Isaac's Junction: A Legacy in the Making at Ramsbottom Station

When Isaac Mesike first stepped onto the tracks of the East Lancashire Railway for his work placement, he never imagined he would leave behind a lasting legacy. As a T Level Engineering and Manufacturing, Design and Development: Mechanical Engineering student at Bury College, Isaac was eager to apply his skills to real-world railway engineering. Under the guidance of Richard Law, Director of Operations and Safety, he did just that! Designing two new sidings for Ramsbottom Station that will be known as "Isaac’s Junction".

Designing the Sidings

Isaac’s role as a Track Designer Trainee saw him providing support to the design and development track engineering team, contributing to multiple projects. One of his primary tasks was designing the new sidings, a challenge that required balancing technical precision with the constraints of the historic station infrastructure.

“Richard showed me examples of how sidings are and how we wanted ours to be,” Isaac recalled. “We worked around it using older techniques, drawing by hand. It took a couple of months, but it was accurate at the end, and we were able to achieve two sidings that weren’t interfering with the stone brick walls already at the station.”

Learning and Growth

But Isaac’s placement was about more than just technical skill, it was about confidence and growth. Richard Law saw potential in Isaac from the start and ensured that his experience was one of learning and development.

“Whilst Isaac was here, he became more outgoing,” Richard reflected. “I showed him lots about trackwork design, alignments, a bit about geometry. We also did a lot of work on risk assessments because he’d learnt about them at college. I wanted to make sure he had the chance to conduct real ones, and he enjoyed that.”

One particularly proud moment for Isaac was delivering a presentation about his work to a room full of industry professionals. “At the end of his work placement, it’s no good just having brilliant ideas, you need to be able to communicate them to other people,” Richard explained. “Isaac did this very well.”

Innovating for Safety

Isaac’s efforts extended beyond the sidings project. He also worked on a failsafe brake system for the road rail vehicle at East Lancashire Railway. This critical safety feature would prevent runaways in the event of a power failure on a slope, demonstrating Isaac’s keen ability to assess risk and develop practical solutions.

A Lasting Recognition

His dedication and success have not gone unnoticed, and a plaque bearing his name would be installed at Ramsbottom Station. “At first, I thought it was a joke, just for some fun,” Issac admitted. “But then I realised they were serious about it. I’m glad, I’m happy. It’s a massive accomplishment in building my career, and I’m excited about it.”

Though for now, Isaac’s Junction exists only on paper, the design will soon be handed over to the track builders, who will bring it to life. As Richard Law put it, “When we’ve built Isaac’s work and it’s in use, we will have a plaque put on the wall at the station in Ramsbottom that will read ‘Isaac Junction.’ Right now, it’s a drawing, but when it’s built, it will work because of Isaac’s efforts.”