Alex Coomber
Chesterfield to Lincoln. It opened in 1897. It closed between 1951 and 1955. Chesterfield Market Square, Arkwright Town, Bolsover, Scarcliffe, Shirebrook North, Warsop, Edwinstowe, Ollerton, Boughton, Tuxford, Dukeries Junction, Fledborough, Clifton On Trent, Doddington & Harby, Skellingthorpe and Lincoln. One of the longest railways planned in Britain at the end of the 19th Century. The heavily engineered Lancashire, Derbyshire & East Coast Railway failed miserably to achieve its goal. In the east. The major engineering feature is the 59 arch Fledborough Viaduct. But in the west. The notorious 1 and a half mile Bolsover Tunnel was dogged by subsidence and flooding. The tunnel closed in 1951 leaving the rest of the railway with a skeleton passenger service until closure in 1959. Collieries kept much of the line open until the last. Thoresby closed in 2015. Today. A Network Rail test track makes use of the mid section while 11 miles at the eastern end is a footpath and cycleway.
