottingham because we have such a poor train service – not even a direct train to London. Several times I have been on the station and a train has either been cancelled, or is running very late, and those with connections at Nottingham sometimes must resort to ‘phoning for a taxi. Next time they won’t risk it. Nowadays you can check before leaving home how a train is running.
PLANTING PROBLEMS
It has been a struggle to keep the flowers surviving at Carlton and been necessary to water every other day. Flowers in the planters have held up, but those in the flower garden haven’t done so well, even the well-established ones. I might have to rethink what is grown in summer. Any suggestions? (No, not cacti yet).
EXTREME WEATHER
One extreme weather event we no longer must contend with is the ‘pea-souper’ fog which could last for 2 or 3 days. Trains still ran, but there was disruption. I was reminded of this when I recently obtained some railway accident reports from the late 1950s early 1960s and a couple involved dense fog with visibility around 20 yards. One of these (East Ham, London 12/11/59) was of a driver who missed a signal and ran at low speed into the back of another train, fortunately only a few of the passengers were slightly injured. Lessons were learned and since those days most lines are equipped with colour light signals which can penetrate the fogs and mists, we still sometimes have. Also, there is an automatic warning system for drivers, which means that rail is the safest form of transport.
However, improvements continue and the latest is the Digital System which will see 100 miles of the East Coast Main Line from just south of Grantham to London King’s Cross equipped with the European Train Control System which uses in-cab signalling which will eventually do away with lineside signalling. Train drivers will be provided with continuous real time information via the Global System for Mobile Communications-Railway infrastructure. It will also reduce costs over the current S’Y5tem. Of course, trains which use this route will have to have the new system fitted, so it will be around late 2029 before the full system is in operation.
A far cry from the days of semaphore signals and signal boxes when it wasn’t unknown in foggy weather for a driver to send his fireman up a signal ladder to see if the arm was on (danger) or off (line clear ahead).
NEWS FROM OTHER LOCAL STATIONS
Already mentioned that Sleaford and Netherfield have been shortlisted for the Community Rail awards, and on the Nottingham to Lincoln line Burton Joyce and
Lowdham Adopters have also been shortlisted in the Community Engagement category for their work on 175 years of the Castle Line.
Heritage Open Days are being held on 5 days in September at Lowdham signal box
(now in the grounds of the Station House), with a photographic exhibition of scenes along the line in the 1960s before modernisation came along. The event takes place on the 10th/11th/17th/18th and 27th of September, with slots available between 2-4pm.Go to eventbrite.com and look for Lowdham Signal Box.
BRANCH LINES
Very few of our trains to Crewe now call at Longport. Instead, it is served by an hourly Birmingham to Crewe service via Stoke.
When new Aurora trains take over on the Midland MainLine, the current class 180 units will remain for a while, so they can still be used on summer trains to Skegness.
EMR have released a documentary showcasing the ongoing project to build the new Aurora Intercity fleet. View the video ‘Building the Aurora fleet’.
The Boston and Skegness Towns Deal Funds have been accepted which included plans to develop both stations. It is still in its early stages.
Applications has been made to turn the old car showroom adjoining Carlton station into a gym.
It is hoped the 50th anniversary of the closure of Colwick Marshalling Yard, which should have been held in 2020, but postponed owing to covid, will take place in Spring 2023
