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Fleetwood, Preston And West Riding Junction Railway
All photographs of this railway in date order.
![View from the cab of Black 5 No. 44874 as it makes its way back to Lostock Hall after the last steam trip up the Longridge branch to Ribbleton with coal traffic for the Courtaulds plant. The loco is crossing the old Lancaster canal bridge prior to rounding the curve by Maudlands Goods Depot to join the mainline just north of Preston station. For a modern day view of this location [see image 19715]. I had talked my way on board for this journey on the Friday prior to the last weekend of BR Steam. <br><br>[David Hindle 02/08/1968]](/images/24000/24975.jpg "Preston Maudlands Bridge")
![View southwest along the remains of the Preston & Longridge Railway from St Pauls Road bridge on 22 February 2008 towards Miley Tunnel and Preston station. The remaining single track was still visible in places at this time. [See image 49302] for the same location seven years later.<br><br>[John McIntyre 22/02/2008]](/images/18000/18397.jpg "Deepdale")
![Maudlands Bridge was open from 1850 to 1885 on this link between the main network and the Preston and Longridge Railway. The metal bridge in the foreground carried the line over the Lancaster Canal, this section of which was filled in many years ago. Looking north east, beyond three bridges in close succession, lies the Miley Tunnel under Preston emerging at Deepdale [See image 18397]. Although the last freight trains ran many years ago the rails can still be seen, albeit heavily overgrown. <br><br>[Mark Bartlett 05/07/2008]](/images/19000/19712.jpg "Preston Maudlands Bridge")
![The remaining rails of the Longridge branch curve under the left hand bridge to join the WCML just to the north of Preston in this view west. From 1850 to 1885 there was a chord through the other bridges to directly access the line to Fleetwood and Blackpool but this was then removed and the line terminated in Maudlands Goods Yard, which remained open until around 1980. The goods yard site is now occupied by student halls of residence. <br><br>[Mark Bartlett 05/07/2008]](/images/19000/19715.jpg "Preston Maudlands Bridge")
![The junction of the disused Longridge branch with the West Coast Main Line, just north of Preston station. Signal PN 148 is still in place, as are the rusty tracks in the undergrowth, but the actual junction has been severed. The main line catenary can be seen in the background in this view looking south-west.<br><br>[Mark Bartlett 13/04/2009]](/images/23000/23275.jpg "Fylde Junction")
![Deepdale Station, closed in 1930, has lost the battle against the forces of nature. Although the track is still there it has not been used since the early 1990s and has completely disappeared, as have the platforms. [See image 18403] to see the change in just 18 months. View towards Longridge from the old station entrance on Deepdale Road, Preston. I wonder if Network Rail will ever try to recover the track now?<br><br>[Mark Bartlett 21/09/2009]](/images/25000/25589.jpg "Deepdale")
![<I>Slumbering under the snow</I>. Tracks of the erstwhile Longridge branch, unused now for nearly twenty years, can just be seen beneath the Boxing Day snow and the Silver Birch trees. This view looks towards the now severed junction with the main line [See image 23275] and also shows the student accommodation built on the site of Maudlands Goods Yard.<br><br>[Mark Bartlett 26/12/2010]](/images/32000/32115.jpg "Preston Maudlands Bridge")
![Autumn colours by the eastern portal of <I>Miley Tunnel</I> near Deepdale station in November 2014. Although it is around twenty years since the last train passed through it is only in recent years that vegetation has really taken over. [See image 18397] for the same location less than seven years earlier and 'Yes' the tracks are still there (somewhere). <br><br>[Mark Bartlett 02/11/2014]](/images/49000/49302.jpg "Deepdale")
![Recent vegetation clearance at Maudlands Bridge has opened up the view along the old Deepdale and Longridge line towards the entrance to the <I>Miley Tunnel</I>. The western portal of the tunnel is hidden by a series of low bridges but the eastern end is a much grander affair. [See image 18397]<br><br>[Mark Bartlett 16/01/2017]](/images/57000/57861.jpg "Preston Maudlands Bridge")
