East Lancashire Railway - 'Legends of Steam III' 10-12/04/2026

The third edition of the ‘Legends of Steam’ event on the East Lancashire Railway, this year held over the weekend of April 10th-12th, would feature a trio of pacifics steaming through the Lancashire countryside, with a Bulleid pacific pair comprised of visiting 34070 “Manston” and ELR resident 34092 “City of Wells”, being joined by A1 Class - 60163 “Tornado”.

34070 “Manston” was built at Brighton Works in late 1947 by the Southern Railway, emerging nameless with the number 21C170, and holding the title of the final locomotive to be built by the SR before nationalisation in 1948. Eluding the cutters torch and thus surviving Woodhams Scrapyard, 34070 is now owned by Southern Locomotives Ltd and based on the Swanage Railway, with this visit to the ELR serving as its first visit to the Lancashire heritage railway in preservation. 34070 has taken on the roll of SLL’s roaming locomotive this year, with this visit being followed by an extended holiday on the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Steam Railway; planned to begin in the late spring and last into the summer.

34092 “City of Wells” returned to steam following an overhaul in late 2023, being reinstated as a regular performing member of the ELR home-fleet. Built by British Railways in 1949, 34092 spent many years in preservation as a resident of the Keighley & Worth Valley Railway, with a move (and later a change of ownership) to the ELR taking place subsequently.

Completing the pacific trio would be A1 Class - 60163 "Tornado", completed in 2008, as the result of a project which began in 1990 by the A1 Steam Locomotive Trust. "Tornado" was the first standard gauge steam locomotive to be built in the UK since 1960, with the ground-up construction allowing the A1SLT some additional flexibility for future-proofing their locomotive, fitting all of the necessary mainline equipment in an efficient way. With “Tornado”, the A1SLT changed what was thought to be possible in the world of railway preservation, opening the door for numerous new-build locomotive projects to follow in their wake.

‘Legends of Steam III’ would feature a few appropriate nods to history, with the starring locomotives being treated to some niche historical touches during the event. 60163 “Tornado” is typically depicted with polished smokebox door straps and dart; a look which has become synonymous with the A1. However, for this event, all of the smokebox features would be finished in black, reminiscent of how the A1s would have appeared in the latter years of their service under British Railways. This would be particularly fitting when 60163 took charge of a demonstration freight set; a duty that A1s were tasked with in their swansong years. 2026 marks the 60th anniversary since the closure of the renowned Somerset and Dorset railway. During the final weekend of services on the route, over the weekend of March 5th-6th, there was an excursion titled the 'Somerset & Dorset Rail Tour' which featured double-headed Bulleid pacifics; 34006 "Bude" and 34057 "Biggin Hill" would do the honours. Both pacifics were ‘bulled up’ for the occasion, with white painted highlights around their front ends. To pay homage to the anniversary, 34092 “City of Wells’ would receive a similar treatment for this weekend. It’s worth noting that the city of Wells was served by the Somerset and Dorset railway, via a branch line from Glastonbury and Street.

Joining the three stars would be resident L&Y tank - 11456. The Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway veteran would be bolstering the timetable by operating a shuttle service over the railway.

Locomotives:
BR(S) 'Battle of Britain' Class - 34092 "City of Wells"
BR(E) A1 Class - 60163 "Tornado"
Ex-SR 'Battle of Britain' Class - 34070 "Manston"
Ex-L&YR Class 23 - 11456

00:00 - 34092 Burrs Country Park
01:37 - 60163 Lumb Wood
02:36 - 34092 Irwell Vale
05:40 - 60163 Ewood Bridge
07:08 - 34070 Ewood Bridge
08:46 - 11456 Brooksbottom Viaduct
09:30 - 60163 Brooksbottom Tunnel
10:46 - 34070 Burrs Country Park
12:15 - 11456 Bury
13:23 - 34092 Bury
14:50 - 60163 Brooksbottom Viaduct
15:43 - 60163 Townsend Fold
16:48 - 34070 Burrs Country Park
18:54 - 34070 Townsend Fold
20:08 - 60163 Burrs Country Park
21:38 - 34070 & 34092 Burrs Country Park

All footage filmed on Friday the 10th, Saturday the 11th, and Sunday the 12th of April 2026.