Made in Preston, the website about Preston, Lancashire

Road: Road Transport, Roads, Manufacturing

Updated 28th March 2024

 

This section includes Leyland Motors, Atkinson Vehicles, Ribble Motor Services, Roads, Transport Events.

The first motorway in the UK was built around Preston to ease travel to Blackpool, the Lake District and Scotland from points south and east. Just a short stretch of the M6 at that time called the Preston By-pass. The A6, London to Glasgow, being the main road through Preston before then.

The once famous vehicle name of Leyland is based on the town of the same name just 5 miles south of Preston. It is preserved there in the British Commercial Vehicle Museum. Paccar now own the plant which still makes thousands of lorries a year under the name of Leyland Trucks and labelled DAF.

 

Road Index of Pages:

Roads around Preston

M6

Preston Bus Station

Preston Bus

Leyland Motors Page 1

Leyland Motors cont / LeylandTrucks

British Commercial Vehicle Museum

Leyland Buses

Atkinsons Vehicles

Bond Cars

Ribble Motor Services

J.Fishwick Buses

Bridges Transport Ltd

Leyland Society Event 2005

Leyland Society Event 2006

Leyland Society Event 2015

Leyland Society and Leyland Trucks 120th event 2016

BCVMLeyland Bus and Coach Show 2013

BCVM Leyland Spring Show 2016

BCVM Leyland Spring Show 2017

Morecambe Ribble Bus Running Day 2016

Morecambe Ribble Bus Running Day 2017 (new)

Kirkby Stephen Vehicle Rally 2013

Great Eccleston Show 2013

East Lancs Coachworks

Northern Counties Bus Bodies

Burlingham Bus Bodies

Bluebird K7

Blackpool Totally Transport 2005

Blackpool Totally Transport 2006

Blackpool Totally Transport 2007

Blackpool Totally Transport 2009

Blackpool Totally Transport 2011

Blackpool Totally Transport 2013

Recent additions in our not Preston section:

Skipton Bus Running Day Oct 15

Beaulieu National Motor Museum

 

 

New roads by-passing Penwortham south west of Preston and the Western Distributor from the M55 north west of Preston have been completed.

Preston Bus Station has had an update and only the bus stands on the eastern, and southern side for coaches, are now open.

In Preston centre, Fishergate, restrictions on car use are in place, in particular the time phased restriction between Chapel Street and Corporation Street.

 

The following section was written before 2018:

Leyland Truck.

 Leyland Trucks when it produced the 125,000th DAF LF at its state-of-the-art factory in Leyland, Lancashire.

 Leyland Trucks has produced the 125,000th DAF LF at its state-of-the-art factory in Leyland, Lancashire.

 

It is believed that more trams were produced in Preston than anywhere else in the UK. At the English Electric plant on Strand Road which later made aircraft, locomotives and large electric traction motors.

English Electric Trams

Ribble Motor Services of Preston were the North West's major bus company. Atkinsons Vehicles were also based just outside Preston in Walton Le Dale. TVR cars were built in Blackpool. Bond Motors made their 3 wheelers in Preston.

Several bus body builders existed in the area, only East Lancs Coach Builders (now Optare) in Blackburn remain.

Preston is a focal point on the M6, M55, M61, M65, also the former major through routes of the A6, A59 and just south the A49. To the south on the M6 is Charnock Richard Service Station and to the north is Forton Service Station.

Photo M6 Junction 31 heading north:

M6 Junction 31 Preston, heading north

Forton Services, M6, just north of Preston an interesting design. Not a bad service station with a Costa and M&S although in need of a lick of paint.

Forton Services M6 north of Preston

 

 

28-mar-24 Contact the site author