A LOCO which has never pulled passengers before will take to the rails in Rawtenstall and Ramsbottom this weekend.

Former paper mill engine ‘May’ will make her debut at the East Lancashire Railway’s Festival of Steam Weekend on Saturday.

Departing from Bury’s Bolton Street station at 6.25pm, the loco will call at Summerseat, Ramsbottom and Rawtenstall before making the return journey.

May will join seven other main line and branch line locomotives on show over the weekend as the volunteer-run railway stages its first major public event of 2009.

The first train each day will leave Bolton Street at 8.55am for Heywood and the second will travel to Rawtenstall at 9am.

Other trains on show include two Black Fives, The Lancashire Fusilier and Sherwood Forester.

Star of the show is likely to be the company’s oldest steam loco, a Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway ‘A’ Class engine, built in 1898.