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.
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 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 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 Ribble Steam Railway have a museum that displays many industrial locomotives. There is also a model railway.
To find out more about the upcoming events, visit the Preston and District Model Railway Society and Ribble Steam Railway and Museum website.
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