Historic planes to fly over Lincolnshire as part of WWI weekend in Skegness

The historic biplanes are just one of the attractions on the Lincolnshire Coast Light Railway’s increasingly popular WW1 weekend.

Weather permitting, the Tiger Moths will land on or fly over the aerodrome immediately adjacent to the award-winning heritage railway, located at Skegness Water Leisure park in Walls Lane, Ingoldmells.

The two-day event will feature a WW1 encampment, the Hull Rifles Re-enactment group, the Skegness Royal British Legion and the chance to see and ride in trains formed of railway vehicles built for use in the battlefields.

“One of those vehicles, now the disabled access carriage # 2572, still bears shrapnel holes in its framework from being too close to the German artillery,” a LCLR spokesperson said.

"After the Armistice it spent 30 years carrying potatoes and sugar beet on the Nocton Estates Railway across the Lincolnshire Fens, then was converted to a passenger carriage for the opening of the Lincolnshire Coast Light Railway in 1960 and was restored and converted thanks to a People’s Millions National Lottery grant 10 years ago.”

Trains will alternate between demonstration WW1 military trains and public passenger trains between Walls Lane and Seathorne Bank stations at normal fares of £2 return for adults and £5 for families (two adults and up to three children) and dogs travel free. Trains will start running at 10.30am and services will conclude by 4pm.

Chairman of the LCLR’s Historic Vehicles Trust, Richard Shepherd, said: “Inclement weather prevented the Tiger Moths from flying last year, so we’re hoping Mother Nature will be kinder this year and they can participate on the first day.

"Our railway is based around historic rolling stock from the First World War and this event pays tribute to the bravery and sacrifice of those brave people who fought under conditions of unimaginable horror”.