Volunteers at the East Lancashire Railway spent hours cleaning spray paint off a locomotive and several coaches after a graffiti attack sometime over the bank holiday weekend.
The railway described it as an attack on their “irreplaceable” InterCity 125 set — stock they call “irreplaceable” — and said quick action by volunteers helped “prevent what could have been significant and lasting damage”.
To make it worse, one of the coaches had only been repainted in February. So someone’s hard work, redone in a matter of hours by whoever decided this was a good idea.
Mike Kelly, the railway’s chairman, didn’t mince words: “This is a disgraceful and deeply frustrating attack on a railway run largely by volunteers. It is nothing short of a kick in the teeth for those who work so hard to maintain and preserve historic traction and rolling stock.”
That’s the thing worth remembering here — the ELR runs on volunteer time. The people cleaning up that spray paint on a bank holiday weekend weren’t getting paid. They were there because they care about the place.
The railway says it’s working with Greater Manchester Police, who have increased patrols in the area.
The ELR runs 12.5 miles between Heywood and Rawtenstall, passing through the Irwell Valley — so yes, this is very much on our doorstep.
Full story over at BBC News.
If you saw anything suspicious around the railway over the bank holiday weekend, it’s worth getting in touch with Greater Manchester Police.
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