Poulton & Wyre Railway Society

The restored tracks

The railway line to Fleetwood became one of the world’s first holiday resort railways when it opened in 1840.

For 130 years it carried holiday and Irish Sea ferry passengers into Fleetwood, and the port’s once-massive fish trade to the junction for the national network at Poulton-le-Fylde. The line carried its last passengers in June 1970, apart from the occasional enthusiasts’ excursion.

The Poulton & Wyre Railway Society was formed in 2006 to reopen the section from Poulton to Fleetwood. Network Rail issued a clearance licence to allow Society volunteers access to their section of the line from Poulton to the Cala Gran Caravan Park and Highways England issued one from there to Jameson Road bridge in order to clear vegetation and repair boundary fencing.

Over the past decade PWRS volunteers have removed tons of rubbish and vegetation from the track. Fencing has been repaired, and some of the track sleepers needed replacing. A new footpath across the rail track has been installed for the Wyre Coastal Path to replace a previous very muddy crossing. Thornton and Burn Naze are unrecognisable from the littered, weed-strewn, plant-choked stations of ten years ago.

The ultimate achievement would be to have a fully operational heritage railway from Poulton to Fleetwood, with regular trains running from a transport hub in Fleetwood to link with mainline services at Poulton via a new platform. A separate commuter (community) service using good quality refurbished rolling stock could operate daily and support local transport needs.

Thornton and Burn Naze stations would be brought back into use and a new Fleetwood South station established at Jameson Road for passengers to and from Farmer Parr’s Animal Park and the Fleetwood caravan parks. The station would also be close to the bus stop on Fleetwood Road.

The restored tracks

At present all clearance work is carried out by just a few enthusiastic PWRS volunteers at each site.  Some members have undertaken grant-funded certified weed control courses at Myerscough College, to operate our industrial standard weed and brush cutters and to be responsible for the chemical treatment of all types or weeds and shrubs to keep the rail track and corridor clear.

However, the PWRS is desperate for more volunteer support from anyone who can offer a few hours per week, usually on Wednesday or Saturday mornings at each of the above venues.  All relevant training will be given and full health and safety policies are strictly complied with. Our present teams offer a great social atmosphere with refreshment breaks when appropriate.  Appropriate working clothing can be supplied and Hi Viz outfits are mandatory when working on the rail corridor.

If you feel you may be able to offer some time to assist the PWRS achieve its vision as above, please contact the PWRS Secretary in the first instance to arrange an initial chat and site visit to any of the above working areas of interest. PWRS Chairman & Secretary: Brian Crawford, tel. 01253 975757.

Find out more info at www.pwrs.org and www.facebook.com/pwrailway

Poulton & Wyre Railway Society team