East Lancashire Railway will host its first Small Engines Gala this weekend (Saturday 10 and Sunday 11 June), featuring special guest, Cockerill Steam Tram Type IV Number 8 ‘Lucie'.
Lucie features a vertical boiler and worked with the East Brussels Tram Company, hauling funeral trains, passenger services and probably freight.
Lucie later moved to the Vielle Montage Mining Company after its tram track was altered to metre gauge.
Visitors to the event will have the chance to ride along the twelve-mile line from Heywood to Rawtenstall, behind a variety of small steam and diesel engines. The Railway released the timetables for the event last month.
The line-up includes:
Steam:
- Cockerill Steam Tram “Lucie”, visiting with owner Paul Middleton, better known by his nickname “Piglet”, from Channel 5 series Yorkshire Steam Railway
- 0-4-0 L&Y Pug 19, numbered 11243
- 0-6-0 L&Y 752, numbered 51456
- 0-4-0 Sentinel Works 7232, “Ann”
- 0-6-0 Hudswell Clarke 32 “Gothenburg”
- 0-6-0 ‘Jinty' 47298
Diesel:
- 0-6-0 D4002 “Arundel Castle”
- Class 03, D2062
- Class 08, 08164 “Prudence”
- Class 08, 08479
- Class 08, Class 09, 09024
- Class 14 “Ernest”
(All locomotives subject to availability.)
These locomotives often work shunting duties around the railway's Bury Bolton Street station but rarely haul passenger services. This will be the first chance for visitors to ride behind them.
One- and two-day rover tickets are available from the Railway's website, along with more information about the event.
