East Lancs Railway

Thanks for that, can't find it on their site either, but did seam strange if there wasn't one.

Just looked again 2 mins ago and only to find it there now. Either I was having a myopic incident or it's only just appeared!

 

Think they've only just gone on the site, they weren't there the other day, I got the dates from the timetable booklet.

 

70000 to visit at Easter

http://www.eastlancsrailway.org.uk/events-activities/2020/4/britannia-best-of-british-.aspx

 

Having looked at the link above also checked out the March gala & news on their March gala states 'Our home fleet locomotives will be running all weekend'.

I presume the guest/star may well be 51345....?

Time will tell no doubt

 

I had a quick look online, but I couldn't find anything more recent about this; is it still moving forward, or did it get dropped?
Thanks.

Noel

 

Looks like it's moving ahead quite nicely:

https://www.lancs.live/news/lancashire-news/work-starts-600000-rawtenstall-railway-16074745

https://www.lancs.live/news/lancashire-news/work-underway-rawtenstall-stations-600000-17173164


Keith

 

L&YR 0-6-0 No. 51456 was out on a private charter today.

 

Here's my video from Wednesdays photo charter if interested. Loco looks great and despite some rain we had a good day

 

Video featuring my unused footage from the 3P20 Charter with 51456 last month.

 

Thanks for sharing -- seems like another world already.

Scott

 

Bury M.P. james daley says on facebook today the Rochdale metrolink scheme using the E.L.R. heritage line from Castleton to Bury may go ahead if so when is the official start date (if there has one been mentioned) to put up the wires and to upgrade the lines, and if so would the E.L.R. be able to run mainline certified steam engines and heritage diesel locos and heritage trains to Hewood still if this proposal went ahead or would every loco or rolling stock have to be transported by low loader from Baron street? Cos the E.L.R. Bury to Rawtenstall wouldent be affected by the looks of the message on facebook from him.
Davo 56F

 

He actually said "I am therefore absolutely delighted to announce that we have secured the necessary investment to develop plans and proposals to reinstate the train line between Bury and Rochdale!"
The money is for feasibility studies etc - not for the actual cost of reopening.

Keith

 

I just hope it never materialises his proposals and that steam rail ethusiasts can still enjoy a ride behind steam engine on a w,end between heywood to bury and commuters and travellers are happy using the bus from Bury to Rochdale sorry that i dident read the post through correctly its just that on the comments page below on james daleys post the opinions are all varied off the locals round there.

 

Nothing to worry about. Transport for Greater Manchester proposed this in their 2020/25 plan. First off it's a plan to trial " Tram trains" so the heavy rail bit will still exist. Also from memory I think that the ELR plan to extend into Castleton is part of this proposal.
It's only funding at the moment and there are still lots of red tape such as getting Network Rail approval to run Tram trains to overcome before then.
These future plans surface all the time in the media in Manchester, and this is just one of many proposed extensions.

 

This wouldn't be the only stretch of railway carrying both service trains and heritage steam trains, nor the only stretch carrying both heavy and light rail, though it might be the first instance of this particular combination of trams and heritage trains; and it may never happen anyway.

 

Living 2 miles from Bury, I would not be overly happy shall we say about any potential to lose the ELR to Heywood and would like to see the Castleton dream realised. I have to agree up to recently any re-absorption into a commuter railway, be it tram or dmu to Rawtenstall seamed unlikely, however, with the Covid19 cleaning of our atmosphere with cars/buses off the road, I wonder if this gives any added power to the latent argument and pushes any scheme a click or three nearer reality?
On a different note, as I peered out of the curtains this morning at 7.00am, there was a column of steam rising from Bury, a point that I generally regard as Buckley Wells, was Riley testing out a steam loco?

 

East Lancs have joined NYMR in running a silent auction.
http://32auctions.com/elr
Runs until 20 June, some good footplate rides to bid for!

 

From what I’ve learnt about Tram operations during the fall out from the Croydon tram derailment; is that standards for staff and Rail vehicles on heritage railways are far higher than for Trams.

Apart from a change to the vista caused by electrification, the worst thing ELR would have to contend with is trying to align their rule book with the tram operation!