The East Lancashire Railway (ELR) :: Shared Description

The East Lancashire Railway (ELR) is a heritage railway based in Bury. It is currently (as at July 2022) operating between Rawtenstall and Heywood, with intermediate stations at Bury Bolton Street, Burrs Country Park, Summerseat, Ramsbottom and Irwell Vale, respectively.

The original East Lancashire Railway LinkExternal link opened in 1844, beginning as a railway from Clifton via Bury to Rawtenstall. It was later amalgamated with the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway. Parts of the network remain in use today, and the section of the original line between Bury and Rawtenstall is now operated by the heritage railway.

After formal closure by British Rail in 1982, the line between Bury and Ramsbottom, via Summerseat was reopened on 25 July 1987 as a new heritage railway. In 1991 the service was extended northwards from Ramsbottom to reach Rawtenstall, via Irwell Vale and in 2003 an eastbound extension from Bury to Heywood was re-opened. To reach Heywood the extension had to cross over the 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'. The heritage line is now just over 12 miles long, and has a mainline connection with the national railway network at Castleton, just beyond Heywood. The ELR plans to extend the running line further into Castleton in the future, to where a new (and separate) platform named "Castleton Village" will be constructed adjacent to the main station itself (LinkExternal link Manchester Evening News).

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. It is open every weekend of the year and holds a number of themed events and galas throughout the year which include steam and diesel events amongst others, and also offers driver experience courses.

LinkExternal link East Lancashire Railway Website
by David Dixon
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654 images use this description. Preview sample shown below:

SD7916 : Ramsbottom level crossing by David Dixon
2010
SD8022 : Steam Train Approaching Rawtenstall by David Dixon
2016
SD7912 : Preparation for ELR Station at Burrs Park by David Dixon
2016
SD7916 : Mavis and the Troublesome Trucks at Ramsbottom Crossing by David Dixon
2014
SD8010 : Bury South Signal Box by David Dixon
2017
SD7916 : Over the Crossing by David Dixon
2017
SD7914 : East Lancashire Railway by David Dixon
2012
SD8010 : East Lancashire Railway, Bolton Street Station by David Dixon
2012
SD8010 : Old Shunter at Bury South Junction by David Dixon
2018
SD7914 : The Approach to Summerseat Station by David Dixon
2014
SD7916 : Ramsbottom Station, East Lancashire Railway by David Dixon
2011
SD8010 : East Lancashire Railway by David Dixon
2010
SD8010 : 47580 "County of Essex" at Bury South by David Dixon
2014
SD7914 : Class 47 Locomotive at Summerseat by David Dixon
2014
SD8010 : Witherslack Hall approaches Bury Bolton Street Station by Richard Hoare
2017
SD7915 : Brooksbottoms Viaduct by David Dixon
2014
SD7916 : Lamp Standard and Disused Chimney, Ramsbottom Station by David Dixon
2016
SD8610 : GWR Autocoach at Heywood Station by David Dixon
2015
SD8010 : East Lancashire Railway, Site of Former Knowsley Street Station by David Dixon
2016
SD7916 : 34092 'City of Wells' approaching Ramsbottom by David Dixon
2018
SD8010 : Scotrail 47765 at Peel Way by David Dixon
2019
SD7915 : Crossing Brooksbottoms Viaduct by David Dixon
2016
SD8010 : East Lancashire Railway at Castlecroft by David Dixon
2018
SD7915 : Brooksbottom Mill - Summerseat by Richard Hoare
2017
SD7910 : Buckley Wells Loco Yard, East Lancashire Railway by David Dixon
2011

... and 629 more images.

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Created: Tue, 8 Jul 2014, Updated: Fri, 1 Jul 2022

The 'Shared Description' text on this page is Copyright 2014 David Dixon, however it is specifically licensed so that contributors can reuse it on their own images without restriction.

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