Lincolnshire Coast Light Railway
About
The Lincolnshire Coast Light Railway holds a distinctive claim among Britain's heritage railways: it was the very first volunteer railway in the world to be constructed entirely on bare land, rather than reopening or extending an existing disused line. The original railway opened on 27 August 1960 at Humberston, near Cleethorpes, where it carried holidaymakers from a bus terminus for 25 years until closing in 1985 — at which point a small group of volunteers began the remarkable task of relocating and rebuilding the entire railway from scratch at a new site near Skegness.
That reconstruction, involving twelve years of volunteer labour, culminated in the railway's reopening in May 2009 at its present home within Skegness Water Leisure Park, Ingoldmells, making the Lincolnshire Coast Light Railway one of the few heritage lines in Britain to have been built twice by the same volunteer effort on two entirely different sites decades apart. The railway's most historically significant holdings are its First World War trench railway equipment, including the only surviving ambulance van built for the narrow gauge trench railways that supplied and evacuated troops on the Western Front, alongside two Class D bogie wagons and a Class P four-wheeled ration wagon of the same wartime type — equipment that saw genuine active service supporting frontline soldiers in France rather than being built later for preservation purposes.
Today the railway operates seasonally from May to October, running both a restored steam locomotive nicknamed 'Jurassic' and a diesel locomotive on alternating dates, with services typically running from 10:30 to mid-afternoon on operating days. A new station, Seathorne Bank, opened in June 2025, reflecting the railway's continued incremental expansion even six decades after its original 1960 opening. Admission is deliberately modest — a few pounds for a train ride rather than a full-day ticket price — reflecting the railway's roots as a simple, accessible seaside attraction for holidaymakers rather than a heavily commercialised visitor experience.
Set within the grounds of a working leisure park rather than a dedicated heritage site of its own, the Lincolnshire Coast Light Railway rewards visitors with a genuinely unusual combination: a rare, actively used collection of First World War trench railway equipment, and the distinction of being the world's first bare-land volunteer railway, built not once but twice by the same determined group of enthusiasts.
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Plan Your Visit
⏱️ Recommended Visit Duration
💡 Visitor Tips
- Check the current season's operating calendar carefully — running days vary year to year and are not simply 'every weekend'.
- Steam days feature diesel-hauled early trains with the steam locomotive taking over mid-morning — check timings if steam is your priority.
- Entry to Skegness Water Leisure Park itself is free; only the train ride is charged, and modestly.
- Combine your visit with Skegness seafront or Church Farm Museum for a fuller Lincolnshire coast day out.
- Wheelchairs and dogs are carried free of charge on the train.
- This is a low-key, family-friendly seaside railway rather than a major heritage attraction — set expectations accordingly.
- Free on-site parking makes this an easy stop when visiting the wider Ingoldmells/Skegness area.
- Ask volunteers about the WW1 trench railway wagons — their significance is easy to miss without an explanation.
Highlights
The Only Surviving WW1 Trench Railway Ambulance Van
The railway's most historically significant single item is the only surviving ambulance van built for the narrow gauge trench railways that supplied and evacuated wounded soldiers on the Western Front during the First World War. These lightweight tramways, largely forgotten compared to the trenches and battlefields they served, were a critical part of frontline logistics, and the survival of even a single genuine wartime ambulance van from this system is exceptionally rare, offering a tangible, moving connection to the medical evacuation of wounded troops under fire that few other British heritage railways can match.
The World's First Bare-Land Volunteer Railway
The Lincolnshire Coast Light Railway holds the distinction of being the very first volunteer railway in the world constructed entirely on bare land, rather than reopening or extending an existing disused line — a genuinely pioneering achievement in the history of the heritage railway movement when it first opened at Humberston in 1960.
This 'built from nothing' origin story sets it apart from the great majority of Britain's preserved railways, which typically restore existing infrastructure rather than creating an entirely new line where none had existed before.
Rebuilt Twice: Humberston to Skegness
After 25 years of carrying holidaymakers at Humberston, near Cleethorpes, the original railway closed in 1985, and a small group of volunteers then undertook twelve years of labour to relocate and rebuild the entire line from scratch at its present site near Skegness, reopening in May 2009. This means the same volunteer organisation achieved the rare distinction of building the world's first bare-land volunteer railway not once but twice, on two entirely different sites decades apart — a demonstration of sustained enthusiast commitment across more than six decades that few other heritage railways can match.
'Jurassic' the Steam Locomotive
On steam operating days, services are hauled by the railway's steam locomotive nicknamed 'Jurassic', which typically takes over haulage duties from an initial diesel-hauled service around mid-morning. Watching a genuine narrow-gauge steam locomotive at work on a seaside leisure-park railway, built and rebuilt entirely by volunteers, offers a distinctly unpretentious steam-railway experience quite different from the larger, more heavily commercialised heritage railways found elsewhere in Britain.
Collections
The Lincolnshire Coast Light Railway's most significant holdings are its First World War trench railway equipment, including the only surviving ambulance van built for the narrow gauge lines that supplied and evacuated troops on the Western Front, alongside two Class D bogie wagons and a Class P ration wagon of the same wartime type.
The railway itself, the world's first volunteer railway built entirely on bare land when it first opened at Humberston in 1960, was relocated and rebuilt from scratch by volunteers over twelve years following its 1985 closure, reopening at its present Skegness site in May 2009. Motive power includes the steam locomotive 'Jurassic' and a diesel locomotive, operating alternately on the railway's seasonal timetable.
WW1 Trench Railway Collection
The only surviving trench-railway ambulance van, plus Class D and Class P wagons of the same wartime type.
Themes
Time Periods
Current Exhibitions
No current exhibitions. Please check the museum website for updates.