The Old Fleetwood Branch Railway Line Story

A year after officially opening in 1841 for seven years after the line from Fleetwood though Preston off the London was the West Coast Mainline. Because with the high hills and steep valleys of the Lake District no trains could venture up that far. ​

The harbour area was very extent with sidings and tracks for many industries and uses especially to transport fresh fish.

​Once a very busy bustling well deserved station, however it fell victim to the beaching report commissioned by the government to help salvage an ageing, dilapidated and expensive public run railway.

Closed in 1966 Fleetwood's Wyre Dock Station about half a mile south was renamed "Fleetwood" but passenger services between Poulton-le-Fylde and Fleetwood were withdrawn after the last train on 30 May 1970 and then station was demolished. 

The line stayed for the Wyre Dock as light industry remained in the area, and freight like the ICI trains ran along the line until 1999 then the whole line was shut. 

Full story from the videos: ​Mr Peter Heskeh in 1835 he commissioned for a station to be built at Fleetwood to be known as the Preston & Wyre Railway and Harbour Company Incorporated in 1840.

The was under funded and neglected. So the board of directors including Sir Peter Hesketh Fleetwood had been forced out and the railway taken over locally and leased to the Manchester and Leeds Railway as early as 1846, then passed to Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway that boosted and invested the most in the dock area, extra stations built like the new Thornton-Cleveleys and Singleton Station, they even improved Poulton Station but it never became truly feasible.

A year after officially opening in 1841 for seven years after the line from Fleetwood though Preston off the London was the West Coast Mainline
until 1848 once the line was built over Shap.

Burn Naze Halt railway station 
Served Burn Naze just North of Thornton-Cleveleys between 1909 and 1970. The platforms were heavily overgrown with vegetation until recently when the Poulton & Wyre Railway Society began restoration work.

The line used to be double track but has been reduced to single track since passenger services ceased in 1970.

Thornton - Cleveleys
The original station was opened in April 1865, and was named Cleveleys. It was to the south of Station Road in Thornton, near an older halt called Ramper Road. 

The Station Master's house and station building can still be seen in use as a private residence. 

The station was renamed Thornton for Cleveleys on 1 April 1905. This station closed in 1927 when the new station (the first to be built by the LMS) opened to the north of the level crossing. In February 1953, the station was renamed again, this time to Thornton–Cleveleys.

Closure
The line to Fleetwood Station closed in 1966 and Fleetwood's Wyre Dock Station about half a mile south was renamed "Fleetwood" but later passenger services between Poulton-le-Fylde and the newly named Fleetwood station  were withdrawn after the last train on 30 May 1970, then both Wyre Dock the remains of Fleetwood and Thornton - Cleveleys station were demolished. 

The line for the Wyre Dock as light industry remained in the area, and freight like the ICI trains ran along the line until 1999 then the whole line was shut. 

Shirley Hights section near Poulton Le Fylde to Thornton for Cleveleys in 2020

Burn Naze down up to Jameson Road 

Minister for Transport Grant Shapps Visit for proposal to reopen the line - 2020

Possible site for new Fleetwood Station 

PWRS Project 

Since 1 July 2007, the station at Thornton- Cleveleys was leased by Network Rail to the Poulton & Wyre Railway Society allowing volunteers access to the site to return the station to a restored condition.

Improvements have occurred since the society have been working on the station, it’s now cleared of vegetation, almost all the picket style fences rebuilt and the society resurfaced the down platform.

In April 2013 they were granted permission to extend their licence and begin work on the next station along the line towards Fleetwood at Burn Naze.

With this, and the restoration of a passenger train there is hope the line will one day see services back to Fleetwood. Granted, not in the same spot but nor was the last main station.

Below are images of a class 108 DMU the PWRS are to restore.