The East Lancashire Railway has suspended steam operations due to the fire risk.
The fire risk is across the region due to the ongoing dry weather, and the steam ban will be in place until further notice.
Services will continue to run as planned, but will now feature a heritage diesel locomotive rather than a steam locomotive.
An ELR spokesperson said, “While we share your love for steam, safety must come first. All scheduled services will continue to run but will now be operated by our heritage diesel fleet. We’ll keep you updated as the situation develops and thank you for your understanding and continued support.
Responses
They actually do this on a regular basis, with with the steam engine Douglass being a problem as it has no spark arrester, and the aftermath of it passing through Irwell Vale can be seen on this short video
https://youtube.com/shorts/L2hWJkdsdwc