Deepdale railway station
Encyclopedia
Deepdale railway station (also known as Deepdale Bridge station) was on the Longridge Branch Line in Preston, Lancashire
, England.
The station opened in 1856 as a replacement for Deepdale Street railway station
which until then had been the Preston passenger terminus of the line. The new station lay on an extension, built in 1850, which connected to the earlier line near the level crossing in Skeffington Road. The extension passed through the 862-yard
Miley Tunnel to another new station at .
Deepdale station was the headquarters of the Fleetwood, Preston and West Riding Junction Railway, which had bought the Preston and Longridge Railway
. The new line and tunnel were originally built to connect the Longridge line to the existing Preston and Wyre Joint Railway
, as part of a planned route from Fleetwood
on the Fylde
coast to Skipton
in the West Riding of Yorkshire
. However, that plan had already collapsed by 1852.
The station closed to regular passenger services on 31 May 1930, along with the rest of the line. The last passenger trains to use the station were 1970s football supporters' specials bringing away fans to Deepdale Stadium to watch a football match. This was done to keep visiting supporters away from the town centre before and after the match.
The track through the station continued to the used for goods trains until the 1990s, and the tracks, though rusty and overgrown, still exist as far as the Skeffington Road level crossing.
Lancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
, England.
The station opened in 1856 as a replacement for Deepdale Street railway station
Deepdale Street railway station
Deepdale Street railway station was the original Preston terminus of the Preston and Longridge Railway in Lancashire, England, when it first opened in 1840. It was located in Deepdale Street, off Deepdale Road, on what was then the outskirts of Preston...
which until then had been the Preston passenger terminus of the line. The new station lay on an extension, built in 1850, which connected to the earlier line near the level crossing in Skeffington Road. The extension passed through the 862-yard
Yard
A yard is a unit of length in several different systems including English units, Imperial units and United States customary units. It is equal to 3 feet or 36 inches...
Miley Tunnel to another new station at .
Deepdale station was the headquarters of the Fleetwood, Preston and West Riding Junction Railway, which had bought the Preston and Longridge Railway
Preston and Longridge Railway
The Preston and Longridge Railway was a branch line in Lancashire, England. Originally designed to carry quarried stone in horse-drawn wagons, it became part of an ambitious plan to link the Lancashire coast to the heart of Yorkshire...
. The new line and tunnel were originally built to connect the Longridge line to the existing Preston and Wyre Joint Railway
Preston and Wyre Joint Railway
right|256px|thumb|Carleton level crossing between Poulton-le-Fylde and Laytonright|256px|thumb|Thornton for Cleveleys station, 2005The Preston and Wyre Joint Railway – in full, the Preston & Wyre Railway and Dock Company – was the result of a merger in 1839 between:* Preston & Wyre...
, as part of a planned route from Fleetwood
Fleetwood
Fleetwood is a town within the Wyre district of Lancashire, England, lying at the northwest corner of the Fylde. It had a population of 26,840 people at the 2001 Census. It forms part of the Greater Blackpool conurbation. The town was the first planned community of the Victorian era...
on the Fylde
The Fylde
The Fylde ; Scandinavian: "field") is a coastal plain in western Lancashire, England. It is roughly a 13-mile square-shaped peninsula, bounded by Morecambe Bay to the north, the Ribble estuary to the south, the Irish Sea to the west, and the Bowland hills to the east...
coast to Skipton
Skipton
Skipton is a market town and civil parish within the Craven district of North Yorkshire, England. It is located along the course of both the Leeds and Liverpool Canal and the River Aire, on the south side of the Yorkshire Dales, northwest of Bradford and west of York...
in the West Riding of Yorkshire
West Riding of Yorkshire
The West Riding of Yorkshire is one of the three historic subdivisions of Yorkshire, England. From 1889 to 1974 the administrative county, County of York, West Riding , was based closely on the historic boundaries...
. However, that plan had already collapsed by 1852.
The station closed to regular passenger services on 31 May 1930, along with the rest of the line. The last passenger trains to use the station were 1970s football supporters' specials bringing away fans to Deepdale Stadium to watch a football match. This was done to keep visiting supporters away from the town centre before and after the match.
The track through the station continued to the used for goods trains until the 1990s, and the tracks, though rusty and overgrown, still exist as far as the Skeffington Road level crossing.