1984
With only a year to go before closure, Jurassic sets off from North
Sea Lane in summer sunshine,
the view clearly shows how the original track bed and adjacent land
had become a popular camp site.
In its later years a Sunday market held at Beacholme holiday camp
(before the repeal of restrictive Sunday trading laws)
produced extraordinary levels of traffic, although weekday services
had become hopelessly uneconomic. Heavily laden
shoppers, carrying home everything from carpets to trays of eggs,
crowded into lengthy trains – "Jurassic" here shown
running into North Sea Lane with a full-to-capacity train of the
former Sand Hutton Light Railway carriage
and both Ashover vehicles.
A lovely portrait of "Jurassic" simmering in the sun at North Sea
Lane a year before closure,
presumably during a lull in the hectic Sunday market
operations.
As far as it went – driver Jim Smith prepares to reverse "Jurassic"
round the run-round loop at South Sea Lane.
Note the proximity of caravans and campers to the station.
1985
The LCLR marked its Silver Jubilee in 1985 with headboards for the
locos and a number of events but nothing
could ameliorate the impact of social and economic change such as the
effects of the miners’ strikes and desertion of
Lincolnshire resorts for sunny Spain by its once loyal holidaymaking
clientele.. This delightful view of "Jurassic" heading
a busy train of the open carriage and one of the Ashovers out of
North Sea Lane terminus, past the GNR somersault signal
and with the station and loco depot in the background captures much
of the fascination of this wonderful little railway in its final
days at Humberston. In the bleak days following closure at the end of
that summer, it would have been impossible to believe that it
would be reconstructed 40 miles south near Skegness and nearly 20
years later, a reinvigorated LCLR is preparing to reopen.
1986
The LCLR had closed in 1985 but there was still a year left on the
boiler insurance so the decision was taken to send
Jurassic to a Gala Weekend at Leighton Buzzard.The loco, seen here at
Stonehenge Works terminus, gave a spirited
performance through the housing estates and over the level crossings
of the LBNGR.
Jurassic (and a visiting Hunslet in the background) seen at Pages
Park,
LBNGR, the start of the line.