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-The Eln Valley Railway is the focus of an [[Independent Works]] series by [[Skarloey]]. The line is fictional, and stories about it have been written for about fifteen months or so. Like it's companion series, [[The Cumbrian Engines]], it is set in the British county of [[Cumbria]].
+The Eln Valley Railway is the focus of an [[Independent Works]] series by [[Skarloey]].
-==The Line's History==
-===The Eln Iron Ore Railway Company===
-In early 1890, representatives from the administration teams of the Furness, Cleator & Workington and Maryport & Carlisle Railways met to discuss the possible building of a railway line from Maryport to the hills of far Elndale, where Iron Ore was known to be located. All agreed that the line would be beneficial to all, producing lots of traffic, and it was decided that a bill would have to go through parliament.
-In 1892, permission was finally gained to begin construction of the railway, when the Elndale Railway Act was passed. By Christmas that year, the line as far as Eln Ridge, one of the most north-west mountains of the valley was built. A workmen’s village was built here, and was christened Eln Ridge, after the great peak towering over it.
-came and went, and now the line went through Eln Ghyll, a great ravine which carries the River Eln out to sea, passed the shores of Elnmere Lake, creating a station and village there, and then swooped South East over a grassy flat area, towards the back of the valley. Unfortunately, the ground here was very boggy, and by the end of the year, the line was being pulled back up, and it was decided that the line would instead skirt Eln Pike.
-The line then continued south from the lake in 1894 and to the main terminus of Elnspring. The line to the mines would come round with Eln Pike and to the mines at the head of the valley. The valley was officially renamed the Eln Valley, with just the far bit in the shadow of Eln Pike remaining Elndale.
-The first locomotive arrived in late 1894 from Sharp, Stewart of Manchester, and was paid for by the Furness Railway. It was a 0-6-0 Class 7 tender engine, and was named Simon, after the Furness Railway representative on the board of directors. Several six-wheeled coaches and a host of mineral wagons arrived, too, and Simon was soon hard at work. By the next year it was clear that there was too much work for just one locomotive, so Eln Hall, a Barclay 0-4-0ST and Elnmere, a Sharp, Stewart Class 92 0-6-2T arrived. Eln Hall was the residence of the manager of the line, and has been passed down from manager to manager ever since.
-The engine team worked very well together. One was usually kept in reserve at Elnspring, but by the turn of the century, all three were being used all the time, every day. It was decided that a spare engine was desperately needed, and Fletcher, Jennings & Co. of Whitehaven was contracted to build a small 0-4-0ST engine. It came out of the workshops quickly and was named Jenny, after the manager’s wife. It proved to be excellent, and reliable when called upon. It would usually take turns with another of the tank engines to do shorter runs from the iron ore mines to Eln Ghyll.
-The freight traffic was going strong. So strong that all four engines were needed to work it, leaving no engines available for passenger work. The Maryport & Carlisle railway stepped in, putting a 2-4-0 tender engine named Catherine at Elnspring and an 0-4-2 tender engine named Mary at Maryport.
-In 1907, there was a shed built by the Furness Railway at Bothel for some of it’s engines to be stationed there to help with all of the iron ore work. Both mines were churning out tonnes of the stuff everyday, so it was heavy loads for the engines. When 1910 came around, limestone was discovered near Elnspring, so a line was made to a new quarry there. The quarry was doomed from the start, and was below funding at all times.
-The next year, a new company was born. The Eln Iron Ore Railway Company was made, and all four engines now belonged to them. Who they officially belonged to before this date is unknown. They then built a new iron ore mine in the depths of Eln Ghyll. A small slate quarry by Elnmere station opened in 1912. A small train of trucks left the station every week full of top quality slate.
-The Great War broke out in Europe in 1914, and the Furness Railway reassigned all of it’s engines from Bothel to Ulverston to help work the gunpowder trains from the Haverthwaite branch. “Neddy”, a new FR 0-6-0T was bought from Sharp, Stewart to aid the EIORC’s engines, and soon the Maryport & Carlisle disowned the passenger services on the line.
-During the war, the line received no further government funding, and great storms took hold over winter, and the Eln Ghyll iron ore mine was closed for safety reasons. Engines 1 & 3, Simon & Elnmere both needed desperate repairs, the three unreliable shunters must brave the rest of the war. The war ended, but several years went by and Jenny & Neddy were sent to work Furness Iron Ore mines, leaving Eln Hall to work the whole line on it’s own.
-When the “Big Four” were formed, the line fell into the property of the LMS, and Danny, a new LMS 0-6-0T 3F “Jinty” arrived to help Eln Hall, but this was only temporary. The limestone quarry closed and the line was decided to be pulled up from Bullgill to Eln Ghyll. By 1927, the whole line was being dismantled, as it was thought to be a waste of time. Simon was sent to Crewe and Elnmere was put away in storage near Eln Ghyll mine.
-In 1930, an assistant director of the LMS heard of a large coal deposit at the head of the valley, and it was decided that the line would be reopened, although this time from Carlisle to Elnspring. Eln Hall and Danny were used in the rebuilding, and Danny was then put back to work on the LMS whereas Eln Hall went into storage at Eln Ridge.
-===The Eln Valley Branch===
-In 1933, the line reopened as the Eln Valley branch of the London, Midland & Scottish Railway. Eln Castle, a GWR Castle Class arrived as the first engine on the line. It is unknown why it was a GWR engine on an LMS line, perhaps LMS preferred to buy one rather than build one.
-The Eln Valley Spotters, a group of railway enthusiasts formed at this time. They are still going to this day, and their numbers are stronger than ever.
-The following year, Elnspring gained a station pilot on the form of Number Two, a small LMS   0-4-0T. Even so, there was too much traffic for two engines to cope with.
-The branch to Elnford was opened in 1935, and Sammy arrived as the goods engine for trips to the Harbour. The team managed well, but Sammy was usually called to do long trips from the colliery to the Harbour, which meant longer trains to compensate for fewer journeys.
-Two more engines were hired in 1938, an Ivatt 2-6-2T from the LMS and a Grange Class from GWR. Both were meant to be returned the following year but the Second World War broke out and the railway was unable to send them back.
-With the outbreak of the war, Number Two was sent to London and 2508 the Ivatt tank joined the ranks as both a shunter and mixed traffic engine.
-During the war, a new engine known as Winston who was a prototype War Department express engine was donated to the line. It was a very effective engine and worked well with the two GWR engines.
-Number Two limped home during the Blitz and was patched up by the engineers, but unfortunately, the valley was bombed by Nazi planes in an attempt to cut off the colliery. All were evacuated, and Winston and Number Two were taking the last evacuation train over the viaduct when the Nazis struck. Both engines fell into the Ghyll with the viaduct, although all coaches and passengers stayed safely on firm ground.
-By 1948 British Railways had taken over and so assumed command of the railway. The following year the viaduct had been restored and the engines could be returned to Elnspring.
-HRH Princess Elizabeth opened the line in 1950 as the “Eln Valley Branch”. A new special train, the Lake District Express would run every week from London and be switched onto the Eln Valley line, running to Elnspring. The passengers would spend the night in the valley, and the next day the train would return home.
-came and the Lake District Express was a huge success, prompting the arrival of Eln Valley and Jimmy, to help with passenger and goods duties, respectively. Jimmy took over on the Elnford branch while Sammy went for colliery runs to Elnspring.
-In 1952, British Railways then stationed several engines at Carlisle Upperby shed to also work the line. These included the Princess Coronation Class City of Carlisle, Fowler 4P tanks, Fairburn 4MT tanks and Standard Class 4 tanks.
-was the main workhorse of the engine fleet and needed repairs. Ivatt decided upon a complimentary conversion to his new 2MT tank, of which the engine was the predecessor and prototype of.
-In 1960, a new tank engine named Jade arrived as a light engine, for small goods or passenger trains, especially suited for winter timetables when tourists were sparse.
-brought an old face back to the valley. Danny returned and was used as a general go-between for Sammy and Jimmy. He would move the coal trucks from Elnspring to Eln Ghyll.
-The newly formed Eln Valley Mountain Rescue team then bought Danny as their private engine, for use on the Eln Pike Mountain Railway. He was still used on the EVR, although often called away to deal with emergencies on the Fell.
-In 1966, another light tank engine named Emma was brought to help Jade. She proved to be versatile, and with the end of steam imminent, allowed Eln Grange to be sent to York to be preserved in what is now the National Railway Museum.
-With 1968, diesels arrived. D5220 was the new express diesel, with Class 08s being the pilots, shunters and goods engines. Arthur was the heavy goods diesel, with sets of Class 110s being the primary passenger trains. Eln Valley is sent to be preserved with Eln Grange.
-The line was in peril of closing in 1972 when visitor numbers began to plummet rapidly. Jade was stored safely at Carlisle and Jimmy and Emma were put into storage at Elnspring. Some argued that the diesels were the reason for the massive drop in passengers.
-In 1975, Sammy was sent to work at an open cast in Lancashire, as the colliery was to be closed down. On the last quarry train, Eln Castle was a runaway and ended up plunging into the sea at Elnford, with 2508 coming to it’s rescue. Eln Castle was left in the old workshops at Elnspring, and Eliot was sent to a scrap yard at Carlisle.
-Danny remained on the top section of the line, from Elnspring to Eln Pike Summit. The Elnspring-Carlisle line and Eln Ghyll-Elnford lines were officially closed at the end of 1975 and just left to decay and rot.
-===The Eln Valley Railway Preservation Society===
-In the 1980s, the Eln Valley Spotters disbanded and some of the valley’s residents moved to Carlisle. They felt that the loss of the railway made the valley dull, and it wasn’t worth living there anymore.
-In 1993, the Eln Valley Spotters reunited for the line’s 100th birthday, and had talks about reopening the line as a heritage railway, although they did not have enough funds to do so.
-By the Millennium the Eln Valley Mountain Rescue team donated Danny to the Eln Valley Spotters, and it was then that they decided to begin to clear up the route.
-The open cast in Lancashire closed in 2001 and Sammy was sent back to the Eln Valley, and was used to help in the restoration project, with Danny. 2508 was located in a scrap yard at Carlisle and returned to Elnspring to be worked on.
-Jimmy was cleaned up in 2002 and returned to steam, along with Sammy and Danny. Restoration work begins on Eln Castle. Jade is returned from the shed in Carlisle, and help with the final part of the line between Carlisle and Eln Ghyll.
-By 2003 Emma was back in service and some coaches were bought from Virgin Trains and First Great Western. Emma and Jade were pulling light passenger services, while Danny and Jimmy were toiling to work on the Elnford branch. Sammy was back at the reopened colliery with long runs to Carlisle.
-By January 2004, Eln Castle was more than halfway through restoration. Eln Valley was returned from York in superb condition and Virgin Trains donated some more coaching stock.
-In April 2508 was renamed in honour of myself, as I was eagerly helping out with work and writing several stories about the engines. I really am proud of this, and so is my engine counterpart.
-In May, Eln Grange also returned from York and helped with the demolition of Elnspring station. Foundations were then laid for the new building, based on the style of the old one but very modern on the inside.
-The Eln Valley Railway team bought Danny back in June and he once again is used to patrol the mountainside. He otherwise works once more as a go-between for Sammy and Jimmy.
-The Elnspring station was completed in July, after lots of hard work and over time from lots of the railway staff.
-By August, Eln Castle was finally completed and ready for the Queen to come and officially reopen the railway as an official heritage line.
-In the Autumn, Iron Ore was found to still remain at Eln Ridge, so plans were put into motion of the rebuilding of the line from Eln Ghyll to Maryport.
-Mid Winter came, but the line was still incredibly busy. One morning, there was a careless pile-up in the yard, involving Sammy, Eln Valley and Jade. The next day, D5301 from the Lakeside & Haverthwaite Railway arrived as a temporary replacement.
-proved to be the most successful on record. Old Maryport & Carlisle coaches were donated by the Derwent Railway Society for the new railway museum being built at Elnspring.
-Also, Eln Hall and Elnmere were recovered from their storage sheds, and once they are both repaired will be put into the museum, too, along with Simon who was recently sent back from Tidshed.
-By March the line was in need of more motive power so a Class 55 “Deltic” was bought. It was named Boris after the out-spoken Conservative MP, but also as it was stubborn, clumsy and rather dim-witted.
-In the summer-time, the branch from Eln Ghyll to Maryport was opened, and has already seen high visitor numbers, which is very promising.
-Another recent achievement has been the reopening of the slate trains from the small quarry by Elnmere. Trains now leave once a day packed with fine quality Lakeland slate.
-The Autumn months brought four new additions – Alastair, No. 13, Marcus and County of Cumbria. Already, the steam engines have become valuable assets of the railway, and work continues on the diesels.
-In 2010, Eln Castle and Eln Grange were sent away into retirement at the National Railway Museum, in York, and then Eliot was sold to the Severn Valley Railway. On the main line, the remaining tender engines took over, and the two diesels were put in charge of the Maryport branch.
-Arthur Armstrong stepped down as Manager around this time and was replaced by his son, Tim, who wasn't very popular and was killed in a tragic accident. He was succeeded as Manager by Eliot Andersen.
-==The Current Locomotive Fleet==
-) Sammy – London North Eastern Railway M1 2-6-4T engine.
-Sammy arrived in 1935 in order to run the Elnford harbour branch. It was soon moved to colliery work, and still works that route to this day. It runs from Elnspring to the colliery, although sometimes the train has to go all the way to Eln Ridge marshalling yard. Was sold off to a colliery in Lancashire, but returned in the 1990s when that was closed.
-) Eln Valley – Southern Railway West Country Class 4-6-2 tender engine
-The replacement for Winston was bought for the railway by the government in 1950. It is used for heavy summer trains, although sometimes is needed for heavy goods. Was sent to the National Railway Museum to be preserved and was brought back for the reopening.
-) Jimmy – Great Western Railway 57xx 0-6-0PT engine.
-Jimmy arrived with Eln Valley and was put to work as the general goods engine of the line, mainly doing runs to Elnford Harbour. A resourceful purchase, Jimmy has been used every since as a mixed traffic locomotive. It was left in Elnspring shed during the closed period, and cleaned up for the reopening. Was destroyed in an accident during 2016 and is currently being rebuilt as a London, Midland and Scottish Railway 4MT 2-6-4T, of Fairburn origins.
-) Jade – London North Eastern Railway F9 2-4-2T engine.
-Named after its original colour, Jade was always intended to be a spare engine, but was drafted straight into service after it’s purchase in 1960. Used for light work, mainly in winter. Given to the Carlisle City Council in 1972, it was kept safe at Carlisle until 2002.
-) Danny – London, Midland & Scottish Railway 3F 0-6-0T engine.
-One of the line’s oldest engines, Danny is still in use since his original purchase in 1923. It remained at Euston until 1964, when it returned to the Valley. It was bought by the mountain rescue team for use on the old line up Eln Pike. In 2000 they ran out of funds and gave Danny to the Eln Valley Spotters, who returned it to the mountain rescue team in 2005.
-) Emma – Somerset & Dorset Railway 1P 0-4-4T engine
-One of the more youthful engines, Emma is mainly used for light passenger or light goods duties, along with Jade. Acquired in 1966, it was put into storage with Jimmy at Elnspring during the closure. It was brought back into service in 2003.
-) Terry – British Railways Class 04 0-6-0 diesel engine.
-Terry is the line’s first diesel. It is mainly used for track maintenance trains and permanent way duties. Rescued from a fate of being scrapped at Workington Steel Works in 2005, Terry is back at good use once again.
-) Boris – British Railways Class 55 Co-Co diesel engine.
-Boris is the recent addition to the engine team. Named after an MP whose rash actions and sayings are alike to the diesels, it’s unclear why Boris was bought. Well, I suppose anything’s better that being scrapped.
-) Alastair – Great Western Railway 0-4-0T engine
-Alastair was acquired from a small railway in the West Country, where it spent all it’s working life, in Cardiff, Bristol, Didcot and Newport. A great bargain, it has been used on piloting duties in Eln Ridge yard.
-) Triumph – British Railways Class 35 B-B diesel engine
-This locomotive was bought from FM Rail only recently and has been a bit of a bother for the railway’s engineering crew. It is faulty and malfunctions, and it’s engine makes onomatopoeic noises when started. Not one of our best bargains!
-) Marcus – British Railways Class 09 0-6-0 diesel shunter
-Marcus was surplus to EWS stock at Carlisle, and so it was bought to aid Terry on maintenance and permanent way trains. Unlike the Hymek, this has proved to be quite reliable so far, and hopefully will replace Emma on the harbour branch traffic.
-) County of Cumbria – Great Western Railway County Class 4-6-0 tender engine
-In September of 2005, this engine was acquired by a brave band of volunteers who rescued it from the clutches of some rather nasty scrap dealers at Carnforth. This is now partnered with Eln Valley on the main line runs.
-==The Railway Staff==
-The following is the list of the members of the preservation who are employed to work on the line.
-*'''Eliot Andersen''' - General Manager, Relief Controller, Guard.
-*'''Region Andersen''' - Elnspring Station Staff, Guard.
-*'''Arthur Armstrong''' - Guard.
-*'''Gladys Armstrong''' - Elnspring Station Staff, Guard.
-*'''Jake Armstrong''' - Fireman.
-*'''Jane Armstrong-Samuel''' - Fireman.
-*'''Roger Ballast''' - Driver.
-*'''Andrew Barlow'''- Fireman.
-*'''Heather Barlow''' - Elnspring Station Staff.
-*'''Ted Carlisle''' - Guard.
-*'''Jamie Cleeves''' - Diesel Driver.
-*'''Ed Fawlty''' - Diesel Driver.
-*'''Scott Fawlty''' - Driver.
-*'''George Foster''' - Fireman.
-*'''David Frank''' - Eln Ghyll Station Staff.
-*'''Ralph Jackson''' - Diesel Driver.
-*'''Cameron Jones''' - Driver.
-*'''Helen Jones''' - Elnspring Station Staff.
-*'''Bertie Lingmell''' - Driver.
-*'''Kevin Lloyd''' - Fireman.
-*'''Henry Martin''' - Elnspring Station Staff.
-*'''Jerry McDougal''' - Driver.
-*'''Burt Middleton''' - Eln Ridge Yard Foreman.
-*'''Shaun Montague''' - Eln Ridge Signalman.
-*'''Paul Philip''' - Fireman.
-*'''Amy Richards''' - Guard.
-*'''Andy Richards''' - Diesel Driver.
-*'''Katie Richards''' - Eln Ghyll Station Staff.
-*'''Lucy Richards''' - Driver.
-*'''Mark Richards''' - Eln Ghyll Station Staff.
-*'''William Richards''' - Eln Ghyll Station Staff.
-*'''Johnny Robinson''' - Engineer (Trackwork).
-*'''James Samuel''' - Guard.
-*'''Barry Scott''' - Fireman.
-*'''Alfred Thompson''' - Driver.
-*'''Dave Walker''' - Controller.
-*'''Diane Walker''' - Elnspring Station Staff.
-*'''Ben Walsh''' - Chief Mechanical Engineer.
-*'''Jess Walsh-Richards''' - Driver.
-*'''Stu Wogan''' - Fireman.
-*'''Seymore Wood''' - Elnspring Station Staff.
-*'''Douglas Wyman''' - Maryport Signalman.
-==The Series==
-At present, there are two series of ten stories each, a Christmas 2005 special and a feature-length special, covering the rescue of County of Cumbria. There has also been a seperate novel, '''The Legend of Elnisen''', about the history of the valley and involving the railway workers. A sequel to this, '''The Elnisen Holiday''', is in the works. Much of the text from this article is from the non-fiction book on the railway, '''The Lake District Express'''.

The Eln Valley Railway

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