The Society was originally formed in 1933 making it one of the oldest in the UK. It is understood that
its first venue was at Hartsholme Park in Lincoln, prior to World War II. Any assets went for recycling
during the conflict.
In late 1945 the Society was re-established and a piece of land was leased from Lincoln City Council.
A new railway was built with a raised track in Boultham Park between the footpath and the cemetery
wall which catered for 1.25″, 3.5″ and 5″ gauges.
Rides on the new railway were given to the public. At this time such a facility was rare and some
members of the Society travelled from Boston on the train carrying their locos and then cycled to the
track site.
Tethered car racing was also popular then and there was a thriving section dedicated to that pursuit.
A change in the layout of the park by the Council meant that the track site became a little more
remote from the main pathways and as a result of the now quiet location attracted the attention of
vandals. This resulted in the site being abandoned some 30 years ago.
After a long search our present site was found, located on the sports field in the village of North
Scarle.
We were fortunate enough to be welcomed and allowed to use the perimeter of the field to lay a
new ground level 5″ and 7 .25″ track. The Society started here with very little money but with great
enthusiasm for the new venture. A long term plan was formulated and a station area, crossing gates
and a short length of track laid. This enabled revenue to be collected from the people that visited the
car boot sale held on the field on Sunday mornings during the Spring/Summer.
As the years have passed, the profile of the Society has changed, along with changes in everyday
society. No longer do members arrive on a bike with their loco under their arm. Now we have a large
hydraulic lift to unload locos from the backs of vehicles and trailers.
A portable track has been made and is used when we attend various events such as the annual
Heckington Show, which earns extra revenue as well as raising the profile of the Society.
In parallel with the development of the railway was the increasing interest in the construction of
miniature Traction Engines, so that now around half the membership is of that persuasion. The
relative wealth of the population today compared with pre-war has resulted in larger and more
reliable machinery being available for use in the home workshop. The efforts of the traction engine
builders are best shown off at our yearly Open Weekend, and the impressive parade of engines
through North Searle village.