The West Lancashire Light Railway (WLLR) is a narrow gauge railway that operates at Hesketh Bank, situated between Preston and Southport in North West England. The distance between the stations on the railway is , The railway has seven steam locomotives, three of which are in operating condition; two are currently being rebuilt and another is on static display. There are also two electric locomotives and many IC locomotives.
History
thumb|Map of the railway in 2017
thumb|right|Running Shed
thumb|right|Montalban built in 1913 being serviced and watered
thumb|right|Irish Mail
thumb|right|Joffre
thumb|right|Cheetal in the workshop
The West Lancashire Light Railway was started in 1967, by six railway enthusiast schoolboys from the Hesketh Bank area. They wanted to save the narrow gauge railway equipment which was disappearing from local industries. They leased a strip of land above the clay pits at Alty's Brickworks one with a 13 hp engine, the other a 20 hp model, they were respectively named Clwyd and Tawd. Clwyd was the first locomotive to run on the railway in 1969. These two locos were soon joined by more industrial diesels and the first home-built items of rolling stock.
At first, trains were operated on a "travel at your own risk" basis. The first formal timetable was issued in 1971. The major missing component was a boiler. Members of the WLLR retrieved the remains of Quarry Hunslet Alice from one of the upper levels of Dinorwic. Alice's boiler was retained at the WLLR and the rest sold to the Bala Lake Railway. Over the next decade the railway re-assembled Irish Mail and the locomotive was steamed for the first time in 1980.
The railway is twinned with the in France.
Facilities
The railway's sheds and workshops are situated at Becconsall station. The first shed was built by the members using cast-off bricks from Alty's. This original workshop has been much added to over the years and the equipment in this workshop allows most of the work on restoring a steam locomotive to be undertaken, excluding boiler construction. Facilities for visitors have also been built at Becconsall.
Operations
The WLLR is open to the public on Sundays and Bank Holidays from Easter to the end of October, also on some other days during school holidays. Passengers can ride in semi-open coaches which have been built by the railway's volunteers. Gala weekends are also organised, when visiting steam locomotives can be seen in operation. Other events include Easter Egg Hunt, Teddy Bears' Day, Friendly Engines Day, Strawberries and Steam, Halloween, Princess and Pirates Day, Pumpkin Express, Volunteers Day, Children in Need, and Santa Specials.
'Drive an Engine' days can be arranged for individuals or small groups to learn how to operate a steam engine. Bookings can also be taken for birthday parties (and other types of celebration) and for visits by schools, colleges, clubs and societies.
Rolling stock
Steam locomotives
{|class="wikitable sortable"
!Number
!Name
!Builder
!Type
!Class
!Works number
!Built
!Status
!Notes
|-
|3
|Irish Mail
|Hunslet
|
|Dinorwic Alice Class
|823
|1903
|Operational, overhaul completed in 2015.
| Ex. Dinorwic Slate Quarry, Wales
|-
|8
|Joffre
|Kerr Stuart
|
|'Joffre' class
|2405
|1915
|Restored in 2012. Awaiting overhaul following expiry of boiler ticket in August 2021.
|Ex. WW1 French Artillery Railways
|-
|22
|Montalban
|Orenstein and Koppel
|
|
|6641
|1913
|Operational.
|Ex. Minas y Ferrocarril de Utrillas, Aragon, Spain
|-
|
|Sybil
|Bagnall
|
|
|1706
|1906
|Operational. Restoration completed 2024.
|Ex. Dinorwic Slate Quarry, Wales
|}
Internal combustion locomotives
{|class="wikitable sortable"
!Number
!Name
!Builder
!Works number
!Built
!Type
!Status
!Notes
|-
|1
|Clwyd
|Ruston and Hornsby
|264251
|1951
|
|
|
|-
|2
|Tawd
|Ruston and Hornsby
|222074
|1943
|
|
|
|-
|10
|
|Hibberd
|2555
|1942
|
|
|
|-
|38
|
|Hudswell Clarke
|DM750
|1949
|
|
|
|-
|
|
|Hudswell Clarke
|DM1393
|1967
|
|
|