East Lancs Diesel Gala

[xotGD]

Timetables and allocations are now available on the ELR website.

57002 being one of the guests has prompted me to repost this phot from back in 1999...

 

[Iskra]

Plenty of classes available I need to have good look at the timetable for the Friday to see how I’m going to approach it, in terms of just filming, just riding or a bit of both. The weather will be a factor too.

There’s some winning mainline locomotives, plus classes I’ve never had for haulage: 35, 42 and 56.

The timetable does seem to drop off in the evening massively in terms of the more interesting classes.

 

[xotGD]

37716 is my target. After missing out on it when I went to Norwich in 2019, it is nice to have another opportunity to get it in the book.

 

[CDM Transport]

50008 & 37716 should be on the 0M50 Worksop Down Yard - Castleton Jn on Tuesday.

 

[Forty29]

Be nice to see 37716 in action again it's been a while.

 

[duffield]

Probably worth reminding those attending the gala, travelling via Manchester Piccadilly, and then getting the tram to Bury that there are no trams between Piccadilly and Market Street due to engineering works. There are various alternatives; personally as my train stops at Oxford Road I'll get off there and walk to St. Peter's Square to get the Bury tram.

 

[xotGD]

Here's 716 "resting" at Norwich when I failed to get it 6 years ago. It had failed a couple of days earlier after having worked to Yarmouth and Lowestoft for weeks on end.

 

[Bigchris]

Message deleted

 

[xotGD]

50008 & 37716 should be on the 0M50 Worksop Down Yard - Castleton Jn on Tuesday.

They were.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 4 Jul 2025 ==

37716 in fine form today.

 

[Jamesrob637]

Did anybody go and, if so, how was it?

 

[xotGD]

Did anybody go and, if so, how was it?

I was there on Friday an thoroughly enjoyed it. Trains busy but not packed.

Trains ran close to on time throughout the day.

And I can recommend the steak pies from the hut on Ramsbottom station.

 

[sprinterguy]

Did anybody go and, if so, how was it?

It was grand on the Friday. Couldn't get a seat, or door window for that matter, on my first chosen train of the day, the 11:07 Bury - Rawtenstall with 37716 hauling and 50015 trailing, but I'd sort of expected that and loadings eased off quite significantly as the day went on, on the trains I travelled on.

The sun shone, and much to my surprise, against the experience of multiple previous East Lancs visits, trains remained punctual until about 5pm at least, when suddenly every platform at Bury was occupied and nothing appeared able to move.

So I scratched my last planned move involving the 31, got another pint in and just inhaled the heady fumes instead.

 

[xotGD]

Couldn't get a seat, or door window for that matter, on my first chosen train of the day, the 11:07 Bury - Rawtenstall with 37716 hauling and 50015 trailing

I managed to claim the rear door of the buffet car on that service and didn't let it go!

 

[sprinterguy]

I managed to claim the rear door of the buffet car on that service and didn't let it go!

Good claim, I must have passed you while availing myself of a beverage from the buffet. I was pleasantly surprised to get hold of a door window myself for most of the return journey of that working behind the 50.

 

[duffield]

I enjoyed the relative peace of Thursday, including a trip to Hopwood. It was busy but plenty of seats on all the services I travelled on.
There were some serious safety precautions at the level crossing east of Heywood station on the line to Hopwood (including a car parked up with flashing lights) presumably because this crossing is rarely used and motorists are not accustomed to it.

Coming from Nottingham, I managed to get my targeted 1000 service from Bury to Rawtenstall despite being 18 minutes down at Dore - some generous timetable padding meant I was only 5 late at Manchester Oxford Road.

It's definitely more civilised going to Oxford Road and walking to St. Peters Square to get the Bury tram rather than going via Piccadilly (not an option at present due to tram works).

A pleasant sunny day, all services operating very smoothly within about 5 minutes of the timetable.

Photo: 09024 shunter giving driver experience rides at Rawtenstall



Photo: 57002 Winston Churchill at Bury Bolton Street

 

[bristollh]

There were some serious safety precautions at the level crossing east of Heywood station on the line to Hopwood (including a car parked up with flashing lights) presumably because this crossing is rarely used and motorists are not accustomed to it.

That doesn't surprise me. At last year's (or was it 2023's?) DMU gala, a car shot across the level crossing in front of the moving DMU ignoring the wig-wags.

Jeff