Morris Men at Bolton Street Station (C) David Dixon

SD8010 : Morris Men at Bolton Street Station

taken 2 years ago, near to Fishpool, Bury, Great Britain

Morris Men at Bolton Street Station

Members of the Wrigley Head Morris Men perform on the island platform at Bolton Street station as part of the 2017 "Lancashire Day" celebrations.

Bolton Street Station was first opened by the East Lancashire Railway (Link

), on 28 September 1846 as Bury station. The station was renamed Bury Bolton Street in February 1866. The building is situated in a cutting with a low level yard on the east side, approached by an incline from Bolton Street and a flight of steps from Bank Street. To the north is the Bolton Street Tunnel.

British Rail closed the station on 17 March 1980, when it was replaced by a new bus/rail interchange nearby. The station, with its original features, was rescued from demolition and was re-opened as part of the heritage East Lancashire Railway in 1987.

The East Lancashire Railway (ELR)

The East Lancashire Railway (ELR) is a heritage railway based in Bury. It is currently (as at October 2019) 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 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 (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.

Link East Lancashire Railway Website

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Grid Square: SD8010, 1498 images (more nearby )
Photographer: David Dixon (find more nearby)
Date Taken: Saturday, 18 November, 2017 (more nearby)
Submitted: Friday, 24 November, 2017
Geographical Context: Historic sites and artefacts City, Town centre Railways People, Events
Camera (from Tags): Panasonic DMC-G7
Subject Location: OSGB36: SD 802 107 [100m precision]
WGS84: 53:35.5823N 2:18.0188W
Camera Location: OSGB36: SD 802 107
View Direction: South-southeast (about 157 degrees)