[Sep 6, 2014] Ribble Steam Rly - 50th Anniversary of West Lancs Line... (Ribble Steam Railway)

Just seen announced on RSR Facebook Page that 80072 is expected to visit for this event.

Shame no Fairburn Tank or BR 2MT could be hires seeing as 42296 and 78041 were the last locos used on the line, but 80072 better than nothing.

**UPDATE** L&Y 'A' Class no. 52322 now booked as guest loco, replacing 80072.

http://www.ribblesteam.org.uk/visit...th-anniv-of-closure-southport-to-preston-line

 

Not now it's not, announced last night that 80072 is unavailable so a replacement is now being sought (if they can get one that is).

 

On the final two days of the West Lancashire Railway Preston-Southport branch, on 5th/6th Sept 1964, Nos 42132 42294 42296 42369 42555 42645 42662 44745 44891 45375 45642 76081 78022 78040 and 78041 were seen working services. (I photographed all of these in various locations and even drove a couple of the Standard 2-6-0s on the final day.)

Plenty of choice of indigenous types there, without resorting to a totally unauthentic Standard 2-6-4T.
Indeed, although Nos 80046 and 80093 were allocated to 24E Blackpool until 1959 and a few more resided at 26A Newton Heath, not a single member of that particular class was EVER known to have worked over the West Lancs line.

Now, isn't No 78022 is in that list … and … doesn’t this survive today? (In addition, it also of a type that had actually been observed venturing down the Preston Docks branch on a p-way train.) Food for thought, perchance ........

 

The Worth Valley have just begun an overhaul on 78022 so that won't be out and about for a few years yet. 78019 is running though; the problem here would be transportation costs and hiring fees would probably exceed returns by some considerable margin.

 

Well, no chance of a Black 5 from the Mid-Hants, then?! From that 'final weekend' list, this still leaves at 760xx and a 5X, though .....
Other (surviving) classes that I have personally seen on the line include L&Y Class As, Derby 4Fs, Stanier 8Fs, Super Ds, B1s, K1s, Britannias, Standard Class 5s .... although, given that it is all going to be a very tenuous connection anyway, I, personally, would be happy to see ANY ex-BR loco put in an appearance. The presence of '47472' in Agust 2012, for example, was hugely appreciated, although even that cost a bob or two to lay on.

 

The sole surviving A Class was down there in 2012 as that was where its overhaul was completed. The Super D was also planned to come down in 2012 however in the end 47406 (as 47472) came down instead. I wouldn't mind seeing 43924 down there or the Super D, not least because Super D's were regulars on the Docks for decades.

 

The sole surviving a class is owned by an active ribble member but currently on hire to Embsay, could be a contender as a last minute stand in? The next 2 engines due out the ribble workshops should be Linda and the Grant Ritchie but I don't think either will be ready for September.

 

L&Y 52322 now confirmed as guest loco for the WLR 5oth Aniversary, and the following weekend's Steam Gala



http://www.ribblesteam.org.uk/blogs/news/122-september-steam-specials

 

http://www.prestonstation.org.uk/TrainsToSouthport_WLR.html

 

If the A class were in BR livery it would have been ok for a celebration of the later years of the West Lancs, but I don't think an LMS liveried loco is especially appropriate for an event supposedly marking the closure of the line over 16 years after nationalisation! I also gather that the 'last train' headboards and displays will not now materialise.

 

As 1300/12322/52322 was the only one left and in preservation by 1964 L&Y livery would be technically correct. At the end of the day its appearing as a gesture to commemorate the anniversary of the closure not recreate the last train.

 

Here, here, and very appropriate as the line was an ex-L&YR line, better to remember a line in happier times that at closure.

 

Agree, otherwise it might as well just be the 'A' Class running day.

 

Lanky ‘Class As’ from Lostock Hall shed DID regularly work the daily trip freight from the Bamber Bridge area into West Lancs Goods - the original WLR Fishergate terminus. (For those unfamiliar with the area, see http://www.prestonstation.org.uk/TrainsToSouthport_WLR.html )

That short section, from Whitehouse South to West Lancs Goods, having survived for a few months after the closure of much of the remainder of the route (to service the Silcock’s cattle foods depot situated in the now long-vanished old station buildings), the working eventually became a duty for one of Lostock Hall shed’s then fairly newly-acquired Stanier 8F 2-8-0s.

As regards working passenger services, although all of that would have occurred well before my time, I am pretty sure that the Class As would have turned up on the occasional summer Saturday excursions ... much as they often did just about everywhere else on the former Central Division - especially at times when the depots were particularly hard-pressed to supply motive power. Likewise, it is very possible that North Eastern Region 8Fs could also have materialised on Southport day excursions, again much as they quite regularly did, anyway, to the Fylde Coast.

Prior to the coming of the ubiquitous Fairburn and Stanier 2-6-4Ts, the mainstay of regular services were the Stanier 2-6-2Ts, of which both Southport and Lostock Hall possessed quite a few at various stages and, before that, it was the L&Y 2-4-2 Radial Tanks that held almost total sway.

The only surviving locos today that definitely did work services (having been seen doing so) are Nos 76084 and 78019 … along with, possibly, 50621 (L&Y 1008). It being a fairly local engine for many years, no doubt No 45212 may well also have put in an appearance or two.

For those not that knowledgeable with the locality, there is very little of the old WLR to see nowadays – especially at the Preston end. Indeed, I don't think I have seen elsewhere evidence of a former railway route having been so effectively obliterated from the landscape!

 

The Great Central perhaps ?

but fear not - at least one station totem from a WLR station has been returned to the site where it belongs !

 

Lanky Class A 0-6-0s didn't just work the stretch of line mentioned they went the whole length of the line on the pick up goods trains that operated a couple of times a week.

Another preserved loco that definately worked services on the West Lancs line is Black 5 45337, which was a Southport loco at the end of its British Railways career. There is a photo on the internet somewhere of it at St. Lukes Station. I don't know when 45305 was moved to Lostock Hall, if it was prior to Sept 64 then it would in all probability also have gone out to Southport

As for the line being totally obliterated, there are a few bits remaining, three or four road overbridges. There is part of the platform at Banks but it might be totally hidden in vegetation by now. Also in Banks there is the crossing keeper's cottage at Square House Lane, and between there and Hundred End a section of the wooden boundary fence is still standing

 

There is also the track base at the rear of Southport's Botanic Gardens in Churchtown; the bridge over the river on the outskirts of Southport between Crossens and Banks and the trackbed by the junction of the Hesketh Park - Meols Cop and Hesketh Park - St Lukes line forming 2/3 of the triangle in which the pair of schools now lie.

Locos once allocated to Southport that are now in preservation include 44767; 45337; 50850; 75029; but many locos allocated to either 10B Preston or 10D Lostock Hall would also have been visitors during normal or excursion services to Southport.