East Lancashire Railway

For some reason never regarded as a Manchester attraction—because it runs through satellite towns? Because it has no government support? The East Lancs Railway is twelve miles long. It runs from Manchester’s urban past in Heywood through stations beyond Manchester into the Pennines. The stations are restored‐ornate architecture from another world, the scenery becomes wooded valley and river, then steep moorside. Likely no other heritage railway can offer such variety of landscape and depth of history. Enthusiast support runs events like Thomas the Tank, drive‐a‐train, Premium Pullman, Murder Mystery and much more. When running, the service is at least three trains a day so sometimes used as utility.