River Ribble

The River Ribble runs through North Yorkshire and Lancashire in Northern England. It starts close to the Ribblehead Viaduct in North Yorkshire, and is one of the few that start in the Yorkshire Dales and flow westwards towards the Irish Sea (the Dee in Dentdale and the Twiss in Kingsdale being notable others).

Nearby Places View Menu

Furness Railway Trust

The Furness Railway Trust is a heritage railway preservation organisation many of whose properties were originally owned by the Furness Railway. It is now based at the Ribble Steam Railway at Preston, Lancashire, England following its relocation from the Lakeside and Haverthwaite Railway. New accommodation which is shared with the Ribble Steam Railway has been built and is used to house, restore and maintain the Trust's locomotives and other vehicles. The Trust often hires its locomotives and stock to other privately owned railways in the UK where they can be seen at work and on display. The Trust owns two Sharp, Stewart and Company locomotives: Furness Railway Nº20, Britain's oldest working standard gauge steam locomotive, is now operational following the completion of its second 10-year overhaul and rebuild to its original form. Furness Railway Nº25, ownership passed to FRT in 2015 after the death of Bert Hitchen, it is to be restored to operating order as an 0-4-0ST, the form in which it was rebuilt for the Barrow Hematite Steel Company when sold by Furness Railway. The locomotive is now at the Trust's base at the Ribble Steam Railway following its transfer from 'Steamtown' - (formerly Carnforth MPD). Additionally, the Trust also owns: Peckett and Sons 'OY' Class 0-4-0ST 'No.1'. Completed by the Peckett Works in February 1937 for Courtaulds Red Scar Works Preston. In May 1973 and named 'Caliban', it hauled the first trains on the Lakeside & Haverthwaite Railway. Currently undergoing overhaul at Preston, contracts have been let for the manufacture and refurbishment of many new parts. GWR 5600 Class 0-6-2T No. 5643, acquired by the Lakeside Railway Society and restored to working order at Haverthwaite. It is currently undergoing an overhaul at Preston. It is hoped that the overhaul will be completed in 2025 - its centenary year. GWR Hall Class 4-6-0 No. 4979 Wootton Hall was purchased by the Trust in 1994 from the Fleetwood Locomotive Centre. It was moved to and stored at the Lytham Motive Power Centre and later to Appleby. In 2014 the loco and tender were moved to the Trust's workshop at Preston where much progress has been made and many parts have been trial fitted to the locomotive. An original Collett 3400-gallon tender tank was located, purchased, restored and has been fitted to the tender frames using as many of the reusable parts as possible from the original tank. War Department No. WD 194 Hunslet Austerity 0-6-0ST now named Cumbria (currently at the Embsay Steam Railway) John Fowler & Co. 0-4-0DM, 'No.2' Fluff, Being rebuilt at Preston, a replacement engine has now been obtained. The Trust also owns several other passenger and goods vehicles, including: A North London Railway 2nd Class carriage (currently on hire to the Beamish Open Air Museum) Great Eastern Railway No.5 Princess Alexandra's Royal Saloon. Following an extended period of hire at the Beamish Open Air Museum the coach returned to Preston for refurbishment. It is now in use at the Ribble Steam Railway and is available for hire. A set of vintage carriages which when restored will be formed into a vintage passenger train. The only surviving Furness Railway goods wagon - bogie bolster No. 5999 LMS goods brake van no. M731874 (currently at the Rutland Railway Museum in the East Midlands)

Ribble Steam Railway

The Ribble Steam Railway is a standard gauge preserved railway in Lancashire, in the United Kingdom. It was opened to the public on 17 September 2005, running along Preston Docks. The railway began by housing much of the collection from the previously closed Southport Railway Museum (Steamport), which was based in the old Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway engine shed at Southport (BR shed code 27C). The railway lines around Preston Dock largely fell into disuse after the closure of the docks. A preservation group that was operating in Southport relocated to Preston in 1999 and started operations as the Ribble Steam Railway in 2005. Its operations base is at Preston Riverside but they run trains as far as Strand Road although there is no facility for locomotives to run round their train here. The Riverside station is quite a way from Preston city centre, but proposals have been made for a platform to be constructed at Strand Road. This would be close to the Portway terminus of the Preston park and ride service, Guild Wheel walking trail and the River Ribble.

Preston Riverside railway station

Preston Riverside railway station is the only station on the heritage Ribble Steam Railway, in Riversway, Preston, Lancashire, England. It was built and opened in 2005, adjacent to the museum and workshops, while providing a heritage service to Strand Road Crossing. The basic station is one platform, which can accommodate 5 coaches, built onto the side of the museum of the railway. Opposite the station, there is a single siding for storage of bitumen tanks, and one run-round loop. There is very little on the actual station, however there are a couple of plant pots, benches and information displays. Services from the station are hourly, and they go to the Strand Road Crossing. These services are only available during the railway operating season and on special events.

Howick Cross

Howick Cross is a landmark and small hamlet in Penwortham, South Ribble, Lancashire, England. It is located just over 2 miles south west of the city of Preston. The hamlet is predominantly made up of a small community, a primary school, various farms and an electrical substation. The community had a population of 354 people in 2001. The wayside cross, probably medieval, was restored 1919. Only the base is original, a roughly hewn cube-shaped block 75 cm wide and 60 cm deep; this stands on stone plinth which has an inscription stating that it was restored to commemorate peace, 1919; and it carries a cross 1 metre high. (Henry Taylor Ancient Crosses and Holy Wells 1906. It is located near the village of Hutton. Other nearby communities include the village of New Longton. Howick was a civil parish from 1866 until 1 April 1934, when it was absorbed into the parish of Penwortham. Howick parish was part of Preston Rural District. The former parish name survives in Howick C E School, the Hutton and Howick Women's Institute (the oldest in Lancashire, founded by suffragette Edith Rigby) and the former railway station. Hutton and Howick railway station opened on 1 December 1897, on the Preston to Southport railway line. It was renamed New Longton and Hutton on 3 November 1934 and closed, along with the line, on 7 September 1964.