Description

After George Stephenson’s ‘Rocket’ caused a sensation in 1830 by travelling at the then miraculous speed of 30 mph, “Railway Mania” took a grip on the nation.

This book focuses on East Lancashire including the meteoric growth of the original East Lancashire Railway Company which tragically though went out of business in 1859.

The phrase “survival of the fittest” – associated with Charles Darwin and his 1859 book ‘Origin of the Species’ – proves itself a telling means of accounting for how some companies survived the burst of the rail bubble and others did not.

By the mid-20th century, with steam engines becoming a threatened species themselves, the story is told of Alan Pegler and how he saved the Flying Scotsman from the breaking-yard but ended up dying virtually penniless himself.

In the wake of the Beeching Cuts of the 1960s, a brave rearguard action was mounted by the East Lancashire Railway Preservation Society (ELRPS) which ultimately bore fruit in 1987 with the opening of a heritage line from Bury to Ramsbottom.

This book contains a wealth of stimulating first-hand accounts, photos, maps and diagrams to make it a must-read for rail enthusiasts and all those keen to learn more about the fascinating human element to the railway story as a whole.

ELR Long Service Award ceremony in October 2021