Poulton & Wyre Railway Society

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Poulton & Wyre Railway Society
Formation2008(16 years ago) (2008)
HeadquartersThe Print Room
Hillhouse Business Park
Thornton, Lancashire
Chairman
Bill Eccles
Website www.pwrs.org

Poulton & Wyre Railway Society (PWRS) is a railway preservation company based in Lancashire, England. [1] Formed in 2006, its main focus has been working towards reinstating the railway line between Poulton-le-Fylde and Fleetwood (part of the Preston and Wyre Railway) [2] for passenger use. [3] The line was taken out of use in 1970 and removed in certain sections.

Contents

History

The former Thornton for Cleveleys station platforms post-renovation in 2014 Thornton-Cleveleys Station from Station Road Level Crossing 2014.JPG
The former Thornton for Cleveleys station platforms post-renovation in 2014
Early restoration work at Burn Naze Halt in 2013 Burn Naze Station during early restoration.JPG
Early restoration work at Burn Naze Halt in 2013

Poulton & Wyre Railway Society was formed in 2008, after a merger between Wyre Rail Cycle Partnership and a heritage railway group. [4]

In 2007, the society obtained a non-operational lease from Network Rail for a section of line between the former Thornton for Cleveleys station in Thornton Centre and Hillylaid Road, a short distance to the north. The main aim was to clear the station's extant platforms of vegetation. [5] This was achieved. [6]

Network Rail upgraded the lease to a clearance licence the following year, and extended its coverage to the entire line between Poulton-le-Fylde and Jameson Road in Fleetwood. [5] [7]

In 2010, PWRS were given a three-year lease for Thornton for Cleveleys station. Lancashire County Council (LCC) supported the scheme. [8] A £30,000 feasibility study was undertaken to explore the re-instatement of the link and the addition of a third platform at Poulton-le-Fylde station. [9]

Highway England granted a licence to the society in 2015 to allow access to the line between the Wyre Way footpath and the A585 Amounderness Way. [5]

In 2019, a motion requesting a feasibility study into the restoration was rejected by Wyre Council. This followed LCC's denial of £50,000 in funding the previous week. [10]

On 28 February 2020, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson made an unannounced visit to the Thornton station during the country's election campaign, and three months before the 50th anniversary of the last passengers arriving there. He invited local councillor Brian Crawford onto the tracks for a private word. When Johnson asked what Crawford needed, he replied that £100,000 was necessary for an initial feasibility study. Johnson granted the request, [11] and said he wanted the station to reopen before the next election, which was due in 2024. [12] The line was one of several chosen as part of a policy to "Reverse Beeching" (see Beeching cuts). [12]

The study, completed in 2021, [13] found that the line could be reopened for heavy rail, to integrate with the national rail network. It confirmed it could also be used for 'light' rail, as an extension of the Blackpool Tramway route, or as a hybrid system, using vehicles which could operate on both heavy- and light-rail systems. [14] The study also found that reopening the link would propose an 11-minute journey from Fleetwood to Poulton, and 28 minutes from Fleetwood to Preston. A journey which currently takes an hour by public transport.[ citation needed ]

In 2022, plans to reinstate the railway line between Poulton-le-Fylde and Fleetwood were approved by Parliament, with the Department for Transport agreeing to fund the project. [15] [16]

The society, having completed a full restoration of Thornton for Cleveleys station, has now begun work to clear vegetation and restore the disused platform at Burn Naze Halt, 2 miles (3.2 km) north of Thornton for Cleveleys, as part of their ambition to restore most of the line for heritage trains. The former Burn Naze station is located within the Hillhouse Enterprise Zone (part of the former ICI Hillhouse site, [17] which was in operation between 1941 and 1992). [18] [19] It is possible that the station could be relocated to nearby Butts Close in Burn Naze, where there is space for a potential car park. [5] PWRS moved its headquarters to the Hillhouse Enterprise Zone, having been given a plot of land by NPL Group. [20]

In 2023, an 1890 Lancashire and Yorkshire Victorian railway carriage body was acquired by the society from Raikes Farmhouse in Thornton. [21] [22]

Plans for a Heritage Railway Centre, with a museum, offices, workshop and a test track, are underway. [2]

Locomotives

The society has purchased and restored a John Fowler shunter from Leyland Motors, as well as two Class 108 diesel multiple units (DMU), which are also being restored. [4] One is a trailer car, the other is power car. [23]

Personnel

The society's president between 2018 and 2024 was Eddie Fisher. [3] [24] As of 2022, its chairman is Bill Eccles. [25] The Labour Party's Cat Smith is a PWRS member. [3]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Borough of Wyre</span> Borough and non-metropolitan district in England

Wyre is a local government district with borough status on the coast of Lancashire, England. The council is based in Poulton-le-Fylde and the borough also contains the towns of Cleveleys, Fleetwood, Garstang, Preesall and Thornton, along with numerous villages and surrounding rural areas. Some of the borough's built-up areas form part of the wider Blackpool urban area. Eastern parts of the borough lie within the Forest of Bowland, a designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Poulton-le-Fylde</span> Human settlement in England

Poulton-le-Fylde, commonly shortened to Poulton, is a market town in Lancashire, England, situated on the coastal plain called the Fylde. In the 2021 United Kingdom census, it had a population of 18,115.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fleetwood</span> Town in Lancashire, England

Fleetwood is a coastal town in the Borough of Wyre in Lancashire, England, at the northwest corner of the Fylde. It had a population of 25,939 at the 2011 census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cleveleys</span> Human settlement in England

Cleveleys is a town on the Fylde Coast of Lancashire, England, about 4 miles (6 km) north of Blackpool and 2 miles (3 km) south of Fleetwood. It is part of the Borough of Wyre. With its neighbouring settlement of Thornton, Cleveleys was part of the former urban district of Thornton-Cleveleys and is part of the Blackpool Urban Area. In 2011 the Cleveleys Built-up area sub division had a population of 10,754.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thornton, Lancashire</span> Human settlement in England

Thornton is a village in the Borough of Wyre, about 4 miles (6 km) north of Blackpool and 2 miles (3 km) south of Fleetwood. The civil parish of Thornton became an urban district in 1900, and was renamed Thornton-Cleveleys in 1927. In 2011 the Thornton built-up area sub division had a population of 18,941.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fylde (UK Parliament constituency)</span> Parliamentary constituency in the United Kingdom, 1983 onwards

Fylde is a constituency in Lancashire which was represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament from 2010 by Mark Menzies, formerly of the Conservative Party, but later an Independent after the whip was withdrawn in April 2024, with allegations he misused campaign funds.

The Preston and Wyre Railway was promoted to open up agricultural land in the Fylde in Lancashire, access a new port at what became Fleetwood and the Lancaster Canal at Preston: it opened in 1840. An associated company built the dock leading to the company changing its name to the Preston and Wyre Railway, Harbour and Dock Company. Passenger business was more buoyant than expected, and the company built branch lines to the nascent resort of Blackpool and Lytham that opened in 1846. At that time the line was leased by the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway and later the London and North Western Railway took a share in the lease which was later converted to outright ownership. The Preston and Wyre Railway continued to be jointly owned as the Preston and Wyre Joint Railway.

Thornton-Cleveleys is a conurbation consisting of the village of Thornton and the town of Cleveleys. The two settlements formed a joint urban district from 1927 until 1974, before becoming part of Wyre. The two settlements constitute part of the Blackpool Urban Area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Poulton-le-Fylde railway station</span> Railway station in Lancashire, England

Poulton-le-Fylde railway station serves the town of Poulton-le-Fylde in Lancashire, England. It is managed by Northern Trains, but also served by Avanti West Coast.

The Fleetwood branch line is a railway line that ran from Preston to Fleetwood. It passed through many smaller stations along the way, most of which are now closed. When work at Fleetwood docks was under threat in the mid-1960s, the main Fleetwood station was closed, and the remainder of the branch south to Poulton followed in 1970. There are active proposals to re-open the branch to passenger services.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thornton–Cleveleys railway station</span> Station in Lancashire, UK (1865–1970)

Thornton–Cleveleys was a railway station in England which served the Lancashire village of Thornton and town of Cleveleys. Located on the now disused line between Poulton-le-Fylde and Fleetwood, the station also had a shunting yard for the making-up of freight trains for Preston and beyond. During its life it was also known at times as Thornton station and Thornton for Cleveleys station. In the 1860s and early 1870s the line was of great importance, being the direct route from London to Glasgow. Before the Shap route was opened, passengers would travel from Euston to Fleetwood and then onwards via steamer to Scotland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Burn Naze Halt railway station</span> Former station in Thornton-Cleveleys, UK

Burn Naze Halt railway station served Burn Naze in Thornton-Cleveleys, Lancashire, England, between 1909 and 1970. The platforms were heavily overgrown with vegetation until 2014, when the Poulton & Wyre Railway Society began restoration work.

The Fylde is a coastal plain in western Lancashire, England. It is roughly a 13-mile-long (21-kilometre) square-shaped peninsula, bounded by Morecambe Bay to the north, the Ribble estuary to the south, the Irish Sea to the west, and the foot of the Bowland hills to the east which approximates to a section of the M6 motorway and West Coast Main Line.

The FY postcode area, also known as the Blackpool postcode area, is a group of eight postcode districts in Lancashire, North West England. The districts cover the entire borough of Blackpool and the western parts of the boroughs of Wyre and Fylde. The letters in the postcode area name refer to the Fylde coastal plain. Its five post towns are Blackpool, Fleetwood, Lytham St Annes, Poulton-le-Fylde, Thornton-Cleveleys.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wyre Dock railway station</span> Station in Fleetwood, UK (1885–1970)

Wyre Dock railway station served Fleetwood in Lancashire, England, from 1885 to 1970.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Burn Naze</span> Human settlement in England

Burn Naze is a residential area of Thornton-Cleveleys, in the Borough of Wyre, Lancashire, England. It is located about 5 miles (8 km) northeast of Blackpool and 2 miles (3 km) southeast of Fleetwood. Cleveleys is about 1.3 miles (2.1 km) to the west, while the River Wyre is about 0.8 miles (1.3 km) to the east.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Raikes Farmhouse</span> Historic building in Lancashire, England

Raikes Farmhouse is an historic building in Thornton-Cleveleys, Lancashire, England. Replacing a building dating from at least 1595, the current structure was built in 1692, with a rear extension added in the 19th century. It has been designated a Grade II listed building by Historic England. The property is located on Raikes Road, just southeast of its junction with Stanah Road and Hillylaid Road.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Burn Naze (public house)</span> Pub in Lancashire, England

The Burn Naze was a public house in Burn Naze, Lancashire. Built in 1910, when it replaced the former Burn Naze Inn, it was one of the oldest pubs in the area by the time of its closure in 2019, and was listed as a community asset in 2021. It was demolished in 2022.

Public transport in the Fylde is available for three modes of transport—bus, rail and tram—assisting residents of and visitors to the Fylde, a coastal plain in western Lancashire, England, without their own vehicle, to travel around much of the area's 64 square miles (170 km2).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">ICI Hillhouse</span> Former production plant in Lancashire, England

ICI Hillhouse was a chlorine-production facility in Lancashire, England. A division of Imperial Chemical Industries (ICI), it was active between 1941 and 1992. Its triangular footprint spread from the banks of the River Wyre at Stanah in the east, to Hillylaid Road in the southwest, to the southern edge of Fleetwood in the north. Its entrances were on Hillylaid Road and on Butts Road in Burn Naze. Burn Naze Halt served those arriving by train.

References

  1. ↑ Coman, Julian (1 February 2020). "Can a restored railway line get Fleetwood back on track?". The Observer. ISSN   0029-7712 . Retrieved 26 April 2024.
  2. 1 2 "Poulton & Wyre Railway Society - Home". www.pwrs.org. Retrieved 26 April 2024.
  3. 1 2 3 "Can a restored railway line get Fleetwood back on track?" – The Guardian , 1 February 2010
  4. 1 2 "Poulton & Wyre Railway Society - About Us". www.pwrs.org. Retrieved 26 April 2024.
  5. 1 2 3 4 "Poulton & Wyre Railway Society - Proposal for the Fleetwood Line". www.pwrs.org. Retrieved 26 April 2024.
  6. ↑ "Poulton & Wyre Railway Society - PWRS in Bloom!". www.pwrs.org. Retrieved 26 April 2024.
  7. ↑ "Poulton & Wyre Railway Society - The Line". www.pwrs.org. Retrieved 26 April 2024.
  8. ↑ "PWRS Aims and Objectives". Poulton & Wyre Railway Society. Retrieved 10 April 2010.
  9. ↑ "£30,000 feasibility study for Poulton to Fleetwood line could go ahead" (PDF). Railway Herald. No. 239. 20 September 2010. p. 15. Archived from the original (PDF) on 15 July 2011. Retrieved 21 September 2010.
  10. ↑ "Fresh calls to reconnect Fleetwood's rail links". 8 March 2019. Retrieved 26 April 2024.
  11. ↑ "Plan to reopen disused Fleetwood Poulton rail link welcomed". 7 February 2022. Retrieved 26 April 2024.
  12. 1 2 "How Britain fell back in love with the railways" - Financial Times , 28 February 2020
  13. ↑ "Fleetwood: Boris Johnson urged to restore town's rail links". 19 July 2021. Retrieved 26 April 2024.
  14. ↑ "Prime Minister urged to restore Fleetwood's rail links" – Rail Technology Magazine, 19 July 2021
  15. ↑ "Fleetwood Poulton rail link: Plans to reopen line approved". 20 June 2022. Retrieved 26 April 2024.
  16. ↑ "Government to reopen Lancs railway line that could slash journey times". Lancashire Telegraph. 21 June 2022. Retrieved 26 April 2024.
  17. ↑ "Hillhouse Technology Enterprise Zone". Invest in Lancashire. Retrieved 26 April 2024.
  18. ↑ "Look Back into the History of Cleveleys" – Visit Cleveleys, 13 March 2021
  19. ↑ "Looking back at ICI: A rare glimpse inside the plants of the Fylde chemical giant" – Blackpool Gazette, 13 September 2018
  20. ↑ Poulton, Visit (8 July 2020). "Poulton and Wyre Railway Society PWRS - Visit Poulton-le-Fylde". Poulton-le-Fylde. Retrieved 26 April 2024.
  21. ↑ "Minutes of the 16th Annual General Meeting of the Poulton & Wyre Railway Society (PWRS) held at Wyre Council Civic Centre, Poulton-le-Fylde on Wednesday 13th September 2023 at 7.00pm" – Poulton & Wyre Railway Society
  22. ↑ "Poulton & Wyre Railway Society - Vintage Carriage Appeal". www.pwrs.org. Retrieved 26 April 2024.
  23. ↑ "Poulton & Wyre Railway Society - DMU (Two Years On)". www.pwrs.org. Retrieved 26 April 2024.
  24. ↑ "Edward FISHER personal appointments - Find and update company information - GOV.UK". find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk. Retrieved 26 April 2024.
  25. ↑ "Poulton & Wyre Railway Society - Structure". www.pwrs.org. Retrieved 26 April 2024.
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