WELCOME TO OUR RAILWAY !

Scroll down to learn all about us:

History

In 1967, six schoolboys became concerned by the rapid disappearance of narrow-gauge railway systems in the area. They decided to try to save some items of interest.

A site was found alongside a brickworks at Hesketh Bank and some equipment acquired...

Go here for more.

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Development - help us stay on track!

We have been successful in buying the land on which the Railway sits, while much of the surrounding land has been sold off for housing.

Ownership gives us security of tenure, so we can plan for the future with confidence. The cost was high (in excess of £250,000), well beyond our own resources, so we had to borrow money to complete the purchase.

Our first priority is to raise funds to pay off these loans. Can you help us? We would greatly appreciate any amount you can give, large or small.

See here for how you can help and earn rewards.

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Join us!

If you would like to support the Railway, we would love you to become a member!

As well as free rides, members receive the periodical 'Short Axle', and other occasional publications, and can join in with a wide variety of activities. You can also vote at AGMs and have a say in running the Railway.

Click here for a membership form, which you can download and print. Fill in all the relevant parts and send it to the address indicated.

Whether or not you become a member, don't forget you can keep in touch with all the news at the Railway by subscribing to our newsletter below.

We have no paid staff, all our workforce give their time to operate and maintain the Railway. It you would like to help preserve some of our industrial heritage, come along on a Thursday or Sunday afternoon to see what we do.

Our activities include train operation, engineering, woodworking, painting, track work and shop sales.

We are a fairly small organisation, so new volunteers can quickly get to know us and start making a useful contribution.

No experience is necessary, as training will be given as required.

We look forward to meeting you!

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Subscribe to our newsletter!

Our newsletter is published every six to eight weeks, and is full of news and information about the Railway.

We would love to share it with you - your details will be kept safe in accordance with our privacy policy.

Just fill in your details above and we will add you to our mailing list. You can unsubscribe at any time.

Our newsletter back numbers are here.

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Locomotives, wagons

and coaches

Click an image for details of our rolling stock and model railways.

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40+ years ago, Richard Leithead of Arnold, Nottingshire, published a stock book listing locomotives at preserved lines, industrial sites and private locations. It was very comprehensive, with the 1971 edition running to 88 pages.

Below is the entry for the West Lancashire Light Railway, recording the presence of an unrestored Irish Mail and three internal combustion engines. We have grown somewhat since then!