Vorsprung Durch Technik den Verkehr in Preston zu stoppen - Leading the way to stop traffic in Preston through technology - but don't mention Preston Trams!

Your correspondent, after an uneventful two hours on the M6, trundled into the car park of the Ribble Steam Railway, just behind an antique Ribble double decker bus transporting the bulk of the 51 participations from Preston station (fleet No 1775, reg RCK 920, it was a Leyland PD3/5 with Metro-Cammell body, built 1962). It was 08.00 on a bright crisp morning with the sun well up already but with the temperature taking its time to rise much above zero centigrade. We joined a queue for the first nibble, the complimentary bacon rolls, with unlimited hot drinks of choice, including a range of coffees and hot chocolate. While progressing quite slowly, this gave ample opportunity to chat and catch up with the like-minded souls around each of us, the bacon rolls finally consumed and coffee swilled, while the last few still queued, we began to filter out to find today's mighty traction.

Our unit, the 150hp, 1958 built Waggon & Maschinenbauǂ (Donauworth, West Germany) Ferkeltaxe (English: Piglet Taxi!), E79960, was one of five railbuses built as demonstrators for British Railways but they arrived too late to save any of the lines they served on and had all left national railway service by the mid-1960s. Of the five different types bought by BR, this was the only one to have conventional buffers. Remarkably out of the five, four entered preservation; this particular example is on loan from the North Norfolk Railway. E79960 was tucked away out of sight exiting the station building, ticking over in the bay platform at the west end of the main platform and already adorned with a mini-BLS headboard. On entering through the single central sliding door (which closed like Arkwright's till, see: https://bit.ly/3t3xVzy ) the seats were filled and the windows steaming up, so standing in the central baggage area seemed expedient. ǂThey built multi-barrel smoke grenade launchers in the war!






(TRACKmaps 4 p30C 2022) After declaring the party on board [although, in fact, one had loitered too long in the Museum, so missed the start] our enterprise set off on time out of the bay to the points just before the main platform line trails in. After a pause for what would prove to be a regular scotching and clipping exercise requiring some energy, we proceeded forward on the second road from the right of the Running Shed and right into the Workshop, stopping just a wagon short of the buffers. Our railbus, perfect for this sort of thing, then recoiled to the points offering access to the middle left road and the left road which we visited in turn up to the shed doors ... right up (Scunthorpe style) ... soliciting a small cheer each time! The tour then set off on a much longer run all the way to the gates before the grandly named Preston City Council Loco Shed, beyond which presumably only the employees of Preston City Council can venture. How many local authorities have their own loco shed‽ Answers please with 'workings' to your BLN Editor. [The first answers are in: The Bristol Harbour Railway (MR p6) and Queens Park Miniature Railway at Chesterfield (MR P14) at least...]



Having reached this apogee, we returned to the main platform of Preston Riverside to pick up the chap we managed to leave behind [Colin won't ever do that again!], before reversing for the run round road. Having cleared the points there, our railbus set back onto the stock in the headshunt beyond, before drawing forward onto some large VTG Bitumen Tanks in the third road from the platform where we made the traditionally close approach to similarly traditional approval.

I hope you have all have read your BLN lately and don't confuse bitumen with tar (or asphalt). Bitumen is a distilled product of crude oil, or possibly what is left when everything else has been fractionated.

Bitumen in one form or another has been utilised as a building material since truly ancient times, even Herodotus himself (484-425 BC) Greek historian, Geographer, construction materials enthusiast and all round very hard worker, noted its employment in the foundations of ancient Babylon.

Having briefly reflected on this deep history, or possibly not, we then returned to the trailing point and again reversed - that's reversal number 12 already - and traversed the run round loop before reversing again and reaching the other end of the three VTG wagons. Essentially, we re-reversed and set off on the epic trip to the stub of the Total Bitumen unloading siding which, being the size of a Werther's Original, we managed to fit into before reaching the gate (firmly secured), where we could see some wagons being discharged. There are typically 10 Colas worked block trains a month via Copy Pit; since 11 Apr 2023 they have originated from Haverton Hill, Billingham, before that from Lindsey Refinery, Immingham. The Preston facility processes and distributes different grades of bitumen, the wagons are shunted by the Ribble Steam Railway (but not by steam!), an important source of income for them.

From here we made for the Ribble Rail & Furness Railway Trust Shed where, passing a track machine now in preservation after a life on the DC Merseyrail network, we entered the centre road and drew up to Class 14 D9539. It was built in 1965 at Swindon and spent most of its working life at Corby Ironstone Quarries (so did some interesting track which was regularly realigned as the quarry faces progressed). We again re-reversed, then drew up left just inside the shed to kiss, 'Progress' ... (more cheering), a Sentinel built in 1968 for Preston Dock (singular). We then returned to the junction and back into the main platform, for a coffee and a PNB for whoever required either, or both, in whichever order was needed most. The somewhat taciturn stationmaster or platform attendant, as we drew up, was promised by our guard without opening the door that we would be back ... promise! This was to reach the west end of the platform to ensure overlap for the first timers and the crew decided to call it a day there, so the platform official just watched us walk back with a slightly bemused look.

It was good to have the railway to ourselves. Participants went to grab a coffee from what turned out to be a very sophisticated coffee machine in the buffet; it even did a Macchiato which we tried mainly because we weren't sure what it was. I have subsequently learnt that it's an Espresso covered with milk foam and, of course, is in no way is to be confused with a Latte which has an intermediate steamed milk layer... but you knew that! Mr Over-all Orange, Kev Adlam, found the machine resisting his requests, slowing down the queue, until asked to step aside by the catering staff. His reflective HV was confusing the machine's sensor when facing it directly into thinking no-one was there, so ignoring the request! During our sojourn at Preston Riverside station, the Railbus Buzzer Code notice was perused, some were pretty standard like '2' for go and '1' for Stop. Others, such as '3-2-1' Testing Doors (should that be 'Lift off'?) and '4' for 'Slow down when propelling' seemed quite niche ... let alone '9' which is 'Driver to Stop at first suitable point to obtain Police Assistance' - shouldn't that be '9-9-9'?



Back on board clutching our foamy coffees or whatever, we set off on the longest run of the day, making progress over 1⅔ miles to the junction between the Ribble Steam Railway passenger spur and the line up towards Preston. The latter has a notorious 1:19 gradient and a sharp curve; fortunately, the outwards tanks are discharged. The guard said that they would set the points for the spur, he had never been the other way, so of course in typical BLS fashion the ground staff set us left for Preston!

Interestingly this involves crossing the busy Strand Road Level Crossing. If we went beyond the gate on the other side where Network Rail has a Multiple Aspect Signal glowing red and set off the track circuit, there might be some consternation in Preston Power Box! Ironically, a problem with four wheel railbuses was that they didn't always register on track circuits. Never mind, after activating the crossing protection and gratifyingly watching the four lanes traffic grind to a halt we tottered over the crossing and up to the gate. The driver then changed ends and we looked out at the motorists looking up at us clearly delighted to witness this rare event. The driver in position, sirens and lights still going we began to totter back giving the friendly locals a wave and some even waved back, we had made their day!



Fortunately, the barriers did rise - they don't always. In a previous incarnation as a freight only branch a man with red flags stopped the traffic - no barriers. As the traffic arteries of Preston began to clear, this time, we did the passenger headshunt here to the end of line foliage and buffers stops.

Our railtour then returned to Odeon (exchange) Sidings where, after more point clipping, we ran along the left hand road (looking west) to the points to return along the centre road. However, that meant we had failed to achieve overlap with the main line, the tension in the air was palpable! Our leader pointed out this technical deficiency ... What, that little bit? ... Yes. However, the token was in the Ground Frame at the other end, so we duly returned there, released the token and returned to set back a small way to the Centre Road and cover the dreaded omission! Success and mass exhalation...

Our senior groundsman then set off back to the Riversway Control Centre to stop a bit more road traffic while his helper finally unclipped everything and awaited events. Once over Preston Dock Swing Bridge, shared with a road (Navigation Way) we arrived back around 11.30, after 26 reversals, about four miles (what makes you think that Jim Sellens wasn't there‽) and a gratifyingly thorough set of traversals. Our members were then given impromptu tour of the sheds before the patiently waiting Ribble bus took the party back into town and our AGM after the optional packed lunch ordered earlier.









The Ribble Steam Railway is to be commended for a very warm welcome and especially the driver and point clippers! As always, our members behaved impeccably and no one needed a clip behind the ears. Even those who had been on our previous visits here gained some significant new track. Pleasingly, with lunches etc, the Society contributed over £2,000 to help support this superb heritage railway. There isn't a special prize if you spot the names of all three Preston Dock Sentinel diesels in this report.