A brief history of (Society)
time
The Society was formed
in 1974 and was originally based in rooms on Scarisbrick
New Road. It moved to its present location at 57a Portland
Street in 1987. This building was the Stationmaster's house
for the original Southport station, part of the Liverpool,
Crosby and Southport Railway, which opened on 21st July
1848. The Southport Terminus is now at Chapel Street, a
little further down the line.
The house and its garden are all that remains of the
station. It's a Grade 2 listed building, which meant that
RailTrack (remember them?) couldn't easily demolish it, so
they rented it to us. The tree at the bottom of the garden
also belongs to what is now ex-Railtrack, and is busy
invading our neghbour's drains and extending its overhang
of the track. A day of reckoning approaches....
When the club acquired
the building it was in a derelict state and required
complete restoration. As these early photographs show the
entrance was at the side of the building. For safety
reasons access on the lineside was stopped and a new door
created on Portland Street. The old style barriers have now
been replaced, and the adjacent signal box demolished. The
hedge has been removed, which gives more light into the
garden and has allowed us to construct a
garden railway.
The building
was restored by 1989, but because of its age it requires
constant maintenance, which is carried out by SMRS members.
One little conundrum is that to get a ladder up the east
elevation requires footing it against the 3rd rail of the
down line. And they never turn the current off....
The name Southport was
carried on an LMS Patriot, no. 44527. The nameplate in
this photo was cast from the same mould, but not carried on
the loco.
Talking of history,
this is Steamport, the preserved Southport engine shed. It
was open to the public for some years, but the building was
in a poor state.
Eventually Preston
Borough Council made them an offer they couldn't refuse. In
1999 they relocated and rebranded as Ribble Steam
Railway.
