A FORMER East Lancashire Railway manager has written a new book about the decline of the network.

Bacup writer Andrew Coward’s study of the railway, which ran from Hyndburn and Rossendale to Greater Manchester, comes 50 years after a national report signalled the beginning of the end for widespread use of the line.

The book, The Decline of British Railways in Bury and Rossendale, focuses on five lines that will be familiar with older commuters.

They are:

  • Bury to Holcombe Brook
  • Stubbins Junction to Accrington
  • Bury to Bacup
  • Bolton to Rochdale
  • Bury to Manchester (via Whitefield, Prestwich & Crumpsall)

A 1963 report by British Railways’ then-chairman, Dr Richard Beeching, entitled The Reshaping of British Railways, was the catalyst for the closure of the Bury to Bacup line and the Stubbins Junction to Accrington line, prompting furious responses from those communities affected.

Mr Coward, who was general manager at the railway from 2008 to 2010, said: “All across the country, the Beeching Report saw thousands of miles of railway lines closed, altering the British railway map forever.

“Whilst some of these closures were undoubtedly necessary due to relatively light-usage, this was certainly not the case in the local area and the three local lines that were ultimately closed as a result of the Beeching cuts were all important transport and social lifelines. Thanks to all the hard work of the volunteers connected to the ELR, the line from Heywood to Rawtenstall is now a thriving tourist and visitor attraction.

“The efforts of those volunteers proves that the railway can still be a useful transport link between Bury and the Rossendale Valley almost 50 years after Dr Beeching first tried to consign all the local railways to the history books.”

The book can be purchased from Mr Coward online at buryrossendalerails.com.