The West Lancashire Light Railway

The West Lancashire Light Railway is a two-foot gauge passenger-carrying railway. It runs for about a quarter of a mile around a fishing lake (orignally a quarry) in the village of Hesketh Bank, in West Lancashire.

From small beginnings in the 1960s, it has grown to include a number of historic steam locomotives, which have been restored on site. We also have many examples of small industrial diesels that were once commonplace in Lancashire and surrounding areas.

The Railway is operated entirely by volunteers, and is funded by a combination of membership fees, fare income and donations. The Railway is a registered charity.

We offer a family-friendly venue for visitors interested in live steam railways and the preservation of our industrial heritage. Many of our visitors are locals who come regularly to ride our trains, whilst on special event days people come from near and far to see our latest attractions. These include visiting engines, freight trains, traction engines, vintage cars and live steam model railways.

More on the history of the site is here.