Lancashire Hotspot

200,000 people visited the East Lancashire Railway last year. Former general manager ANDY COWARD hails its rise.

As preserved set-ups go, the East Lancashire Railway is a relative newcomer. The line didn’t carry its first fare-paying passengers until July 1987, between Bury Bolton Street and Ramsbottom. Nethertheless, the ELR is thriving as it celebrates its 30th anniversary. I know the railway well. I joined as a teenage working member in January 1989, and have held a number of positions within the organisation since, including two and a half years as general manager, between 2008 and 2010.

I’m not actively involved with the ELR at the moment, but I was keen to return and find out what had been happening on the railway, to see how the 12-mile line between Rawtenstall and Heywood is developing, and hear about some of the challenges it faces as it approaches its fourth decade in operation.

The ELR has just enjoyed its most successful year to date, attracting 201,883 visitors. This is the first time in its history it has exceeded the 200,000 visitor mark, thanks in no small part to two very successful operating periods featuring No. 60103 Flying Scotsman in January and October.

David Layland is the ELR’s finance director, and the visit of the Gresley ‘A3’, along with a bumper year for the railway in general, have given him plenty of reasons to smile: “The growth of the railway in recent years has been phenomenal, but 2016 was something else. It was a lot of hard work, but it is fantastic to be able to invest money back into the railway and improve our facilities. There are no shareholders and any profit we make goes straight back into improving the railway.”

Tough to beat