West Lancs in a HOMesPUn sPin fOr 50tH birtHday eVent

Celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2017, the West Lancashire Light Railway turned steam locomotives on its new turntable for the first time in May. Inspired by a similar device at the Froissy-Dompierre Light Railway in northern France, the WLLR turntable was designed and built in-house, with construction starting in 2012. Installation of a row of coping stones is required to complete it. The WLLR was founded by six schoolboys who started collecting railway equipment and storing it on land owned by one of their families. Before the adults knew what was happening, they were running trains at weekends, adding steam to the roster when Hunslet 0-4-0ST Irish Mail was restored in 1980. The anniversary will be commemorated with two events; the ‘nearly fifty’ event will take place on August 12/13 and an anniversary gala on September 23/24.