Branch Visit to Cleethorpes Coast Light Railway

A group of RCTS Sheffield Branch members enjoyed a summer trip to Cleethorpes on Saturday 21 June, with a behind the scenes visit to the 15 inch gauge Cleethorpes Coast Light Railway. Most of the group travelled direct from Sheffield to Cleethorpes with TransPennine Express – a 6-car Class 185 fortunately meaning everyone could be accommodated on the busy train. We arrived at a hot but thankfully breezy Cleethorpes and walked to the railway's headquarters at Lakeside Station. Firstly we were given a brief history of the railway in the small museum. The current owners also own the Scarborough North Bay Railway and the Eastleigh Lakeside Miniature Railway. We then took a return trip on the line – it runs for just over a mile alongside the boating lake to Kingsway Station. Haulage for our trip, and all of the ten return public trips that day, was 0-4-2 steam locomotive “Bonnie Dundee”, built by Kerr Stuart & Co, Stoke-on-Trent (and originally for Dundee gasworks in 1901) and on long-term loan to the CCLR from the Ravenglass & Eskdale Railway. After our return trip we were given a full tour of the depot and workshops, all of the locomotives present had been hauled out into the yard, allowing us to inspect them: the Branch Fixtures Secretary remembered sampling steam outline diesel “Königswinter” as a child at Longleat Safari Park in 1989. After the tour was over there was time for coffee and tea with scones from the café and then a pint from the “Smallest pub in the Planet” in a converted signal box at Lakeside Station. A fantastic visit and thanks to the CCLR for hosting us.