but i feel this railway deserves it - this line for those of you who dont know is run for profit only. there are no volunteers that i know of.
its locos....
5239 2-8-0 tank
4555 2-6-2 tank
4588 2-6-2 tank
6435 0-6-0
7827 4-6-0 (hidden away for years and years)
quite a good GWR collection that is never worked in a gala together, never leaves the line and isnt on display to the public or visitor when not on a service train. There are no gala's on this line, the only special event is "thomas the tank" which gets no more attention than one extra service train and a shuttle service from said tank engine.
Just to add insult, 75014 has been bought by the line and will not now work on the mainline again!
Is it just me or is this a real waste of some great assets!
Yes, I have to agree.
I've never actually been thre, but from what i've seen and heard, it's true. It's near the sea isn't it. so it's like a seaside atraction, like a pier.
Paul Bardill
Volunteer Guard, Fireman and general tea boy at the Midland Railway Butterley
Yes its a straight money making concern - they also own the ferries nearby and a few other attractions in the area. Train 'Spotting' is not encouraged if fact I belive it is discouraged. My father went there two years (or so) ago and was told while he was taking a photograph that he should buy a postcard.
I think its gone downhill in the last 10/15 years....... they used to run a diesel hauled special every Weds evening with the 25 which connected into a booze cruise at Kingswear. Many happy memories of (drunkenly) enjoying the 'rat thrash' up the bank out of Kingswear late at night. Sadly, people were seen enjoying themselves and the train stopped running. I havent been back.
Well i know for a fact that all of the former volunteers on the line went and worked on the south devon railway. That railway is now well established and deserves credit for the work it has done. Youll have a hard job finding a grumpy or sarcastic person on that line.
What really irritates me is the importance of the stock the line has and its decripid use of it. Not one stinking event! - even on their own aniversary gala the railway was two stingy to pay for special low loder to bring in jubilee "bahamas" after the haulage company said it needed a special type of equipment to bring the loco down the windy and steep acess road to churston.
If that wasnt bad enough there was the incident with 6024 on the railtour. Anyone remember that? - The shitest, most appaling load of coal that has ever been given to a locomotive - which in the process recked the reputation of a good locomotive which has now no chance of getting it back untill its finished its overhaul.
Paignton and Dartmouth - HANG YOUR HEADS IN SHAME!
Don't quite understand their attitude to volunteers... the Wensleydale Railway isn't intended primarily as a 'heritage' railway either, but as a service to the communities through which it passes, but it uses volunteers (drawn, of course, primarily from those same communities).
Standby for first regular passenger trains shortly!
Wow! They actually got it together. In around 1990 I was still working for BR and used to stay anually in the old railway cottages at Garsdale for a break. I read one of the leaflets issued by the founders and was very interested, as an annual visitor. Unfortunately my work and holiday patterns changed and I no longer stay at Garsdale but I'm so pleased that another group has got what they wanted. Do they still run freight? I suppose they maintain the line under lease and charge for the traffic?
Unfortunately the WR website isn't updated as often as might be hoped, but in fairness they're spending all their time trying to get the railway sorted, including:-
- getting the operator's licence sorted so as to be able to run passenger trains (I may be out of date if this has now been achieved)
- maintaining the existing track and laying new passing loops at Leeming Bar (handy for the A1) and Leyburn (terminus of passenger services for the moment), and restoring the platforms. The track's not in fantastic condition, to say the least, after years of neglect (for the moment the line speed is 15 mph [!] but that's being worked on).
- restoring rolling stock - the 3-car class 107 is (I understand) already in working order (it's on hire, I forget for how many years), and 2 class 31s (sorry, don't know which!) will be coming as soon as more siding space has been built. There's also a little Ruston shunter, and a fair bit of PW maintenance rolling stock which is being worked on.
In terms of traffic, the Redmire quarry traffic (which was its sole traffic since the late 60's or thereabouts) stopped back in 1992 when British Steel (as was) transferred to road transport, but there are MoD trains to Redmire about once or twice every month (I believe it's tanks etc being taken to/from the moorland for training purposes). They currently run with EWS power (66s usually) and crews, and a payment will be made to WR for use of the track. This may apparently go over to WR motive power in due course. I gather there are also other potential freight customers e.g. quarries - if you've driven on the roads around there you'll imagine how popular the idea of railfreight is to the locals!
Work's also already started to extend the line westwards from Redmire towards Hawes and eventually Garsdale Junction (as it will again become). First stage will be past Bolton Castle to Askrigg - the WR already owns the trackbed on that bit and has relaid some track, although I think that's still isolated. Relaying right through to Garsdale will be technically not that difficult (trackbed almost all intact) but of course expensive (reckoning £1m per mile).
Getting the trains back to Northallerton will be a bit more complex than it at first sounds, because the branch from the ECML is a bit north of the station, but, perversely, BR lifted the South-to-West curve of the triangle and left the North-to-West, so at present trains run onto a headshunt, then back up a couple of hundred yards onto the branch proper where there's a run-round loop. Not much good for passenger services, so what's needed will be
(a) to relay the direct bit of the triangle (West to South curve); and
(b) to put in a new island platform at Northallerton station.
Neither of these things is technically v difficult but obvious new build costs money.
Anyway, the long and short of it is that it ain't a pipe dream and the first stage is about to come to fruition. I bought a few shares myself (definitely what you'd call an "ethical investment" though can't guarantee a dividend!) and it's a project worth supporting - and one which may well show the way for future railway reopenings. There's also an active Association (which is what originally spawned the PLC).
PS am very slowly building a model of the line for MSTS (well, when the RE is co-operating), based on a hopefully only slightly optimistic idea of what the line could look like in a few years' time.
Mick, that sounds great! My wife's best mate is from Leyburn and now has a farm near Askrigg (I've walked across the Dale and, thus the trackbed, many times for a few pints of 'sheep') and this railway will make the visits up there all that more enjoyable.
