North Ings Farm Museum

 In a nutshell

Gauge:          2 foot (610cm)

Length:        600 yards (548m)

Opened:       1972 (Private railway) - 1990 (Public railway)

Location:    

Fen Rd, 
Dorrington, 
Ruskington, 
Lincoln 
LN4 3QB

Web:      https://northingsfarmmuseum.co.uk/

Email:    https://northingsfarmmuseum.co.uk/contact-us/

Tel.:        01526 833100

Date of visit:     3rd July 2022

Key Facts

• The railway was first established in 1972 to provide transportation for the farm's chicken and egg production facilities
• By 1981, poultry farming on the site had ceased and the railway and collecting agricultural equipment became a hobby
• In 1990, the local council suggested that the museum's collection of artefacts should be opened to the public
• The railway has eight industrial diesel locomotives and two further locos on loan from the Talyllyn Railway's Narrow Gauge Railway Museum
• There is also a freelance vertical boilered steam locomotive which is currently out of action awaiting a new boiler
• The three passenger coaches were acquired from the Abbey Light Railway after its closure in 2012
• The signal box, which is prominent on the site, was acquired from Holmes Yard at Lincoln, where it was used as a paraffin store. The lever frame inside the box is from  Skellingthorpe near Lincoln.
• The farm site is a treasure trove of farming and construction machinery and industrial narrow gauge wagons
• The museum opens on the first Sunday of each month from April to October.
• The modest entrance fee allows you to roam freely over the site and have unlimited rides on the railway.
• Hot and cold drinks and biscuits and confectionary are available

Route

My Impressions

After Google maps navigated me down various narrow winding lanes I had very little idea of where I was. Fortunately, there was a reassuring sign at the end of a farm track informing me that I had arrived and, furthermore, that the museum was open.

There was a pleasing air of informality about the museum with the owners and volunteers clutching mugs of tea, discussing the relative merits of dog clutches and the intricacies of gearboxes, or demonstrating and explaining the exhibits to visitors.

I was invited to wander the sheds and the grounds at my leisure. I started with the sheds, wherein were stored an impressive array of industrial locos .....

...... tractors of various vintages ......

..... and a lightweight Commer truck.

The grounds proved equally intriguing, with a vast array of industrial narrow gauge wagons and locos in various states and stages of renovation.

After a chat with the staff who were keen and well informed to answer any questions I posed, I took a ride on the train.

After curving round beside the signal box, the train made a descent .......

..... to the nether regions of the site.

We wound our way through the lush undergrowth ....

.... passing by the lake and then made a 1:35 climb back up towards the main part of the museum

......  and passed through the station (Pear Tree Junction), .....

before repeating the journey and then arriving back at the start.

I spent a very pleasant morning at the Museum and gained considerable knowledge of industrial locomotives and the history of the museum from the well informed and helpful staff who were in attendance.

I can thoroughly recommend a visit if you happen to be in the area on the first Sunday of a summer month. It's far more interesting than an impersonal, regimented and formalised railway museum. Particularly if you want to get down to the nitty gritty of how these things work.

Video