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Description
The Fleetwood Branch Line is a railway line that formerly ran from Poulton Le Fylde to Fleetwood just north of Blackpool, Lancashire. Opened in 1840, and managed by the Preston and Wyre Joint Railway from the outset, the line was formerly the main route from London to Glasgow before the advent of the Shap section of the Lancaster and Carlisle Railway. When the L&CR opened their main line across into Scotland the route ceased to hold it's main line status. From this date it became a localised branch line, with added freight traffic from the trawler port of Fleetwood and Wyre Dock.

The line continued into LNWR years, and later into the LMS. Remaining largely unchanged throughout these years, freight traffic continued to various light industry alongside the port at the terminus. Under nationalisation the line became part of the London Midland region of British Railways, and during the 50s and 60s saw decline in services. In 1966 the terminus at Fleetwood was closed, and passenger services were curtailed to Wyre Dock station, which was renamed Fleetwood. However passenger numbers continued to drop, and in 1970 passenger services were stopped completely, with bus services replacing trains along the route to Thornton - Cleveleys and Fleetwood. Freight traffic continued, but would also decline over a longer period, eventually with a single working to the ICI plant at Burn naze being the only train to use the line. Eventually this working was also discontinued, and the line was officially closed in 1999.

Despite closure, much of the track remains in position as the line is in a mothballed state, where little maintenance is carried out to keep the major infrastructure in place and up to adequate safety standards. Due to the still relatively recent closure of the line to Burn Naze, the junction at Poulton remains in position and fully connected, and the modernised track exists up until the former ICI terminal. Beyond this point however, the older trackwork remains, and closer to Fleetwood at the Jameson Road overbridge, the bridge itself has been infilled and the line severed on either side of the newly created embankment. The former stations at Fleetwood and Wyre Dock are both long since gone, and a main A road has been constructed on the former trackbed.

Since the last freight train operated, there has been strong local demand for the line to be reopened. The Poulton and Wyre Railway Society, a charitable trust has been set up with the aim of restoring the line as far as possible towards Fleetwood. This organisation has been and still is supported by Lancashire County Council and the Association of Train Operating Companies has also shown its support of the re-inclusion to the national network under the Connecting Communities report. The PWRS has been hard at work restoring its base at Thornton - Cleveleys station, and has started work on Burn Naze Halt. The have however not reached any further than that as of late, and this scene from just below Jameson Road on the original trackped, shows the track still in position, sleepers, chairs, pins, the lot (missing the fishplates to join the rails together though so not exactly usable) awaiting the attention of railway officials, but making do with the attention of dog walkers, hikers, and the occasional urbex/photographer.

The flowers arising from beneath the sleeper are known as "Forgetmenots", as if the line is trying to say "Don't forget about me, I'm here, I always will be. Don't forget me!"

PWRS Website

Brief history of the line

Description
The Fleetwood Branch Line is a railway line that formerly ran from Poulton Le Fylde to Fleetwood just north of Blackpool, Lancashire. Opened in 1840, and managed by the Preston and Wyre Joint Railway from the outset, the line was formerly the main route from London to Glasgow before the advent of the Shap section of the Lancaster and Carlisle Railway. When the L&CR opened their main line across into Scotland the route ceased to hold it's main line status. From this date it became a localised branch line, with added freight traffic from the trawler port of Fleetwood and Wyre Dock.

The line continued into LNWR years, and later into the LMS. Remaining largely unchanged throughout these years, freight traffic continued to various light industry alongside the port at the terminus. Under nationalisation the line became part of the London Midland region of British Railways, and during the 50s and 60s saw decline in services. In 1966 the terminus at Fleetwood was closed, and passenger services were curtailed to Wyre Dock station, which was renamed Fleetwood. However passenger numbers continued to drop, and in 1970 passenger services were stopped completely, with bus services replacing trains along the route to Thornton - Cleveleys and Fleetwood. Freight traffic continued, but would also decline over a longer period, eventually with a single working to the ICI plant at Burn naze being the only train to use the line. Eventually this working was also discontinued, and the line was officially closed in 1999.

Despite closure, much of the track remains in position as the line is in a mothballed state, where little maintenance is carried out to keep the major infrastructure in place and up to adequate safety standards. Due to the still relatively recent closure of the line to Burn Naze, the junction at Poulton remains in position and fully connected, and the modernised track exists up until the former ICI terminal. Beyond this point however, the older trackwork remains, and closer to Fleetwood at the Jameson Road overbridge, the bridge itself has been infilled and the line severed on either side of the newly created embankment. The former stations at Fleetwood and Wyre Dock are both long since gone, and a main A road has been constructed on the former trackbed.

Since the last freight train operated, there has been strong local demand for the line to be reopened. The Poulton and Wyre Railway Society, a charitable trust has been set up with the aim of restoring the line as far as possible towards Fleetwood. This organisation has been and still is supported by Lancashire County Council and the Association of Train Operating Companies has also shown its support of the re-inclusion to the national network under the Connecting Communities report. The PWRS has been hard at work restoring its base at Thornton - Cleveleys station, and has started work on Burn Naze Halt. The have however not reached any further than that as of late, and this scene from just below Jameson Road on the original trackped, shows the track still in position, sleepers, chairs, pins, the lot (missing the fishplates to join the rails together though so not exactly usable) awaiting the attention of railway officials, but making do with the attention of dog walkers, hikers, and the occasional urbex/photographer.

The flowers arising from beneath the sleeper are known as "Forgetmenots", as if the line is trying to say "Don't forget about me, I'm here, I always will be. Don't forget me!"

PWRS Website

Brief history of the line