West Lancashire Light Railway

The West Lancashire Light Railway (WLLR) is a narrow gauge railway that operates at Hesketh Bank,BBC News Report situated between Preston and Southport in North West England.WLLR website The distance between the stations on the railway is , though track extends eastwards beyond Delph station on ledge above the old clay pit which is too narrow to contain a run round loop. An extension of up to , running along the north bank of the fishing lake has been proposed. 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.

History

The West Lancashire Light Railway was started in 1967, by six railway enthusiast schoolboys from the Hesketh Bank area. 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 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. 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. 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.

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. 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.

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.

The railway is twinned with the in France.

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 NumberNameBuilderTypeClassWorks numberBuiltStatusNotes3Irish MailHunsletDinorwic Alice Class8231903Boiler ticket expired 2025. Currently undergoing overhaul Ex. Dinorwic Slate Quarry, Wales8JoffreKerr Stuart'Joffre' class24051915Restored in 2012. Awaiting overhaul following expiry of boiler ticket in August 2021.Ex. WW1 French Artillery Railways22MontalbanOrenstein and Koppel66411913Operational.Ex. Minas y Ferrocarril de Utrillas, Aragon, SpainSybilBagnall17061906Operational. Restoration completed 2024.Ex. Dinorwic Slate Quarry, Wales

Internal combustion locomotives

NumberNameBuilderWorks numberBuiltTypeStatusNotes1ClwydRuston and Hornsby2642511951Operational. ex-Burscough Brick and Tile, First loco owned by the railway2TawdRuston and Hornsby2220741943Operational ex-Burscough Brick & Tile4BradfieldHibberd17771931Awaiting Overhaul ex-Sheffield Corporation, Lower Bradfield5Ruston and Hornsby2004781940Awaiting Overhaulex-Liverpool Corporation, Horwich7Motor Rail89921946 ex-Furness Brick & Tile Co of Askam, purchased in 197310PlanetHibberd25551942Operationalex-Liverpool Waterworks, LLanforda Hall. Donated to the Railway in 2026 by National Museums Liverpool After being on loan for 50 years.11Commonly Referred to as "Bread Bin" Motor Rail59061934Operational ex-Middleton Towers sand railway. 12Motor Rail112581964Operational ex-Pilkington Bros Ltd., St Helens.Motor Rail79551945DismantledRebuilt at the WLLR in 1987. ex-Middleton Towers sand railway.16Ruston and Hornsby2020361941Dismantledex-NW Water Authority, Great Harwood.19Lister108051939ex- Wheatley & Co. Springfield Tileries Trent Vale.20Baguley30021937ex-North Calder Water Board.21Hunslet19631939ex-Borough of Burnley Altham Sewage Works.25Ruston and Hornsby297054195026Motor Rail11223196331Mill ReefMotor Rail73711939ex-Leighton Buzzard Light Railway36Ruston and Hornsby3391051953 Acquired in 1985 from Scotland.38Hudswell ClarkeDM750194939Black PigHibberd3916195940Dame Vera DuckworthRuston and Hornsby381705195649SamsonHibberd1887193451PathfinderHunslet44781953 Donated by ICI Gathurst.Hudswell ClarkeDM13931967Lister298901946Dismantled

Electric Locomotives NumberNameBuilderWorks numberBuiltTypeStatusNotes19BEV6131972Regauged from .25BEV6921974Regauged from GreenbatGreenwood and Batley18401942OperationalEx. RAF FauldWelsh PonyBEV6401926Awaiting restorationEx. 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.

West Lancashire Light Railway

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