2014

SD7914 : The Approach to Summerseat Station

taken 10 years ago, near to Summerseat, Bury, England

The Approach to Summerseat Station
The Approach to Summerseat Station
Class 33 diesel locomotive 'Captain Bill Smith RNR' acting as the tail locomotive on the train pulled by SD7914 : East Lancashire Railway, "Ernest" on the approach to Summerseat Station.

Built at Birmingham Railway Carriage & Wagon Company in 1960 for British Rail’s Southern Region, 33109 is one of two preserved class 33 locomotives operating on the East Lancashire Railway. Originally carrying the fleet number D6525, it was renumbered 33109 in 1974 to conform to the computerised TOPS systems.

Officially withdrawn in February 1997 and sold for preservation, 33109 moved first to the Mid Hants Railway. Following a spell of storage at Crewe, the loco was sold to ELR Diesel Group for a second spell of preservation at the East Lancashire Railway, moving to Bury in 2007 and returning to service in February 2008.

The locomotive is named 'Captain Bill Smith RNR'; a photo of the plaque explaining his story can be seen in the gallery at LinkExternal link . It is currently running in BR Blue with white window surrounds.

LinkExternal link ELR fleet profile
LinkExternal link British Rail Class 33 (Wikipedia)

See other images of 33109 Captain Bill Smith RNR
The East Lancashire Railway (ELR) :: SD8010

The East Lancashire Railway (ELR) is a heritage railway based in Bury. It is currently (as at July 2022) operating between Rawtenstall and Heywood, with intermediate stations at Bury Bolton Street, Burrs Country Park, Summerseat, Ramsbottom and Irwell Vale, respectively.

The original East Lancashire Railway LinkExternal link opened in 1844, beginning as a railway from Clifton via Bury to Rawtenstall. It was later amalgamated with the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway. Parts of the network remain in use today, and the section of the original line between Bury and Rawtenstall is now operated by the heritage railway.

After formal closure by British Rail in 1982, the line between Bury and Ramsbottom, via Summerseat was reopened on 25 July 1987 as a new heritage railway. In 1991 the service was extended northwards from Ramsbottom to reach Rawtenstall, via Irwell Vale and in 2003 an eastbound extension from Bury to Heywood was re-opened. To reach Heywood the extension had to cross over the Metrolink line to Bury, at the site of the former Bury Knowsley Street station. This necessitated the construction of a new intersection bridge, with steeply graded approaches of 1 in 36 and 1 in 41 nicknamed 'The Ski Jump'. The heritage line is now just over 12 miles long, and has a mainline connection with the national railway network at Castleton, just beyond Heywood. The ELR plans to extend the running line further into Castleton in the future, to where a new (and separate) platform named "Castleton Village" will be constructed adjacent to the main station itself (LinkExternal link Manchester Evening News).

The railway is run by volunteer members from the East Lancashire Railway Preservation Society (ELRPS). The railway is well known for its collection of diesel locomotives which reside on the railway, along with over 140 carriages, wagons and utility vehicles. It is open every weekend of the year and holds a number of themed events and galas throughout the year which include steam and diesel events amongst others, and also offers driver experience courses.

LinkExternal link East Lancashire Railway Website


Creative Commons Licence [Some Rights Reserved]   © Copyright David Dixon and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence.
This photo is linked from: Automatic Clusters: · Pulling an East Lancashire Railway [17] · Approaching [13] · Class 33 Diesel Locomotive [2] ·
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SD7914, 214 images   (more nearby 🔍)
Photographer
David Dixon   (more nearby)
Date Taken
Sunday, 9 March, 2014   (more nearby)
Submitted
Thursday, 13 March, 2014
Subject Location
OSGB36: geotagged! SD 7947 1444 [10m precision]
WGS84: 53:37.5652N 2:18.7133W
Camera Location
OSGB36: geotagged! SD 79530 14338
View Direction
North-northwest (about 337 degrees)
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Image classification(about): Geograph
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