Meet the Locomotives

34092 Bulleid 4-6-2
Pacific ‘City of Wells’

City of Wells is one of the biggest and strongest engines on the ELR. It’s so big in fact, that it once got stopped on the M62 when it was moving to a new heritage railway because it was too heavy to cross a bridge! Since it couldn’t make it across into Yorkshire, we’re now lucky enough to be the home of this magnificent locomotive.

32 MSC Hudswell Clarke No.680
Class 0-6-0T ‘Gothenburg’

This adorable locomotive might have a very long name, but its smaller size makes it a very useful engine indeed. You’ll find it all decked out in stunning, iconic blue, and it might remind you of the number 1 steam engine on Sodor. It’s one of the most popular engines on the ELR and has been travelling up and down the line for over thirty years.

80097 BR Standard Class 4 2-6-4T

Please note 80097 is currently out of service

80097 is one of the newest steam engines to join our fleet and it’s quickly become a firm favourite of everyone here on the ELR. It’s a popular choice for our Drive a Steam Train experience too. To get 80097 ready for service, it took over 34 years of repairs and restoration, including an entire new boiler.

752 L&YR ’23’ 0-6-0 ST EX. 11456

One of the oldest steam engines still in great working order, 752 is a stunning example of a 19th century shunting locomotive. This class of engine was once a very common sight on the original Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway, and 752 is now a mainstay on our heritage line.

L & Y Radial Tank 1008 “Lanky Tank”

On static display at Bury Transport Museum, this locomotive is the last remaining example of Sir John Aspinall’s L&YR (Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway) Class 5 Tank Engines. Designed specifically to haul passenger services, 330 of them were manufactured in the late 1800s. Most of them worked in Manchester, Liverpool and industrial Lancashire areas.

D9531 BR 0-6-0 Class 14 ‘Ernest’

D9531 arrived at the ELR in 1987 to help with shunting during preparation for expanding the line to Heywood. In 1997 it was removed for extensive maintenance and restoration. During that time, D9531 earned the nickname “Ernest’. In 2012, Ernest made a triumphant return to the ELR in stunning green livery with black and yellow wasp stripes.

D5054 BR Bo-Bo Class 24 ‘Phil Southern’

There were once 151 diesel engines in the Class 24, but now only four preserved examples remain… and D5054 is one of the best! To honour the memory of one of the early members of the ELR, a pioneer who helped re-open the Bury to Rawtenstall line, D5054 was renamed Phil Southern in 2007.

D7629 BR Bo-Bo Class 25 

One of the last 20 Class 25 engines remaining (out of a fleet of 327), D7629 was one of the final locomotives off the construction line in Manchester in 1960. She’s a real home town locomotive, and dedicated to her job just like any Mancunian. Nowadays you’ll find her travelling up and down the ELR in British Railways Blue livery.

D832 BR B-B Class 42 No. D832 ‘Onslaught’

One of only two Class 42 ‘Warships’ in preservation, this mighty engine is affectionately known to many as “Beefy”. These locomotives only served a very short working life, as they were quickly replaced by more modern engines. The majority were scrapped and used for parts, so we’re very lucky to have Beefy with us on the ELR.

45108 BR 1Co-Co1 Class 45

45108 came to the ELR in 2017 and is a brilliant example of the Class 45 diesel engines in bright British Railways Blue livery. This locomotive has quickly found a very important role here, thanks to its ability to heat trains during the colder months. If you climb aboard a Santa Special this year, you’ll see how 45108 helps pull Father Christmas.

47765 BR Co-Co Class 47

Sometimes referred as a ‘Brush Type 4’, and one of 512 examples produced for British Rail operations, this example entered traffic in December 1964. This historic diesel locomotive carried four different numbers (D1643, 47059, 47631) and could be found regularly at the front of Class 1 Inter-city express trains throughout the 1970s and 1980s, venturing across the majority of the BR network. A welcome home-based locomotive at the ELR, especially as it used to reside at the nearby Crewe Diesel Depot during it’s mainline career.

50015 BR Co-Co Class 50 ‘Valiant’

50015 ‘Valiant’ is one of the most popular locomotives with enthusiasts and a common sight on our lines since 1992, hauling her first train on the ELR just a couple of days after she arrived. The locomotive was withdrawn from British Rail operations in 1991 after a 25 year career. ‘Valiant’ was first allocated to high speed inter-city anglo-scottish services, followed by a career in the west country on a variety of frontline passenger and engineers trains. Keep an eye out for ‘Valiant’ if you’re joining us on one of our Santa Specials in the run up to Christmas.

DMBS SC51485 Class 105 DMU ‘Cravens’

This Class 105 Diesel Multiple Unit (a train with multiple carriages and no need for a separate locomotive), really is a labour of love for the team at ELR. It took over twenty years of restoration work to bring it back to its former glory. But it’s now a stunning sight on the line, with only two other preserved examples in the country.

E51813 Class 110 DMU ‘Calder Valley’

Commonly known as ‘Calder Valley’ units, these DMU’s worked in Bradford or Manchester’s Newton Heath during their time in service. They’re a prime example of their class, and we’re very lucky to have three units. Two end cars arrived in 1990 for preservation, followed by a centre car in 1994.

W55001 Class 122 DMU

W55001 only carried passengers for 11 years, before it was converted to a department training vehicle, used to learn new routes and inspect lines. A full restoration was made possible in the late 1990s thanks to the donation of several parts and panelling from another class 122, 55003. You’ll often find W55001 running shuttle services between Bury and Heywood stations on the ELR.