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Preston and District Model Railway Society and Ribble Steam Railway spring events

Posted on - 5th February, 2023 - 7:00pm | Author - | Posted in - History, Preston Docks, Preston News, Preston Railway Station, What's On in Preston
Euxton Junction Model Railway Layout Pic: The Preston Model Railway Society
Euxton Junction Model Railway Layout Pic: The Preston Model Railway Society

Spring 2023 sees a couple of events that are of interest to railway and history fans. The Preston Model Railway Society’s exhibition is held in March, and The Ribble Steam Railway reopens for the summer season. 

The Society’s own layout will be at the show. The layout is named Euxton Junction and is based on the West Coast Main Line, just to the south of Preston. This is at a point where the line splits to Wigan or Bolton. The layout is featured in the March edition of British Railway Modelling magazine.

The lines around Preston in the early 20th century Pic: Preston Digital Archive
The lines around Preston in the early 20th century Pic: Preston Digital Archive

A tale of two stations

The original Euxton station Pic: Red Rose Collection
The original Euxton station Pic: Red Rose Collection

There have been two stations named Euxton. The original closed in 1969, however a rebuilt station opened in 1997. It is the reopened station that features in the model layout. The layout also features the bridge that carries the M6 motorway across the line. The station has quite an unusual layout with four lines and some complicated footbridges.

The new Euxton station Pic: Google Earth
The new Euxton station Pic: Google Earth

The Ribble Steam Railway reopens for spring 2023

A train gets ready to depart Pic: Geoff Whittaker
A train gets ready to depart Pic: Geoff Whittaker

The Ribble Steam Railway will be reopening in spring. The station and museum are located off Chain Caul Way near the Docks. There will be two gala days held, as well as regular weekend running. Before then, two half-term events will take place with a Pirates and Princesses theme and a Superheroes theme.

The museum houses an extensive collection of industrial locomotives. Additionally, the railway operates three Sentinel diesel shunters that are used for bitumen trains. The bitumen trains use the heritage line from Preston Station to the Total Fina Elf plant in Chain Caul Way. A mainline locomotive leaves the tankers at the exchange sidings, off Strand Road. The Sentinel shunters take them the rest of the way.

The Sentinel shunters Pic: Ribble Steam Railway
The Sentinel shunters Pic: Ribble Steam Railway

The Sentinels continue a long tradition of small steam and diesel locomotives running at Preston Docks. They were brought in 50 years ago when nine steam locomotives were retired. Officially, steam ended in 1968, but some steam engines continued to work on industrial sites into the 1970s. One of the steam engines survived and is kept at The Lakeside and Haverthwaite Railway in the Lake District.

The station at Riverside, note the bitumen tankers Pic: Geoff Whittaker
The station at Riverside, note the bitumen tankers Pic: Geoff Whittaker

The Ribble Steam Railway have a museum that displays many industrial locomotives. There is also a model railway.

The Ribble Steam Railway museum at Preston Docks Pic: Geoff Whittaker.
The Ribble Steam Railway museum at Preston Docks Pic: Geoff Whittaker.
The model railway at the Ribble Steam Railway museum Pic: Geoff Whittaker
The model railway at the Ribble Steam Railway museum Pic: Geoff Whittaker

To find out more about the upcoming events, visit the Preston and District Model Railway Society and Ribble Steam Railway and Museum website.

Follow Geoffrey on Twitter for more Preston history.

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