The East Lancashire Railway has welcomed the arrival of another heritage locomotive to the Bury Transport Museum.
The long-awaited arrival of the Lancashire & Yorkshire Radial Tank 1008 safely navigated the journey from the National Railway Museum at York on a long-term agreement and the locomotive immediately looks at home. The ‘Lanky Tank’ joins other locomotives on loan from the National Railway Museum including narrow-gauge ‘Wren’, ‘Tilbury Tank’ 2500; L & Y Dray and the recent addition of ‘Vesta’ from the National Trust. The relocation of 1008 was the final piece of the jigsaw from the loan request from the National Collection.
Andrew McLean, Assistant Director and Head Curator of the National Railway Museum said: “We are delighted that we were able to support the loan of Lancashire & Yorkshire Radial Tank 1008 from the National Collection to East Lancashire Railway. As the only remaining example of Sir John Aspinall’s L&YR Class 5 tank engines, which mostly operated in industrial Lancashire areas, ‘Lanky Tank’ is an integral part of the story of the railways around Bury”
Keith Whitmore, Director of Bury Transport Museum said, “through ever closer working with the National Railway Museum, this important collection will have wide appeal across the North West and our thanks go to the NRM for agreeing to loan these artifacts to be looked after by the East Lancashire Railway”.
“Subject to agreement with the National Railway Museum, we are hoping to display 1008 and other L&Y locomotives in an outdoor line-up later this this year as part of an ‘open day’ at the Bury Transport Museum, to celebrate these important icons of our railway heritage.”
Tickets to the Bury Transport Museum can be purchased online or on the day and are valid for entry in a 12-month period, providing the Gift Aid option is selected.
Find out more about the museum here.
