All aboard for the Probus Club at Lincolnshire Light Coast Railway

Skegness Probus Club in the LCLR's yard with Peter Balderstone, against a background of locomotives 'Sark', "Paul' and 'Wilton'.

The club, which caters for retired business and professional people, went along to Lincolnshire Coast Light Railway (LCLR) and were particularly interested in the period it was opened on its original site at Humberston, near Cleethorpes in 1960.

At the time it was the first heritage railway in the world to be built by enthusiasts on a greenfield site.

Such railways are now major tourist attractions and contributors to the economy at locations around the world.

The line moved to the Skegness Water Leisure Park in 1992 after closure of its Humberston route and reopened in 2009 and, this year, will introduce Monday services in August,

LCLR long-serving volunteer Peter Balderstone gave a talk on the railway and its history, its collection of historic locomotives, carriages and wagonsat Probus' regular meeting place, the Vine Hotel in Skegness.

Members then visited the railway on the Saturday, enjoying journeys behind the 1903-vintage steam locomotive "Jurassic", the former War Department diesel "Major J.A. Robins R.E." and were given a guided tour of the railway's collection of carriages and wagons from the former Ashover, Sand Hutton and Nocton Estates railways, including some which had carried troops, ammunition and the wounded in the First World War's battlefields.

In the afternoon, a group of members from the Industrial Railway Society who had travelled from all over the North and East of the UK to visit the LCLR and other lines in Lincolnshire which had once served industry and agriculture, enjoyed a similar visit and the opportunity to ride and photograph the LCLR in action and see behind the scenes.

Chris Bates, of LCLR, said: “In addition to its popular Wednesday and Saturday services in July, such is the interest in its unique collection of English narrow gauge railway equipment which once served the battlefields of World War One and industry and agriculture.”

Lincolnshire Coast Light Railway is located on Skegness Water Leisure Park in Walls Lane.

For more details about LCLR and opening times, visit http://www.lclr.co.uk/