Owners put Cleethorpes Coast Light Railway up for sale
CLEETHORPES Coast Light Railway is up for sale – heralding the end of an era for the popular resort attraction.
However, owners Chris and Debra Shaw said they will not be uncoupled from the Kings Road railway straight away, as they will only sell to the "right person" to keep the business on track.
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Chris Shaw and his wife Debra are to say goodbye to the Cleethorpes Coast Light Railway after putting the tourist attraction on the market.
The narrow gauge railway – which runs from Cleethorpes Leisure Centre to the the rear of Pleasure Island and has been a popular attraction for tourists and locals alike for generations – is now on the market for a steamy £700,000.

YOUR CARRIAGE AWAITS: Chris and Debra Shaw, owners of the Cleethorpes Coast Light Railway, pictured in 1993.
Chris and Debra say although it will be the end of an era, they are ready to retire and aim to spend more quality time with each other and their grandchildren.
To find out more about the sale, and take a look at the attraction's history, see today's Grimsby Telegraph.












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by Henry, Cleethorpes
Thursday, September 02 2010, 10:41AM
“Tim has a point one of the grants was from N.E.Lincolnshire council us the tax payers money.
I keep reading Chris Shaw you got it wrong it¿ Councilman Shaw, and what councillor Shaw want he receives from N.E.Lincolnshire.
He complains all the time about damage to this paper so when the CCTV is installed for the car park use it¿s situated at both of his stations, how convenient, the north prom is car park considerably longer then the boating lake car park and it has only one camera at the railway station and the central prom car park has none.
The boating lake belongs to us the people of Cleethorpes it¿s held in a trust for us, and looked after by the council, question I ask is why give a ninety nine year lease out to the property that belongs to us the people, this means the council has no control over that land, the norm would be a twenty year lease.
Councillor Shaw really can¿t put a foot wrong has a pub in the station, given council car park land for his employees to park on, was given land to extended his track, all these and more that N.E.Lincolnshire has seen fit to give him has increased the value of the light railway and to top it of a ninety-nine year lease.
If Councillor Shaw put as much effort into his ward the Sea Front and N.E.Lincolnshire did the same then Cleethorpes would be a brighter place, rather then just the boating lake.
This my seem like sourer grapes but the questions need to be asked about the relationship between Councillor Shaw and N.E.Lincolnshire.”
by Neil, Clee 2
Wednesday, September 01 2010, 2:38PM
“Thankyou,gentlemen. This is MY social history. That info was important to me. I find it fascinating. Everyday lives. That is all. I remember a school chum hurtling into the ground at warp nine. Why? Creapy,crawlies were eating HIS carrots. It was impressive. We may have only been 7,maybe 8 ? ,but his father gave the seed to him. The ones I tried were really nice.....Did he get the crawlies? Er. No.”
by A.Grimlander, Elder, Grimland, old & new
Wednesday, September 01 2010, 2:27PM
“Observer --
Yes. One must surely concur. Mr & Mrs Shaw and their able and affable volunteers deserve full credit for a great achievement.
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p.s. I have to confess to making your look back with pleasure, myself.
It WAS the G.E.T. and with more things right than now it's the GT. Must be sammink to do with yoof !”
by A.Grimlander, Elder, Grimland of Old
Wednesday, September 01 2010, 12:49PM
“The Cleethorpes Coast Light Railway is strictly a miniature railway which was preceded by the Lincolnshire Coast Light Railway of which you reminisce.
The original LCLR moved from Humberston, where it had operated from 1960 to 1985 to Skegness. The line ran from the bus terminus (and latterly, a Sunday market) to the Fitties Holiday Camp and Humberston Beach.
The p.s.'Lincoln Castle' Trust has photographs in its archive of this activity:
Contact by email at p.s.lincoln.castle@gmail.com where you may also obtain details, of course, of the iniquities of those concerned in the destruction of our sole remaining Grimsby public heritage structure, the original, unaltered, p.s. 'Lincoln Castle', listed in the National Register of Historic Ships at Greenwich as UNIQUE.
Reconstruction of the LCLR started in Skegness in the mid-90s by volunteers. The LCLR company is owned by a group of private shareholders and volunteers are welcome to assist under supervision in the operation, construction and maintenance of the line and its equipment. Access is only by permission of the owners and operators of the Skegness Water Leisure Park... Email: enquiries@skegnesswaterleisurepark.co.uk -- approaches from potential volunteers and specialist questions from railway enthusiasts should go by e-mail to CBates7147@aol.com. Photographs of significant developments on the LCLR are posted on the website called davesrailpics.co.uk which contains extensive galleries from the LCLR's history and redevelopment.
The Lincolnshire Wolds Railway should also be mentioned here, especially in view of that tremendously popular 'Forties Weekend' that's almost here for a phenomenally good day (or two!) out (add yr own http/wwwstuff):
lincolnshirewoldsrailway.co.uk/pages/home/contact-lwr.php or contact p.s.lincoln.castle@gmail.com
The station, platforms and signal box at Ludborough have been rebuilt, the track has been relayed and steam trains now travel to North Thoresby (where the whole village holds its '40s weekend in vconjunction with the railway's similar activities. At Ludborough there is a museum which has a fine collection of railwayana to remind you of days gone by.”
by Jimmy Tickleburger, Meggies.
Wednesday, September 01 2010, 9:18AM
“Neil Clee 2, I cannot remember if the light railway was seasonal because even in the depths of winter somebody was tinkering with it or moving it about. I was a bit of a 'marsh rat' in those days. Cockling ,setting lines and digging big fat black lug out of the pools in the marsh. To be quite honest I rarely went down there during the summer months but I did have a friend who drove the battery powered trains between the bathing pool and Thrunscoe station during the summer season. Happy but muddy days.”