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ALL ABOUT THE RAILWAY

HISTORY

The West Lancashire Light Railway was started  in the 1960s by a small group of schoolboys. Half a century on, the Railway is still going strong, along with

most of the boys!

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The  Railway is 2ft gauge, a common track width for many industrial railways. The site is that of an old brickworks, 

founded in 1877 by Henry Alty.  The works used wagons for moving the clay, but there were no locomotives at the factory.

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For more on our history click here.

LOCOMOTIVES & ROLLING STOCK

The first loco on site was Tawd, arriving in 1968 from Burscough Brick & Tile Works.

In 1969 our first steam engine, Irish Mail, came to us from Dinorwic slate quarry. 

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Since then we have acquired a large number of engines, along with a good selection of wagons and vans. Restoration is an ongoing task.

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At present we have 2 passenger coaches, with a third, suitable for passengers in wheelchairs, under construction.

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Click here for more details.

IMAGES OF THE RAILWAY

Since the earliest days of the Railway, we have documented our activities with the camera. Individual members have extensive collections of photos, some of which are available as online archives. 

 

They chart the development of the Railway from a small, informal group of enthusiasts to a well-structured volunteer-run heritage railway that can  bear comparison with much larger organisations of a similar type.

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Click here for our photos. Videos of the Railway's activities are on our Youtube channel here.

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