PICTURES SHOW ICONIC BRIGG RAILWAY LINE BACK IN ACTION

The iconic Brigg railway line welcomed its first passenger trains since last summer yesterday (Saturday, February 16, 2019).
They did not run during a dispute between the RMT union and the Northern company about on-board guards/conductors.
The union having suspended industrial action, the Saturday-only service linking Sheffield with Cleethorpes via Kirton Lindsey, Brigg and Barnetby resumed yesterday.
At Brigg station there were passengers waiting to board the first train of the morning towards the east coast, as was also the case when the veteran Sheffield-bound Pacer unit returned to our town shortly before noon.
Two further runs up and down the former Manchester, Sheffield & Lincolnshire Railway mainline followed later.
There were some delays to the timetable due to speed limits being in place at the level crossings in Brigg and Northorpe.
But waiting for the 11.48am train to arrive gave Brigg Blog the opportunity to have a look round what remains of our originally extensive station and surrounds.
The sidings and buildings that graced the scene until the 1970s are long gone, including the booking hall, station master's house, toilets and waiting rooms on both platforms.
The Victorian cast iron footbridge was replaced a few years ago by a modern replacement with steps -  a 'no-go' for passengers with major mobility issues needing to use platform two to board trains for Gainsborough, Retford and Sheffield.
The former coal yard where fuel for household grates was brought in from northern collieries to be delivered by Brocklesby company lorries is now badly overgrown with trees, saplings and bushes.
The historic brick coal drops, with sidings where wagons were accessed from the yard below, were demolished in the late 1990s to make way for redevelopment which has never happened.
Only a few remnants of the brickwork now remain visible in the undergrowth (pictured here).
The only original parts of the railway station are the platforms (much of which has been cordoned off) and a bit of brick wall near platform one.
Unless the RMT dispute resumes, three trains to Cleethorpes and three to Sheffield will be serving Brigg station this Saturday (February 23).
If the sun again has its hat on, as was the case yesterday, some Brigg folk might fancy a day out in Cleethorpes; if not, how about doing some shopping in Grimsby? The town's main station is just a stone's throw from the main precinct.
Regarding refreshments, Brigg Blog recommends the Grimsby Town station buffet (adjoining the booking office) and the nearby Wetherspoon's pub which started life as a hotel serving the railway.
Brigg is still part of the UK passenger network and now the Saturday train service has resumed it's to be hoped that more townsfolk give it a try in the coming weeks and months.

Pacer unit No 142096 calls at Brigg railway station on Saturday, February 16, 2019 with the late morning passenger service to Sheffield on the day trains started running again along the iconic Brigg line following suspension of industrial action by the RMT Union in a dispute about guards/conductors on Northern trains.

Pacer unit No 142096 leaving Brigg station - next stop Kirton Lindsey, then Gainsborough.

A fine view from Brigg railway station's footbridge - tracks stretching into the distance towards Barnetby.

The modern footbridge, with steps, at Brigg railway station. Passengers need to use it to get to platform two (on the right) and board trains for Gainsborough, Retford and Sheffield.

A Northern company notice at Brigg station announcing the suspension of industrial action by the RMT union.

Surviving brickwork from the historic coal drops poking through the undergrowth near Brigg railway station.