Merry Christmas

It's that time of year again.... Looking back, it's not been bad for the Steam enthusiasts out there, with a number of locos returning to the Main Line. The diesel enthusiast has had less to cheer about though, with classic traction tours being thin-on-the-ground. Next year has the potential for a vintage year though, if the tour operators and punters put their money where their mouth is - 40145 and D1015 are now back in the frey and we have not one but three Deltics registered for the main line. Lets also hope that the class 50s see more use this year, since they seem to haven't appeared on many tours - especially in the North West.

Merry Christmas!

Tram Power Progress

In 2010, we reported (here) on ambitious plans to build a modern tram system in the city of Preston, but sadly in the intervening years, no visible progress has yet been made. That, coupled with recent website problems have been assumed to mean that the project is sadly dead and buried. This prompted us to contact Tram Power Ltd. directly to ask for an official statement on the current state of affairs. We are pleased report that the scheme is still very much alive and small but significant progress has very recently been made.

Tram Power Ltd's Progress Summary is here.

DELTIC stay extended

Preston-built Prototype diesel loco "DELTIC" is to remain in the City for another Year. DP1 will now stay at the Ribble Steam Railway until October 2014.

Another fatality causes chaos

At 10.30 this morning, a TPE Barrow - Manchester Airport service (2U60) struck a person just north of Lancaster station, resulting in the closure of the WCML in both directions north of Preston.

Other than the obvious distress for the victim's family, train-crew and passengers, the death resulted in delays and cancellations affecting several hundred people.

The LEP have a report on-line and a video of the huge queues at Preston.

This is just the latest in what seems to be a worrying trend, with fatalities seemingly every week.

DELTIC photo-shoot

On Saturday (5th Oct), the Ribble Steam Railway are organising a rare chance to photograph the Prototype DELTIC out in the open air.

As part of an evening photo-shoot, the Preston-built loco will be posed with maroon Mk1 coaches to give photographers a unique chance to capture the Napier-engined loco as it would have looked in service with BR.

There will also be a second scene for photographers to photograph, featuring the railway's class 05 and 14 locos.

See the RSR's news panel on this page for more details.

Tours galore

The Fellsman season may be over, but this weekend has lots to offer by way of preserved diesel and steam tours at Preston.

"Western" D1015 makes a welcome return after a few years out of action.
61994, The Great Marquess now heads up day 1 of the West Highlander, with the K4 now being attached at Preston instead of Crewe.
The Cumbrian Lakelander will be hauled by WCRC class 47 or 57 locos, as will the SRPS tour from Dundee to Blackpool.

See the Timetable page for full details.

Signalboxes preserved.. oh hang on...

You would think that the news yesterday, that Network Rail and English Heritage are going to give 26 "highly distinctive" signal boxes Grade II listed status, would be good news. We can all think of a SB which should be saved from the wrecking ball. There must be great examples up and down the country which really should be saved. But hang on... what's this? Only two in "the North" ? and both in Yorkshire? But EIGHT in Kent alone? Who on earth came up with that list?

With electrification and resignalling on the way, the Preston - Blackpool line surely has one worth saving?
BBC News article

1968 End of Steam Festival at The ELR

27th & 28th July 2013
A very special invitation is being extended to any railwaymen - and, in particular, steam footplatemen who worked at any of the final steam motive power depots throughout the North West during the last days of British Railways' steam in 1968, to participate in our commemorative event to be held at the East Lancashire Railway at Bury over the weekend of 27-28 July.

Full Details HERE

Steam Ban?

With the continuing run of hot dry weather, it seems that a ban on steam traction is almost inevitable, however we're not there yet. It seems that the Scarborough Spa Express and Fellsman will both run this week, with diesels tucked in behind for assistance, presumably to avoid the steam loco from having to try too hard an thereby reducing the chance of sparks - and resulting fires.

45699 Galatea is booked to take charge of the Fellsman this week, giving the newly restored loco it's first trip round the Settle & Carlisle line in almost 50 years.

Fellsman problems

Today's Fellsman, hauled by 8F 48151, seems to have had problems today, arriving at Preston over an hour late. Some have reported that the loco, which underwent a loaded test last week, sounded "sick".

A class 37 diesel was sent to haul the train back to Carnforth, reportedly due to a chronic shortage of coal.

Log-Jam

Colas 56094 has disgraced itself just past Oxheys Loop, to the north of Preston, whilst hauling the 6J37 Carlisle - Chirk logs. 57304 has been dispatched from Preston to drag it into the station, whilst 4M44 has been put into the loop at Oxheys to allow passenger traffic to pass.

Rescue loco and failed train proceeding very slowly back to Preston, as at 15.00.

Blackpool - Euston in doubt

Virgin's plan to bring back direct Blackpool - Euston services, has been dealt a blow by Network Rail, who have rejected the proposal due to lack of available paths. The service was planned to begin with the timetable change in December and would have restored direct London services to the seaside town after an absence of a decade.

Virgin have stated that they will appeal against the decision.

Fellsman kicks-off with the K4

The first Fellsman train of the 2013 season has left Preston with 61994 The Great Marquess in charge. Previous seasons have seen 5690 Leander and WCRC's 8F 48151 taking the lion's share of the duties, but this year it has been suggested that 5699 Galatea might feature heavily. With 46115 Scots Guardsman having recently received a loaded test and Leander due out of the workshops soon, it seems that there is the possibility of a good bit of variety on the Fellsman this year.

NRM threat - Petition

There is a real danger that one of the museums operated by Science Museums Group (SMG) , will close, due to a funding shortfall. The museums which are potentially threatened by a 10% funding cut, include the Museum of Science & Industry in Manchester and the National Railway Museum in York. You may like to sign the e-Petition challenging the cuts and the potential closure.

New Preston Depot for TPE

"The newest depot in our network has officially opened at Preston and has welcomed the team of drivers who will be based there. It's one of the latest steps on our new trains journey, as we prepare for the arrival of our new fleet. "

Photo Extra

The 'Fylde Coast Express' railtour passes Kirkham North box with the Blackpool North to Kilmarnock return leg headed by 47854 'Diamond Jubilee'.
Photo : John Green 22-May-2013







[left and centre] 86259 "Les Ross" sits in Platform 4c awaiting its move to Farington to take over from 6233 "Duchess of Sutherland" on the Cumbrian Mountain Express
[right] Black 5 44932 sits on Platform 7 awaiting a path north after hauling the Fylde Coast Explorer from Carlisle to Blackpool via the S&C
Photos : Bernadette Newsham 22-May-2013

Diesel Cabs for the RSR

The Railway Herald is reporting that the Stockport garden, famous for it's display of vintage diesel loco cabs, has been cleared ahead of the sale of the house. The Ribble Steam Railway has reportedly acquired two of the items, namely the bonnet nose of 20009 and the full cab of 47100, both of which will be painted into BR green and placed on display in the museum.

NEW - LOOK WEBSITE!

For months now, we've been playing around with new formats for the website. The general feedback we get is that people generally like the "look" of the site the way it was, but that it was looking a bit untidy (hard to disagree with). So... The new look is intended to remain familiar, but make the site easier to navigate. Hopefully you'll think we've managed that.

All the old features remain, but with a new, logically organised drop-down menu, though a few pages have been updated along the way. Please let us know what you think... good or bad!

Class 37s galore

Two test trains ran through the area yesterday. 37611 and 37603 did the grand tour round the North West, including trips down the Dock Branch and to Southport. Graham Boreham recorded the train's progress on video. Also putting in an appearance was 37405 and inspection saloon "Caroline" on 2Z02.

45th Anniversary End of Steam Reunion

A reunion of Lancashire railwaymen will take place at the Leyland & Farington Social Club, Leyland, on the evening of Friday, August 2nd 2013, to commemorate the 45th anniversary of the end of steam traction on British Railways.

Although the event is aimed at former railwaymen, there will be some places available to enthusiasts.

Admission fee will cover cost of room and buffet and will be around £3.50 per head, according to the number attending, which has to be ascertained before August.

If you wish to attend, please contact:
Paul Tuson, 01257 793764.
Bob Gregson, 01539 532645.

Galatea Latest

LATEST - Galatea at Hellifield 13.52 (8 mins early)

Galatea Test Run Today

It seems that "Jubilee" 45699 Galatea is to do a loaded test today, round the usual circuit from / to Carnforth

Galatea is booked to stand in the RES platform at Preston, from 16.27 to 18.11.

As with all test-runs, the booked times should be taken with a very large pinch of salt. This test could run very early, very late, or not at all!

The big question is, after the frankly bizarre efforts to confuse the enthusiast fraternity on the first (aborted) light test run - Galatea was sent out in a hastily-applied coat of WCRC maroon paint and Leander's number and name plates.... What will Galatea be disguised as this time? Perhaps they WCRC apprentices will have made a ply-wood casing to make it look like a DMU ?

Last Chance to See...

** LATEST .... MOVE NOW CANCELLED **
This evening may well be the very last time a Class 87 passes through Preston. 87002 and 86101 are due to move from Willesden following winter ice-breaking duties based at Carlisle.

The owners of these locos recently announced that all their locos were to be taken out-of-service, due to insufficient work. The locos are likely to be sold into Eastern Europe, where class-mates are already continuing to earn a living.

0Z87 Carlisle - Willesden, Due Preston 17.38 - 17.40 DETAILS

Virgin to continue on WCML until 2017

A major shakeup of rail franchising in the UK has been announced by Transport secretary Patrick McLoughlin. This follows the Brown Review, which was one of two reviews launched following the collapse of the bidding process for the WCML last year.

The big change is that priority will now be given to returning the East Coast route to private business by 2015, before the next election. The WCRC contest is consequently pushed back, requiring yet another extension to Virgin's contract to run the line. Richard Branson's company will now continue to operate the main line through Preston until at least 2017.

More details HERE

New Station for Cottam?

It's a lot of years since Cottam had a station, but there are proposals to open a new Parkway-style station to serve the area. The idea is part of a general plan for transport in Lancashire.
More Here

Photo bonanza

Sometimes, we seem to be stuck with the same "Photo of the Day" for weeks, then like buses, several come along all at once!



Black 5 44932 at Farrington Curve Junc.
Photo : Steve Boreham 16-Feb-2013


86259 "Les Ross" on WCME
Photo : DM Stuart 16-Feb-2013


Ribble Steam Railway "Winter Steam Gala" and evening photo-shoot (gallery).

Steam loco roster

The much-discussed test-run for Galatea this week, turned out to be a test run for 46115 Scots Guardsman instead, so it had been assumed that the "Scot" would be in charge of Saturday's Lancastrian tour, which has Preston as the starting and ending point of the steam section. It now seams that that will not be the case and 8F 48151 will instead take charge.

Saturday's other tour, The Winter Cumbrian Mountain Express, should again be hauled by A4 60009 Union of South Africa, with class 86 no 86259 Les Ross on the non-steam portions.

Steam Test Run

Today's steam test run, booked to run round the usual Carnforth circuit, was widely expected to be the first outing for 45699 Galatea, but 46115 Scots Guardsman was turned-out instead. It now seems likely that the "Scot" will haul the Lancastrian tour on Saturday.

Despite today's no-show, Galatea is now almost fully restored and ready to operate it's first train since withdrawal in 1964. The "Jub" was bought from the famous Woodhams scrap yard as a source of spares for sister loco "Leander", but instead has been undergoing overhaul at Carnforth for a number of years.

Old Prestonian

Though not aimed specifically at the railway enthusiast, David Eaves' new website will be of interest to all Prestonians, young and old. There is a page devoted to the railways of Preston though, which includes a large number of David's own photos.

We strongly recommend you take a look!

RSR Evening Photo Shoot

The Ribble Steam Railway will be holding an evening photographic shoot as part of its steam gala weekend on 16th February.

Five locomotives will be will be lined up outside the railway’s running shed, with special illumination provided for photographers.

The shoot will begin at 17:30 to allow the last few of the sun’s rays (we hope) to be captured, and will last for approximately two hours.

<<<< More details in the centre panel.

Threat to Charters - ePetition

If a charter causes delays to other services, the operator is fined according to the amount of delay caused. At present that fine is capped at £5,000, but the Office of Rail Regulation is proposing the removal of that cap. This is a serious threat to all rail-tours, since the organiser runs the risk of a huge bill, which could instantly bankrupt a tour company. For that reason, it is fairly certain that the majority will decide that the risk is too great and stop running trains.

If this change happens, it seems likely that the rail-tour / charter market will be wiped-out at a stroke.

Please oppose this plan by signing the ePetition

Happy New Year

A big thank you to all our regular visitors. 2012 didn't see many changes to this website, other than some big changes to the Timetable / Gen page, which is now far more comprehensive and up-to-the minute. I'd like to take this opportunity to say thanks to Dave Felton for all the work he's put into that over the past few months.

There's a spruced-up version of the site waiting in the wings as well as some interesting new features (hopefully), so watch this space!

As usual, if you have any comments or suggestions, please get in touch...

All the best for 2013!