East Lancashire Railway

Founded (heritage operation)	1968
Reopened to public	1987
Length	20 km (12½ miles)
Gauge	Standard 4 ft 8½ in
Headquarters	Bury, Greater Manchester
Principal stations	Heywood, Bury Bolton Street, Summerseat, Ramsbottom, Irwell Vale, Rawtenstall
Original line	Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway
Original line closed	1980
Annual visitors	~200,000
Website	eastlancsrailway.org.uk

The East Lancashire Railway is a 12½-mile standard-gauge heritage railway running through the East Lancashire mill towns from Heywood in Greater Manchester through Bury Bolton Street and the Irwell Valley to Rawtenstall in the Rossendale Valley. It is one of the most popular heritage operations in northern England and one of the few preserved lines that connects to a substantial urban centre, Bury Bolton Street is a short walk from the Bury Metrolink terminus.

The line follows the former Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway route through the Irwell Valley, opened in stages from 1846. Closed by British Rail in 1972, it was reopened by the East Lancashire Railway Trust in stages from 1987, with the Heywood extension reaching its present form in 2003. Bury Bolton Street is the headquarters and houses the Bury Transport Museum (the local authority museum) on the same site.

The ELR has a strong reputation for hosting visiting main-line steam, and operates a substantial fleet of resident steam, diesels, and DMU sets, much of the latter for use on the daily timetable.

History

The East Lancashire Railway Preservation Society was formed in 1968 with the aim of preserving the closed L&YR Bury–Bacup line. The Society initially gathered rolling stock at Castlecroft Goods Yard in Bury, and through extended negotiations with British Rail and Bury Council eventually acquired the trackbed northwards from Bury through the Irwell Valley.

The first preserved trains ran from Bury to Ramsbottom in July 1987. Extensions reached Rawtenstall in 1991. A separate eastward extension was built from Bury Bolton Street to Heywood (originally a different L&YR line) and opened in 2003, taking the line to its present 12½-mile total.

Original line history

The line was constructed by the East Lancashire Railway company (an early independent name later absorbed into the L&YR) from 1846 onwards, primarily to serve the cotton-spinning towns of the Irwell Valley and the textile industry of the Rossendale Valley. The line passed to the L&YR in 1859 and to the LMS in 1923.

Passenger services were withdrawn from Bury–Bacup (the original through route) in 1972; the line was retained for freight to Rawtenstall until 1980, when British Rail finally lifted the rails.

Stations and infrastructure

Bury Bolton Street is the headquarters with extensive station facilities, the Bury Transport Museum, and the principal locomotive depot at Buckley Wells. Ramsbottom retains substantial period architecture. Rawtenstall is the northern terminus. Heywood is the southeastern terminus. Semaphore signalling is in use over much of the line.

Route and stations

Special events and operations

The ELR runs an unusually busy events programme including major steam galas, diesel galas, 1940s wartime weekends, real-ale trains, dining trains, beer festivals, and Santa Specials. The line is also a popular venue for visiting main-line steam.

Visitor information

The line operates daily during peak summer season and most weekends year-round. Bury Bolton Street is a short walk from Bury Metrolink (TfGM tram from Manchester city centre).

Engines based here

13065 — Preserved LMS Crab 2-6-0, a Hughes design with steeply-inclined cylinders giving the class its nickname.
142068 — Preserved Class 142 Pacer.
19 — Preserved L&Y “Pug” 0-4-0ST shunter.
196 Errol Lonsdale — Preserved Hunslet Austerity 0-6-0ST.
20020 — Preserved Class 20.
20166 — Preserved Class 20.
24081 — Preserved Class 24.
25173 John F. Kennedy — Preserved Class 25.
26038 — Preserved Class 26.
31162 — Preserved Class 31.
31163 — Preserved Class 31.
33018 — Preserved Class 33.
33053 — Preserved Class 33.
33109 — Preserved Class 33.
37037 — Preserved Class 37.
37503 — Preserved Class 37.
37516 Loch Laidon — Preserved Class 37, main-line certified.
37667 — Preserved Class 37.
37714 — Preserved Class 37.
40012 Aureol — 40012 (D212) Aureol, Class 40 Preservation Society, based at the East Lancashire Railway. Rescued from Vic Berry's scrapyard in 1987 and restored to dark Brunswick green with small yellow warning panels.
40106 Atlantic Conveyor — Preserved Class 40.
40135 — 40135, purchased by Crouch Rail Leasing in January 2024 and the W&SR Group three months later. Was previously part of the Class 40 Preservation Society fleet at the East Lancashire Railway.
40145 East Lancashire Railway — Preserved Class 40, main-line certified.
42765 — Preserved LMS Crab undergoing long-term restoration.
42859 — Preserved LMS Crab.
43003 — Preserved Class 43 HST power car.
44871 — 44871, Riley & Son (E) Ltd, Bury. Main-line certified. One of the four locomotives that hauled the Fifteen Guinea Special on 11 August 1968. Frequently used on charter trains and Polar Express services.
45060 Sherwood Forester — Preserved Class 45 Peak.
45108 — Preserved Class 45 Peak.
45135 3rd Carabinier — Preserved Class 45 Peak.
45337 — 45337, privately owned. Under overhaul at the East Lancashire Railway.
45390 — A preserved Black Five at the East Lancashire Railway.
45407 The Lancashire Fusilier — 45407 The Lancashire Fusilier, Ian Riley, East Lancashire Railway. Main-line certified for charter services. Frequently masquerades as 45157 The Glasgow Highlander on Jacobite charters from Fort William to Mallaig.
47324 — A preserved Jinty at the East Lancashire Railway.
50021 Rodney — 50021 Rodney, preserved under private ownership, undergoing restoration.
51131 — Preserved Class 118 BR Birmingham DMU.
51505 — Preserved Class 101 DMU vehicle.
52322 — Preserved L&Y Aspinall Class 27 0-6-0 freight engine.
55006 — Preserved Class 122 single unit.
55024 — Preserved Class 121 single unit.
56003 — Preserved Class 56.
56086 — Preserved Class 56.
80097 — A preserved BR Standard 2-6-4T at the East Lancashire Railway.
D1041 Western Prince — D1041 Western Prince, ELR Diesel Group at the East Lancashire Railway. Currently undergoing bodywork repairs and a full rewire.
D1501 — Preserved Class 47.
D1755 — Preserved Class 47.
D2024 — Preserved Class 03 shunter.
D2334 — Preserved Class 04 shunter.
D2420 — Preserved Class 06 Andrew Barclay shunter.
D3018 Haversham — Preserved Class 08 shunter.
D3023 — Preserved Class 08 shunter.
D306 Atlantic Conveyor — D306 (40106) Atlantic Conveyor, Class 40 Preservation Society, based at the East Lancashire Railway. Sold to the CFPS by Boden Rail in 2015. Fitted with operational steam-heat boiler.
D335 — D335, Class 40 Preservation Society, based at the East Lancashire Railway. Restored to all-over Brunswick green and to her original D-number.
D3452 — Preserved Class 10 shunter.
D5032 — Preserved Class 24.
D5054 Phil Southern — Preserved Class 24.
D5705 — The only preserved Class 28 Co-Bo, a unique Metro-Vick diesel.
D6535 — Preserved Class 33.
D6703 — Preserved Class 37.
D6729 — Preserved Class 37.
D7076 — Preserved Class 35 Hymek.
D7523 — Preserved Class 25.
D8001 — Preserved Class 20.
D8233 — The only preserved Class 15.
D832 Onslaught — D832 Onslaught, Bury Hydraulic Group at the East Lancashire Railway. Returned to Bury in June 2016 after several years at the West Somerset Railway, where she was repainted into BR Green. Affectionately known as 'Beefy'.
D9531 — D9531, Class 14 Preservation Society, based at the East Lancashire Railway.
D9537 — D9537, Class 14 Preservation Society, based at the East Lancashire Railway. Major overhaul completed for the 2014 ELR Class 14s @ 50 event.
M51188 — Preserved Class 101 DMU vehicle.
M51562 — Preserved Class 108 DMU vehicle.
M52053 — Preserved Class 108 DMU vehicle.