Reproduction of any material from this website
(text or photographic) is strictly forbidden without the prior permission of the
copyright owner.
If you would like to use any of the material on
this website, please contact me via the Feedback page, and I will put you in
contact with the appropriate copyright owner.
Every effort is made to ensure that photographs
on this website are produced with the consent of the copyright owner. If you
believe any image on this website to be in breach of copyright, please contact
me immediately so that it can be removed.
left : James Bagshaw
middle : Colin Crooke
right : ?
Can you identify
the men in these photographs? (click
them to enlarge)
James Bagshaw
was a well known wheel-tapper at Preston Station. He worked there
for many years and was liked by all. His signing-on point would
have been Butler Street yard, and it is believed that the colour
photo of him was taken at the mess buildings on the East Cliff
side. Colin Crook's occupation isn't known; however he might have
been a wheel-tapper himself and involved with coaching
stock.
Can You Help?
The Preston
& Longridge Railway and the Whittingham Hospital Branch
David
Hindle - the noted Grimsargh local historian and railway author -
has recently contacted the website to advise that he is now in the
final stages of the preparation of definitive histories for both
the one-time Preston & Longridge Railway and also for the
totally independent Whittingham Hospital branch that originated
from its own private platform at Grimsargh station.
David adds that he
is still on the lookout for any personal anecdotes and
recollections from anyone at all that knew the line at any point
whatsoever during its lengthy history. In addition, he would also
welcome any further contributions of good quality photographs that
might exist in the private collections of visitors to our website.
Anyone who feels
that they might be able to assist in any way is invited to get in
touch with him by telephoning 01772-652090.
Alternatively, the
website can arrange to forward on to David any electronic
submissions, including scanned images. The contact address in that
respect is
. Alternatively, use the Feedback Page.
P.S. Some
photographs taken on the line in recent years by contributors to
our website can be accessed by clicking on the Trains to
Longridge button located in the right hand column of
this page.
DVD Listing Page
I have
put together a listing of Preston-related DVDs, which I hope will
grow into a comprehensive guide to relevant video material which
covers Preston and the surrounding area. The list is divided into
two sections, with the first listing Preston-specific titles and
the second covering those which have a wider focus, but may
include a small amount of Preston footage.
If you fancy turning out to see the
pair of WCRC "tractors" on Spitfire's Lowland Growler
tomorrow, but don't fancy the unsociable hours, you may like to
know that the pair will stay overnight at Preston and return to
Carnforth on Sunday. They are booked to leave preston at 13.33,
but being an ECS, there is a strong chance that they will leave
early.
A list was released today, of the UK
stations most in need of a revamp. Top of the poll is Clapham Jct,
but the North West features heavily, with Preston at number 6.
Also in the list are Worrington BQ, Wigan NW,Manchester Victoria,
Crewe, Stockport and Liverpool Central.
The list does include some fairly
dismal stations, but is Preston really that bad? I wouldn't have
thought so, but I suppose some investment would be nice, as long
as long as improvements are
made in a sympathetic way.
No doubt Network Rail and Virgin
will now formulate plans to turn Preston Station into a shopping
arcade.
Not strictly Preston-related, but
certainly local, HF Railtours are promoting a class 37-hauled tour
from Manchester Victora to Carlisle via Bolton, Blackburn,
Hellifield and the S&C.
The tour is being operated by
Spitfire Railtours - full details are available here...
Old
Faithful
It had generally been assumed by most
people that 87002 had failed, resulting in its extended stay in
the south bay. Not so, it seems, since at around 8pm on Wednesday,
the pan went up and Royal Sovereign manoeuvred onto the
front of a 325 set waiting on Platform 4. The train continued
south with the AC loco in charge.
It seems that a combination of a
troublesome TDM connection and an out-of-hours driver resulted in
the 87 being left at Preston.
Sun
8th November 2009
Back
to the 80s
Having been detached from a GBRf mail service,
87002 was left in the south bay of platform 4. - a place where
an AC loco was often stabled during the 70s and 80s.
Update
: Royal Sovereign is still at Preston as of Tuesday
evening. There's currently no news of when it will leave.
Sun
1st November 2009
Normal
Service is Resumed
There doesn't seem to have been too
much going on while I've been away... In fact, it looks to be a
quiet few weeks until the Lowland Growler on 21st November.
However, if anyone fancies offering
their services to update this website for me during the odd weeks
that I am away on holiday, I'd like to hear from you.
Thu
15th October 2009
The
Cotton Mill Express is Back
The Cotton Mill Express was erased
from the 2009 calendar by the collapse of Past Time, but the
Railway Touring Company are reviving it in 2010. For now, there is
just one tour, but the good news is that it has been extended to
start and finish at Lancaster, travelling via Preston, Chorley and
Bolton to Manchester before doing the established circuit.
Details on the Gen/Timetable page.
Tue
13th October 2009
Another
year for 6233?
The Railway
Herald is reporting that a boiler inspection of The Duchess
of Sutherland will be undertaken and an extension its
"ticket" sought, if all is well. A further year of
main-line running may yet be on the cards for 6233.
Sun
11th October 2009
1,057
hits in a week - a new record !
It's been an interesting week for
steam, with a first (Tornado's first visit to Preston) and
a last (Duchess of Sutherland's last run over Shap before a
5 year major overhaul).
Perhaps these two events helped
attract a few more visitors to this website.... the result being
over 1,000 hits in the space of a week. Those hits came from 376
people - 80 more than the previous record!
If you are one of the new visors to
this site, I'd like to hear from you....how did you find us? what
do you think of the site? is there anything else you would like to
see added ?
Thanks to everyone for visiting!
Missing
1961 Log
To the gent who asked me on Saturday
where the 1961 log had disappeared
to.... It's still there, but hiding! Go to the Regulars
page and scroll to the bottom. There's a link there.
Thurs
8th October 2009
The
Duchess and the Tornado
Times for the LNER and LMS pacifics on
Saturday are now on the timetable page.
Thanks to Darren on
the PrestonRailGen group for the times.
Mon
5th October 2009
Breat
Britain 3 to Serve Up 2 Scots
The
Railway Touring Company's Great Britain tours have
become a major highlight in the main-line steam calendar, and 2010
promises to be the best yet. Plans for the 9-day Great Britain
3 include Oliver Cromwell, two Black 5s, two Southern Railway
locos, an A4, a K4 and not one but two Scots.
Preston features days 3,4 and 9 of
the tour with the train arriving from Bristol on 8th April with
6100 Royal Scot in charge. The following day, a more
familiar classmate, in the shape of 46115 Scots Guardsman
takes over, hauling the tour north to Glasgow via Dumfries.On 14th
April, Guardsman kicks-off the final day, bringing
the train from Edinburgh, giving way at Preston to A4 60019 Bittern
for a run along the WCML to London.
Full details here
Grounded
Duffs
It seems that all Riviera class 47s
are currently unavailable for passenger duties due to reliability
issues. This means that Compass tours between now and the new
year, including Saturday's North Wales Lakelander will be
hauled by DBS class 67s instead.
Times are now
on the Gen/Timetable page.
Thurs
1st October 2009
TORNADO
BLOWS INTO PRESTON
New-build Peppercorn A1 no 60163 Tornado
will, after all, put in an appearance at Preston this year. Next
Saturday's Cumbrian Mountain Tornado tour will now return
via Shap and Preston, after an outward journey over the S&C.
Thanks to Alastair
Smith for the hads-up
Thurs
1st October 2009
STEAM
SLIDE SHOW
The Irwell Vale
Railway Photographers society are beginning their 2009/10 season
of slide shows with "BRITISH
RAILWAYS STEAM ON LOCAL LINES and AN EXCURSION TO THE SOUTHERN
REGION", by Richard Greenwood on Saturday 14th November 2009.
Saturday's Witch
Way tour to Manchester Victoria and the Oldham Loop is now
booked to be hauled by Black 5 No. 45231 rather than Scots
Guardsman, due to gauging issues. The tour will be handled by
a WCRC class 37 on the non-steam segments.
Times are now
on the Gen/Timetable page.
The Blackpool
Illuminator, which was due to be hauled to Preston by
"Castle" 5043 Earl of Mount Edgcumbe, is now
reportedly cancelled.
Mon
28th September 2009
New
Operator for Preston ?
Ian Yeowart, one of
the former directors of East Coast Open Access operator Grand
Central, is involved on an ambitious plan to bring new services to
the East and West coast routes. The plans involve the resurrection
of the GNER name for the East coast services, with others being
branded GNWR.
Just one of the proposed
routes involves Preston, with trains between Euston and
Carlisle, via the Cumbrian Coast.
The plans are
likely to be controversial for several reasons. Mr Yeowart left
Grand Central under something of a cloud, having been involved in
their development of new routes - some of which allegedly coincide
with the GNER plans. Also, the current franchise agreement with
Virgin for the WCML precludes the granting of Open Access licenses
over the route. Any GNWR service would therefore have to wait
until 2014.
Tomorrow's Fellsman,
the last of the 2009 season, is expected to be hauled by 46115 Scots
Guardsman .
UPDATE : Black 5
45231 Sherwood Forester was the loco in charge of the final
Fellsman of 2009
Mon
14th September 2009
Ribble
Reminders
Following last
weekend's Steam Gala, the RSR's
Diesel Gala is coming up on the 3rd & 4th October. The
railway's class 03 and 05 locos, plus "Stanlow" will
feature on trains, with other exhibits available for
photographing.
The Ribble Steam
Railway Photo
Competition is open until the end of the month... get your
entries in!
Mon
14th September 2009
Ribble
Steam Gala
The Ribble Steam
Railway's 2009 Steam Gala was a great success, with three locos in
steam.
This coming Wednesday
is a rest week in Statesman Rail's highly successful Fellsman
calendar. Of the the seven outings so far, Jubilee "Leander"
has hauled all but one, with "Scots Guardsman" in charge
of the 5th of August. Will the final Fellsman on 23rd
September see Leander out again?
Fri
4th September 2009
Correction
Tomorow's excursion
will now be hauled by 46115 Scots Guardsman
Excursion
changes
The steam excursion due to begin and
end at Preston tomorrow, will now feature 45231 Sherwood
Forester, but it now seems that it will be diesel-hauled from
Preston to Carnforth on the outward leg, presumably by one of the
WCRC fleet.
The tour is still booked to return to
Preston behind the Black Five, which still appears to be spending
the night at Preston.
The Ribble Steam Railway has organised
a Photo Competition, with prizes of bonded canvas prints of the
winning entries. There are two age categories and the closing date
has been extended to the end of the month.
Saturday sees an excursion from
Preston to Scarborough with either Leander or Scots
Guardsman returning to Preston at 22.30 from the north. www.uksteam.info
is reporting a steam move the following day from Preston to
Carnforth, so it sounds like the loco and stock will sit at
Preston overnight.
It appears that the highly successful
Fellsman trains will run again next year. The first tour is 2nd
June, with a seven-week gap before the weekly schedule begins on
28th July, with the final run being on 8th September.
Normally this line is closed between
Barrow and Whitehaven on Sundays but on the 27th September a
Community Rail Festival is being held at Carlisle Station and as a
result of this the whole Cumbrian Coast line is going to be open
with a special timetable running.
Details are Here.
Video
Clips
I have added a collection of video
clips shot in and around Preston over the last few months. Some of
these have been on YouTube for a little while, whilst others have
just been uploaded.
Amongst the clips are shots of
60009 UoSA at Preston on Monday and Leander leaving Bamber Bridge
on Wednesday. Others include 87002, 60026, 56312 and 6233 DoS.
The idea of producing a DVD of
Preston footage is still not dead... Again, if you are interested,
please let me know. Any profit from a
release would be donated to a selected charity.
North-South
High Speed Line
Network Rail have this week revealed
their recommendations for a new high-speed line from London to
Manchester, Liverpool, Preston and Scotland. The Strategic
Business Case document is available in PDF format here,
but it's not the easiest of reads at 140 pages long.
Buried in amongst the detail is an
interesting diagram (page 24), labelled "Station layout where non stop trains pass e.g. Preston"
which shows four lines between two island platforms allowing
non-stop trains to pass at speed...
Wed
26th August 2009
Fellsman
5690 Leander is again in
charge of the Fellsman this week. Hopefully, the "Jub"
will be joined by "Black 5" 45231 at Preston this
evening.
Two weeks ago, a chance to see two
steam charters side-by-side at Preston went begging thanks to the
late arrival of Black 5 45231. This Wednesday will see a second
opportunity to see the same spectacle, when the same two tours, The
Fellsman and The Welsh Mountaineer will be running,
with the same booked lay-overs at Preston in the evening.
Budgie Travel's Tornado-hauled tour
has gone the same way as their planned trip to Minehead, having
been cancelled.
Steem enthusiasts will have to head
over to the S&C on 10th October for their only chance to see
the new-build A1 in the north west this year.
Fri
21st August 2009
A4
Move on Monday
The indispensible www.uksteam.info
is reporting a move of 60009 Union of South Africa on
Monday, with a stop-over at Preston.
There have been various other updates to the Gen/Timetable
page.
Thanks to various
members of the PrestonRailGen group.
Thurs
13th August 2009
Pretendalino
Rumour has it that the newly
refurbished WB64 Mk3 set will be in use on the relief service to
Preston this coming Friday.
All we need now is for Virgin to
ditch the 90 in favour of one of those nice new ETL
86/7s, which are coincidentally in matching colours to the
stock...
Mon
10th August 2009
Tornado
from Blackpool
Pathfinder's 10th October tour
involving the new-build Peppercorn A1 is only steam-hauled from
Hellifield to Carlisle and return, so Preston misses the chance to
see 60163 Tornado on that occasion. However, the same loco
is now booked to take a Budgie Transport tour from Blackpool to
Holyhead the following day - Sunday 11th October.
Details and link to the Budgie site
are on the Gen/Timetable
page.
Mon
3rd August 2009
Double
Steam on Wednesday?
If all goes to plan on Wednesday,
there should be TWO steam excursions in the station
simultaneously. The second Fellsman trip is booked into platform 5
with Scots Guardsman in charge. As long as the Statesman
tour doesn't leave early, RTC's Welsh Mountaineer, with
Black 545231 should join it. Hopefully, some kind person
will play to the crowd and put the second train on platform 6,
which should make for a cracking photo...
For
older news items,
visit the News Archive page.
Please
send news, comments or suggestions via the Feedback
page.
Update History
13/08/2007
Added photo-of-the-day (week? month?).
Added Model page.
08/08/2007
Revamp to the menus so all buttons now work on all pages - I had got
a little behind with linking all the pages in.
The Signalling page which has been written (thanks to David Ingham)
for some weeks is now available.
07/08/2007
Added hit counter so I can see whether I'm wasting my time with
this!
