Blackpool, Preston and Fleetwood Loco Stock

[MoarCrossovers]

Is anyone familiar with the locomotive fleet that was stationed or ran to these three sites and what they consisted of? I've been struggling to find much information.

[pH]

Have you looked at these sites?

 

http://shedbashuk.blogspot.com/

 

http://brdatabase.info/

[MoarCrossovers]

Both of those pages seem to have the same issue: they helpfully describe the steam fleet roster, but leave no mention of diesel or electric locos.

[pH]

3 minutes ago, MoarCrossovers said:

Both of those pages seem to have the same issue: they helpfully describe the steam fleet roster, but leave no mention of diesel or electric locos.

I did wonder what period you were interested in!

[MoarCrossovers]

Oh whoops, I should have said! I'm after stuff from 1957-66. That being said, I managed to locate some pictures on another site that show at least one member of the Class 25, 31/1, 40, 45 and 47 frequented Blackpool alongside this unidentifiable DMU model.

 

https://rcts.zenfolio.com/diesel/br/other/ea8747aad

Edited September 21, 2020 by MoarCrossovers

[AY Mod]

9 minutes ago, MoarCrossovers said:

this unidentifiable DMU model.

 

It's identifiable as a BRC&W Class 110 https://railcar.co.uk/type/class-110/

[woodenhead]

When did the 104s become synonymous with the route?

 

But talking of 57-66 then there are:

• Black 5s
• Hughes Crabs
• Jubilees
• Stanier 2-6-2T
• Stanier 2-6-4T
• Britannias
• 9Fs
• B1s
• Clans
• Midland 4fs
• Evan a Doncaster A1managed a trip from Lincoln

[Tom D]

Can you be more specific regarding Blackpool (Central, South or North),  are you also considering excursion traffic?  

 

As steam was being cascaded down during the 60's, you could also add Royal Scots and Duchesses to Woodenhead's list. As for Diesels, for that timeframe, I would add class 24, 28 & 37 to those mentioned above. They may not have been stationed at Preston, but they certainly ran through there.

 

As for DMU's, Preston would have seen many classes, but 105's and 108's were very common on the Liverpool (Exchange) to Preston service. I have seen a report that there was even a regular service for Class 124 Trans Pennine to Blackpool South but I am unsure as to the date or from where the service originated.

[Jeremy Cumberland]

On 22/09/2020 at 10:18, woodenhead said:

When did the 104s become synonymous with the route?

104s were Manchester units throughout their lives (1957-1990). By the late 1970s they were regulars on Manchester Victoria - Blackpool North services, but perhaps not on Preston - Blackpool services since I remember 105s and 108s on the Blackpool South line.

 

However, I seem to recall from somwehre that although they were allocated to Longsight right from the beginning, Newton Heath didn't get them till the 1970s, and I suspect they might not fit in the time period

[MoarCrossovers]

On 25/09/2020 at 18:38, Tom D said:

Can you be more specific regarding Blackpool (Central, South or North),  are you also considering excursion traffic?  

I think my current plan is to focus around the Blackpool North and Fleetwood lines, with emphasis on local trains rather than excursion traffic.

[Tom D]

As you are probably aware, Blackpool North shed closed in 1964, and Fleetwood (10C) in 1966. I don't have much information regarding diesels or DMUs for this line, and the picture of the Blackpool DMU, shown above, 

https://rcts.zenfolio.com/diesel/br/other/ea8747aad  

is actually Blackpool Central.

 

There are a couple of books you may want to check out, which I believe would give you a lot more information;

"Northern Lines - Preston to Blackpool including Fleetwood"

"Railways of Blackpool & the Fylde" - Martin Bairstow

 

There is also some information on Fleetwood shed;

https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.6g.nwrail.org.uk%2Fmichaelhenneypage4.html&psig=AOvVaw2e0oasJJrdUG3JLYXmUbc9&ust=1601933106152000&source=images&cd=vfe&ved=0CAkQjhxqFwoTCPDr1oLwm-wCFQAAAAAdAAAAABBZ

 

and you may want to contact the folks at "Poulton & Wyre Railway Society"

 

Hope this helps, good luck....

 

[Markwj]

There are also I think 4 or 5 scenes from the past books which cover mainly 50’s and 60’s trains which have some pictures of the sheds requested by the OP.

[NorthernGuard]

For me it's the seasonal traffic which excites me, running alongside the regular passenger & limited, but distinctive freight traffic. Poulton Curve or somewhere on the Fleetwood line would avoid the heavy excursion traffic.

 

I've spent the best part of 2 decades 'researching' my proposed layout of Kirkham, but no building has actually happened, of the trainset or my mountain of kits. I also have a large collection of RTR stock waiting for the glorious day to arrive...

 

What I have achieved is to amass a lot of photos & copies of spotting logs (esp the West Coast Sightings books, which cover the '59-'64 period). Facsimilies of links & rostering diagrams for locos & crew are available on ebay (I think the seller is: jtpend1). One limitation of these is the use of generic descriptions eg 'LMS Class 4 2-6-4T' which make no distinction between Fowler, Stanier & Fairburn variants.

 

WTTs are much more informative than public timetables.

 

There are many album-type books, but I think the most useful are Stuart Taylor's in the Foxline 'Scenes from the Past' series. Sadly, a proposed Part 6 never materialised. Others to look for are the relevant old Bradford Barton volumes. ColourRail has a fair number of images, many in colour, as slides, prints or downloads. Bear in mind that trains to & from the Fylde were also photographed many miles away.

The Foxline books opened my eyes to the amazing variety of rolling stock to be seen, as well as motive power.

 

There are numerous books with loco allocation info. Volumes in the 'Book of the...' series have details about individual locos, such as changes of tender, boiler, livery etc to make your brain hurt!

 

In the BR period Blackpool had sheds at Central & North. The former closed in '64, its allocation being dispersed & North continued as a stabling point, servicing steam locos until '68. Typical allocations were Stanier & Ivatt 2-6-2Ts & 2-6-4Ts; Black 5s; Jubilees; Ivatt Class 2 2-6-0s. 

 

In the '50s, there were still ex-L&Y 2-4-2T, 0-6-0, 0-8-0 & the last 'Dreadnought' 4-6-0s. Also a few new BR Standard 5MTs & 2-6-4Ts for brief periods.

 

Fleetwood had Crabs, Lanky 0-6-0ST & Fowler Dock & 3F 0-6-0T; BR Standard 2-6-2Ts.

 

Regular visitors were Royal Scots, Patriots, Britannias, Stanier & Ivatt Moguls, WD & 8F 2-8-0s, LMS & BR Class 4s. More unusual & exotic were 9Fs, B1s, K1s, K3s, Clans, Super Ds...

 

Really special visitors included 60113 (1952), 41101 (1959 'Andy Capp Special), 'MR 1000 & 60022 (1961) 60114 (1964) 4472 (1966 &7)...

 

From the late 50s, local services began to be operated by DMUs: Derby 108, Cravens 105 etc, Met-Cammell 101, Birmingham 110 & Swindon Trans-Pennine 124.

Original Derby Lightweight units seem to have worked to/from Cumbria. Birmingham 104s generally worked from S Manchester. The TP units seem to have worked Manchester diagrams. I have a pic of one with small yellow panels at South around '65. It's not clear if this is a 5 or 6-car set. (they sometimes ran without the buffet car). I have a pic of a 'yellow diamond' Met-Cam unit at Fleetwood.

 

Euston services were gradually dieselised at the same time: Class 44 Peaks & EE Type 4 (40s) worked these until they were in turn displaced by Brush 47s & EE Class 50s. Brush Type 2s (31) & EE Type 3 (37) replaced the B1s, K3s & rare K1s on ER work from '61, but Jubilees & Blk5s worked in from W Yorks until '67. Some Manchester diagrams brought E Midlands-based Sulzer Type 2s & I have pictures of a Birmingham Type 2 (D5384) on the coast line & on Central shed in '64. Incidentally, DP2 worked Londons around '63, as had each of the 'LMS Twins' a decade earlier. The Deltic prototype was photographed apparently coming off the Fylde line at Preston, but I suspect it was a posed publicity shot, probably on a Sunday morning. One genuine pic at that location was of two 9Fs neck & neck on passenger services. Even more remarkably, one was an original Crosti-boilered version! (1957) Although Metro-Vick Type 2s were fairly common at Preston, the only confirmed visit to Blackpool was in '64. The loco was the later preserved D5705 working from Barrow. There was a Yorkshire 02 shunter at Blackpool for a time & a Midland 3F was dumped at Fleetwood for months... There were always unconfirmed rumours about Stanier Pacifics, until a preserved one came in modern times & Duke of Gloucester may have worked a train out when new...

 

Despite all this exciting variety, when the RCTS carried out a traffic survey on the Fylde in '59, to record a day in the last summer of almost total steam operation, every other loco was a Black 5!

 

It'll be, to quote the PM, a world-beating layout... if I ever build it!