In the later decades of the nineteenth century, seaside watering places were beginning to rise in importance; a branch line to Skegness had been authorised in 1869 [1] and Mablethorpe aspired to have its own connection.

[3] The Sutton and Willoughby Railway and Dock Company (S&WR) was projected to connect it to the East Lincolnshire main line, and on 28 July 1884 it was authorised.

The GNR also agreed to renew the working arrangement with the L&ECR on the existing terms for 21 years from the date the S&WR opened.

In December 1886 a fresh concern, the North Sea Fisheries Harbour and Dock Company promoted it again, but the GNR would not help, and this scheme too foundered.

The Sutton and Willoughby Company was asked to pay £3,966 for its proportion of the new station, the junction and signalbox, and a ticket platform on its line.

[11][7][8][9] Seeing that the harbour scheme would not proceed, the Sutton and Willoughby Railway decided instead to link its line with Mablethorpe directly; the gap was modest.

[8][13] By the end of the nineteenth century the Sutton and Willoughby Railway was in serious financial difficulty, and had been discussing with the GNR the possibility of the larger concern buying it out.

[3]) In December 1901 the GNR arranged an advance of £21,000 from the Union Bank and took over £28,000 of S&W debentures; it took over the line for £40,500, also letting the S&WR off a £6,495 debt.

Mablethorpe was planned as the railhead for a wide area, so facilities were more generous and included a brick goods shed together with a long siding for coal merchants.

[3][7] Squires adds some detail: The line became increasingly popular with holidaymakers in the first decade of the twentieth century.

In 1906 on August Bank Holiday, 5,400 people took advantage of the three shillings return fare from Kings Cross to Mablethorpe, and the total number of excursionists for the summer was 92 000.

By 1914, on peak summer Saturdays, there were four return through-trains between Nottingham and Mablethorpe, and one each from Leicester, Leeds and Bradford, and Manchester via Sheffield.

The traffic was not confined to weekends, for weekday specials also ran from Midlands towns in their holiday weeks, but Sunday was the peak day.

Many of the engines from these trains were too large for the small turntable, and they were despatched, three at a time, to Firsby, to be turned via the triangle there formed by the Skegness branch junctions.

The Army and civilian contractors were called in and between them they used 40,000 tons of Scunthorpe slag, brought by rail to Sutton on Sea over a two-week period, to stem the tide.

The decline in the use of rural railways for ordinary passenger and goods business was heavily felt in the locality and the line between Louth and Mablethorpe closed completely on 5 December 1960.

The Willoughby connection too was under consideration for closure, but it was retained because the summer traffic was buoyant: 402,000 passengers arrived at Mablethorpe by rail in 1962.

Pay-trains were introduced in 1968, and the line still enjoyed a good level of service, with eleven up and ten down trains a day.

However as part of a rationalisation scheme throughout the district, the branch closed completely on 5 October 1970, together with the East Lincolnshire Line north of Firsby.