BR era Preston-Southport services

[tumbledown]

Hello all,
What were the Preston-Southport services in the BR era, 1960s-70s after the coastal route closed?

 

[Oxfordblues]

Any prospective passengers were directed via Wigan NW/Wallgate.

 

[Djgr]

Any prospective passengers were directed via Wigan NW/Wallgate.

In other words, there weren't any.

...although a healthy walk from Burscough Bridge to Junction would also be an option

 

[tumbledown]

Wikipedia says of Burscough

The North Curve was taken out of use and severed in July 1969.

Were there no passenger services over it in the 60s?

 

[30907]

Wikipedia says of Burscough

Were there no passenger services over it in the 60s?

The only service shown in the 1965 summer timetable (on timetableworld.com) is 0858 Colne to Southport, non-stop from Mill Hill, returning in the evening (with a stop at Bamber Br). I don't know how long it lasted, but the PSUL archive on the Branch Line Society shows nothing for 1966.

 

[tumbledown]

Thanks

 

[L+Y]

Last timetabled working on Burscough North Curve I'm aware of, per a 1969 WTT, is a Saturdays-only ECS DMU from Blackpool North Carriage Sidings to Southport. In addition there was an odd shunting movement in the early hours of the morning where the loco off a Manchester to Southport newspaper train would run up the North Curve, reverse, then proceed south to Liverpool Exchange for the morning Glasgow express.

 

[Gloster]

Liverpool & Manchester Railway Atlas (Brown, Crecy, 2021) says there were no regular passenger services over the Burscough Bridge Junction-Burscough North Junction Curve, which I interpret as meaning ever. It marks it as closed 16.06.1969, which agrees with Hurst, which marks it as severed on that day.

Remember, until September 1964 there was the line via Longton Bridge to carry any through traffic. After that BR had no money or energy to invest in starting up a new service to replace one that had been withdrawn.

 

[JBuchananGB]

The Southport MP seems to be campaigning to get the curves reopened.

2.9K views · 20 reactions | Campaign update on the reinstatement of Burscough curves! ✅ Steps I have Taken I spoke in Westminster Hall about the state of public transport in the North West - and I made it clear: our rail services are simply

Campaign update on the reinstatement of Burscough curves! ✅ Steps I have Taken I spoke in Westminster Hall about the state of public transport in the North West - and I made it clear: our...

www.facebook.com

 

[30907]

Liverpool & Manchester Railway Atlas (Brown, Crecy, 2021) says there were no regular passenger services over the Burscough Bridge Junction-Burscough North Junction Curve, which I interpret as meaning ever. It marks it as closed 16.06.1969, which agrees with Hurst, which marks it as severed on that day.

Remember, until September 1964 there was the line via Longton Bridge to carry any through traffic. After that BR had no money or energy to invest in starting up a new service to replace one that had been withdrawn.

Looking at the 1958 public timetable, I would surmise that the 9.10am SO to Glasgow and possibly the 1.5pm SO to Saltburn (and the returns) were routed that way, but no others.
As you say, the Longton Br route was used by most trains going further than Preston.

 

[oldman]

The 1932 and 1934 LMS timetables on timetableworld.com have a single train at 0810 Southport to Preston, stopping Burscough Bridge and all stations from Rufford. Nothing the other way. There is another train around the same time via the normal route, so it wasn't needed for through traffic, perhaps to provide a local from Rufford to Preston.

 

[Taunton]

Looking at the 1958 public timetable, I would surmise that the 9.10am SO to Glasgow and possibly the 1.5pm SO to Saltburn (and the returns) were routed that way, but no others.
As you say, the Longton Br route was used by most trains going further than Preston.

The Saturday train from Southport to Glasgow was a portion of a train from Liverpool Exchange to Glasgow. It turned the other way at Burscough Bridge, southwards to the Junction, where it was presumably shunted onto the back of the train from Liverpool. The summer Saturday train from Liverpool was shown to stop at Burscough Junction, but not Preston.

 

[30907]

The Saturday train from Southport to Glasgow was a portion of a train from Liverpool Exchange to Glasgow. It turned the other way at Burscough Bridge, southwards to the Junction, where it was presumably shunted onto the back of the train from Liverpool. The summer Saturday train from Liverpool was shown to stop at Burscough Junction, but not Preston.

Thanks, I hadn't thought of that - presumably southbound as well.

 

[Taunton]

I long thought that the arrangements at Burscough were a wasted opportunity by BR times. If the electric service from Liverpool had been extended one stop to Burscough, and round the south curve to a single bay at Bridge station, while the Preston shuttle was likewise cut back to the north curve and into a bay formed on the opposite side, all sorts of useful local connections could be made, not least Preston to Southport..

 

[Bletchleyite]

I long thought that the arrangements at Burscough were a wasted opportunity by BR times. If the electric service from Liverpool had been extended one stop to Burscough, and round the south curve to a single bay at Bridge station, while the Preston shuttle was likewise cut back to the north curve and into a bay formed on the opposite side, all sorts of useful local connections could be made, not least Preston to Southport..

The problem has always been that Lancashire County Council has no real interest in funding public transport other than as few bus services as it can get away with, and it has long been such, though I don't know where the funding for the budget station renovations (the standard red picket fencing etc) that happened in the 1990s on the Blackpool South/Colne/Ormskirk diesel lines came from.

 

[Djgr]

Seeing as Burscough comes up in the forum so frequently, I recently thought I would try the walk from Junction to Bridge station.

It certainly is a bit of an ask for normal travelling members of the public. I tried to assist a lady who had this "connection" on their travel itinerary and assumed the stations would be at least within sight of one another!

 

[Bletchleyite]

Seeing as Burscough comes up in the forum so frequently, I recently thought I would try the walk from Junction to Bridge station.

It certainly is a bit of an ask for normal travelling members of the public. I tried to assist a lady who had this "connection" on their travel itinerary and assumed the stations would be at least within sight of one another!

It didn't used to come up on itineraries and I'm actually surprised it now does given the length of the walk (and how it isn't obvious unless you've got a map on your phone, particularly in the Junction direction).

It's often cheaper to split at the Burscoughs anyway, as fares like Ormskirk-Manchester are usually priced higher to take into account going via Preston or Liverpool and I've not ever noticed any routed fares. At one point Aughton Park to Wigan or Manchester was cheaper split at Ormskirk *and* Burscough though Merseyrail's move away from off peak point to point tickets rendered that no longer the case.

 

[Elecman]

The problem has always been that Lancashire County Council has no real interest in funding public transport other than as few bus services as it can get away with, and it has long been such, though I don't know where the funding for the budget station renovations (the standard red picket fencing etc) that happened in the 1990s on the Blackpool South/Colne/Ormskirk diesel lines came from.

It came from Lancashire County Council