MAKING A POINT ABOUT BRIGG SUGAR FACTORY

Interest is currently being shown in an important feature of the old Brigg Sugar Factory at Scawby Brook.
Some people may be surprised to learn that the factory once boasted a sizeable internal railway network which connected with the BR mainline through a set of points.
Sugar beet from fields over a very wide area was brought in on wagons, while pulp for use as animal feed was sent out.
The factory, which opened in the late 1920s and closed in the early 1990s, had its own resident shunting engine - steam to begin with and then diesel (not belonging to BR).
Its internal network extended almost as far as Glanford Leisure Centre (now Ancholme).
One siding running close to the western bank of the 'New' river was still evident in 1980 and may have lasted until the factory closed.
Recent interest has been sparked by the present day picture (seen above) which was posted on the Manchester, Sheffield & Lincolnshire Railway social media forum which is popular with railway historians.
These train buffs and Brigg Blog are keen to learn more about the factory's internal railway network and its locomotives.
Who drove the engines and where were they serviced?
When was the last train-load handled?
What happened to the locos when they came to the end of the line?
Who maintained the sidings and points?
We are hoping that ex-factory workers still living locally may be able to provide some of the answers.
BR's cost-cutting decision to close various lines affected the amount of beet brought to Brigg by rail.
In the early 1950s some farmers expressed displeasure when rail bosses axed freight services in the Winteringham, West Halton and Whitton area - meaning beet had to be sent to the Brigg factory by road rather than rail.
The wagons had previously run along the North Lindsey Light Railway to Scunthorpe, then come to Brigg via Wrawby Junction.
However, some of pulp was still being sent from Brigg Sugar Factory as far as Scotland in the late 1970s.
The connection between the factory and BR was controlled from the remote and small Brigg Siding signalbox - a couple of hundred yards to the east of Hibaldstow level crossing.
Picture credit: The local Network Rail track maintenance crew. Remember that the general public must NOT trespass on the railway. The track into the factory passed between the two posts seen here. A gate was swung across when the access was not in use.