May 25, 2021 9.45 am This story is over 34 months old

Lincolnshire Coast Light Railway to reopen at Skegness this summer

An iconic 118-year-old steam train will be on the rails

By Local Democracy Reporter

The Lincolnshire Coast Light Railway will be returning to service in Skegness for the first time in over a year this July, and a much-loved steam train will be used on it.

The summer season for the railway begins when it reopens at Skegness Water Leisure Park on July 24, after not operating throughout 2020 due to the pandemic.

The Lincolnshire Coast Light Railway missed its 60th anniversary as the first heritage railway in the world built on a greenfield site last year, after COVID-19 lockdowns kept it closed.

Jurassic on the first stage of her successful test run, to the new station building being built at Walls Lane. | Photo: Dave Enefer/LCLR

The 1903 vintage steam locomotive Jurassic will be the star attraction at the railway when it returns, after the iconic train passed its steam test.

This means that it can continue to run services and maintain its 118 year history, and a new station building is currently under operation after a £5,000 business recovery grant from Lincolnshire County Council.

Trains will run on the Lincolnshire Coast Light Railway between Saturday, July 24 and Saturday, September 4, alternating between steam and diesel operated days.

Jurassic returns from her successful test run to South Loop. | Photo: Dave Enefer/LCLR

The trains will operate between 11am and 4pm, with the first steam services being diesel hauled before the steam locomotive takes over from midday.

A family ticket costs just £5, and fares are priced at just £2 per person for a ride on the iconic railway.

Paul Walkinshaw, the man described as the “driving force” behind Jurassic’s restoration throughout the 1980s, 90s and 00s, sadly died aged 59 on May 21, but this is news that would be sure to make him proud.