Award honours success of volunteers to return 1903-vintage locomotive to steam in Skegness Water Leisure Park
The successful restoration of Jurassic, the elegant and historic steam locomotive on the Lincolnshire Coast Light Railway, in the Skegness Water Leisure Park, is a runner-up in a major category in the 2019 Heritage Railway Association Awards.
The work by the Lincolnshire Coast Light Railway Historic Vehicles Trust, carried out by its volunteers and their contractors, with the support of the Heritage Lottery Fund, was entered as “Jurassic in the Park” in the HRA's Annual Awards. The results were announced at the Awards Dinner, held in the Burlington Hotel, Birmingham on the 9th February 2019. The restoration of Jurassic was a runner-up in the category for locomotive engineering projects for “The Coiley Locomotive Engineering Award” presented in memory of the first Keeper of the National Railway Museum, Dr. John Coiley. It is awarded annually to an HRA member organisation which has completed an outstanding engineering project in the field of locomotive overhaul, restoration, or preservation.
Jurassic was successfully steamed for the first time in 31 years in 2017, thanks to work financed by the Heritage Lottery Fund and carried out by the Trust's volunteers and their contractors. The award comes as the LCLR prepares to celebrate its tenth anniversary of reopening, after its move to the Skegness Water Leisure Park.
Jurassic's return to service on the LCLR at the end of the Summer 2017 season was a great success; with the line extended over the winter of 2017/18 it had a longer run for its first full season in 2018 – an overwhelming success, attracting people from all over the U.K. Railway spokesman John Chappell said: “This is a wonderful, much appreciated recognition of the hard work and dedication which has gone into Jurassic's restoration. Finance from the Heritage Lottery Fund and from the railway's donors and supporters covered the cost. The skill, patience and determination of everyone made it a reality and now the public can enjoy travelling behind this beautiful machine and learn why she has made such a significant contribution to the economy and development of rural England”.
The award for Jurassic's restoration is not the first for the LCLR: shortly after it reopened in the Water Leisure park in 2009, it was given the Small Groups Award by the Heritage Railway Association for that achievement, jointly with the Lincolnshire Wolds Railway, which has reopened the North Thoresby to Ludborough section of the East Lincolnshire Railway and is now rebuilding towards Louth. (Two 18-year-old loco firemen from the Lincolnshire Wolds Railway were among those honoured at the Awards in the “Young Volunteers” category). It has in the past been honoured by the Transport Trust for its conservation work with its World War One vehicles, some of which was
part-funded by the Science Museum.