The West Lancashire Light Railway Trust recently received a 75% grant awarded to them by the Lancashire Environmental Fund.

The £18,000 scheme has seen the installation of solar photovoltaic (PV) and battery storage at the railway.

It provided 31x 600W PV panels and a 14kW battery solution so that electric bills are reduced for the heritage railway while also reducing their carbon footprint.

Historically, the railway has been a small carbon user, only burning around 4 tonnes of steam coal each year.

The new installation and additional energy-saving measures will see their carbon levels reduce by at least 25%.

The railway is currently in the process of replacing its lighting and maintains the woodland it runs through to help reduce its impact.

“The West Lancashire Light Railway Trust is very grateful to the Lancashire Environmental Fund for their assistance with this important project, which may not have happened without their support. Operating our heritage railway is important for our cultural and educational needs, but so too is our need to protect our environmental future. This project will significantly reduce our carbon footprint and our future energy bill, allowing us to help protect our environment and invest future savings into our heritage collection and visitor attraction. It’s very interesting seeing the latest green environmental technologies working alongside our 120-year-old steam locomotives.”

Chairman of the Trust, Mike Spall