num_pages: 144
description: Built to serve cotton mills in the Irwell Valley, the Manchester, Bury and Rossendale Railway was established in 1844, becoming the East Lancashire Railway two years later. That title lasted until 1859 when the company was absorbed into the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway. However the name lives on as a preservation society that has restored the section from Bury to Rawtentall in the heart of Rossendale at the northern end of the Irwell Valley, and to Heywood in an Easterly direction. The line passes over high viaducts, through long tunnels and along a wonderfully varied countryside where a legacy of industrial architecture is set amongst a landscape of busy market towns, quiet riverside woodland and grazing meadows, with rugged moorland fells above. In a relatively short preservation lifetime, assisted by the local authorities, the society has reopened these lines, restored or totally rebuilt the infrastructure and created an attractive 12-mile long preserved railway. They have also attracted a great variety of steam locomotives to haul their trains including the world famous 'Flaying Scotsman' Living only a few miles from Bury, Mike Heath has been able to make regular visits to record the line at work, and many of the locomotives that have visited, throughout all seasons, day and night. In his latest photographic journey he has sought to show the reasons for the railway's success and introduce those unfamiliar with the area to the wonderfully varied landscape that surrounds it.
language: English
title: The East Lanashire Railway
publisher: Halsgrove