WHAT’S BEEN HAPPENING?

September 2011:  
From the Lancashire Evening Post Thursday 1st September

NatureReserveEngine site to be nature spot

It was named and shamed on a list of Lancashire grot spots last year.

Now this neglected corner of Lostock Hall looks set to flourish again, with plans to transform it into a nature area and peace garden.

South Ribble Council has lodged the master plan to redevelop the old Lostock Hall Engine Sheds site off Watkin Lane, which has lain derelict for decades.

Last year, Lancashire County Council included the site on a list of “underused or neglected” brownfield areas which were in urgent need of regeneration.

The new scheme would see the area turned into a wetland zone, with a wildlife viewing platform and a wild flower area.

It would also include a natural play area for children, which features a labyrinth, willow tunnels and a giant spider sculpture in the centre.

There would be a BMX cycle track with speed jumps and seating for spectators, screened off from the other parts of the park, for older youngsters.

The peace garden element of the plan, on the Lostock Hall Station side of the land, is intended to offer a quieter space for community groups to meet or for people to wait for trains.

The Calvary Christian Fellowship group on Ward Street is working with the council on the design of the peace garden.

It is hoped it will reflect the area’s railway heritage, with the garden shaped like a steam engine wheel and proposals for a decorative metal frieze celebrating railway travel past and present.

The council drew up the plans after consultation with residents in the area about what to do with the site, with a park being the most popular suggestion.

Lostock Hall Coun Kath Beattie said: “It should be an asset to the area.

“It’s what we need and I know it’s what we have been trying to get for a long while.

“It should be an improvement to the area.”

Rail connections have existed through Lostock Hall since the 1840s when the East Lancashire Railway from Blackburn to Preston was constructed.

An engine shed was opened in 1881 carrying out repairs and servicing to steam locomotives. It was well used during the age of steam and was one of the last depots in the country to change following the introduction of diesel engines.

The sheds were closed in August 1968 after more than 100 years of use and the buildings demolished during the 1980s. The site was bought by a businessman and, over the years, plans were submitted for housing and a church but the applications were rejected by planners.

 

The 2010 Reunion :
42 years since the passing of steam on BR.
Former railwaymen re-unite in ‘mass gathering’!

When it comes to 'reunions', the former Lostock Hall Motive Power Depot, and the men who worked there until closure on 4 August 1968, surely must qualify for a place somewhere in the ‘Guinness Book of Records’!

During the first week of that August, ‘10D’ - perhaps the most celebrated of the otherwise totally unassuming ‘last three’ steam sheds on British Railways - was destined to play a leading role in the final death throes of steam and at which time the 86-year-old establishment was called upon to provide power for much of the then last few remaining steam-hauled passenger and freight workings on B.R.  Indeed, on the final weekend of all, Lostock Hall came to find itself indelibly printed into the history books when thousands of visitors flocked to Lancashire from all corners of Britain – and even from abroad – merely to say farewell to a much-loved mode of transport that had served Britain so faithfully and so reliably for well over 150 years.


CLICK HERE FOR THE FULL ARTICLE

 

May 2010:  
Site of last BR steam depot likely to evade re-development in remarkable twist of fate

Whether enjoying a trip aboard the “Cumbrian Mountain Express”, the “Fellsman”, or perhaps one of the many other special workings travelling via the West Coast Main Line en-route to the Settle & Carlisle line, and irrespective of any itinerary calling for a pick-up at Preston Station or permitting it to be by-passed completely by diverging from the West Coast Main Line at Farington Junction, there are two possible routes to be taken, but both of which will ultimately converge upon Lostock Hall Junction.

On such excursions, few will deny that sheer nostalgia is the name of the game and, for those who know when and where to look out, the single major observation expressed by this point in the journey must surely be one of surprise that the apparently prized piece of real estate - that they have just passed and upon which once stood the former Lostock Hall Locomotive Depot - is still totally undeveloped …. even given the fact that it is now well over 4 decades since closure and departure of the very last of its locomotives.  

We all retain particularly fond memories of a favourite childhood ‘Mecca’ of our own – these usually accompanied by more than a tinge of regret that, with the march of so-called progress and its accompanying insatiable demand for land upon which to erect yet more retail outlets or housing estates, so very much of our railway heritage has been that efficiently eradicated from the landscape that it is, today, difficult to precisely ascertain where many establishments such as engine sheds and stations actually stood.

A one-time favourite ‘Mecca’ for enthusiasts in the Preston area, and, certainly, a scene that could never be re-created today!

 

As late as the early 1960s, over the Christmas period, when nothing moved anywhere on British Railways until Boxing Day, Lostock Hall MPD could still muster approaching 100 locomotives ‘in residence’.

 

On 25 December 1965, three of that number, banished to the overflow roads outside the main shed building, have clearly received the attentions of the clandestine amateur cleaning gang.  Well-polished Preston station pilots, Nos 78037/41, share siding space with equally gleaming ‘Britannia’ Pacific No 70025 “Western Star” – which has received its painted nameplate only an hour or so previously!   

Remarkably, however, and in a recent twist of fate, that destiny appears unlikely ever to materialise for the site of “10D”  - arguably the most celebrated of the otherwise totally unassuming “last three” steam depots on British Railways that, in August 1968, came to find themselves indelibly printed into the history books.  

Equally incredible is the fact that the shed, finally ceasing to serve its purpose after a fulsome life of all of 86 years unstinting service to the steam locomotive, only came to be demolished around 20 years later.  With the LMS-built mechanical coaling plant and L&Y-era water tank demolished, all of the track-work removed, and the last of the remaining derelict structures being cleared down to the shed’s foundations by early 1990, apart from a small corridor of land currently utilised as a public footpath and the establishment of an unofficial football pitch on the former coal stacks area, the remainder of the ex-BR land has lain totally derelict ever since.

Locally, it is no secret that many and varied have been proposals materialising down the intervening years, and, during the course of which, a whole host of potential buyers have come and gone.  Mostly boastful of grandiose plans, that included the establishment of, for example, a large housing estate, a church, an old-folks’ home or even public allotments; doubtless the very desirable plot surely must also not have entirely escaped the greedy eyes of more than one supermarket chain!  Furthermore, in the not-too-distant past there were even believed to have been unsubstantiated rumours abounding in the Preston area that this was one of several locations that had been looked at (by more than one party) with a view to locating a brand-new locomotive servicing facility here.

Nevertheless, despite all this apparent intense interest, until today, each and every move to capitalise upon the property has ultimately foundered against the buffer stops in respect of one particular aspect. The bottom line of any planning application involving the erection of buildings, essentially, but inevitably, would also have had to incorporate a brand new road access and one constructed to modern day safety standards. As the time ticked by, for very practical reasons, it gradually became more apparent to outside observers that the latter was never going to be possible.  Apart from the almost certain additional issues surrounding soil contamination over much of the area, the major over-riding concern of the local authority has always been that the only really practical access to the plot (surrounded, as it still is today, on two sides by railway tracks) is by means of what was the erstwhile loco-shed entrance gateway.

Situated in a cramped position on Watkin Lane, midway between two very adjacent and steeply hump-backed railway bridges, when the shed was first opened by the Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway on 3 June 1882 (to replace that Company’s earlier and far smaller depot at Preston Station), in an obviously much less car-orientated age, most railwaymen either walked or cycled to their place of work, with what little road traffic then utilising the Leyland to Preston highway obviously presenting far fewer problems.  Furthermore, although the B5254 of today remains no wider at this point than it was when the two railway routes were first laid through the village over 160 years ago and, equally, the bridges that pass over each of these are still the original ones; the usage of the road has increased out of all proportion. So narrow, in fact, are they, that there is now space for a footway on the west side only. Consequently, in that emerging traffic at this point has always been almost invisible to oncoming traffic from either direction, the planners of the 21st Century have very rightly taken the view that any form of further development would clearly present a serious hazard to both existing road users and to pedestrians, if not also creating a major accident black-spot.  

There being little or no movement in recent years in respect of any subsequent proposals, ever-encroaching vegetation became rife and the whole area was rapidly becoming a serious eyesore to local residents.  As time passed, the South Ribble Borough Council was obviously growing more and more concerned over the situation and to the extent that they have recently entered into negotiations with the landowner of the northern section of the site in order to arrive at a solution acceptable to all parties.

On a wet and blustery February morning in 1990, the sand-drier building – final structure still standing on the old shed site – succumbs to the wrecking ball. Within a matter of minutes, the last of the former depot will be no more. In the left distance is the only road entrance to the site from Watkin Lane, and on the right, one of the bridges that became instrumental in preventing any development of the otherwise prime piece of real-estate.    Taken exactly one month after the previous picture, with the majority of the demolished brickwork now filling the former inspection pits, depicted is the scene to passers-by that was to change little for the next 20 years. Clearly visible in the left distance can be seen the residential development that had already obliterated the site of the former carriage sheds and sidings.

Whilst this was occurring, South Ribble’s specific Land Regeneration Team proceeded to contact a number of interested parties, these including local heritage and historical organisations and even our website, in order to share their view that, if no other solution could be arrived at, one proposal would be for the land to be dedicated to “open space community use”.  Clearly retaining an open mind as to how best this might be achieved, the Team was obviously going through a very positive-thinking process in that, rather than making decisions entirely of their own volition, they were inviting serious suggestions from the general public in order to solicit a variety of opinions upon how best might such a neglected and derelict site be transformed in to an effective community facility … and one which that community could be persuaded to utilise to its fullest!  

The survey was funded by Lancashire County Council's REMADE unit (REclamation and MAnagement of DErelict land) which is funded by the North-West Development Agency as part of their commitment to tackling many of the region’s derelict land problems. In late 2009, around 3500 questionnaires were sent out to homes and businesses in the immediate locality of Lostock Hall and Tardy Gate in a further attempt to ascertain precisely what people really wanted. Significantly, if nothing else, that survey did reveal for the first time that more than half of those responding had never visited the part of the site that was already council-owned; this being merely because of the lack of facilities, the dog mess and the anti-social behaviour that abounded.

In December 2009, Councillor Cliff Hughes, Cabinet Member with Responsibility for Regeneration and Planning, announced, "It's early days as far as this project is concerned, but the engine shed’s site has huge potential as a public open space. Developing the area would enhance the image of the town for residents and visitors alike. This is a great opportunity for residents to get involved with the future development of this site and to tell us what they think would be best for their area."

Although, for many, the fact that the former shed’s ultimate destiny at last seemed unlikely to be shunted into a dead-end siding, doomed to disappear under what would have been the usual, but inevitable, housing or supermarket development, it did appear to be the case that those most likely to be directly concerned with the decision-making regarding it’s future did not really appreciate the massive historical significance that this otherwise unassuming small plot of land did actually possess.

During the first week of August 1968, “10D” was destined to play a leading role in the very last rites of steam and during which period it was called upon to provide the engines for the lion’s share of the then few remaining steam-hauled passenger and freight workings. Indeed, on the final weekend of all, thousands of visitors had flocked to the area from all corners of Britain – and even from abroad – merely to say farewell to a much-loved mode of transport that had served Britain so faithfully and so reliably for well over 150 years.

 

(Right)  The Lostock Hall that most remember.

Steam’s final sunrise. At 6-30am on 4 August 1968, no fewer than 13 locomotives are prepared to depart in order to haul various stages of the six ‘Last Day of Steam’ specials.

 

(Below)  With the filled-in inspection pits of the 8 shed roads, along with that of the former turntable, amazingly still in existence today, albeit now beneath an ever-encroaching mass of undergrowth (as, indeed are the foundations of the remainder of the shed buildings), visitors, possibly not now in quite the same numbers, do still continue to come to Watkin Lane, perhaps to poke a camera through the fence, but always to attempt to mentally re-capture the hustle, bustle and sheer atmosphere created by the smell of hot oil, smoke and steam that once pervaded hereabouts.

At a Public Consultation meeting with SRBC, held in Lostock Hall on 12 May 2010 - and within no more than a couple of hundred yards from the old shed site - several one-time Lostock Hall footplatemen joined forces with a number of enthusiasts, to mingle with local residents and police community support officers to have the opportunity to present to five members of the Regeneration Team their own particular ideas concerning future plans.

Although the considerations of those living in the immediate local communities of Lostock Hall and Tardy Gate had to assume prime importance, it became apparent that current budgeting was able to support little in the way of permanent structures – especially any requiring specific staffing. Development, therefore, would essentially have to consist in the main of a low-maintenance landscaped leisure park with any additional features as funding might eventually permit.

Well-known former 10D driver, John Burnett, (recently a special guest at the GCR’s ‘Lostock Hall’-themed event) echoed the views of many residents in that gangs of juveniles were currently creating a particular nuisance in many parts of the village and, because of that situation, pedestrians had become frightened to use the footpath that had already been laid alongside the site.  

Former Lostock HallHallH fireman, Joseph Booth, underlined that, like many others present, he had originally come along essentially to support proposals in respect of the establishment of an appropriate memorial to the steam age. Nevertheless, having listened to some well thought-out views from the non-enthusiast element, he felt it equally vital not to isolate groups of potential trouble-makers into the far corners of any redevelopment. Indeed, youngsters should, he felt, be made to feel that what was to be created would be as much for them as for anyone else and a multi-use sports pitch or astro-turf could be placed in a central position. Joseph concluded by emphasising that the youth of today should be given every opportunity to feel involved in any such facility and, in order to generate interest in the heritage factor, some form of link might be established for them with the Ribble Steam Railway, located at the nearby former Port of Preston.

Other suggestions included an outdoor gym or trim trail, a skate park, a children’s play area, a bowling green and even a bandstand; with some planting being done to attract wildlife to a nature trail bordering the footpath along the southern boundary. The over-riding consensuses of most did, however, appear to centre upon emphasising the historical aspect and how important had been the coming of the railway to the previously tiny communities of Lostock Hall, Tardy Gate and Farington. It was, therefore, agreed that a small part of the plot adjacent to the main road, and where it would be most visible, might be utilised as the basis of a static memorial to the age of steam.  

Road signs erected at both ends of the village clearly indicate the historical importance of Lostock Hall in the development of railways around the Preston area.

Although the identity of the photographer is currently unknown, from the evidence of the two engines depicted (Springs Branch Class 5 No 44819 and Lostock Hall’s own 8F No 48445), quite remarkably, our local ‘experts’ have managed to pin down the date as being 27th October 1965.
 

UPDATE: On 9th February 2011, the South Ribble Regeneration Team were contacted to enquire whether there had been any further developments since the public meeting. The following reply was received from Joanne Staines, Environmental Regeneration Officer: “I am sorry to say that the funding we were receiving from Lancashire County Council's REMADE team, to host the project, was recently pulled. However, as we are keen to continue with this much needed and well deserved project, we are looking at other possible options at the minute and as soon as we make headway with anything, I will be back in contact”.

 

As, and when, any further news is received, we will post it on this page.

 

 

Unfortunately that’s all we have in this section for now, so before you continue on to the next page, please do consider the following.

What you have just been reading is, of course, only a small part of the story of Lostock Hall MPD ….  all of it having been gratefully received from a mere handful of contributors who have so generously assisted us to-date.  

There are obviously many more stories out there just waiting to be told … only these haven’t as yet been passed on to us!  Therefore, in order to start filling-in many missing pieces in this, still very incomplete, jigsaw, please do now consider making a contribution of your own.

Items of information and scanned photographs would be most welcomed. Alternatively, you might wish to share your footplate experiences by meeting up for a pint and a natter in the pub, or, failing that, through merely participating in our “Discussion Forum” (as many already have done). Regardless of how you make contact and irrespective of whatever manner you feel you may be able to assist, please DO get in touch!

 

NOTE: All information contained within these pages is original material - prepared specifically for the Lostock Hall MPD Website (www.LostockHallMPD.org.uk) and which remains strictly the express COPYRIGHT of the website administrators. Likewise, all photographs used remain the COPYRIGHT of the photographers identified. No item must be reproduced, or quoted from (in whole or even in part), in the absence of express prior permission being granted.  (Please refer to the “Get In Touch” page in order to obtain the contact addresses of the administrative team.)