The East Lancashire Railway (ELR) has treated the council leader and his local authority colleagues to a tour of a key site.

The heritage railway organisation hosted Cllr Eamonn O’Brien, as well as Cllr Charlotte Morris, cabinet member for culture and the economy, on a visit to Buckley Wells Rail Depot in Bury, the ELR’s major engineering hub.

They were given an overview of the railway’s £12m infrastructure development project following the approval from council planners, which will support Bury’s growth plans at Bury and Ramsbottom.

Cllr O’Brien toured the Grade II listed engineering workshops which were built in 1856 on Wednesday, September 21.

He was introduced to several engineering staff, apprentices and some of the railway’s dedicated team of more than 700 volunteers.

Mike Kelly, chairman of the East Lancashire Railway, said: “We were delighted to welcome the leader of Bury Council for his first formal visit to the East Lancashire Railway.

“We will always be grateful to Bury Council who offered the ELR, at that time homeless, an operational base back in 1972.

“This started our journey on becoming a magnificent railway and one of the North West’s major tourist, heritage and cultural attractions.

“Cllr O’Brien received a presentation of the progress of the Buckley Wells depot improvements and saw the huge scale of our operations and the positive impact they are having on our local community and visitor economy.

“He saw first-hand the level of our plans to gear up our engineering and operational capacity with new jobs here in Bury, a fit for purpose infrastructure for the future which allows the ELR to scale up its support to match Bury’s own growth strategies for tourism and regeneration.

“The spiralling costs of coal, diesel, energy and supplies creates unprecedented challenges.

“However, we were all buoyed up to see the leader taking an interest in ELR operations, going behind the scenes and seeing the work of our dedicated staff and volunteers.”

Cllr Eamonn O’Brien, leader of Bury Council, added: “The ELR has a long history of operating in Bury, and we all have seen its development since the railway was rescued from dereliction back in 1972.

“Some 50 years later, we are pleased and proud that the ELR sits at the heart of our community here in Bury.

“I like everything about the ELR and appreciated the ‘behind the scenes’ visit to see for myself the size and scale of the great work that goes on at Buckley Wells every day.

“The passion and dedication to keep the railway alive and into the future is impressive.

"I know the ELR actively supports the council’s ambitious development strategies for Bury and Ramsbottom town centres and look forward to working with the ELR going forward.

“The East Lancashire Railway’s commitment to the preservation of the heritage railway is impressive and has been forged by generations of unsung staff and volunteers to create a major leisure, tourist and rail enthusiast’s attraction right here in Bury.

“The development of the Buckley Wells project is an important part of their plans, and we support the ELR in their tireless efforts to ensure that future generations can enjoy the railway and learn about Bury’s heritage.

“The ELR is unique and special in many ways for the people of Bury and beyond and the council wishes them success for many more decades to come.”