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Wensleydale Railway Matters

Discussion in 'Heritage Railways & Centres in the UK' started by s1m0nad, Nov 10, 2014.

  1. Flying Phil

    Flying Phil Part of the furniture

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    I have been looking to see if there is a stock list for the Wensleydale Railway. I believe that a 16T mineral wagon (B 97217) may have gone there from the Manchester Museum of Science and Industry (Ex GCR Windcutter). Can anyone confirm please?
     
  2. The Black Hat

    The Black Hat Member

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    The line had a small model railway event last year which they are looking to expand but its early stages and still finding its feet. Having said that there was a nice mix of loco-haulage and the Pacer to Scurton. I think they plan on making more of the model event and expanding where they can have displays as last time was half the shed. Overall, it was a nice start and shows potential.
     
  3. alexl102

    alexl102 Member

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    I went to Bradford in the end last year because my car had some issues and I didn’t fancy being stranded on the A1! But my BiL went to Wensleydale and said it was a good event.
     
  4. Charles Parry

    Charles Parry Member

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    Made my first trip to the Wensleydale Railway today, and first in a while for people on NP given the lack of posts in this thread.

    It's not a line that has ever massivly appealed to me, but they recently announced that 45407 (which had been hired in for Polar Express services) would do few days post christmas and with me being in Manchester for work at the moment it wasn't too much of a challenge to pop ovdr.

    The main problem is I don't drive and the line hasn't run through to Northallerton for a while, but Leeming Bar has an hourly bus service. Well it usually does anyway... after waiting a while I called the bus company to discover a bridge was flooded out and the next bus running on diversion would miss the first of the two service trains. Not to be defeated I grabbed a pricey cab. If only the line to Northallerton could be re-reopened then you could have a bus-replacement rail service!

    It was a good thing I booked as the train was very busy, with the railways website and social media advising people that tickets were now very limited, which is great to see and a contrast to my boxing day trip to the East Lancashire which was certainly feeling a little sleepy (with two of the mk1s locked out of service). The Black Five was eventually marshalled onto a lengthy rake of MK2s (7ish) and we left about 15 down (with apologies given by staff), which was a bit of a trend for the day as it was late running all day without any clear reason as to why. The scenery I'd say was in the top ten for preserved stabdard gauge lines in the UK, and that is without running to Redmire which I understand is even more picturesque. There is a lot to like about the line: the lengthy run without stops is something not that common on preserved lines; Leeming Bar seems to have been recently renovated with replica parcels office and displays through the windows; the scenery; the squeegees about the carriages to clear the condensation so passengers can enjoy the view.

    Operational it was interesting, with the loop at Leeming Bar otherwise engaged so the train stopping short, the Black Five dropping off and a diesel added to pull us the final couple of hundred yards.

    The staff were enthusiastic but neither on arrival or on the train did anyone check my ticket. I doubt you get many freeloaders on a steam railway but it did feel odd. Catering was a bit of a missed opportunity as Leeming Bar cafe and shop was was shut due to still being set up for Polar Express and there was no on train buffet or trolly so the tea room at Leyburn was mobbed on arrival. Indeed when I got off at Bedale that was all shut and locked too which again felt like a missed opportunity to capture secondary spend.

    It has been interesting to read this thread from the start today whilst waiting on non-running buses etc and it seems the doom and gloom of 2017ish was misplaced. Not only has the line successfully weathered past issues and the covid storm it seems to be in a good state and very well patronised. If they can get Northallerton to Redmire back open that'd be a good pull, so I'm putting my money where my mouth is and joining as a member to help propel things along a tiny little bit. The line shows a lot of promise and if today's visitor numbers are anything to go by it should be able to move from strength to strength.

    The railway's own website isn't the most informative in terms of up to date news but this site is a great way to see what progress is being made: https://photos.wr-rail-link.co.uk/
     
    Sheff, mdewell, Kingscross and 2 others like this.
  5. garth manor

    garth manor Well-Known Member

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    Sadly Northallerton is impossible due to modern infrastructure placed on the previous branch trackage length apart from the reverse junction.
    Redmire requires track upgrades, this railway is tight on money and volunteers.
     
  6. mikechant

    mikechant Member

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    I assume the poster was talking about Northallerton West, not Northallerton mainline station. This was operational for a short time a few years back, I was lucky enough to be able to ride all the way from Northallerton West to Redmire and back. Northallerton West is a fairly short walk from the mainline station (about 15 mins as I remember it) and is just before the NR boundary and the reverse junction.

    Last time I looked, running to Northallerton West again in future was still possible but required some level crossing improvements which were subject to finance being available. I don't know if that ambition is still alive though.

    Edit: Here's an aerial view of Northallerton West, showing the platform and runround loop. Access is from Springwell Lane via the path going North-East from the platfrom.

    Edit: Corrected rogue reference to "Northallerton North".
     
    Last edited: Jan 1, 2024
  7. MarkinDurham

    MarkinDurham Well-Known Member

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    What's also interesting, from the photo, is both how tight the curve of the former west to south chord was and also the route of the wartime emergency link between the low level line & the ECML proper at Castle Hills. You can also see that this crossed the west to south chord, where the odd little swing bridge arrangement had to be installed.
     

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