From the moors north of Bury, Holcombe Brook flows south to join the River Irwell at Summerseat. Its pure water suited the textile finishing trade, and bleaching, dyeing and printing works sprang up around Holcombe and the neighbouring villages. To serve them, a three-and-a-half mile branch was built from the East Lancashire Railway to Holcombe Brook. It opened in 1882 and was absorbed by the Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway in 1888.
Jeff Geary’s model shows the terminus as it was in the early 20th century. It follows the real track plan with one addition: an engine shed for a station pilot, based on the shed at nearby Burnley Manchester Road. All the other buildings are models of the originals at Holcombe.
Passenger trains
Early services were worked by a small tank engine, a Barton Wright 0-4-4T or an Aspinall 2-4-2T (the famous “Lanky Tank”), with six-wheeled coaches. The L&Y used the branch to try out new forms of power: steam railmotors arrived in 1905 to fight off tram competition, and electric trains followed in 1913, first with overhead wires and later a third rail. They lasted until the 1950s. The branch closed to passengers in 1952 and to goods in 1963; the trackbed is now the Kirklees Trail.
Goods trains
Goods working was unusual. The final half mile into Holcombe Brook climbed at 1 in 40, and Tottington had no run-round loop, so wagons for Tottington were worked through to Holcombe. The goods engine then took them back down to Tottington, without a brake van, for shunting, and propelled returning wagons back up to Holcombe to join the outgoing train.
