DMU Operations: London Midland Region
Blackpool South - Kirkham & Wesham
The coast line from Blackpool South to Kirkham & Wesham seemed to be ran as a Blackpool South - Colne service in the early days of DMUs but by the mid-1970s it became a Blackpool South to Kirkham & Wesham Paytrain service normally operated by two-car DMUs. A few of the services worked through to Preston or Manchester.
Circa early 1980s it reverted again to a Blackpool South - Colne service.
Sample Timetable
From 1 May 1975
This measured 3 7/8" x 8 1/4" when folded.
Images
11th August 1976
M50967 has just arrived at Blackpool South with the 13.22 from Kirkham on 11 August 1976. The passenger doors have window bars, probably from its time allocated to Carlisle Kingmoor in 1970. Tom Burnham.
4th September 1976
A Class 108 power twin with M52054 closest seen at Kirkham on 4 September 1976. John Horne Collection.
Unknown date
A Class 105 power-twin seen at Kirkham with Blackpool on the destination blind, date unknown. A Class 104 can be seen in the distance. Stuart Mackay Collection.
19th February 1977
A Cravens DMU sits in Ansdell & Fairhaven railway station on Saturday 19 February 1977. The closest vehicles appears to be E56424, which spent three months on loan to Newton Heath from Finsbury Park in early 1977. Ian 10B.
19th February 1977
A Cravens DMU entering St Annes-on-the-Sea railway station (view south). Saturday 19 February 1977. Ian 10B.
8th April 1977
A two-car unit in blue livery with destination reading 'Kirkham' is caught on camera from Burlington Road bridge, Blackpool. It has had its 2-digit headcode box removed but remains unrefurbished. Graeme Phillips Collection.
13th July 1978
A Class 108 DMU on a Blackpool South - Kirkham service approaching Squires Gate Lane railway bridge, Thursday 13 July 1978. Ian 10B.
5th September 1978
Rainy day at Kirkham & Wesham on Tuesday 05 September 1978. The Cravens Class 105 DMU, with M56129 closest, was working the Blackpool South - Kirkham shuttle service. Ian 10B.
24th February 1979
British Rail Class 108 Derby Lightweight DMU 50967 + 56250, approaching St. Annes-on-the-Sea. The DMU was working a Blackpool South - Kirkham train, Saturday 24 February 1979 The photograph is taken from St. Annes signal box, looking north. Ian 10B.
24th February 1979
A Class 108 dmu departing St. Annes for Kirkham. View from the Crescent bridge looking south. Saturday 24 February 1979. Ian 10B.
28th May 1979
British Rail Class 108 Derby Lightweight DMU 52054 & 51932 passing St. Annes signal box on a Blackpool South - Kirkham train, Tuesday 28 May 1979. Ian 10B.
29th May 1979
British Rail Class 108 Derby Lightweight DMU 52054 + 51932, St. Leonard's Road, St, Annes-on-the-Sea. The DMU was working a Kirkham - Blackpool South train, Tuesday 29 May 1979 Ian 10B.
29th May 1979
British Rail Class 108 Derby Lightweight DMU 52054 + 51932 passing the site of the former Burlington Road station, Blackpool S.S. The DMU was working a Blackpool South- Kirkham train on Tuesday 29 May 1979. View north from the footbridge. Blackpool Pleasure Beach station which opened on 13 April 1987 is now at this location. Ian 10B.
29th May 1979
British Rail Class 108 Derby Lightweight DMU 52054 + 51932, approaching Watson Road bridge, Blackpool S.S. The DMU was working a Kirkham - Blackpool South train on Tuesday 29 May 1979. Ian 10B.
29th May 1979
A Class 108 2-car DMU 52054 + 51932 working a Kirkham & Wesham to Blackpool South service passing St. Thomas' Road, St. Annes-on-the-Sea. View looking north, Tuesday 29 May 1979. Ian 10B.
9th July 1979
In refurbished white with blue stripe livery, a Class 108 two-car DMU formed of DMBS M50974 & DTCL M56257 was stood at end of the Coast Line at a sad-looking Blackpool South on a rather dull July 9th 1979. The tail lamp on the platform marked the limit of travel, the unit would form the 19.28 departure back to Kirkham. The former booking hall on Waterloo Road bridge was in use as a model railway shop with a large exhibition layout. The wooden buildings at platform level had survived the massive rationalisation that Blackpool South underwent during the period 1964-1970. Martyn Hilbert.
9th July 1979
With the tail lamp on the platform marking the limit of travel on the East side of the remaining island platform, A two-car Class 108 formed of DTCL M56257 & DMBS M50974 had arrived at Blackpool South with the 18.58 from Kirkham, and with the tail lamp in place, was ready for working back along the Coast Line at 19.28 on the evening of July 9th 1979. The land to the left of the DMU was the site of through running lines and the Marton Direct Line from Kirkham, once a busy railway in the days when the terminus at Blackpool Central handled prodigious amounts of excursion traffic, right up until it closed in 1964. Martyn Hilbert.
28th August 1979
A Class 104 with a Blackpool South - Kirkham service approaching St Annes-on-the-Sea railway station, Tuesday 28 August 1979. View taken from St. Annes Signal Box. Ian 10B.
19th September 1979
Normally used on Manchester Victoria to Blackpool North services, one of the three-Car Newton Heath allocated Class 104 sets complete with its white bodyside stripe, was working the Kirkham to Blackpool South shuttle service on September 19th 1979. M50474 arrives from Kirkham along a route that was still double track into the magnificent station at St-Annes-On-The-Sea. Martyn Hilbert.
28th June 1980
Having arrived at Kirkham & Wesham with the 18.01 from Blackpool South, an ex Eastern Region Class 105 Power/Trailer two-car set formed of Driving Motor Brake Second M50385 & Driving Trailer Composite Lavatory M56118, was stood in the Upside platform awaiting the return with the 18.58 to Blackpool South on June 28th 1980. These were the days when the majority of services on the Coast Line were formed of units shuttling back and forth between Kirkham and Blackpool South. Although the station at Kirkham had lost its iron & glass platform canopy, the former Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway buildings in the companies favourite yellow brick style, were still in use. Martyn Hilbert.
5th July 1980
Cars M50385 M56118 await departure from Blackpool South with the 18:01 Blackpool South-Kirkham & Wesham, 5/7/80. Graeme Phillips Collection.
2nd August 1980
A view along the District Civil Engineers sidings at Kirkham North Junction through the cast-iron span of bridge 26, as a 2-Car Class 104 DMU formed of cars M50449 & M50535 comes off the Ribby Curve and the end of the Coast Line with the 12.01 Blackpool South to Kirkham & Wesham on August 2nd 1980. These were the days when the core daytime service on the Blackpool South line ran to and from Kirkham only, utilising a reversing siding at the Preston end of Kirkham station. On weekday mornings a through service ran to Manchester Victoria and a corresponding return service ran in the evening, the unit stabling overnight at Blackpool South, the route then was still double track and South station had two platform roads. In the 1970's the through Manchester train was often formed of a Class 124 Transpennine DMU set. Martyn Hilbert.
13th September 1980
In the days when the Coast Line from Kirkham to Blackpool South was still a double track railway, a Class 104 2-Car DMU with M56175 leading, calls at a run-down looking Lytham Station on 13th September 1980 whilst working the Kirkham to Blackpool South shuttle service. A far-cry from the days when this line was busy with express, residential and excursion traffic, how on earth in the smart and tidy town of Lytham was the station allowed to wither away like this. Worse was to follow - in 1983 the Coast Line was reduced to single track. Martyn Hilbert.
25th November 1980
A Class 108 Derby DMU arrives at a two platformed Lytham station on November 25, 1980, the line still being at this time, double tracked from St Annes to Kirkham. The line through Lytham was singled in 1986 and only the opposite platform remained in use, as it does today. The footbridge lasted a lot longer, approximately 20 years, before being demolished. Paul James.
1st August 1981
A two-car Class 104 DMU formed of DMBS M50534 & DMS (ex-composite downgraded) M50507 was coming off the Coast Line at Kirkham North Junction whilst forming the 12.01 Blackpool South to Kirkham & Wesham on August 1st 1981. Martyn Hilbert.
5th May 1984
A two-car Class 108 DMU with Driving Trailer 54250 leading (and presumably with DMBS 53967), was accelerating away from Kirkham North Junction on the last lap of its 12 mile journey along the Coast Line with the 10.30 Blackpool South to Kirkham service on May 5th 1984. These were the days when the Coast Line via Lytham was still double track and other than a through working to Manchester Victoria on a Weekday morning and a corresponding return service in an evening, the core service ran between Blackpool South & Kirkham only, with the units utilising the reversing siding located beyond the East end of the platform at Kirkham station. Martyn Hilbert.
6th June 1984
Despite the tail lights being switched on, and the destination blind showing 'Blackpool', the two-car Class 108 formed of cars M56263 & M50973 was arriving at Kirkham & Wesham with the service from Blackpool South on June 6th 1984. These were the days when the Coast Line from Kirkham was operated by a shuttle service that started/terminated at Kirkham. Martyn Hilbert.
7th July 1984
In a location that has been totally changed with remodelling and subsequent electrification, a Class 108 two-car DMU formed of Driving Motor Brake Second (DMBS) M53964 & Driving Trailer Second Lavatory (DTSL) M54247, was coming off the Coast Line at Kirkham North Junction with a Blackpool South to Kirkham & Wesham shuttle service on July 7th 1984. Visible in the heat haze above the field is the 518ft Blackpool Tower. Just above the leading car of the DMU, the track that is winding-away is the former Down Marton line, once used by services to access the long closed seafront terminus at Blackpool Central. By 1984, twenty years after closure, a short stub was left in-situ to serve the District Civil Engineers waste tip at Westby. Martyn Hilbert.
1st March 1986
The tail-end of Class 108 DMBS M53942 clears the B5259 Lytham Road as it was departing from the rural station at Moss Side with a Blackpool South to Kirkham service on March 1st 1986. Located on the single track coast line, the original station here closed in 1961 (when the route was still double track), and the station was reopened in November 1983. Although in a rural location with some houses along the B5259, there was a caravan park alongside the station and the now-closed Moss Side Isolation Hospital was within walking distance. First in the line of vehicles waiting at the crossing is a 1978 Rover SD1 (NBV 574T), no doubt now long-departed this world. Martyn Hilbert.
1st March 1986
A Class 108 two-car DMU formed of cars M53942 + M54225 about to pass over the B5259 Lytham to Wrea Green Road, arriving at Moss Side with a Kirkham to Blackpool South service on March 1st 1986. Martyn Hilbert.