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 Sibsey Station
The station was opened on 2 October 1848. It was constructed by Peto and Betts civil engineering contractors who, in January 1848, had taken over the contract to construct the section of the East Lincolnshire Railway between Louth and Boston from John Waring and Sons. This section was the last to be completed in September 1848 at an agreed cost of £123,000 (equivalent to £12,440,000 in 2019).
The village of Sibsey lay to the north-west of the line; at the time, it was a small settlement on the Horncastle Road. A four-road goods yard facing Boston was provided and this was extended by the mid-1920s to seven roads, later eight. The Great Northern Railway acquired extra land around the station to facilitate the expansion, which was necessary to cope with the increasing potato and sugar beet traffic.
During the interwar period, Sibsey dealt with up to 80 wagons of potatoes or beet a day. A goods service drawn by a Class K2 or J6 departed Skegness at 3.30pm and collected potato and beet wagons from Havenhouse, Wainfleet and Thorpe Culvert. They were brought to Sibsey to be marshalled with existing wagons before being despatched to Boston at 4.45pm. During the 1920s, two potato trains ran at night from Sibsey: one to Bradford and the other to Ardsley. At the time, five up and down passenger services, and one Sunday service each way, called at Sibsey.
The station was closed to passengers on 11 September 1961 and to goods traffic on 15 June 1964.
The line through the station continues to be used by services on the Poacher Line between Grantham and Skegness. Sibsey Station house was sold in 1964 and partly converted to a private house, and remained in the same hands until 2017 when it was sold again, and completely renovated. The goods office remains largely untouched. The platforms have been demolished.
THIS CACHE IS PLACED ON A BUSY ROAD - PLEASE TAKE CARE AND LEAVE PETS AND CHILDREN IN THE CAR!