West Lancashire Light Railway
Encyclopedia
The West Lancashire Light Railway operates at Hesketh Bank
, situated between Preston and Southport
in North West England
. The Railway is narrow gauge and has a running length of 430 yards (393 m). The full line is longer than this however it follows a ledge above the old clay pit which is narrow enough to prohibit the building of a run round loop. An extension is planned. The line now boasts eight steam locomotives, four of which are in operating condition, one is currently being restored and another is on static display. There are also two electric locomotives and many IC locomotives. See Locomotives section for details.
Two locos were soon acquired both of Ruston and Hornsby design, one a 13 hp diesel, the other a 20 hp diesel. Respectively named Clwyd and Tawd, these two locos were soon joined by more industrial diesels and the first home-built items of rolling stock. In 1980 the railway saw its first steam locomotive, Irish Mail, in steam. This was a great achievement for the line as the loco, bought at an auction at Dinorwic slate quarry in Wales, had not had a boiler when acquired by the railway. This fact meant that a new one had to be sourced and brought to the railway. This necessity eventually led the members of the West Lancs to retrieve the remnants of Alice, a loco of the same design as Irish Mail, from the top of Dinorwic slate quarry
, a location which had previously foiled attempts from other interested railway preservationists. Irish mail was completely rebuilt on site using the original boiler from Alice.
The 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, the original track to Asland running on from Delph and being used as a storage line. At Becconsall, the railway's sheds are situated. The first of these 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.
Hesketh Bank
-Economy:Due to the village's position on the West Lancashire Coastal Plain it has a rich soil, suitable for the farming of flowers and vegetables - this is still the main economic activity in the area.A Booths supermarket opened on 11 November 2010.-Transport:...
, situated between Preston and Southport
Southport
Southport is a seaside town in the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton in Merseyside, England. During the 2001 census Southport was recorded as having a population of 90,336, making it the eleventh most populous settlement in North West England...
in North West England
North West England
North West England, informally known as The North West, is one of the nine official regions of England.North West England had a 2006 estimated population of 6,853,201 the third most populated region after London and the South East...
. The Railway is narrow gauge and has a running length of 430 yards (393 m). The full line is longer than this however it follows a ledge above the old clay pit which is narrow enough to prohibit the building of a run round loop. An extension is planned. The line now boasts eight steam locomotives, four of which are in operating condition, one is currently being restored and another is on static display. There are also two electric locomotives and many IC locomotives. See Locomotives section for details.
History
The line was first envisaged by six like-minded school boys who wanted to save the light railway equipment which was disappearing from local industries. The first problem was finding a suitable site, this was solved when a strip of land above the clay pits at Alty's Brickworks. In 1967 the group of six started laying track using rails from the former clay tramways and rough timbers as sleepers.Two locos were soon acquired both of Ruston and Hornsby design, one a 13 hp diesel, the other a 20 hp diesel. Respectively named Clwyd and Tawd, these two locos were soon joined by more industrial diesels and the first home-built items of rolling stock. In 1980 the railway saw its first steam locomotive, Irish Mail, in steam. This was a great achievement for the line as the loco, bought at an auction at Dinorwic slate quarry in Wales, had not had a boiler when acquired by the railway. This fact meant that a new one had to be sourced and brought to the railway. This necessity eventually led the members of the West Lancs to retrieve the remnants of Alice, a loco of the same design as Irish Mail, from the top of Dinorwic slate quarry
Dinorwic Quarry
The Dinorwic Slate Quarry is a large former slate quarry, now home to the Welsh National Slate Museum, located between the villages of Llanberis and Dinorwig in north Wales. It was the second largest slate quarry in Wales, indeed in the world, after the neighbouring Penrhyn Quarry....
, a location which had previously foiled attempts from other interested railway preservationists. Irish mail was completely rebuilt on site using the original boiler from Alice.
The 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, the original track to Asland running on from Delph and being used as a storage line. At Becconsall, the railway's sheds are situated. The first of these 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.
Steam locomotives
| Name/Number | Builder | Type | Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Irish Mail | Hunslet Hunslet Engine Company The Hunslet Engine Company is a British locomotive-building company founded in 1864 at Jack Lane, Hunslet, Leeds, West Yorkshire, England by John Towlerton Leather, a civil engineering contractor, who appointed James Campbell as his Works Manager.In 1871, James Campbell bought the company for... |
0-4-0ST 'Alice' class | Operational | Ex. Dinorwic Slate Quarry, Wales |
| Joffre | Kerr Stuart Kerr Stuart Kerr, Stuart and Company Ltd was a locomotive manufacturer from Stoke-on-Trent, England.-History:It was founded in 1881 by James Kerr as James Kerr & Company, and became Kerr, Stuart & Company from 1883 when John Stuart was taken on as a partner... |
0-6-0T+WT 'Joffre' class | Under restoration | Ex. WW1 French Artillery Railways |
| Montalban | Orenstein and Koppel | 0-4-0T+WT | Operational | Ex. Minas de Utrillas, Spain |
| Utrillas | Orenstein and Koppel | 0-4-0T+WT | Operational | Ex. Minas de Utrillas, Spain |
| No. 45 | Chrzanow Chrzanów Chrzanów is a town in south Poland with 39,704 inhabitants . It is situated in the Lesser Poland Voivodeship and is the capital of Chrzanów County.- To 1809:... |
0-6-0T+WT 'LAS' class | Static display | Ex. Polish 2 ft. Gauge |
| Stanhope | Kerr Stuart Kerr Stuart Kerr, Stuart and Company Ltd was a locomotive manufacturer from Stoke-on-Trent, England.-History:It was founded in 1881 by James Kerr as James Kerr & Company, and became Kerr, Stuart & Company from 1883 when John Stuart was taken on as a partner... |
0-4-2ST 'Tattoo' class | Operational | Ex. Penrhyn Slate Quarry, Wales |
| No.47 | Henschel | 0-8-0T | Awaiting restoration | Ex. WW1 German Feldbahn |
| No.48 | Fowler John Fowler & Co. thumb|right|John Fowler & Co. [[steam roller]] of 1923John Fowler & Co Engineers of Leathley Road, Hunslet, Leeds, West Yorkshire, England produced traction engines and ploughing implements and equipment, as well as railway equipment. Fowler also produced the Track Marshall tractor which was a... |
0-4-2T | Awaiting restoration | Ex. Sena Sugar Estates, Mozambique |
Diesel Locomotives
There are numerous diesel locomotives including products from;- Hudson Hunslet Ltd.
- Ruston and HornsbyRuston (engine builder)Ruston & Hornsby, later known as Ruston, was an industrial equipment manufacturer in Lincoln, England, the company's history going back to 1840. The company is best known as a manufacturer of narrow and standard gauge diesel locomotives and also of steam shovels. Other products included cars, steam...
. - Motor Rail LtdMotor RailMotor Rail was a British locomotive-building company, based in Bedford. Formed in 1911 as The Motor Rail & Tramcar Co Ltd, they built petrol and diesel engined locomotives, mainly narrow gauge. During World War I over 900 locos were supplied for use on temporary military supply railways...
. - F. C. Hibberd and Co.
- R A Lister and CompanyR A Lister and CompanyR A Lister & Company was founded in Dursley, Gloucestershire, in 1867 by Sir Robert Ashton Lister , to produce agricultural machinery. The family was originally from Yorkshire but Ashton's father relocated to Dursley in 1817....
. - Hudswell ClarkeHudswell ClarkeHudswell, Clarke and Company Limited was an engineering and locomotive building company in Jack Lane, Hunslet, Leeds, West Yorkshire, England.-History:...
. - E.E.Baguley Ltd.
Electric Locomotives
| Name | Builder | Type | Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Greenbat | Greenwood and Batley | 0-4-0 Battery-Electric | Operational | Ex. R.A.F Fauld |
| Welsh Pony | British Electric Vehicles British Electric Vehicles British Electric Vehicles of Southport, Lancashire, built industrial vehicles including both small electrically motorised trolleys for carrying raw materials and products around factories and electric locomotives desirable for use underground and in flammable environments, since 1905. Closed in... |
0-4-0 Overhead-Electric | Awaiting restoration | Ex. Llechwedd Slate Quarry, Wales |
See also
- British narrow gauge railwaysBritish narrow gauge railwaysThere were more than a thousand British narrow gauge railways ranging from large, historically significant common carriers to small, short-lived industrial railways...
- Lakeside Miniature RailwayLakeside Miniature RailwayThe Lakeside Miniature Railway, runs alongside the Marine Lake on the sea front at Southport England, it is of gauge and is representative of many miniature pleasure railways which sprung up in the early 1900s.- Route :...
, Southport - Moseley Railway TrustMoseley Railway TrustThe Moseley Railway Trust is a major British collection of industrial narrow gauge locomotives and other equipment. It originally had its base in south Manchester, but has completely relocated to the Apedale Country Park near Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire where a passenger railway is now open...
- Narrow gauge railway
External links
- The West Lancashire Light Railway homepage
- http://www.southportreporter.com/304/304-11.shtmlReport in Southport ReporterSouthport ReporterSouthport Reporter is an online newspaper started by Patrick Trollope, is not only seen as a newspaper but also as the UK's first online-only regional newspaper. It is based in Southport on Merseyside, and was quickly recognised by the National Union of Journalists as well as other media groups,...
, a local newspaper in August 2007] (Has video report as well.) - The West Lancashire Light Railway advert
- West Lancashire District Council - Tourism & Events - Places to visit...
- Unofficial West Lancashire Light Railway page.
- West Lancashire Light Railway - Visit Lancashire