Isle of Man and Lancashire
Isle of Man Steam Railway
Address: Transport Headquarters, Douglas, Isle of Man 1MI 5PT
Telephone: 01624 663366
Email: info@busandrail.dtl.gov.im
Line Length: 15¼ miles Gauge: 3ft
Route: Douglas to Port Erin Journey Time: 60 minutes
Service: April 6 - November 1
Tickets: Adult £14.00 Child £7.00 unlimited travel on day
of issue
Parking: Douglas Station
Website: www.iomguide.com YouTubevideo
Port Erin Station: Refreshments
The railway first came to the Isle of Man in 1873 when the line from Douglas to Peel opened. In 1874 the route to Port Erin was completed to be followed in 1879 by another from St. John's to Ramsey. This gave the island over 46 miles of track.
Many tourists visited the island especially from Ireland and the North of England. Towards the end of the 1950s there were less visitors because of cheap foreign package tours. Buses and cars also took a large slice of the business away. By 1965 much of the equipment was in a poor state of repair culminating in the decision to close the complete railway.
New management was brought in to run the railway in 1967, under the the direction of the Marquis of Ailsa. All lines were working with a frequent service. Unfortunately it was not to last, the Marquis of Ailsa relinquished control after only two years.
After this trains operated for a few years from Port Erin to Castletown only, later the full service to Douglas was reinstated. Both the Peel and Ramsey lines were shut after 1968, with the trackbed lifted in 1974. The Manx Government nationalised the railway in 1977.
Seven steam engines are in use with up to three in steam on busy days. The majority of the locomotives were built by Beyer Peacock & Co. of Manchester between 1873 and 1926 and are 2-4-0 side tank type.
East Lancashire Railway
Address: Bolton Street Station, Bury, Lancashire BL9 0EY
Telephone: 0161 764 7790
Line Length: 12 miles Gauge: 4ft 8½ inches
Route: Heywood to Rawtenstall Journey Time: 54 minutes
Service: Every Saturday & Sunday / Bank holidays / every day except Monday & Tuesday - April, May, June, July, August / extra days September, October, December
Tickets: Adult £12.20, Child £8.20, Family £32.60 (2 adults and 2 children) return fare
Parking: Bury Bolton Street Station BL9 0EY, Heywood Station OL10 1NH, Ramsbottom Station BL0 9AL, Rawtenstall Station BB4 6DD
Website: www.east-lancs-rly.co.uk YouTubevideo location map
Telephone: 0161 764 7790
Line Length: 12 miles Gauge: 4ft 8½ inches
Route: Heywood to Rawtenstall Journey Time: 54 minutes
Service: Every Saturday & Sunday / Bank holidays / every day except Monday & Tuesday - April, May, June, July, August / extra days September, October, December
Tickets: Adult £12.20, Child £8.20, Family £32.60 (2 adults and 2 children) return fare
Parking: Bury Bolton Street Station BL9 0EY, Heywood Station OL10 1NH, Ramsbottom Station BL0 9AL, Rawtenstall Station BB4 6DD
Website: www.east-lancs-rly.co.uk YouTubevideo location map
Bury Bolton Street Station: Refreshments, shop, picnic area
Rawtenstall Station: Refreshments
In 1846 the original East Lancashire Railway (ELR) opened with two lines, one went southwards to Manchester and the other westwards to Liverpool and Preston. As the area became industrialised the railway prospered, transporting goods from factories and mines. An increasing population meant a high demand for passenger services as well.
The Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway became the owners in 1857, they were then merged into the London and North Western Railway in 1922 before finally becoming a part of the London Midland and Scottish Railway. Another change came in 1948 when the railway system was nationalised turning into British Railways.
There was a steady decline in traffic with freight increasingly being moved by road and people using cars. In 1972 the last passenger train ran on the Bury-Rawtenstall route, the goods service was withdrawn in December 1980.
The East Lancashire Railway Preservation Society was formed in 1968 with the aim of acquiring a section of line near Helmshore, but this project did not materialise. When the track from Bury-Rawtenstall closed in 1980 the Society turned its attention to saving this.
With help from the local authorities all the railway infrastructure was purchased from British Rail. Seven years elapsed before trains again ran on the ELR. A service began in July 1987 from Bury to Ramsbottom, a distance of four miles. In April 1991 the track was extended the four miles to Rawtenstall, in September 2003 Heywood was reached giving the railway its present length of 12 miles.
There are a large number of steam locomotives at the ELR, five are certified for use on the main line, many are on loan to other railways. Resident steam locomotives include No.71000 BR 'Duke of Gloucester' 4-6-2, No.44871 LMS Black Five 4-6-0, No.47324 LMS Jinty 0-6-0T, No.2183 Barclay Austerity 0-6-0ST, No.1370 Peckett 'May' 0-4-0ST and No.32 Hudswell Clarke 'Gothenburg' 0-6-0T. They also have a sizeable collection of diesel locomotives and DMUs.