The East Lancashire Railway (ELR) has launched an appeal to help secure the future of a Victorian-era engineering workshop.
The appeal aims to raise sufficient funds to renovate the roof of the Baron Street engineering workshop at the railway’s Buckley Wells depot at Bury in Greater Manchester, which is believed to be one of the world’s oldest buildings still in use for its original purpose.
Among the work carried out at the workshop is the restoration and maintenance of heritage locomotives, including Flying Scotsman.
The ‘Raise Our Roof’ fundraiser has a target of £75,000, and is part of a larger project costing £2 million for workshop repairs and preservation of Higher Woodhill Viaduct if the East Lancashire Railway secures a grant from the government’s Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities.
The East Lancashire Railway runs through the beautiful Irwell Valley, through which steam trains have run for the past 175 years.
To secure government funding, the railway, which welcomes around 200,000 visitors each year, must prove it has enough community support.
Baron Street Engineering Workshop was built in 1856 by the original East Lancashire Railway and served as its main workshop.
After the East Lancashire Railway was taken over by the Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway, 16 locomotives were built there.
From 1889 to 1916, the workshop was used as a carriage repair shed and used as a maintenance depot for trains between Bury and Manchester Victoria for over 70 years.
After passenger services ceased, the workshop at Buckley Wells started to be demolished, but demolition was stopped when a determined group of volunteers stepped in to save the railway.
From that time, the workshop was pivotal in restoring traction and rolling stock ahead of starting passenger services in 1987.
It is now a critical part of the East Lancashire Railway’s engineering facility for restoration and repair of its traction and rolling stock.
Anyone wishing to donate to the campaign can do so online at https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/raiseourroof
Like all heritage assets there is always maintenance and repair work to be undertaken.
The ELR has, for over 50 years, successfully managed the railway’s maintenance and have made considerable improvements to improve Health and Safety, IT, welfare and customer services.
The Baron Street workshop is one of the heritage railway’s ‘jewels in the crown’, which is steeped in history and on a walk through the building you can imagine the noise and flurry of locomotives moving in and out of the workshop and being there at the dawn of the railways.
The roof, whilst being maintained, now needs a serious investment to restore the roof not just to its original condition but take the opportunity to install solar panels to reduce electricity usage and therefore reduce carbon levels.
Mike Kelly, East Lancashire Railway chairman
Responses
Wolverton is the oldest, continuous used standard gauge Railway Works still in use for its original purpose, as far as I have learned.
Much as I like the ELR it’s old and wearing out much like me and my wallet. Whilst I wish you well count me out.
Jeez, your an optimistic barrel of laughs aren’t you! Good job volunteers etc are willing to keep the railway alive.
Boston Lodge Ffestiniog and Welsh Highland Railway is the oldest building still used for its original intended purpose.
It does say ‘one of’ and there are also many considerably older buildings than Boston Lodge still in use as there intended purposes including many religious buildings