West Lancashire Light Railway

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Template:Short description Template:Distinguish Template:Use dmy dates Template:Use British English Template:Infobox rail The West Lancashire Light Railway (WLLR) is a Template:Track gauge narrow gauge railway that operates at Hesketh Bank,<ref>BBC News Report</ref> situated between Preston and Southport in North West England.<ref name=WLLR>WLLR website</ref> The distance between the stations on the railway is Template:Convert,<ref name=WLLR/> though track extends eastwards beyond Delph station on ledge above the old clay pit which is too narrow to contain a run round loop.Template:Citation needed An extension of up to Template:Convert, running along the north bank of the fishing lake has been proposed.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The railway has seven steam locomotives, three of which are in operating condition; two are currently being rebuilt and another is on static display. There are also two electric locomotives and many IC locomotives.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

History

File:West Lancashire Light Railway map.jpg
Map of the railway in 2017
File:Photo of trains at the West Lancs Light Railway.jpg
Running Shed
File:Montalban WLLR 19.05.12R edited-2.jpg
Montalban built in 1913 being serviced and watered
File:Irish Mail at West Lancashire Light Railway 2.jpg
Irish Mail
File:Locomotive, Joffre at WLLR -2.jpg
Joffre
File:WLLR Becconsall Interior of Workshop.jpg
Cheetal in the workshop

The West Lancashire Light Railway was started in 1967, by six railway enthusiast schoolboys from the Hesketh Bank area.<ref name=visiter16>Template:Cite news</ref> They wanted to save the narrow gauge railway equipment which was disappearing from local industries. They leased a strip of land above the clay pits at Alty's Brickworks<ref name=visiter16/> and started laying track using rails from the former clay tramways and rough timbers as sleepers.

Two Ruston and Hornsby diesel locomotives were acquired from Burscough Brick & Tile Co.<ref name=visiter17>Template:Cite news</ref> one with a 13 hp engine, the other a 20 hp model, they were respectively named Clwyd and Tawd. Clwyd was the first locomotive to run on the railway in 1969.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> These two locos were soon joined by more industrial diesels and the first home-built items of rolling stock.

At first, trains were operated on a "travel at your own risk" basis. The first formal timetable was issued in 1971.<ref name=visiter17/>

In 1970, the railway acquired an incomplete set of parts of 1903 Quarry Hunslet steam locomotive Irish Mail, from Dinorwic slate quarry in North Wales.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> The major missing component was a boiler. Members of the WLLR retrieved the remains of Quarry Hunslet Alice from one of the upper levels of Dinorwic. Alice's boiler was retained at the WLLR and the rest sold to the Bala Lake Railway. Over the next decade the railway re-assembled Irish Mail and the locomotive was steamed for the first time in 1980.<ref name=visiter17/>

The running line slowly grew in length until it ran from Becconsall to a station known as Asland, which is no longer the far terminus of the line. The line in its present form runs from Becconsall to Delph, with the original track to Asland running on from Delph but not suitable for running engines.

In 2015, the WLLR hosted a gala to celebrate the 100th. anniversary of its Joffre class Kerr Stuart locomotive. A second Joffre class locomotive, No. 3014, attended from Apedale Valley Light Railway. This was the first time that two WWI-era Joffre locomotives had been in steam together in preservation.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

The railway is twinned with the Template:Ill in France.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Facilities

The railway's sheds and workshops are situated at Becconsall station. The first shed was built by the members using cast-off bricks from Alty's. This original workshop has been much added to over the years and the equipment in this workshop allows most of the work on restoring a steam locomotive to be undertaken, excluding boiler construction. Facilities for visitors have also been built at Becconsall.

Operations

The WLLR is open to the public on Sundays and Bank Holidays from Easter to the end of October, also on some other days during school holidays. Passengers can ride in semi-open coaches which have been built by the railway's volunteers. Gala weekends are also organised, when visiting steam locomotives can be seen in operation. Other events include Easter Egg Hunt, Teddy Bears' Day, Friendly Engines Day, Strawberries and Steam, Halloween, Princess and Pirates Day, Pumpkin Express, Volunteers Day, Children in Need, and Santa Specials.

'Drive an Engine' days can be arranged for individuals or small groups to learn how to operate a steam engine. Bookings can also be taken for birthday parties (and other types of celebration) and for visits by schools, colleges, clubs and societies.

Rolling stock

Steam locomotives

Number Name Builder Type Class Works number Built Status Notes
3 Irish Mail Hunslet Template:Nowrap Dinorwic Alice Class 823 1903 Operational, overhaul completed in 2015. Ex. Dinorwic Slate Quarry, Wales
8 Joffre Kerr Stuart Template:Nowrap 'Joffre' class 2405 1915 Restored in 2012. Awaiting overhaul following expiry of boiler ticket in August 2021. Ex. WW1 French Artillery Railways
22 Montalban Orenstein and Koppel Template:Nowrap 6641 1913 Operational. Ex. Minas y Ferrocarril de Utrillas, Aragon, Spain
Sybil Bagnall Template:Nowrap 1706 1906 Operational. Restoration completed 2024. Ex. Dinorwic Slate Quarry, Wales
Cheetal Fowler Template:Nowrap 15991 1923 Awaiting restoration. Ex. Karachi Port Trust, India

Internal combustion locomotives

Number Name Builder Works number Built Type Status Notes
1 Clwyd Ruston and Hornsby 264251 1951 Template:Nowrap <ref name=irs>Template:Irs-el</ref>
2 Tawd Ruston and Hornsby 222074 1943 Template:Nowrap <ref name=irs/>
4 Bradfield Hibberd 1777 1931 Template:Nowrap <ref name=irs/>
5 Ruston and Hornsby 200478 1940 Template:Nowrap <ref name=irs/>
7 Motor Rail 8992 1946 Template:Nowrap citation CitationClass=web

}}</ref>

10 Hibberd 2555 1942 Template:Nowrap <ref name=irs/>
11 Motor Rail 5906 1934 Template:Nowrap <ref name=irs/> ex-Middleton Towers sand railway.
12 Motor Rail 11258 1964 Template:Nowrap <ref name=irs/>
Motor Rail 7955 1945 Template:Nowrap Dismantled Rebuilt at the WLLR in 1987.<ref name=irs/> ex-Middleton Towers sand railway.
16 Ruston and Hornsby 202036 1941 Template:Nowrap Dismantled <ref name=irs/>
20 Lister 10805 1939 Template:Nowrap <ref name=irs/>
20 Baguley 3002 1937 Template:Nowrap <ref name=irs/>
21 Hunslet 1963 1939 Template:Nowrap <ref name=irs/>
25 Ruston and Hornsby 297054 1950 Template:Nowrap <ref name=irs/>
26 Motor Rail 11223 1963 Template:Nowrap <ref name=irs/>
31 Mill Reef Motor Rail 7371 1939 Template:Nowrap ex-Leighton Buzzard Light Railway<ref name=irs/>
36 Ruston and Hornsby 339105 1953 Template:Nowrap citation CitationClass=web

}}</ref>

38 Hudswell Clarke DM750 1949 Template:Nowrap <ref name=irs/>
39 Black Pig Hibberd 3916 1959 Template:Nowrap <ref name=irs/>
40 Dame Vera Duckworth Ruston and Hornsby 381705 1956 Template:Nowrap <ref name=irs/>
49 Samson Hibberd 1887 1934 Template:Nowrap <ref name=irs/>
51 Pathfinder Hunslet 4478 1953 Template:Nowrap citation CitationClass=web

}}</ref>

Hudswell Clarke DM1393 1967 Template:Nowrap <ref name=irs/>
Lister 29890 1946 Template:Nowrap Dismantled <ref name=irs/>

Electric Locomotives

Number Name Builder Works number Built Type Status Notes
19 BEV 613 1972 Template:Nowrap Regauged from Template:TrackGauge.<ref name=irs/>
25 BEV 692 1974 Template:Nowrap Regauged from Template:TrackGauge<ref name=irs/>
Greenbat Greenwood and Batley 1840 1942 Template:Nowrap Operational Ex. RAF Fauld
Welsh Pony BEV 640 1926 Template:Nowrap Awaiting restoration Ex. Llechwedd Slate Quarry. Displayed at Gloddfa Ganol until 1998.

Wagons

The WLLR and its members own a variety of goods wagons obtained from several UK industrial narrow gauge railways, including tipper sand wagons from Pilkington Brothers sandfields in the Rainford and Bickerstaffe areas.

See also

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References

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Template:Heritage railways in England

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