East Lancashire Railway has adopted an 80-year-old battery-electric locomotive from Manchester’s Science and Industry Museum.
The historic loco – built in 1944 – will appear on display at Bury Transport Museum for fans to explore and will be operational to help move rolling stock when it’s moved this month (November).
It worked at Central Electricity Generating Board (CEGB) in Bolton for 45 years before being moved to the Science and Industry Museum for more than three decades and was transported to Buckley Wells locomotive depot a few weeks ago (Oct 30) to replace the missing battery charger.
The pioneering model is symbolic of a shift towards steam locomotive building, which kick-started after WWII.
Keith Whitmore, Chairman of the ELR Transport Museum, said: “We are delighted to have this operational piece of Lancashire history to be displayed in our museum and are grateful to the Science and Industry Museum gifting the locomotive to us for future generations to be able to explore.
“It is pioneering for its time as a battery electric locomotive when British railways were about to embark on a substantial programme of steam locomotive building after WWII.
“We are looking forward to working closely with the Science and Industry Museum and others in the Science Museum Group on a number of new projects over the coming months.”
Sarah Baines, Curator of Engineering at the Science and Industry Museum, said: “We’re delighted to have worked with East Lancashire Railway to re-home the Battery locomotive closer to its place of original manufacture and use.
The move has come as part of our ongoing work to restore and reimagine our globally important, Grade II listed Power Hall. Relocating a small number of objects from Power Hall will enable us to increase accessibility within the gallery when it reopens, and create a clear and engaging experience for visitors. As a museum, we are dedicated to telling the story of the world’s first railways and the revolution in trade, time and travel they sparked. It’s wonderful that our partnership with ELR means this piece of local railway history can now be enjoyed in new ways by new audiences.”
Train enthusiasts won’t want to miss the opportunity to see the locomotive at Bury Transport Museum when it arrives, so keep an eye out for further information, here.
