About SideTracked Caches
This cache belongs to the SideTracked series. It is not designed to take you to a magical place with a breath taking view. It's a distraction for the weary traveller, but anyone else can go and find it too. More Information can be found at the SideTracked Website
About Burgh le Marsh Station
Burgh was one of the original stations on the second stage of the East Lincolnshire Railway, opening on 3rd September 1848 with two facing platforms. The main station building which incorporated the station master's house, booking office, waiting rooms, toilets and station offices was on the up side of the line with a brick waiting room with a canopy on the down side.
There was signal box at the north end of the up platform, adjacent to the level crossing, this controlled the crossing and access to the goods yard which comprised three sidings on the up side and two sidings on the down side one of them running behind the down platform. There was a large brick goods shed, a large cattle dock and a 1.5 ton crane, all on the down side.
Before the opening of the branch to Skegness, holidaymakers visiting the developing resort travelled to Burgh, horse drawn buses taking passengers from Burgh station into Skegness. The station name was changed to Burgh-le-Marsh on 1st July 1923. Burgh-le-Marsh lost its goods service on 2nd May 1966.
After closure the station remained derelict for many years, the buildings not being renovated until the mid 1980s when the station housed an antique shop and teashop and the goods shed housed a railway museum with a 10 1/4" gauge miniature railway in the grounds in the 1990s known as the Lincolnshire Light Railway. Due to family circumstances, the line and associated museum subsequently closed, with the miniature railway later being rebuilt at the short-lived Transperience museum at the former Low Moor station in in Bradford before that too closed in 1998.
The house is now a private residence owned by Chris and Jean Forrest who have done a superb job restoring the station which now houses a private collection of railway signs and memorabilia in the booking office.
Both platforms are extant with the track bed filled almost to platform level; the platforms are now grassed. The range of station buildings including the signal box have been renovated unaltered as several private residences with some enamel railway signs on the end wall. The signal box has been renovated as a separate residence. Two railway cottages are also in private occupation within the station yard. The large brick goods shed is also extant at the back if the yard.