SERVING THE COMICALLY NAMED AND REMOTEST FENLAND HAMLET OF TONGUE END, Counter Drain station on the old M&GNJR can still be located and indeed the only property, the station house, survived until recently when it was demolished and a handsome new property built – I was able to see this on my Tuesday expedition with Martin exploring the remains of the Spalding to Bourne section of the line. Counter Drain got its name from the adjacent drain and the railway bridge which crossed it survives – cordoned off to keep trespassers out of the nearby nature reserve. The bleakest but most fascinating spots for anyone with an interest in railway and local history. The twice weekly bus service which replaced the trains had this destination blind with a list of some of Fenland’s more esoteric names: Route 318 had one of the oddest worded timetables of any service in Lincolnshire: Spalding-Pode Hole-Cuckoo Bridge-Counter Drain-Tongue End.
source Chris Bates
