Ribble Steam Railway

Friday 29th September 2017


Waggon und Maschinenbau railbus No 79960 (on loan from North Norfolk Railway) stands at the Ribble Steam Railways Preston Riverside station.
Today was a special running day raising money for Macmillan Nurses Coffee Morning Appeal - an excellent cause - fabulous cakes in the cafe!


A feature of this fascinating railway is the bitumen factory shunt. Loaded bitumen trains run over the main rail network from Lindsey Oil Refinery in
North Lincolnshire to exchange sidings at Preston Dock. The RSRs diesel locomotive then fetches the wagons and shunts into the local factory.


Sentinel loco "Progress" pulls empty bitumen wagons from the factory private siding into the riverside loop.


Steam issues from one of the wagons (load is steam heated at factory to help unloading?).


Loco has now uncoupled the empties and runs onto four loaded wagons which had been placed in the centre road earlier.


79660 crosses the swingbridge at Preston Dock Marina on an outward journey to Strand Road.


The railbus now seen returning from Strand Road exchange sidings...


... and crossing the swing bridge, which is shared with road traffic, having full crossing barriers at each end.


The railbus leaves the swing bridge and follows the river to Riverside station.

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