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
Websitewww.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.

History[edit]

The former Thornton for Cleveleys station platforms post-renovation in 2014
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.

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[edit]

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[edit]

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]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Coman, Julian (2020-02-01). "Can a restored railway line get Fleetwood back on track?". The Observer. ISSN 0029-7712. Retrieved 2024-04-26.
  2. ^ a b "Poulton & Wyre Railway Society - Home". www.pwrs.org. Retrieved 2024-04-26.
  3. ^ a b c "Can a restored railway line get Fleetwood back on track?" – The Guardian, 1 February 2010
  4. ^ a b "Poulton & Wyre Railway Society - About Us". www.pwrs.org. Retrieved 2024-04-26.
  5. ^ a b c d "Poulton & Wyre Railway Society - Proposal for the Fleetwood Line". www.pwrs.org. Retrieved 2024-04-26.
  6. ^ "Poulton & Wyre Railway Society - PWRS in Bloom!". www.pwrs.org. Retrieved 2024-04-26.
  7. ^ "Poulton & Wyre Railway Society - The Line". www.pwrs.org. Retrieved 2024-04-26.
  8. ^ "PWRS Aims and Objectives". Poulton & Wyre Railway Society. Retrieved 2010-04-10.
  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". 2019-03-08. Retrieved 2024-04-26.
  11. ^ "Plan to reopen disused Fleetwood Poulton rail link welcomed". 2022-02-07. Retrieved 2024-04-26.
  12. ^ a b "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". 2021-07-19. Retrieved 2024-04-26.
  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". 2022-06-20. Retrieved 2024-04-26.
  16. ^ "Government to reopen Lancs railway line that could slash journey times". Lancashire Telegraph. 2022-06-21. Retrieved 2024-04-26.
  17. ^ "Hillhouse Technology Enterprise Zone". Invest in Lancashire. Retrieved 2024-04-26.
  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 (2020-07-08). "Poulton and Wyre Railway Society PWRS - Visit Poulton-le-Fylde". Poulton-le-Fylde. Retrieved 2024-04-26.
  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 2024-04-26.
  23. ^ "Poulton & Wyre Railway Society - DMU (Two Years On)". www.pwrs.org. Retrieved 2024-04-26.
  24. ^ "Edward FISHER personal appointments - Find and update company information - GOV.UK". find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk. Retrieved 2024-04-26.
  25. ^ "Poulton & Wyre Railway Society - Structure". www.pwrs.org. Retrieved 2024-04-26.

External links[edit]

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