Poulton & Wyre Railway

11/06/2026

A GRAND DAY OUT

Thanks to all who came to visit us at Car Show. It was a lovely day with a high turnout.

Great to talk to people about the restoration work we're doing and push the cause of our railway.

And Geoff's VW looked quite at home with all those classic vehicles.

If you want to support the work we do, please consider becoming a member.

Link in comments.

04/06/2026

SHOW

The PWRS will be a small but perfectly formed presence at this year's Cleveleys car show this Sunday, 7th June 2026.

This was due to our workshop metal fabricator "leave it with me, I'll see what I can do" wizard, using just that phrase to squeeze us in at short notice.

Thank you Gerry and thank you to the . We will be on the front next to a rather nice Mark II Es**rt.

Our NPL slave driver / site manager Geoff will be in charge (though as he is always quick to point out not actually in control) and there will be sundry support from other members on the day.

Please come and visit us, we would welcome a chat about what we do, and a chance to persuade you to add yourselves to our growing list of PWRS members, either active or quietly flying a flag for us.

The PWRS Crew




Photo Credit: ©Copyright, Mark Shuttleworth Photography - Note, not the cars we'll be in!

28/05/2026

JOHN FOWLER SHUNTER

A reminder of the incredible work done on our 1955 0-4-0 diesel , number 4210108.

Her working life was spent at the works in which ended abruptly with the plant's closure and she spent the next ten years rusting away in full view of the .

She is of the same type that was located locally at the former I.C.I. site at Burn Naze, Thornton and also at the former Power Station.

Since her delivery to our site on the 1st of May 2010, the then sixty five year old locomotive has undergone an extensive rebuild from the ground up.

More details and photos of some of the work undertaken by our volunteers are on the website. Link in comments.

22/05/2026

MEMORIES OF A BOOKING CLERK

A reminder of an interview this website guy did in 2019 with Richard Willacy, a former booking clerk on the Poulton to Fleetwood line.

Typed up in his broad Lancashire accent, the interview makes an interesting read and features links to further information about a range of topics covered.

Well worth a read for a journey into the Caost and the UK not so long ago.

LINK IN COMMENTS

The accompanying photo is Fleetwood Station / Ferry Terminus in August 1959. ©Copyright Dr Neil Clifton




LINK IN COMMENTS

08/05/2026

UPDATE ON THE LINE

The question we are most often asked by members of the public is where everything is up to with the to railway line.

Alongside establishing a centre, one of our key objectives remains pushing for the reopening of the line.

Following on from the cancelling of the £500m Restoring Your Railway fund in 2024, there are now positive noises being made once more.

To explain it all, we've put together an article on our website that outlines the current situation.

Follow the link in the comments or Google "PWRS" and take a look at the lead news article.

30/04/2026

WHAT DO YOU THINK?

So, in our recent committee meeting we were discussing our membership fee and benefits. Whether it was too low, whether we needed to offer more, what we might offer or whether it was about right.

The current fee is £15 a year for adults and £5 for children.

Membership includes:

- Shiny membership card to show off to friends
- Emailed newsletters 4-6 times a year with updates about our work, plus history and news of the line
- Annual open day (with refreshments) to visit the site, talk to volunteers and view progress on our rolling stock
- Opportunity to volunteer, working alongside like-minded folks, making new friends, learning new skills and keeping active.

Do we need to offer more? Would you be swayed by the traditional mug, keyring, mousemat, etc. and the price rise that would entail to cover postage?

We're entirely volunteer run so all fees go towards restoring our rolling stock and other objectives.

What do you think?

Like any comments below that you agree with or add your own.

P.S. Photo is of the restored first class compartment of our .

27/04/2026

Lorraine Beavers continuing to work for the line.

Fleetwood-Poulton Railway Update. Last week, I met with Tricia Williams, Managing Director of Northern who made a commitment to review the case for our railway 🌹

The community and commercial cases for our railway are strong. For our community, a railway would open up opportunities, making commuting for work or education easier, reducing inequality and the isolation felt by many who do not drive. Commercially, existing and new manufacturers, wind-farm developments, & a growing need for improved defence operations, mean we are perfectly positioned if our connectivity improves.

I will not stop pushing for our railway to be re-opened because I know how much it could do for our community in the long-term, helping us rebuild industry, drive investment, & bring stable employment back.

My chat with Tricia covered all of this and more, there is real potential in our community and a railway line would allow us to build a better future, I'll keep fighting for that 🌹

24/04/2026

THREE STEPS TO HEAVEN!

After a wait of several years, their time has come and we have just finished installing all the new carriage steps to our DMU.

It was way back in March 2020 when our Class 108 (Diesel Multiple Unit) arrived on site and we identified that all the wooden carriage footsteps needed replacing.

Many were rotten and some were missing completely.

A sponsorship scheme was launched whereby members and Friends of the Society could contribute to the cost of buying the new steps and commissioning a local carpenter to make them.

Sponsors came forward for all 26 carriage steps allowing us to proceed and the new steps have been stored inside the Guard's compartment on M51937 since then.

This winter we painted the steps black, a coating of crushed oyster shell was applied to provide a non-slip surface and they have been fitted in place.

Good things come to those who wait!

For more details and a list of our sponsors, check out the news item on our website..

And while you're there, why not consider becoming a to help fund our future restoration works. Full details with links from the home page.

Just search "PWRS" on Google.

17/04/2026

Heads up! Railway200 Inspiration is visting Blackpool North from 14th - 17th May.

This interactive experience celebrating 200 years since The Stockton and Darlington Railway first opened is free to visit.

Book your tickets here:

https://railway200.co.uk/location/blackpool-north-station-2/

https://youtu.be/_tR0881VYFM

Curated in partnership with the National Railway Museum, INSPIRATION is the offical Exhibition Train of Railway 200. Sporting an eye-catching livery, visitor...

08/04/2026

HARD AT WORK

A bit of fun showing the lads hard at work fixing up the Society's trailer.

Not as exciting as our , , or L&Y Carriage, but the trailer is a great source of adhoc income, used for going to Foulds Metal with donated or reclaimed metal.

Yes, we did think about adding the theme!

Why not consider becoming a member to help support the work we do. Including on trailers.

https://www.pwrs.org/membership/

P.S. You can also donate directly to Foulds (https://fouldsmetals.co.uk/) on our behalf.