Abandoned Railways Poulton to Fleetwood 2020. Preston and Wyre Railway.

Following the full length of the route from Poulton to Fleetwood passing thru Thornton, Cleveleys, Burn Naze and Wyre Dock stations. Network Rail abandoned this line in the late 1990s leaving all the infrastructure still in situ it proved to be a fascinating trip as i witnessed mother nature fighting against the local preservation society (PWRS) who were determined to keep the line clear.

Filmed by Allan Roach.


A brief history
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. Passenger business was more buoyant than expected, and the company built branch lines to the nascent resort of Blackpool and Lytham.


The line ran from a terminus at Dock Street on the southern part of the promontory that forms Fleetwood. It continued south in a straight line for two miles across tidal marshes known as Cold Dubbs where it was to be carried on embankment. The intention was to reclaim the marshes which would be contained by the embankment but engineering difficulties were encountered during construction and several sections of timber trestle viaduct were substituted.The line continued to Poulton, Kirkham and Preston. The singe line railway opened on 15 July 1840 for a special train and on 16 July to the public.

Traffic exceeded expectations: 20,000 passengers were carried in the first month, and in the six summer months of 1841 the total was 108,000. The Fleetwood line carried traffic from London to Scotland as there was no through railway line. Trains to Fleetwood to and a steamer to Ardrossan and train for the onward journey took about 27 hours. The route ceased to be significant in 1848 with the opening of the Caledonian Railway, providing a through railway route.

In 1844 seaside excursions were run to Fleetwood from Manchester and it became apparent that the emerging resort of Blackpool was an attraction. Hoteliers arranged road connections to their town from Poulton. The Preston and Wyre Railway decided to build a branch to Blackpool from Poulton. The Preston & Wyre Railway was leased by the M&LR from 3 August 1846. The M&LR was renamed the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway the following year. The London and North Western Railway, that operated of the main line at Preston was then included in the leasing relationship, and by Act of 28 July 1849, the Preston and Wyre Railway was vested in the two railways, a two-thirds share in the L&YR and one third in the LNWR.


The main line was doubled as far as Burn Naze by 10 August 1846. The embankment between Burn Naze and Fleetwood was to be retained as the up line and a single line, some distance from the original, following a two-mile deviation around the shore was built as the down line opening on 13 January 1851. Problems with the embankment and timber trestle sections caused the original line's abandonment at the same time. The deviation line was a single line that ran to Dock Street in Fleetwood, but entered the station from the south-west. A goods depot was built beyond the passenger station. The deviation was doubled in 1875. The Blackpool branch was doubled by an Act of 26 May 1865, paid for by the companies in proportion. Fleetwood Dock was authorised at the outset, but work only started in 1869 and was soon stopped, the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway took over construction and it opened in 1878. The short branch to Wyre Dock was L&YR property.
The L&YR and the LNWR had powers to operate steamer services to Belfast, Londonderry and the Isle of Man and operated through boat trains. On 15 July 1883 a new station opened on the quay at Fleetwood for transfer from boat trains to the steamers, and traffic developed greatly. The old station was closed as the new station better served the promenade for passengers not transferring to the steamers. Some fishing vessels used Fleetwood from 1860, but in 1892 a trawler fishing fleet was established by a Grimsby firm and the town became the largest fishing port on the west coast and the third largest in Britain, with heavy fish traffic sent by rail.
On 1 May 1901 The first L&YR club corridor and dining car express was introduced between Fleetwood and Leeds via Manchester, connecting with the Belfast steamer. Belfast steamer sailings from Fleetwood continued until the improvement of the Heysham service in 1928. The summer service to Douglas, Isle of Man lasted until 1961, when heavy repairs were required to the quay and the expense could not be justified. Fleetwood terminus and the line from Wyre Dock were closed on 18 April 1966. The former Wyre Dock station was renamed Fleetwood, but the passenger service between here and Poulton ceased on 1 June 1970. The line remained open to chemical works at Burn Naze, but beyond that, Fleetwood and the docks were no longer rail-served. The entire branch from Poulton closed in 1992.