Rendezvous at Ramsbottom

Concluding my trio of summer visits to heritage railways affiliated to the Watercress Line – meaning free travel for working volunteers like me – I head north for an overnight stay in Bury and a couple of days on the charming East Lancashire Railway (ELR).

The town’s former main station, Bury Bolton Street, is headquarters of the 12½-mile line, which from there runs three miles east to Heywood and a link to the national Rail network at Castleton and 9 miles north alongside the Irwell River to Rawtenstall.

Bury Bolton Street was replaced as terminus for rail services to Manchester in 1980 by Bury Interchange, from where heavy rail was replaced by Metrolink tram services in 1992, with passenger services north to Rawtenstall having ceased in 1972 and the ELR beginning operations 15 years later, in 1987.

There is a remarkable variety of rolling stock on the ELR including a large diesel fleet, but what I had not reckoned on was making my first journey along the line in one of the much derided Pacer trains, in this case 144009 bearing the fictitious livery of Great Midlands Railway, following its appearance in the TV drama “Sherwood”.

But the steam power on both days of my visit (21/22 August 2025) was provided by un-rebuilt West Country Class Pacific (4-6-2) 34092 “City of Wells” with which I have a long history, having been photographed in its cab by my late father when it was in Woodham’s scrapyard at Barry in October 1966.

Bury Bolton Street is an impressive four-platform station, with a fine signal gantry at its southern end (as seen above) controlled by the nearby Bolton South Signal Box, and an excellent pub called The Trackside on platform 2 serving a great selection of beers, including the one I sampled – Rudgate Ruby Mild (4.4% / £4.20).

Having travelled the whole line by Pacer on 21 August, I had decided to travel the next day as far as the principal intermediate station and only other passing loop at Ramsbottom, where there looked like a number of potential spots to photograph trains in and departing from this rather attractive station.

With the Pacer unit thankfully stood down on 22 August, the second service on that day was formed of Mk1 coaches, as was the set being hauled by 34092, and was being hauled by Class 24 loco 24054 (D5054) painted in its original BR green livery and masquerading as its scrapped classmate, D5053 (24053).

Ramsbottom is an attractive and historic small town with heritage station to match, and there are fine vantage points from which to appreciate trains, the station and its signal box and signalling from the station footbridge, the level crossing and from an area of park between river and railway north of the level crossing.

For anyone travelling to the area by rail, visiting the ELR is pretty easy, with Bury Interchange being a 40-minute (£4.60) tram ride from Manchester Piccadilly, Bolton Street ELR station only being a five minute walk away and the Premier Inn I stayed in (£40 a night) overlooking the Interchange.

Travelling back from Ramsbottom I discovered an Express bus (X41) that runs every hour (xx11) from a stop just yards up the Main Street from the level crossing and gets to Manchester City centre in about 45 minutes (£3.00 single).

There is a great deal more I would like to have seen of the ELR given more time, with attractive-looking stations at Summerseat and Irwell Vale and the real ale bar on the station at Ramsbottom, which I will certainly visit on a future occasion. With very friendly staff and services operating at weekends all year I can highly recommend a visit and will certainly be back.