The railway became one of the most useful travel facilities in our history and continued until the last passenger train left Bourne for Spalding on 28th February 1959 while the termination of freight facilities for the movement of sugar beet disappeared in 1965, virtually ending the railway age for Bourne. Closure heralded the start of a massive demolition programme and over the next few months practically every remnant of the railway system was removed.

The work included dismantling the platforms and other facilities such as workshops and the brick-built engine sheds which had been erected in 1894 but every effort was made to salvage valuable materials such as metal and wood. Some of the equipment which was still usable was given away and the rest sold for scrap.

The railway installations which disappeared included the notorious level crossing and signal box in South Street at the southern entrance to the town on the main A15 trunk road, scene of many traffic delays as the gates were closed to allow steam trains pass on the line between Bourne and Spalding, and several fatal accidents. Another familiar feature, the iron bridge carrying the line over Abbey Road, was also dismantled and a heavy duty crane was brought in to help lift the cumbersome metal sections on to lorries to be hauled away.

Other relics of our railway past that disappeared included the station itself. Although the platforms were dismantled in 1964, the red brick buildings continued in use as the central depot and offices of Wherry and Sons Ltd., the agricultural merchants, who have been associated with the town since the early 19th century. But these too were finally demolished in 2005 when the company decided to relocate and new houses have been built on the site.

The railway age in Bourne is now largely forgotten, yet during its existence it brought trips to the east coast seaside resorts within everyone's reach while travelling to London and elsewhere in Britain became an accessible journey for businessmen.

But there are still reminders of the steam age scattered around the district but not everyone recognises them, such as small bridges on country roads, gatekeepers’ cottages in Mill Drove, the Austerby and in the main street at Dyke village, all with their distinctive design and whitewashed outside walls, and now all sold and converted for use as private homes. Three platform lamps from Bourne railway station also adorn the driveway at The Croft in North Road and developers planning to turn this property into sheltered homes for the elderly have promised to retain them as a feature.