Planning permission boost for ELR’S £12m ‘masterplan’

the East Lancashire Railway to establish improved facilities at its Baron Street Locomotive Works have received a boost, following planning approval for a proposed £12 million refurbishment of the works, as well as the construction of a new steam running shed and carriage shed on the site. The proposals will also see new workshops and training facilities incorporated into the Locomotive Works building.

The Grade Ii-listed Locomotive Works, located at Buckley Wells in Bury, is believed to be the oldest-surviving such structure, with parts of it dating to the 1850s. It has been occupied by the ELR since the summer of 1993 after the then-empty building was purchased from British Rail by Bury Council.

Until August 1991, the depot was used by BR for the stabling and maintenance of the Class 504 third rail side-contact electric train Bury-to-manchester line fleet, before the route was closed and converted into the first phase of the Metrolink tram network. However, the large fiveroad depot is now in desperate need of refurbishment works, particularly to its roof, and the ELR has long-held ambitions to incorporate the historic building into a wider development of the site to provide enhanced facilities. ELR chairman Mike Kelly said: “We are fortunate here in Bury to have such an iconic artefact from almost the birth of the Industrial Revolution and railways which was at its zenith. Fifty years ago, Bury Council gave the ELR a home at Castlecroft and throughout those years many thousands of volunteers have given – and continue to give – their time freely to work every day in preserving and protecting this rich industrial transport heritage as a ‘living history’.

“I have every confidence in the ELR’S determination to be the best heritage railway in the UK and the securing of planning permission is fantastic news and sends a very strong message of support and confidence in the ELR to our volunteers and staff, knowing they have the future which they have worked so hard for, especially, through the dark days of Covid.

“This is just the start of a long journey which will involve securing the necessary funds for construction and refurbishment of our Buckley Wells depot”.

The ELR is currently investigating possible funding options that will allow works on the project to get underway.

The viability of the project was cast into doubt last year when Rossendale Borough Council raised objections to the Buckley Wells development plans and the associated planning application, despite the council being represented on the ELR Trust. Rossendale Council has been actively campaigning in recent years to return commuter trains onto the preserved line, to link the Bury to Rawtenstall line with either Metrolink services into Manchester, or by operating a direct train service to Manchester – a move that the ELR believes could threaten the existence of the heritage line.

David Green With a decent amount of snow on the ground, Class 31 D5862 stands at Boat of Garten on the Strathspey Railway, towing failed Class 117 DMU SC51402 and SC51367, prior to the DMU being stabled in the railway’s storage shed on February 25, 2022.

Tom Mcatee A drone image showing the East Lancashire Railway’s Baron Street Locomotive Works from April 24, 2021, shortly after the Peak Locomotive Company’s 45108 had been repainted. The main Locomotive Works building is in need of an extensive refurbishment and the ELR aims to develop the full Buckley Well site to include a steam running shed alongside the main building, as well as workshop and training facilities and a standalone carriage shed.