East Lancashire Railway

While not regarded as one of the Premier heritage lines, the ELR does have a lot going for it - a decent length of track, a mix of landscapes, a mainline connection to enable visiting engines direct access, and some good lineside spots for photography. It's also the only heritage line of any size in the North West - I always thought it was unusual that there was only one heritage line in the area, especially when you consider how many closed lines there are.