|
“A WHIFF OF STEAM”
Steam trains return to Wensleydale Railway for a month in August.
Steam operating dates: 1-17 August and 21 August-2 September 2007.
Regular steam-hauled services will operate on the Wensleydale Railway (WR) between Leeming Bar (half a mile from the junction of the A1 with the A684) and Redmire (on the edge of the Yorkshire Dales National Park) throughout most of August.
Ex British Rail Standard Class locomotive No 80105 will haul the first train of the day from Leeming Bar to Redmire and bring the last train back. During the day it will shuttle between Redmire and Leyburn, with extra passenger mileage for the locomotive to run round at Constable Burton (no alighting there). Diesel multiple units will provide a feeder service between Leeming Bar and Leyburn. Services are ‘turn up and go’ except for groups of 11 or more who should pre-book tickets.
80105 is one of only 14 of its Class to have been preserved. It was built at Brighton Works in 1955, rescued from Barry scrap yard in 1973 and eventually returned to service in 2000 at Bo’Ness and Kinneil Railway.
In 2006, the first steam train to visit Redmire for 39 years was SR 4-6-0 locomotive Sir Lamiel, hauling the Wensleydale Explorer on August 19. Then on May 12 this year, the North East Locomotive Preservation Group (NELPG) brought the Three Dales Tour to Redmire, 40 years after the Stephenson Locomotive Society ran a tour with the same title and the same locomotive to Redmire.
Describing the return of steam services this summer, Steve Deane, WR’s mechanical engineering director, says: “The railway is an asset that should be fully utilised by every sort of traffic that can contribute to a viable business.”
WR chairman Ruth Annison adds: “This year the business policy has been put into practice through the introduction of Driver Experience Days and the provision of training facilities for Virgin Trains, as well as special excursions, guided walks from stations and Day Out With Thomas weekends. WR’s focus on tourism services is essential for the time being, until we are able to rebuild a half mile missing connection with Northallerton station and the East Coast main line.”
The timetable and fares for WR’s August services and events can be found on the railway company’s website at www.wensleydalerailway.com. Information on local accommodation is available from Tourist Information Centres, including Leyburn TIC tel 01969 623069 and websites with local place names. The website for Wensleydale Railway Association (WRA) gives information about membership, history and volunteering at www.WensleydaleRailwayAssociation.com.
“There is a host of planning and work needed to achieve a successful month of steam services,” says Mr. Deane. “Volunteers will be of crucial importance. Intending volunteers will be very welcome and should make their interest known through the WRA website if they are not already registered with the Association.”
“The return of steam trains will bring back many memories for people who lived in Wensleydale before the line closed to passenger services in the 1950s,” says Mrs. Annison. “In those days, the large number of jobs on the railway meant that many local families depended on the line for their livelihood. Some people remember going down the dale to school in Northallerton by train; others recollect going in the opposite direction, to the grammar school in Askrigg or to Leeds and Bradford, in the days when the Wensleydale Railway connected with the renowned Settle-Carlisle line at Garsdale.” Long-term WR proposals include the re-building of an 18 mile missing link between Redmire and Garsdale, to restore this connection, as well as the pressing need to restore the half mile South Curve track into Northallerton station.
Notes for editors:
(a) www.wensleydalerailway.com should have all relevant steam info by the end of June.
(b) The 22 mile line between Northallerton and Redmire is leased from Network Rail by Wensleydale Railway plc for 99 years.
(c) Current passenger services run between Leeming Bar and Redmire (17 miles).
(d) WR re-opened the 12 miles from Leeming Bar to Leyburn on 4 July 2003 and the extra 5 miles from Leyburn to Redmire on 1 August 2005.
(e) Bedale station was re-opened on 1 August 2004; Finghall station was re-opened on 23 December 2004
(f) DMU services run every weekend, daily from 6-31 July and 3-30 September plus Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays in November.
(g) Christmas services include Santa Specials in December (including Christmas Eve), daily services and guided walks every day from Boxing Day 2007 to 6 January 2008.
|
