East Lancashire Railway (1844–1859)
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The East Lancashire Railway operated from 1844 to 1859 in the historic county of
Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated ''Lancs'') is a ceremonial county in North West England. It is bordered by Cumbria to the north, North Yorkshire and West Yorkshire to the east, Greater Manchester and Merseyside to the south, and the Irish Sea to ...
, England. It began as a railway from Clifton via Bury to
Rawtenstall Rawtenstall () is a town in the borough of Borough of Rossendale, Rossendale, Lancashire, England. The town lies 15 miles (24 km) north of Manchester, 22 miles (35 km) east of Preston, Lancashire, Preston and 45 miles (70 km) south east of Lanca ...
, and during its short life grew into a complex network of lines connecting towns and cities including
Liverpool Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...
,
Manchester Manchester () is a city and the metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It had an estimated population of in . Greater Manchester is the third-most populous metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, with a population of 2.92&nbs ...
,
Salford Salford ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city in Greater Manchester, England, on the western bank of the River Irwell which forms its boundary with Manchester city centre. Landmarks include the former Salford Town Hall, town hall, ...
, Preston,
Burnley Burnley () is a town and the administrative centre of the wider Borough of Burnley in Lancashire, England, with a 2021 population of 78,266. It is north of Manchester and east of Preston, at the confluence of the River Calder and River B ...
and
Blackburn Blackburn () is an industrial town and the administrative centre of the Blackburn with Darwen borough in Lancashire, England. The town is north of the West Pennine Moors on the southern edge of the River Ribble, Ribble Valley, east of Preston ...
. During a period of rapid growth the company acquired several of its competitors, including the
Blackburn and Preston Railway Blackburn () is an industrial town and the administrative centre of the Blackburn with Darwen borough in Lancashire, England. The town is north of the West Pennine Moors on the southern edge of the Ribble Valley, east of Preston and north-n ...
, which it purchased to gain access to Preston. It faced competition from companies such as the
North Union Railway The North Union Railway was an early British railway company, operating two main routes, from to and from to , all in Lancashire. The northerly part of the routes sharing the line from Euxton to Preston. The company was created in 1834 wit ...
, and was involved in a notable stand-off in 1849 with the
Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway The Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway (L&YR) was a major History of rail transport in Great Britain, British railway company before the Railways Act 1921, 1923 Grouping. It was Incorporation (business)#Incorporation in the United Kingdom, incorpo ...
. Following several years of discussions, the East Lancashire Railway was in 1859 amalgamated with the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway. Parts of the network remain in use today, and a section of the original line between Bury and Rawtenstall is now operated as a
heritage railway A heritage railway or heritage railroad (U.S. usage) is a railway operated as living history to re-create or preserve railway scenes of the past. Heritage railways are often old railway lines preserved in a state depicting a period (or periods) ...
.


History


Manchester and Bolton Railway

In 1830, the Manchester Bolton & Bury Canal Company began to promote the construction of a railway along the line of their canal from
Salford Salford ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city in Greater Manchester, England, on the western bank of the River Irwell which forms its boundary with Manchester city centre. Landmarks include the former Salford Town Hall, town hall, ...
, to
Bolton Bolton ( , locally ) is a town in Greater Manchester in England. In the foothills of the West Pennine Moors, Bolton is between Manchester, Blackburn, Wigan, Bury, Greater Manchester, Bury and Salford. It is surrounded by several towns and vill ...
and Bury. Following an act of parliament to enable them to become a railway company, they built their line from Manchester to Bolton, although on a slightly different alignment than was first planned. This was mainly to preserve the canal for the use of mine traffic, which would not have been provided for if the canal had been infilled and replaced by a railway. A new Act had been required for the new alignment, but due mainly to the objections of the company's engineer, the connection to Bury was never built, as it would have required a tunnel on a gradient of 1 in 100, at the time a difficult and expensive proposition. The new railway therefore became known as the
Manchester and Bolton Railway The Manchester and Bolton Railway was a railway in the historic county of Lancashire, England, connecting Salford to Bolton. It was built by the proprietors of the Manchester, Bolton and Bury Canal Navigation and Railway Company who had in 183 ...
.


Manchester, Bury and Rossendale Railway

On 14 September 1843, a group of local businessmen including John Grundy, Thomas Wrigley and John Robinson Kay met at a
public house A pub (short for public house) is in several countries a drinking establishment licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption Licensing laws of the United Kingdom#On-licence, on the premises. The term first appeared in England in the ...
in Bury to discuss the creation of a railway connection for the Bury and the Rossendale districts. Their proposed railway offered better facilities than those also proposed by the
Manchester and Leeds Railway The Manchester and Leeds Railway was a British railway company that built a line from Manchester to Normanton, West Yorkshire, Normanton where it made a junction with the North Midland Railway, over which it relied on running powers to access L ...
(M&LR), whose planned connection at Bury would be made with their Heywood branch line from Castleton. The Manchester, Bury and Rossendale Railway Company (MB&RR) was thus created, its purpose to build a railway from Bury to Clifton, where it would connect to the Manchester and Bolton Railway. The company also promoted the idea of extending the line northwards to
Rawtenstall Rawtenstall () is a town in the borough of Borough of Rossendale, Rossendale, Lancashire, England. The town lies 15 miles (24 km) north of Manchester, 22 miles (35 km) east of Preston, Lancashire, Preston and 45 miles (70 km) south east of Lanca ...
. On 4 July 1844 their local bill was granted
royal assent Royal assent is the method by which a monarch formally approves an act of the legislature, either directly or through an official acting on the monarch's behalf. In some jurisdictions, royal assent is equivalent to promulgation, while in othe ...
as the East Lancashire Railway Act 1844 ( 7 & 8 Vict. c. 60). The act authorised the company to raise £300,000, and also to borrow £100,000 (£ and £ respectively in ). The land between Clifton and Bury, partly owned by the
Earl of Derby Earl of Derby ( ) is a title in the Peerage of England. The title was first adopted by Robert de Ferrers, 1st Earl of Derby, under a creation of 1139. It continued with the Ferrers family until the 6th Earl forfeited his property toward the en ...
, John Robinson Kay, William Grant and others, was mostly "waste, woodland, pasture or reservoirs, except at Brookbottoms where arable land was avoided by the tunnel". Strong financial support was offered to the MB&RR by local businesses, who were unhappy with the idea of the M&LR building their own railway. The Manchester and Leeds District Board of Trade produced a report in 1845 which gave their backing to the M&LR and the line was sanctioned in 1846, however the MB&RR project was unaffected by this connection. Manchester contractors Pauling & Henfry, who tendered £167,529 (£ in ), were in May 1844 awarded two contracts to build the Clifton to Bury and Bury to Rawtenstall sections of the new railway. The work was sub-let to smaller contractors and began quickly; in July 1844 the ''Manchester Guardian'' wrote a favourable report on the works. However, a shortage of workers in 1845 (reflecting the amount of railway construction underway at that time) meant that some men were asked to work on Sundays, resulting in some being charged with breaking the Sabbath. Further difficulties prompted the dismissal of the original contractors, their place being taken by John Waring. The railway ran north from Clifton through a cutting at Outwood. This required the removal of about of earth. It then passed north-east through Radcliffe Bridge and Withins station, and from there into Bury Bolton street station. From Bury, it ran through
Summerseat Summerseat is a village in the Metropolitan Borough of Bury, Greater Manchester, England; it is sited directly south of Ramsbottom. History The 200-year-old Joshua Hoyles' cotton mill, a Grade II listed building, on the banks of the River Ir ...
,
Ramsbottom Ramsbottom is a market town in the Metropolitan Borough of Bury, Greater Manchester, England. The population at the 2011 census was 17,872. Historically in Lancashire, it lies on the River Irwell in the West Pennine Moors, north-west of Bur ...
,
Stubbins Stubbins is an industrial village in the southern part of the Rossendale Valley, in Lancashire, England. Etymology ''Stubbing'' 1563. Old English meaning 'a place with tree stumps', implying a place from which many trees have been cleared. ...
and finally to
Rawtenstall Rawtenstall () is a town in the borough of Borough of Rossendale, Rossendale, Lancashire, England. The town lies 15 miles (24 km) north of Manchester, 22 miles (35 km) east of Preston, Lancashire, Preston and 45 miles (70 km) south east of Lanca ...
. The railway climbed a constant gradient, across a mixture of viaducts, tunnels, cuttings and embankments, one of which, the mile–long section from Ramsbottom to Stubbins, was substantial. The extant
Clifton Viaduct Clifton Viaduct, known locally as The Thirteen Arches, is a disused railway viaduct near Clifton, Greater Manchester, Clifton in Greater Manchester, north-west England. Built in 1846, it closed with the line in 1966 and is now severed from the r ...
was built to cross the
River Irwell The River Irwell ( ) is a tributary of the River Mersey in north-west England. It rises at Irwell Springs on Deerplay Moor, approximately north of Bacup and flows southwards for to meet the Mersey near Irlam Locks. The Irwell marks the bound ...
, which flowed below, and also the Manchester Bolton & Bury Canal. Its largest span is wide.


Expansion

By 1844, the
Blackburn and Preston Railway Blackburn () is an industrial town and the administrative centre of the Blackburn with Darwen borough in Lancashire, England. The town is north of the West Pennine Moors on the southern edge of the Ribble Valley, east of Preston and north-n ...
(B&PR), who shared a viaduct across the
River Ribble The River Ribble runs through North Yorkshire and Lancashire in Northern England. It starts close to the Ribblehead Viaduct in North Yorkshire, and is one of the few that start in the Yorkshire Dales and flow westwards towards the Irish Sea (t ...
with the
North Union Railway The North Union Railway was an early British railway company, operating two main routes, from to and from to , all in Lancashire. The northerly part of the routes sharing the line from Euxton to Preston. The company was created in 1834 wit ...
(NUR), were planning a railway from
Blackburn Blackburn () is an industrial town and the administrative centre of the Blackburn with Darwen borough in Lancashire, England. The town is north of the West Pennine Moors on the southern edge of the River Ribble, Ribble Valley, east of Preston ...
to
Farington Farington is a village and civil parish in the South Ribble local government district of Lancashire, England. The population of the civil parish at the 2011 census was 6,674. History The parish was part of Preston Rural District throughout ...
. Following the ( 8 & 9 Vict. c. xxxv) the B&PR was absorbed by the MB&RR on 3 August 1846 under the ( 9 & 10 Vict. c. cccii). The B&PR's act of Parliament also allowed for a connection with the proposed Blackburn, Burnley, Accrington and Colne Extension Railway (BBA&CER), which would run from
Stubbins Stubbins is an industrial village in the southern part of the Rossendale Valley, in Lancashire, England. Etymology ''Stubbing'' 1563. Old English meaning 'a place with tree stumps', implying a place from which many trees have been cleared. ...
Junction to
Accrington Accrington is a town in the Hyndburn borough of Lancashire, England. It lies about east of Blackburn, west of Burnley, east of Preston, north of Manchester and is situated on the culverted River Hyndburn. Commonly abbreviated by locals to ...
, providing a direct link between Blackburn and Colne. A second BBA&CER act allowed it to lease or sell itself to the MB&RR, and so in 1845 the two companies joined. The MB&RR later that year changed its name to the East Lancashire Railway (ELR). The following year, the ELR acquired the
Liverpool, Ormskirk and Preston Railway The Liverpool, Ormskirk and Preston Railway in north-west England was formed in 1846 by the ( 9 & 10 Vict. c. ccclxxxi). It was purchased by the East Lancashire Railway the following year and opened to traffic on 2 April 1849. The railway ra ...
(LO&PR), which gave it direct access to
Liverpool Docks The Port of Liverpool is the enclosed Dock (maritime), dock system that runs from Brunswick Dock in Liverpool to Seaforth Dock, Seaforth, Merseyside, Seaforth, on the east side of the River Mersey and the Great Float, Birkenhead Docks betwee ...
. The LO&PR's line would run from a junction with the
Liverpool and Bury Railway The Liverpool and Bury Railway was formed by an act of Parliament in 1845 to link Liverpool and Bury via Kirkby, Wigan and Bolton, the line opening on 20 November 1848. The line became the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway's main line between ...
at Walton-on-the-Hill to a junction with the B&PR. The enabling act also allowed the LO&PR to build further branch lines, and the ELR obtained further acts including one which allowed it to build a connection to Preston. Following the acquisition on 3 August 1846, a disagreement ensued over traffic priorities and arrangements for the ELR at the NUR's station in Preston. The ELR proposed a new station and a separate line with a new crossing of the Ribble, but this proved controversial; Preston Corporation petitioned against the proposed line, producing a series of witnesses who attested to the damage they presumed would be caused by the embankment necessary for the scheme to proceed. Several members of the corporation were also shareholders of the rival Fleetwood, Preston and West Riding Junction Railway, and the petition's proposer was brother-in-law to a director of the rival
Manchester and Leeds Railway The Manchester and Leeds Railway was a British railway company that built a line from Manchester to Normanton, West Yorkshire, Normanton where it made a junction with the North Midland Railway, over which it relied on running powers to access L ...
. In the end the ELR won its bid, but had to landscape its embankment (which later became the dividing line between Avenham and
Miller A miller is a person who operates a mill, a machine to grind a grain (for example corn or wheat) to make flour. Milling is among the oldest of human occupations. "Miller", "Milne" and other variants are common surnames, as are their equivalents ...
Parks), make an ornamental arch for carriages and pedestrians crossing under the railway, and build a footbridge on the river viaduct. Meanwhile, the former MB&RR line from Clifton to
Rawtenstall Rawtenstall () is a town in the borough of Borough of Rossendale, Rossendale, Lancashire, England. The town lies 15 miles (24 km) north of Manchester, 22 miles (35 km) east of Preston, Lancashire, Preston and 45 miles (70 km) south east of Lanca ...
was inaugurated on Friday 25 September 1846. Surveyed two days earlier by the Inspector-General of railways,
Charles Pasley General Sir Charles William Pasley (8 September 1780 – 19 April 1861) was a British soldier and military engineer who wrote the defining text on the role of the post-American Revolution British Empire: ''An Essay on the Military Policy and I ...
, who was reportedly satisfied with the project, upwards of 1,000 invitations were delivered to local people, shareholders and other interested parties. They gathered at the new Hunts Bank station in Manchester. Leaving Manchester, the train stopped near Philips Park to collect chairman John Hodges, before continuing to Radcliffe Bridge to collect more passengers. Large crowds were gathered along the course of the railway. In Bury, the train was extended to about 30 carriages and three engines, and more passengers were collected before the train finished its journey in Rawtenstall. Passengers were provided with a large meal in a closed-off section of a power-loom shed owned by John Robinson Kay. They listened to several celebratory speeches, before re-embarking the train to head home. The railway was opened to the general public on the following Monday. In November 1846 the company submitted proposals for a new line from Buckley Wells (south of Bury) through Whitefield and
Prestwich Prestwich ( ) is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Bury, Greater Manchester, England, north of Manchester, north of Salford and south of Bury. Within the boundaries of the historic county of Lancashire, Prestwich was the seat of the ...
, to a new terminus at Victoria Station. The plan did not progress any further than the initial planning stages; Whitefield and Prestwich eventually got their own railway stations in 1879. In two years the ELR grew from a company authorised to build of railway into one with the authority to build of railway. In February 1848 with of track open, the company reported for the week ending 5 February 1848 an annual income of £553 18s 8d (£ in ) for passengers and parcels, and £498 10s 4d for freight (£ in ) – almost double the previous year's income. By March 1848 the line between Rawtenstall and Newchurch was complete, followed in June by the
Blackburn Blackburn () is an industrial town and the administrative centre of the Blackburn with Darwen borough in Lancashire, England. The town is north of the West Pennine Moors on the southern edge of the River Ribble, Ribble Valley, east of Preston ...
to
Accrington Accrington is a town in the Hyndburn borough of Lancashire, England. It lies about east of Blackburn, west of Burnley, east of Preston, north of Manchester and is situated on the culverted River Hyndburn. Commonly abbreviated by locals to ...
connection (), and, in August, the Stubbins junction to Accrington section. The line was extended east to
Burnley Burnley () is a town and the administrative centre of the wider Borough of Burnley in Lancashire, England, with a 2021 population of 78,266. It is north of Manchester and east of Preston, at the confluence of the River Calder and River B ...
() by September 1848, and, in February 1849, from Burnley to
Colne Colne () is a market town and civil parishes in England, civil parish in the Borough of Pendle in Lancashire, England. The town is northeast of Nelson, Lancashire, Nelson, northeast of Burnley and east of Preston, Lancashire, Preston. The ...
, where it made an end-on junction with the Leeds and Bradford Extension Railway, providing the ELR with a connection to
Bradford Bradford is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in West Yorkshire, England. It became a municipal borough in 1847, received a city charter in 1897 and, since the Local Government Act 1972, 1974 reform, the city status in the United Kingdo ...
and
Leeds Leeds is a city in West Yorkshire, England. It is the largest settlement in Yorkshire and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds Metropolitan Borough, which is the second most populous district in the United Kingdom. It is built aro ...
. The LO&PR line to
Lostock Hall Lostock Hall is a suburban village within the South Ribble borough of Lancashire, England. It is located on the south side of the River Ribble, some south of Preston and north of Leyland. It is bordered on its southeastern side by the in ...
() was completed on 2 April 1849, and the () extension into Preston station opened on 2 September 1850. The line ran into new platforms built on the east side of the NUR's station, which were managed and staffed by the ELR, and which had their own booking hall and entrance. The new platforms were effectively a separate station. More lines followed with a connection between Newchurch and
Bacup Bacup ( , ) is a town in the Rossendale Borough in Lancashire, England, in the South Pennines close to Lancashire's boundaries with West Yorkshire and Greater Manchester. The town is in the Rossendale Valley and the upper Irwell Valley, east ...
by October 1852, and the
Ormskirk Ormskirk is a market town in the West Lancashire district of Lancashire, England. It is located north of Liverpool, northwest of St Helens, Merseyside, St Helens, southeast of Southport and southwest of Preston, Lancashire, Preston. Ormski ...
to
Rainford Rainford is a village and civil parishes in England, civil parish in the Metropolitan Borough of St Helens, Merseyside, England, north of St Helens, Merseyside, St Helens. At the United Kingdom Census 2011, 2011 Census, the population was 7,7 ...
Skelmersdale Branch in March 1858. A three-mile long line to Tottington opened in 1882 from a junction with the original MB&BR line. It was electrified in 1913 before reverting to steam in 1951. It closed to passengers in 1952 and goods in 1963 and has since been reclaimed as a walkway.


Clifton Junction

In 1846, the
Manchester and Bolton Railway The Manchester and Bolton Railway was a railway in the historic county of Lancashire, England, connecting Salford to Bolton. It was built by the proprietors of the Manchester, Bolton and Bury Canal Navigation and Railway Company who had in 183 ...
(whose line the ELR used to gain access to Manchester) was taken over by the
Manchester and Leeds Railway The Manchester and Leeds Railway was a British railway company that built a line from Manchester to Normanton, West Yorkshire, Normanton where it made a junction with the North Midland Railway, over which it relied on running powers to access L ...
, which, the following year, became part of the
Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway The Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway (L&YR) was a major History of rail transport in Great Britain, British railway company before the Railways Act 1921, 1923 Grouping. It was Incorporation (business)#Incorporation in the United Kingdom, incorpo ...
(L&YR). The ELR's expansion and the opening of new routes—including an alternative route between Manchester and Leeds—had caused a degree of consternation at the L&YR, but the two companies initially managed to work together successfully. After about three years a dispute flared up over the collection of tolls for the ELR's use of the line. The ELR had become accustomed to running their trains on to the L&YR line and then later declaring of the number of passengers liable for a toll but, in March 1849, the L&YR insisted that ELR trains stop at Clifton so that passenger numbers and tickets could be checked by their own employees. The ELR accused the L&YR of trying to impede their traffic, particularly as they had recently gained a connection to Bradford, in competition with the L&YR. They stated that the L&YR had access to their accounts, and to the returns made by their staff. On the morning of 12 March 1849, despite the presence of police from Bury and Pendleton, the L&YR placed a large baulk of timber across the ELR's line at Clifton Junction, effectively blocking it. Employees from both companies arrived at the scene, and a large crowd gathered to watch events unfold. The L&YR also pulled a train past the junction, blocking the up line to the city. Its engine was pointed south-east toward Manchester, available to any ELR passengers who wished to continue their journey. An ELR train arrived from Bury, and stopped. L&YR employees attempted to take tickets from the ELR's passengers, but were refused, as the ELR had already taken tickets at their Ringley Road station. ELR employees then removed the baulk of timber, and in an effort to push the L&YR train out of the way, drove their train forward. The L&YR had anticipated this, and moved another engine (taken from a L&YR train from Manchester) to the front of their Manchester-bound train. The ELR then blocked the L&YR down line with another of their trains, laden with stone, moving it to a position directly abreast of the L&YR train. The line remained completely blocked until about mid-day, with a queue of trains from both companies, and from the Blackburn and Darwen Railway, building up on each side of the blockage. The situation was eventually defused when the L&YR withdrew their train. The General Manager of the ELR, Richard Hacking, wrote to ''
The Times ''The Times'' is a British Newspaper#Daily, daily Newspaper#National, national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its modern name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its si ...
'' newspaper expressing his annoyance at the L&YR's tactics. He claimed to have received a letter from the company sent on 9 March 1849 informing him of proposed changes to operational procedures resulting from a near-collision at Clifton Junction. The first change was that ELR trains would at all times give way to L&YR trains on the Manchester and Bolton line; a stop signal was to be placed along the ELR line from the junction, to be activated whenever a L&YR train was in sight. The second change was that "for the safety of the public" all ELR trains would be required to stop before the
points A point is a small dot or the sharp tip of something. Point or points may refer to: Mathematics * Point (geometry), an entity that has a location in space or on a plane, but has no extent; more generally, an element of some abstract topologica ...
at the junction, where all passenger tickets to Manchester would be collected by L&YR employees. A daily return would be required of all passengers and other freight booked from Salford "for the purpose of keeping regularly and balancing punctually the accounts of the two companies". Hacking claimed to have replied stating that the near-collision had occurred because the L&YR's engine driver had ignored a signal at Clifton Junction, and that the ELR would not accept the changes requested by the L&YR. The ELR refused to supply tickets at any point, although they considered it reasonable to supply more information on their traffic using the L&YR line. Hacking stated that he had received a letter from the L&YR porter at Clifton requesting that all ELR trains stop at Clifton Junction so that tickets could be collected by L&YR staff, and that all ELR goods trains would have to supply invoices at the junction. In his letter he concluded that the purpose of the L&YR's demands was to impede the flow of ELR traffic to Manchester and onwards to Yorkshire. Hacking's account of the events of 12 March is similar to that reported by ''The Times''. He claims to have travelled to Clifton to witness an L&YR clerk being prevented from collecting tickets, and to have then continued on another train to Manchester. On his arrival there, he saw L&YR employees ready to pull up the rails to the ELR platform, although the rails were left intact. He then mentions returning to Clifton after hearing that L&YR employees had recently left for the station. He blamed the Managing Director of the L&YR, Captain Law, and Mr Blackmore, superintendent of the Bolton line, for ordering the line to be blocked with the baulk of timber. Hacking also mentions an approaching up-train from Bolton, which on encountering the blockage apparently moved across to the down line to bypass it – in the face of oncoming traffic. Expressing his shock, he claims to have ordered the ELR's stone train onto the down line, changing the signals accordingly. Hacking's account ends by claiming that Blackmore ordered the L&YR train to move, effectively resolving the dispute. The matter was so serious that it was raised in the
House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the Bicameralism, bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of ...
. It was eventually settled in court, with the ELR thereon making a
pro rata ''Pro rata'' is an adverb or adjective meaning in equal portions or in proportion. The term is used in many legal and economic contexts. The hyphenated spelling ''pro-rata'' for the adjective form is common, as recommended for adjectives by some ...
payment according to the distance travelled on each railway. The court also found in favour of the L&YR who had argued that the original agreement to share the line did not extend to a vastly extended ELR network. The amount of compensation to the L&YR was left at the discretion of both companies. Relations between the two companies were, therefore, not entirely amicable. In 1853 the ELR made further proposals for a new line from Clifton to Salford, roughly parallel to the L&YR line, however in 1854 an agreement between the two companies meant that the Clifton Junction to Salford line was vested jointly in both companies. Amalgamation had been discussed since the early 1850s and in 1859, by an act of parliament, the ELR was absorbed by the L&YR.


Closure and legacy

Following the
Beeching Axe The Beeching cuts, also colloquially referred to as the Beeching Axe, were a major series of route closures and service changes made as part of the restructuring of the nationalised railway system in Great Britain in the 1960s. They are named ...
parts of the ELR's network were closed. The original MB&RR line between Clifton Junction and Bury closed in 1966 (although Radcliffe Bridge station was closed in 1958), but the line between Bury and Rawtenstall continued to serve passengers until 1972 and freight until 1980. This section is now used by the
East Lancashire Railway The East Lancashire Railway is a heritage railway line in North West England which runs between Heywood, Greater Manchester and Rawtenstall in Lancashire. There are intermediate stations at Bury Bolton Street, , Summerseat and Ramsbott ...
, a modern
heritage railway A heritage railway or heritage railroad (U.S. usage) is a railway operated as living history to re-create or preserve railway scenes of the past. Heritage railways are often old railway lines preserved in a state depicting a period (or periods) ...
opened in 1987. The trackbed between Clifton and Radcliffe now forms a part of the Irwell Sculpture Trail. The connection from Stubbins to Accrington was closed in 1966. The ELR line across the Ribble between Preston and
Bamber Bridge Bamber Bridge is a large village in Lancashire, England, south-east of Preston, in the borough of South Ribble. The name derives from the Old English "bēam" and "brycg", which probably means "tree-trunk bridge". People who live in Bamber Bri ...
was closed to passengers in 1968, and to goods four years later. The East Lancashire platforms 10–13 were demolished along with Butler Street Goods Yard. The line between Preston and Colne survives as the East Lancashire Line, operated by Northern. The Skelmersdale Branch was closed to passengers in 1956 and to all traffic seven years later, however a proposal exists to reopen the line as far as
Skelmersdale Skelmersdale is a town in the West Lancashire district of England. It sits on the River Tawd, west of Wigan, north-east of Liverpool and south-west of Preston, Lancashire, Preston. In 2006, it had a population of 38,813. The town is known l ...
. Services between Liverpool and Ormskirk are now operated by
Merseyrail Merseyrail is a commuter rail network which serves Merseyside and adjacent areas of Cheshire and Lancashire in the North West England, North West of England. Merseyrail serves 69 Railway station, stations, 67 of which it manages, across two lin ...
.


Locomotives

The ELR used a range of locomotives. One of its earliest orders was for twelve Long Boiler
2-2-2 Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 2-2-2 represents the wheel arrangement of two leading wheels on one axle, two powered driving wheels on one axle, and two trailing wheels on one axle. The wheel arrangement both ...
s from Fenton, Craven and Company (at least one of these was used on the inauguration of the railway), but dissatisfied with the locomotives they accepted only four,. Four were diverted to the Leeds, Dewsbury and Manchester Railway, and two to the
Eastern Counties Railway The Eastern Counties Railway (ECR) was an English railway company incorporated in 1836 intended to link London with Ipswich via Colchester, and then extend to Norwich and Yarmouth. Construction began in 1837 on the first at the London end. Co ...
. In 1848, the ELR's four 2-2-2s were rebuilt as
2-4-0 Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, represents the wheel arrangement of two leading wheels on one axle, four powered and coupled driving wheels on two axles and no trailing wheels. In most of North America it b ...
s by
R and W Hawthorn R and W Hawthorn Ltd was a locomotive manufacturer in Newcastle upon Tyne, England, from 1817 until 1885. Locomotive building Robert Hawthorn first began business at Forth Bank Works in 1817, building marine and stationary steam engines. In 1820 ...
. In about 1858, they were again rebuilt as
0-6-0 is the Whyte notation designation for steam locomotives with a wheel arrangement of no leading wheels, six powered and coupled driving wheels on three axles, and no trailing wheels. Historically, this was the most common wheel arrangement used o ...
s by Sylvester Lees. Richard Walker, a director of the ELR between 1838 and 1854, was the supplier of about twenty locomotives to the company, including, in the 1850s, four 2-4-0s and several 0-6-0s. Walker, Richard & Brother supplied four 2-2-2 locomotives, Medusa, Hecate, Diomed and Lynx. All were later rebuilt as a 2-4-0
tank engine A tank locomotive is a steam locomotive which carries its water in one or more on-board water tanks, instead of a more traditional tender. Most tank engines also have bunkers (or fuel tanks) to hold fuel; in a tender-tank locomotive a tender h ...
. In 1847, two
0-4-2 Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, represents the wheel arrangement with no leading wheels, four powered and coupled driving wheels on two axles and two trailing wheels on one axle. While the first locomotives ...
s were supplied by R and W Hawthorn, rebuilt in 1868 as 2-4-0s. In 1845 the MB&RR ordered four 0-6-0s from the
Haigh Foundry Haigh Foundry was an ironworks and foundry in Haigh, Greater Manchester, Haigh, Lancashire, which was notable for the manufacture of early steam locomotives. Origins Haigh Foundry was established in the River Douglas, Lancashire, Douglas Valley ...
, and a fifth engine from Fenton, Craven and Company. Another engine was built by Haigh in 1848. The largest ELR class was a series of outside-frame 2-4-0s with cylinders and driving wheels. Some may have originated as 2-2-2s, and some were later rebuilt as 2-4-0 tank engines. One was rebuilt as a 2-4-0 saddle tank engine. These were among the last locomotives to be built in Bury. Other manufacturers to supply the ELR were
Sharp, Roberts and Company Sharp, Stewart and Company was a steam locomotive manufacturer, originally based in Manchester, England. The company was established in 1843 following the dissolution of Sharp, Roberts & Co.. In 1888, it relocated to Glasgow, Scotland, where it ...
, Stothert, Slaughter and Company, and
Beyer, Peacock and Company Beyer, Peacock and Company was an English general engineering company and railway locomotive manufacturer with a factory in Openshaw, Manchester. Charles Beyer, Richard Peacock and Henry Robertson founded the company in 1854. The company clo ...
. The ELR livery for passenger locomotives was dark green with red brown frames, and polished domes and safety valves. In 1857 (two years prior to the amalgamation with the LYR), the ELR had 32 passenger locomotives and 31 goods. They were numbered 1–63, and all were named. For a few years after the two railways amalgamated in 1859, the LYR maintained a distinct number list for locomotives of what became the East Lancashire section (EL section): new LYR locomotives intended for use on the EL section were given numbers in that section's list, instead of the main LYR list, and those built up to mid 1872 were also named. The EL section locomotive list eventually reached 142, and in March 1875, they had their numbers increased by 600, becoming LYR nos. 601–742. The ELR locomotive works was at Bury, and the locomotive superintendent there was Sylvester Lees. He was appointed in 1846, and following the 1859 amalgamation continued in office until his death on 22 March 1865. To succeed Lees at Bury, the LYR appointed John Jacques and Henry Critchley as outdoor and indoor locomotive superintendent respectively: both took up their duties on 24 April 1865. Critchley died in September 1867 and was succeeded by William Hurst on 18 September 1867. When Hurst was transferred to
Miles Platting Miles Platting is an inner city part of Manchester, England, northeast of Manchester city centre along the Rochdale Canal and A62 road, bounded by Monsall to the north, Collyhurst to the west, Newton Heath to the east, and Bradford, Holt T ...
locomotive works in January 1868 (as outdoor locomotive superintendent alongside William Yates, indoor superintendent), R. Mason was appointed to take his place at Bury. He in turn died on 15 October 1873, and was replaced by George Roberts. Having four locomotive superintendents (two at Miles Platting and two at Bury) was causing difficulties for the LYR as a whole, and on 1 November 1875, William Barton Wright was appointed chief locomotive superintendent for the LYR, combining the outdoor and indoor roles of both works. The following day, Jacques and Roberts (together with Yates and Hurst) were told that they would now report to Barton Wright. Jacques was given the opportunity to resign with six months salary, whilst Roberts became works manager at Bury. He remained in this post until the closure of Bury works in 1888, following the transfer of locomotive maintenance to the new
Horwich Works Horwich Works was a railway works built in 1886 by the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway (LYR) in Horwich, near Bolton, in North West England when the company moved from its original works at Miles Platting, Manchester. Buildings Horwich Work ...
. Like many of its contemporaries, the ELR obtained its locomotives from various private manufacturers. Chief amongst these were the firms of Richard Walker and Brothers of Bury, who supplied 24 locomotives between 1846 and 1854, and
Sharp Brothers Sharp, Stewart and Company was a steam locomotive manufacturer, originally based in Manchester, England. The company was established in 1843 following the dissolution of Sharp, Roberts & Co.. In 1888, it relocated to Glasgow, Scotland, where it ...
of Manchester, who supplied 16 between 1846 and 1850. In 1846 the LYR had begun constructing a proportion of its locomotives in its own workshops (one of the first railways to do so) at Miles Platting, and after the 1859 amalgamation supplied a number of these to the EL section. Bury works did not build new locomotives until 1862, and between then and 1877, approximately sixteen new locomotives were built there, although at least one incorporated parts from an older locomotive. All of them were of the 2-4-0 wheel arrangement, some being tank engines: several 2-4-0 locomotives were altered from tender to tank, or vice versa. Most had outside frames and were continuations of an ELR design dating back to 1848, but four built in 1873 had inside frames and were similar to 2-4-0s to the design of Yates that were being built at Miles Platting at the same time.


Infrastructure


Station buildings

Station buildings generally followed one of three designs. The principal stations at Bury and Accrington were based on the same design by a Manchester-based firm of architects. Most of the other stations were designed by the company's resident engineer. They were stone-built and consisted of a station master's room, adjoining a seated waiting area, a ladies waiting room and the booking office. The third and cheapest design followed the standard design but utilised brick and timber as materials. The platform was normally roofed.


Signals

Track signals were based on two designs—station signals on posts, each post with two moveable arms—and portable signals; flags were used by day, and coloured lanterns at night. The signals on posts were patented
semaphore Semaphore (; ) is the use of an apparatus to create a visual signal transmitted over distance. A semaphore can be performed with devices including: fire, lights, flags, sunlight, and moving arms. Semaphores can be used for telegraphy when arra ...
designs from J Stevens & Son. Each post had two arms—linked by chain to a foot control at the base—which were used to alert drivers on both the up and down lines. Each foot control was held in place by a hook on the post. An arm set at an angle would indicate that the train should approach slowly, before stopping at the station. The same arm set vertically (and out of sight) would indicate that the train could pass through without stopping. The posts were also illuminated to allow use at night. Signals at Accrington station were more complex, linked to the station building with wires, and by default set at 'stop' when released. The coloured lanterns used as portable signals were painted red on one side (stop), green on another (go slowly), and clear on the third (proceed).


Rails

The line was
standard gauge A standard-gauge railway is a railway with a track gauge of . The standard gauge is also called Stephenson gauge (after George Stephenson), international gauge, UIC gauge, uniform gauge, normal gauge in Europe, and SGR in East Africa. It is the ...
and most sections used
rails Rail or rails may refer to: Rail transport *Rail transport and related matters * Railway track or railway lines, the running surface of a railway Arts and media Film * ''Rails'' (film), a 1929 Italian film by Mario Camerini * ''Rail'' (1967 fi ...
in lengths, each weighing 75 lb/yard (31.1 kg/m), fixed to wooden sleepers long and apart.


Accidents

In the early history of the railways accidents were not uncommon, and the ELR was no exception. Several incidents were reported in ''The Times''. During
Whitsuntide Whitsun (also Whitsunday or Whit Sunday) is the name used in Britain, and other countries among Anglicans and Methodists, for the Christian holy day of Pentecost. It falls on the seventh Sunday after Easter and commemorates the descent of the Ho ...
1849, a passenger train was in a rear-end collision with an excursion train near
Burnley Burnley () is a town and the administrative centre of the wider Borough of Burnley in Lancashire, England, with a 2021 population of 78,266. It is north of Manchester and east of Preston, at the confluence of the River Calder and River B ...
,
Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated ''Lancs'') is a ceremonial county in North West England. It is bordered by Cumbria to the north, North Yorkshire and West Yorkshire to the east, Greater Manchester and Merseyside to the south, and the Irish Sea to ...
. Despite efforts to protect the rear of the passenger train, another excursion train was in a rear-end collision with it. In January 1850, three people died when a luggage train ran into a passenger train at Maghull railway station. A serious accident occurred at Clifton Junction on 19 October 1851 when a passenger train derailed passing the points on the junction, injuring several passengers, some seriously. In September 1866 a man died after jumping from the train from Blackburn. A non-fatal collision occurred at Lostock Hall railway station in November 1876. Inclement weather was also a problem; in January 1867 trains were delayed for several hours at due to snow on the line, and on 30 January 1877 a heavy storm blew the roof completely away from
Preston railway station Preston railway station, in Preston, Lancashire, Preston, Lancashire, England, is an interchange on the West Coast Main Line; it is approximately half-way between Euston railway station, London Euston and Glasgow Central station, Glasgow Centra ...
.


References


Notes


Bibliography

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External links


The Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway Society


{{DEFAULTSORT:East Lancashire Railway 1844-1859 Early British railway companies Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway Irwell Valley Historic transport in Lancashire Rail transport in Lancashire Closed railway lines in North West England Railway companies established in 1845 Railway companies disestablished in 1859 1844 establishments in England British companies established in 1845 1859 disestablishments in England British companies disestablished in 1859