Who are we?

We’re a dedicated team of around 15 volunteers who love nothing more than spending our weekends caring for a small fleet of 1950s and 1960s English Electric locomotives on the East Lancashire Railway in Bury.

While fifteen sounds like a healthy number, the reality of work, family, and other commitments means our regular working group is often only a handful of people. To keep these remarkable machines running and preserved for future generations - we really could use your help.

Alongside the ongoing work to return D8069 back in to service, we also maintain the 117‑tonne, 16‑cylinder Class 50 locomotive “Valiant” on the ELR. We also lend a hand in other areas whenever support is needed, so there’s certainly no shortage of challenges or things to keep the team busy.

You don’t need any specific skills to get involved. We’re more than happy to share our knowledge and provide guidance - after all, someone needs to know what they’re doing when we eventually hang our tools up!

If this sounds like something you’d be interested in, please join our Facebook group and drop one of us a message, or send us an email by clicking the mail icon below and we’ll get back to you promptly.
Due to the safety‑critical nature of the work involved, you must be 18 years old or over.

More details can be found here - Volunteer with Us - The East Lancashire Railway