The East Lancashire Railway is a charity which focuses on restoring and preserving the long and rich history of the 12 mile heritage railways from Heywood to Rawtenstall. We rely on charitable donations and ticket sales to run and maintain the trains, buildings and the Bury Transport Museum.

We are run by a dedicated team alongside over 800 passionate volunteers who do their part to ensure that we can keep this piece of industrial heritage alive for the next generation. We want everyone to be able to learn about its history and impact on Bury and the surrounding area.

We run lots of exciting events for all the family throughout the year including ours Santa Specials, Ghost Trains and a Day out with Thomas, as well as our two annual Galas. If you are looking for an unforgettable experience, we also have our Murder Mystery Dinners, Comedy Nights, Foot Plate experiences and more. All of these rely on charitable donation and ticket sales to keep our trains running safely.

As well as increasing running costs due challenges such as the rising price of coal and diesel, we are currently fundraising for restoration projects including:

Restoring the Locomotive 13065 "Crab" and LMS Jinty 47324 back into working order.

Restoring and renovating our Grade II listed Locomotive works so we can continue to restore and keep our trains in running condition

Your donations will help us to do so much to keep the history of the ELR alive.

£5 allows us to pay for 2.5 litres of Lubricating Oil.

£10 allows us to run a diesel locomotive for 1 mile.

£20 allows us to buy for coal to run a steam train for 1.25 miles.

£50 allows us to pay for 1 ton of track ballast.

All donations make a difference not matter how big or small they all help us to keep chugging along.

Thank you for your support to preserve and share the heritage of this amazing railway for many years to come.