There's a brief description of a trip I made by train in 1957 in the post Halfex to Blackpool, when the return fare was 14 shillings (70p) and the journey took 2 hours 40 minutes.
Over the years, I've been back to Blackpool a number of times and my latest trip was on Friday, 3rd January 2014, described briefly in the post A Trip to the Seaside. In 2014, the return fare was £52.00 and, despite a change at Preston each way and with some station stops because I was travelling on normal service trains, the journey was around 20 minutes faster than in 1957.
In 2014, a DMU leaves Blackpool North, with Blackpool North No. 2 signal box in the background.
Development of Railways from the Fylde Peninsula to Preston
The first railway from Preston to the Fylde Peninsula was opened by the Preston and Wyre Railway in 1840. It went to Fleetwood, via Kirkham and Poulton-le-Fylde. This aided the development of Fleetwood as a resort, as a ferry port and as a fishing port. In 1846 a branch was constructed from Poulton to a station which became known as Blackpool Talbot Road (renamed Blackpool North in 1932). The Blackpool line joined the Fleetwood line via a severe curve and, following a serious derailment in 1693, the layout at Poulton was completely re-designed to improve the alignment of the Blackpool route. Also in 1846, another branch opened from Kirkham to Lytham. By 1874, the separate railway from Lytham to Blackpool had been joined to the Kirkham to Lytham branch, providing a roundabout route to Blackpool following the coast which ended at a well-situated terminus appropriately called Blackpool (Central).
The growth of tourist traffic led to four running lines being provided from Kirkham North Junction to Preston, paired by use, in 1889. Even on the four track sections, congestion was a problem and additional signal boxes were installed with running signals and either no points or just emergency trailing crossovers as a means of 'shortening the block', allowing trains to follow one another more closely. The circuitous route from Kirkham North Junction to Blackpool Central limited capacity, so a 'New Line' was built in 1903, running in a virtually straight line from Kirkham North Junction to a junction at Blackpool South No. 3 from where four running lines were provided to Blackpool Central. Four running lines were also provided through Poulton-le-Fylde station.
Approach to Blackpool Central Station in 1921 (Photo: N.R.M.)
Blackpool (and Fleetwood) to Preston in the 1950s
In the 1950s, the routes were controlled by semaphore signals, manual signal boxes (of Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway pattern) and Absolute Block working. The signal boxes on the various lines are listed below.
Fleetwood Branch:
FleetwoodBlackpool North to Preston:
Wyre Dock Station
Wyre Dock Jn.
Wyre Power Station
Burn Naze North
Burn Naze South
Thornton Cleveleys
Tarn Gates L.C.
Poulton No. 5
Blackpool North No. 3Blackpool Central to Kirkham (via Lytham):
Blackpool North No. 2
Blackpool North No. 1
Layton
Carleton L.C.
Poulton No. 4
Poulton No. 3
Poulton No. 2
Poulton No. 1
Singleton
Singleton Bank
Weeton
Bradkirk
Kirkham North Junction
Kirkham
Kirkham South Junction
Treals
Spen Lane
Salwick No 2
Salwick No 1
Constable Lane
Lea Road
Ashton
Maudland Viaduct
Blackpool CentralBlackpool South No. 3 to Kirkham (via New Line):
Spen Dyke
Bloomfield Road
Blackpool South No. 3
Blackpool South No. 1
Squires Gate
St. Annes
Lighthouse Intermediate Block Signals
Ansdell
Lytham
Lytham Goods Yard
Warton
Moss Side
Wrea Green
Blackpool South No. 2You can find detailed diagrams for these signal boxes in the 1950s in the excellent series of publications from the Signalling Record Society 'British Railways Layout Plans of the 1950's' - 'Volume 5: ex-Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway Lines in West Lancashire' (ISBN: 1 873228 04 X).
Watsons Lane Bridge
Marton
Plumpton
Bradkirk
Blackpool to Preston in recent times
As car and coach travel grew, the demand for trains reduced. The impressive railway infrastructure which had allowed large numbers of passengers to be transported was either reduced or abandoned. The direct line from Kirkham North Junction to Blackpool Central was abandoned (apart from around one mile at the Kirkham end which was retained as a Tip Siding). The M55 motorway was built on the rest of the trackbed. At Blackpool, destruction of Blackpool Central station and its extensive sidings in 1964 released significant real estate for commercial redevelopment or (the ultimate irony) road vehicle parking.
The branch from Kirkham to Lytham and Blackpool was cut back to Blackpool South in 1970 and, from 1982, a single uninviting windswept platform has terminated a singled line from Kirkham operated as a 'long siding'.
In 1966, Fleetwood station was closed but a passenger service continued to operate to Wyre Dock until 1970. The branch from Poulton was then used by freight trains as far as the chemical works at Burn Naze. Today, the whole branch is 'Out Of Use'.
The L&Y island platform, canopy and brick station buildings at Poulton-le-Fylde have been triumphantly restored (apologies for the reflections).
Double track remains from Blackpool North through Poulton and Kirkham (which retains a short section of four-track line) to Preston. The remaining signal boxes are listed below.
Blackpool North No. 2I visited Salwick box some years ago. It served as a 'fringe' box to Preston Power Signal Box with Track Circuit Block working to Preston and (I think) to Kirkham. I believe the signal boxes further north still use Absolute Block working - they certainly retain upper-quadrant semaphore signals. However, this line is being electrified at 25 kV a.c. and by 2016 these few signal boxes will be abolished. On my trip in 2014, work was in hand raising a number of overbridges to provide clearance for the overhead lines.
Carleton L.C.
Poulton No. 3
Kirkham North Junction
Salwick
The L&Y signal box at Kirkham North Jn. is just recognisable despite significant alteration but the heavy-duty landing allowing access to the windows seems rather over-kill.
To see what remained on my visit in 2014, refer to 'Railway Track Diagrams Book 4: Midlands & North West', Third Edition, published by Trackmaps (ISBN: 978-0-9549866-7-4).
Book References
[1] 'A Regional History of the Railways of Great Britain: Volume 10 The North West by Geoffrey O. Holt, published by David & Charles (ISBN 0-946537-34-8).
[2] 'Rails to the Lancashire Coast' by Richard Kirkman and Peter van Zeller, published by Dalesman Books (ISBN: 1 85568 027 0).
[3] 'Railways to the Coast' by Michael H. C. Baker, published by Patrick Stephens (ISBN 1-85260-058-6).
[4] 'Lost Railways of Lancashire' by Gordon Suggitt, published by Countryside Books (ISBN 1 85306 801 2).
[5] 'Railways of the Fylde' by Barry McLoughlin, published by Carnegie Publishing,1992 (ISBN 0-948789-84-0).
Related articles on other sites
Preston and Wyre Joint Railway (Wikipedia).
Blackpool North Railway Station (Wikipedia).
Blackpool North (National Rail.
Blackpool tramway (Wikipedia).
Related posts in this blog
Halfex to Blackpool.
A Trip to the Seaside.
Track Sketch: Fleetwood.
My pictures
Blackpool Trams.
Blackpool's Railways.
Railways around Preston.
[Reference [5] added 12-Feb-2014]
