Manchester, Bolton & Bury Canal Web Site

East Lancashire Railway

It is doubtful if, in the railway mania of the 1840's anyone could have foreseen, that less than 100 years later, many lines would have fallen out of use but for the efforts of railway preservation societies. In 1844 the promoters of the Bury, Manchester and Rossendale Railway, which was renamed the East Lancashire Railway two years later, could scarcely have imagined that, by 1968 the name would only be carried by a preservation society. The original East Lancashire Railway opened in 1846, and linked to the Manchester - Bolton line at Clifton with Radcliffe before reaching Bury, some 6 miles to the north. The line continued along the Rossendale Valley, passing through the villages of Ramsbottom and Summerseat before reaching Rawtenstall. An "extension line" from Stubbins Junction ( just north of Ramsbottom ) to Accrington opened in 1848 whilst the Rossendale branch was extended in stages, to reach Bacup in 1852. The E.L.R. did not exist in it's own right for more than thirteen years, as it had been absorbed by The Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway. The latter was itself merged with the London and North Western Railway in 1922, before becoming part of the London Midland and Scottish Railway just twelve months later. The LMS fared better however remaining in existence for twenty - five years, until nationalisation, in 1948, created British Railways. The Bury - Rawtenstall line continued to carry passengers until the service was withdrawn in 1972, complete closure taking effect some eight years later, after the withdrawal of the remaining freight service in December 1980. In the one hundred and thirty four years that the line operated it will have seen a great variety of motive power and rolling stock, from the early steam locomotives with open cabs to the diesels of the present day, from the colourful, privately owned wagons to BR hoppers. In addition to this at least five different liveries of coaching stock, of innumerable styles will have seen service on this branch. The passenger traffic ranged from the small, daily suburban trains to the lengthy Wakes specials. The freight traffic has also been varied, ranging from coal and raw materials for the many mills on the line to the finished articles ready for the markets of the world. Gradually the traffic diminished as mills closed and sidings were lifted. The mills that did remain turned to carrying their goods by road and many passengers also took to the road in the motor cars which gave them independence. The decline continued until the rails became totally unused .

The East Lancashire Railway Preservation Society was formed in 1968 with a view to preserving a section of the former East Lancashire Railway, focusing on a section of line near Helmshore, but unfortunately this plan did not come to fruition. In 1972 with the cessation of passenger traffic on the Rawtenstall branch, the emphasis was transferred to trying to preserve the Bury to Rawtenstall line intact, and in order to do this, the headquarters of the Society was switched from Helmshore Station, to Bury where, in a former East Lancashire Railway goods shed, a small museum was set up. It was in 1980 with the end of coal traffic that the attempt to preserve the line began in earnest. The Society would not have won the battle if it had not been able to gain the invaluable help and assistance of the local authorities in the area. Co-ordinated by the now defunct Greater Manchester County Council, the authorities were able to purchase track, trackbed and all the infrastructure from British Rail, largely financed by Derelict Land Grants. The property is now jointly owned by Bury Metropolitan Borough Council and Rossendale Borough Council. A partnership was formed to enable the railway to be opened between Bury and Rawtenstall, the participants being:- The East Lancashire Railway Preservation Society whose members provide the volunteer labour force to cover the operation and maintenance of the railway plus the publicity, catering and sales, etc. The East Lancashire Light Railway Company which leases the railway from the Trust and is responsible for the day to day running of the railway and is the formal legal structure under which the Society works. The East Lancashire Railway Trust which administers the funds for the restoration and development of the railway. The Trust leases the line and property from the local authorities which it then leases on to the Company. The Trust is made up of representatives of Bury M.B.C., Rossendale B.C. and members of the Company. The success of this partnership was seen on 25th July 1987 when the first four miles of line were reopened for regular passenger services between Bury and Ramsbottom. In the first short season 35,000 passengers travelled on the railway, a figure which increased to 60,000 by 1988. Reaching the present average of 120,000 passengers per year. The railway now operates every weekend throughout the year, with some weekday running during the month of August.

The Future The future of the East Lancashire Light Railway could include freight trains to the continent via the Heywood extension and passenger trains on a twelve mile line providing an exciting future for the Society. The Heywood Link is now in place as a link to the national rail network, and the line should be open for passenger traffic sometime in the near future. The Bury Transport Museum, situated in Castlecroft Yard, will shortly be reopening with a much improved format. Bury Bolton Street Station booking office has reopened after major renovation work (rewire, heating and decoration) and major signalling work is also in progress on the line.

For Further Information visit the ELR web site The East Lancsashire Railway ( ELR ) .