Locomotive no. 34072 ‘257 Squadron’ is to visit the East Lancashire Railway (ELR) and haul trains from this Saturday (8 July) until Sunday 25 July.

Having originally announced the visit in February, ELR has now confirmed the dates on which its visitors can ride behind the loco.

34072 is the sister loco of ELR’s no. 34092 ‘City of Wells’. It is based at the Spa Valley Railway, and will be making its first visit to East Lancashire in many year.

‘257 Squadron’ entered service in Brighton in 1948 and moved to Eastleigh in 1964, before being withdrawn from service.

In 1984, restorers rescued the loco from a scrapyard, and 34072 ran again in 1990. Since then, it has visited several preserved railways.

Check the Loco Roster for information on the dates that the locomotive will be running.

The East Lancashire Railway runs between Heywood, Greater Manchester and Rawtenstall in Lancashire, and features in the latest DVD added to the RailAdvent Plus Streaming Library