Heritage railway in north-west England
The
East Lancashire Railway
is a twelve-and-a-half-mile (20 km)
heritage railway
line in
North West England
which runs between
Heywood, Greater Manchester
and
Rawtenstall
in Lancashire. There are intermediate stations at
Bury Bolton Street
,
Burrs Country Park
,
Summerseat
and
Ramsbottom
, with the line crossing the border into
Rossendale
serving
Irwell Vale
and
Rawtenstall
. Before closure, the line terminated at
Bacup
.
The heritage line is now just over 12 miles (19 km) long and has a mainline connection with the national railway network at
Castleton
, just beyond Heywood. The ELR is planning to extend the running line to Castleton in the future.
Overview
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Passenger services between Bury and Rawtenstall were withdrawn by
British Rail
on 3 June 1972. Coal services to Rawtenstall ended in 1980 and formal closure of the line followed in 1982.
[1]
The East Lancashire Railway Trust reopened the line on 25 July 1987.
[2]
The initial service operated between
Bury
and
Ramsbottom
, via
Summerseat
. In 1991, the service was extended northwards from Ramsbottom to reach
Rawtenstall
, via
Irwell Vale
.
[3]
However, two original stations on the line, closed to passengers by BR in 1972, have not reopened, Ewood Bridge & Edenfield and Stubbins. The latter was the junction of the lines to
Accrington
and
Rossendale
although there were no platforms serving these lines.
Rawtenstall is the practical northern limit of the line, as the formation on towards Bacup has been lost immediately north of the station.
In September 2003, an eastbound extension from Bury to
Heywood
was re-opened. To reach Heywood, the extension had to cross over the
Manchester Metrolink
line to Bury, at the site of the former
Bury Knowsley Street station
. This necessitated the construction of a new intersection bridge, with steeply graded approaches of 1 in 36 and 1 in 41 nicknamed The Ski Jump.
On 13 October 2016, the new
Burrs Country Park
station was officially opened by the Mayor of Bury, where locomotive
no. 4472
Flying Scotsman
pulled the first train to stop at the station with a bagpipe rendition of '
Scotland the Brave
' signalling its arrival.
[4]
The remainder of the extension includes a long section at 1 in 85, rising towards Heywood, as the preserved railway line climbs out of the Irwell valley.
The railway is open every weekend of the year, holding a number of themed events and galas throughout the year, which include
steam
and
diesel
events, and also offers driver experience courses. The
Day Out with Thomas
events made a return to the railway after a two-year absence, following fresh negotiations, having previously been unable to reach an agreement in 2009 with
HIT Entertainment
, the owners of the Thomas brand.
[5]
While Thomas was absent, the ELR operated Family Engines Big Day Out events featuring alternative engines with faces, such as Jimmy the Jinty.
The railway is run by volunteer members from the East Lancashire Railway Preservation Society (ELRPS). The railway is well known for its collection of diesel locomotives which reside on the railway, along with over 140 carriages, wagons and utility vehicles. Although the ELR does offer a local residents' discount card, and many residents do use the trains at weekends, it does not claim to offer a true commuter service either in levels of services or fares.
Railway stations of the ELR
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Volunteer dismissal controversy
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In April 2023, the railway was subject to national press coverage for dismissing a female volunteer following her complaint about misogynistic behaviour and discriminatory treatment. The volunteer had been shortlisted as Inspirational Woman of the Year at the 2023 Railway Awards ceremony hosted by the
Heritage Railway Association
for her work as a heritage railway steam locomotive fireman with
Llangollen Railway
. The volunteer stated, "the actions of the ELR are the very reason why culture needs to change". The company denied unfair treatment.
[6]
[7]
Reinstatement proposals
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The heritage line is now just over 12 miles (19 km) long and has a mainline connection with the national railway network at
Castleton
, just beyond Heywood. The ELR is planning to extend the running line to Castleton in the future, with a new cross platform interchange being the preferred option.
[8]
As of 2014
[update]
options for providing an interchange station at Castleton between East Lancashire Railway and National Rail services were being explored. Plans for the station were supported by Rochdale Borough Council, which hoped to fund it by adjacent land development.
[9]
In 2019, the CityMetric website published a "fantasy" tram link expansion proposal to create an orbital extension to the Manchester Metrolink tram system, which would include part of the current East Lancashire Railway route between Bury and Heywood.
[10]
In January 2019, Campaign for Better Transport released a report identifying the line which was listed as Priority 2 for reopening. Priority 2 is for those lines which require further development or a change in circumstances (such as housing developments).
[11]
As part of the Government's 'Restoring Your Railway' fund, the route between
Rochdale railway station
and Bury Bolton Street ELR station was identified as a route for re-opening. As of 23 May 2020, the bid had made it past the first stage of the 'ideas fund'.
[12]
Cultural references
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In October 2014, Ramsbottom Station and the adjacent level crossing on Bridge Street was featured in the 2017 movie
A Monster Calls
, which was the scene for an emotional peak in the movie, starring
Sigourney Weaver
in a
Volvo
estate car waiting for a
BR
DMU
, in
Rail Blue livery
, to pass through the crossing.
[13]
In the 1990s, the railway was featured in the 1991 film
Let Him Have It
and in the finale of
ITV
's comedy series
The Grimleys
, named
The Grimley Curse
set in 1978. In 2007, during the finale of
BBC One
's award-winning drama series
Life on Mars
, set in 1973, a class 47 was used for scenes of an armed robbery at Brooksbottom Tunnel.
The railway also featured in an episode of
Coronation Street
, transmitted on August Bank Holiday 2010, when
Hayley
and
Roy Cropper
travelled to their wedding aboard an ELR train of Mark 1 coaches hauled by
LMS "Black 5"
No. 44871, which carried 45407's Lancashire Fusilier nameplates for the occasion. The line also starred in the BBC television film
Eric and Ernie
, aired on New Year's Day 2011, about the early career of the British comedy act
Morecambe and Wise
. Bury Bolton Street station was featured, along with a train of Mark 1 coaches hauled by
LMS "Black 5"
No. 44871. In 2014, the railway was featured in a week of episodes of
Hollyoaks
(broadcast 3?7 November) which featured a crash involving
BR Class 14
no. D9531 "Ernest".
References
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Further reading
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External links
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53°35′36″N
2°17′59″W
/
53.5934°N 2.2997°W
/
53.5934; -2.2997