2017

SD8010 : Thomas at Bury South

taken 7 years ago, near to Fishpool, Bury, England

Thomas at Bury South
Thomas at Bury South
Thomas the Tank Engine pulls a set of carriages packed with excited children (and adults!) past the preserved Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway signal box at Bury South.

One of Britain’s most famous and recognisable (albeit fictional!) steam locomotives, Thomas is a character from The Railway Series books by the Reverend Wilbert Awdry and his son, Christopher. Thomas first appeared in 1946 when he was the focus of the four short stories contained in the second book in the series, "Thomas the Tank Engine". He is a cheeky little engine and tries very hard to be a very useful. He became the most popular character in the series, and is the title character in the accompanying television spin-off series, Thomas & Friends. All of the locomotives in The Railway Series were based on prototypical engines; Thomas is based on the E2 Class of locomotives, the London Brighton and South Coast Railway 0-6-0 E2 with extended side tanks. He is easily identified by his Number 1 and bright blue colour. On this day, he was giving rides along the sidings between Bolton Street Station and the Baron Street works as part of the very popular "Day out with Thomas" on the East Lancashire Railway.
Day Out with Thomas

"Day out with Thomas", is a marketing name used by HiT Entertainment for special events held at heritage railways in the UK. The characteristic features of these events include locomotives wearing 'faces' to resemble 'Thomas' characters. The general idea is that children (of any age!) can ride in a train pulled by 'Thomas' or one of his friends.

The East Lancashire Railway (ELR)

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.
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SD8010, 1716 images   (more nearby 🔍)
Photographer
David Dixon   (more nearby)
Date Taken
Monday, 1 May, 2017   (more nearby)
Submitted
Monday, 8 May, 2017
Subject Location
OSGB36: geotagged! SD 800 104 [100m precision]
WGS84: 53:35.4364N 2:18.1356W
Camera Location
OSGB36: geotagged! SD 801 106
View Direction
South-southwest (about 202 degrees)
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Image Type (about): geograph 
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