Description:
Images NTGM022250-NTGM 022256 are all thought to show members of the Houlden family, believed to be of Ranby, Nottinghamshire (see NTGM022248 and NTGM022249). It is presumed that they had family connections at New Bolingbroke.
A Muir-Hill tractor (CFW 859 - a registration issued by Lincolnshire (Lindsey) County Council from 1945 onwards) at New Bolingbroke station. This view is looking north-west with Main Road to the rear and the porch giving access to the station's booking office on the left. The cottage in the background was the gatehouse for the level crossing (or perhaps for the signalman). The youthful driver is believed to be Brian Houlden.
Muir-Hill were a Manchester firm based at Old Trafford, first established in the early 1920s. They built initially rather basic narrow gauge railway locomotives and agricultural and construction plant based on Fordson tractors, but from 1927 particularly specialized in manufacturing dump trucks and shovels, again based on Fordson vehicles. During the Second World War 14,000 dumpers were made for the Ministry of Supply and after the end of hostilities Muir-Hill bought up surplus machines in order to stop the market being flooded and converted them for farm use as the 'Powercart'. This example was very probably one such and is seen here operating in flatbed mode.
New Bolingbroke was situated on the ex-Great Northern Railway 'New Line' from Kirkstead to Little Steeping, a 15-mile 'cut-off' that linked Sheffield and Lincoln directly with Skegness without the need for a detour southwards and a reversal at Boston. It was a very late addition to the railway network, not opening until 1913. New Bolingbroke was temporarily closed as a wartime economy measure from 1915 to 1923 but then lasted for goods traffic until 1964 and passengers until 1970, when the line closed completely.