Wensleydale Railway

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Coordinates: 54°20′25″N 1°26′50″W / 54.3404°N 1.4473°W / 54.3404; -1.4473
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This article is about the railway in Yorkshire, England. For the railway in Victoria, Australia between 1890 and 1948, see
Wensleydale railway line (Australia)
.

Wensleydale Railway
standard gauge
Commercial history
Openedbetween 1848 & 1878
Closed to passengers1954
Closed1992
Preservation history
HeadquartersLeeming Bar

The Wensleydale Railway is a heritage railway in Wensleydale and Lower Swaledale in North Yorkshire, England. It was built in stages by different railway companies and originally extended to Garsdale railway station on the Settle-Carlisle line. Since 2003, the remaining line has been run as a heritage railway. The line runs 22 miles (35 km) between Northallerton West station, about a fifteen-minute walk from Northallerton station on the East Coast Main Line, and Redmire.

Regular passenger services operate between Leeming Bar and Redmire, with a shuttle to Scruton, occasional freight services and excursions travel the full length of the line.

The line formerly ran from Northallerton to

Settle-Carlisle Railway but the track between Redmire and Garsdale
has been lifted and several bridges have been demolished, although one of the stated aims of the Wensleydale Railway is to reinstate the line from Redmire to Garsdale. Additionally, a separate proposal exists to link Hawes to Garsdale with a view to providing commuter and tourist services rather than heritage services.

History

On 26 June 1846, an Act of Parliament authorised the

Newcastle & Darlington Junction Railway, and its successor the York, Newcastle and Berwick Railway, to build a line between Northallerton and Bedale.[1] The 5+1⁄2-mile (8.9 km) section between Northallerton and Leeming Lane opened on 6 March 1848.[2][3] The section between Leeming Bar and Bedale that was authorised by the Act was not built, due to the collapse of George Hudson's railway interests.[4] This left the railway to terminate just west of the Great North Road in Leeming Bar, with passengers for Bedale being conveyed on the last section by horse and cart.[5]

The Bedale and Leyburn Railway, financed by local landowners, was an 11+1⁄2-mile (18.5 km) extension between Leeming Bar and Leyburn that was authorised on 4 August 1853; the section between Leeming Bar and Bedale station opened on 1 February 1855 and the remainder on 28 November 1855 for goods and minerals and 19 May 1856 for passengers.[6][3][7][8] The York, Newcastle and Berwick had become a founder member of the North Eastern Railway (NER) on 31 July 1854,[9] and the Bedale and Leyburn was absorbed into this larger company in 1859.[10]

Share of the Liverpool, Manchester and Newcastle upon Tyne Junction Railway Company, issued 1. August 1846

The Liverpool, Manchester and Newcastle upon Tyne Junction Railway had been proposed in the mid-1840s

railway mania to link Settle, Hawes and Askrigg,[11] and in 1846 the Liverpool, Manchester and Newcastle upon Tyne Junction Railway was given permission for a main line from Elslack, on the Leeds and Bradford Railway, to Scorton on the Richmond branch of the Great North of England Railway, and a branch line to Hawes,[12][13] but this scheme failed.[14]

In the late 1860s, several competing railways proposed to serve the agricultural land around Hawes.

Settle and Carlisle line but included a branch off this line between Garsdale and Hawes was authorised on 16 July 1866.[16][17] An Act of Parliament raised by the North Eastern Railway for a railway between Leyburn and Hawes was authorised on 4 July 1870,[18] though work did not start until 1874.[19] The section of this railway between Leyburn and Askrigg opened on 1 February 1877; the section between Askrigg and Hawes was opened for goods on 1 June 1878. The Hawes branch of the Settle and Carlisle line was opened for goods on 1 August 1878; the sections between Askrigg and Hawes and between Hawes and Garsdale were both opened for passengers on 1 October 1878.[3][20][21][22] The delays in the section between Hawes Junction and Hawes was down to the heavier engineering required on this section (one tunnel and two viaducts) with steeper gradients. In the months before the section opened, a landslip at Mossdale required extra work to excavate from the line.[23]

At this point, there was a through route between Northallerton and Garsdale.[24] Both companies had running powers over each others' lines; the NER ran passenger trains westwards from Hawes (but no freight) and the Midland only exercised their right to run trains eastwards to Leyburn with occasional excursion traffic.[25]

Rationalisation

The line remained a

single track branch line, except for the double track section between Leeming Bar and Bedale. Chief commodities transported on the line were coal, milk, and stone.[26][27][28] One passenger train each way was operated between Garsdale and Hawes until 14 March 1959 at which point this part of the line closed to all traffic,[29] however, freight continued from Northallerton to Hawes until 1964.[30] On 27 April 1964, the line between Redmire and Hawes closed completely.[29] The track west of Redmire was lifted and many bridges on this section of the line were demolished in 1965.[31] Most freight traffic on the line ceased in 1982,[32] with the exception of the limestone traffic from Redmire to Teesside for steel-making, though this freight flow ceased in December 1992 when British Steel switched its limestone source to Hardendale in Cumbria.[33] As a result of the removal of all but the one daily train, Leyburn loop and signal box were closed.[28] Some excursion tours ran to Redmire in the 1970s, 1980s and early 1990s[34] particularly the DalesRail services in 1977 which prompted interest in a renewed passenger service on the line.[35]

Services

At the opening of the railway to Leyburn in 1856, services consisted of either five or six return journeys.[36] With the eventual opening of the line by 1878, the NER rans five trains per day between Northallerton and Garsdale, with the Midland Railway running an additional daily return train from Hellifield to Hawes, known colloquially as Bonnyface.[24] In the 1880s, the Midland Railway ran two stopping passengers trains on the Settle-Carlisle Line, which would connect with the NER local trains to Northallerton from Hawes Junction (Garsdale).[37] The Midland (and later the LMS) ran a second early morning train to Hawes on a Tuesday only, this was the day of the cattle market in Hawes.[25] The 1896 timetable shows five workings from Northallerton to Hawes, four of which continued on to Hawes Junction. The return number down the valley towards Northallerton was the same; five in total, with four originating at Hawes Junction.[38]

In 1914, services amounted to five daily return trips on the full length of the line. A further two trains went part way; Northallerton to Bedale arriving at 10:07 am, and Northallerton to Leyburn, arriving at 11:47 pm. In the other direction, the two extra trains were Leyburn to Northallerton leaving at 6:10 am and Hawes to Northallerton leaving at 9:05 am.[39] By 1939, three trains ran the full length of the line in both directions, with two extra services either terminating, or starting from Leyburn and Hawes.[40] By 1942, only two trains ran the whole length of the line, but the third service was reinstated by 1950.[41]

After services ceased running eastwards from Hawes in 1954, the Bonnyface became a once-daily train connecting Hawes with Hellifield.[42]

Restoration

Map this section's coordinates using OpenStreetMap

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Diesel multiple unit at Leyburn railway station in 2005

The Wensleydale Railway Association (WRA) was formed in 1990 with the main aim of restoring passenger services.[43] When British Rail decided to try to sell the line between Northallerton and Redmire following cessation of the quarry trains to Redmire, the WRA decided to take a more proactive role and aimed to operate passenger services itself. The Ministry of Defence (MoD) had an interest in using the line between Northallerton and Redmire to transport armoured vehicles to/from Catterick Garrison. The MoD paid for repairs and restoration of the line and the installation of loading facilities at Redmire, and did not object to WRC taking over the line. A trial train ran in November 1993 and full MoD operations started in July 1996.[44] These military transport trains continue to this day.[45]

In 2000, WRA formed a separate operating company, the Wensleydale Railway plc (WRC), and issued a share offer to raise funds. £1.2 million was raised through this method. Railtrack agreed to lease the line between Northallerton and Redmire to WRC and a 99-year lease was signed in 2003. Passenger services restarted on 4 July 2003[46] with the stations at Leeming Bar and Leyburn being reopened. In 2004, the stations at Bedale, Finghall and Redmire were reopened. A passing loop was opened at the site of the former Constable Burton station, which enabled the railway to introduce a 2-train service when required.[47][48]

In 2014, Scruton station was reopened and a new station built at Northallerton West, enabling passenger services to be extended east of Leeming Bar,[49] but this section was closed to passengers again in August 2016 following a collision between a train and a car at a level crossing near Yafforth.[50] It is hoped to recommence services at a future date once work to upgrade level crossing equipment is complete.[51]

In 2016, it was reported that the railway carries over 50,000 people a year and that for every £1 spent on the railway, £4 is spent at one of the towns or villages on the route.[52]

The company's longer-term aim is to reopen the 18 miles (29 km) of line west from Redmire via Castle Bolton, Aysgarth, Askrigg, Bainbridge, Hawes and Mossdale to join up with the Settle-Carlisle Railway Route at Garsdale.

A1(M) upgrade in 2015 and stored in Redmire Station car park.[56]
However the bridge was subsequently found to be unsuitable and it has been cut up and removed.

In January 2019, Campaign for Better Transport released a report identifying the line which was listed as Priority 2 for reopening. Priority 2 is for those lines which require further development or a change in circumstances (such as housing developments).[57]

In 2019, services were suspended between Leyburn and Redmire due to the deterioration of the track infrastructure. As of 2024, services are still to hopefully resume between the two stations with trains terminating at Leyburn. A fundraising appeal is currently taking place to fund the replacement of the life-expired track.[58]

Upper Wensleydale Railway

In late 2019/early 2020, a separate organisation, the Upper Wensleydale Railway, was formed to campaign to reinstate the line between Hawes and Garsdale.[59] The group's objective is to have a timetabled year-round service run by a train operating company, rather than a heritage service.[60] This scheme was shortlisted for funding in the second round of the government's Reverse Beeching Fund, in June 2020.[61]

Company structure

The ex Great Eastern Railway signal box at Leeming Bar. This was formerly the signal box at North Wootton[62]

The Wensleydale Railway plc is responsible for the operation, maintenance and development of the railway line and passenger services. The company has a mixture of employed and volunteer staff.

The Wensleydale Railway Association (Trust) Ltd is a membership organisation and a registered charity[63] that supports the development of the railway through fund raising, volunteer working, providing training and supporting work on heritage structures such as Scruton station and Bedale signal box.

Locomotives

Steam locomotives
Number & Name Description History & Current Status Livery Owner(s) Date Photograph
No. 69023 Joem Class J72 Withdrawn for overhaul.[64][65] BR Apple Green North Eastern Locomotive Preservation Group 1951

Class 9F No. 92219 was removed from the railway in December 2020 to a private site in Tebay, subsequently moving to the Strathspey Railway in 2023. Other locos were also moved from the Wensleydale Railway at the same time due to the railway being overcrowded and needing space to operate.[66]

Diesel locomotives
Number & Name Description Current Status Livery Owner Date Built Photograph
No. 37250 (D6950) Class 37 Operational[67] Dutch civil engineers Private Owner. 1964

Both 20169 and 37674, were moved from the Wensleydale Railway in December 2020.[68]

Previously stored or unused locomotives, numbers No. 25313 (D7663), No. 31454,[69] No. 37503 (D6717),[70][71] No. 60086,[72] and No. 60050[72] were all cleared from the railway in spring 2021.[73]

144004 and 144016 at Bedale
Leeming Bar Community hub
  • Diesel Multiple Units (DMUs)
    • BR Class 121 No. 55032 Currently undergoing Guard Training and undergoing maintenance[74]
    • BR Class 142 No. 142018, to be returned to Chocolate and Cream livery[75]
    • BR Class 142 No. 142028[76]
    • BR Class 142 No. 142041[76]
    • BR Class 142 No. 142060[76]
    • BR Class 142 No. 142078, stored[75]
    • BR Class 142 No. 142087, stored[75]
    • BR Class 142 No. 142090, stored[75]
    • BR Class 142 No. 142094, stored[75]
    • BR Class 144 No. 144020 (awaiting activation)[77]

In the autumn of 2020, BR Class 144 Nos. 144004 and 144016, were temporarily stored at the railway, awaiting onward transport by road to the

Aln Valley Railway.[77] They departed the Wensleydale Railway in December 2020.[78]

Incidents

The above two accidents required the heritage railway to update and improve its safety management practices.[85]

  • 20 October 2012 – a car was hit by a locomotive on Fox Park level crossing.[86]
  • 30 January 2013 – a car was struck by a train at Aiskew level crossing, which took the A684 road over the railway (the A684 has bypassed this road since 2014).[87]
  • 3 August 2016 – a heritage train heading west from Northallerton West railway station struck a car on the level crossing near to the village of Yafforth. The lights and audible alarms were determined to have been in good working order. The car driver and two passengers on the train were injured.[88]

Notes

  1. ^ Most sources, and modern mapping, list the westbound direction as the Down line, and the eastbound as the Up line. However, in the accident report for this crash, the Up and Down lines are reversed.[79]

References

  1. ^ Jenkins 1993, pp. 8–9.
  2. ^ Tomlinson 1915, pp. 492–493.
  3. ^ a b c Hoole 1974, p. 110.
  4. ^ Jenkins 1993, p. 9.
  5. ^ Joy 2005, p. 3.
  6. ^ Jenkins 1993, pp. 22–23.
  7. ^ Tomlinson 1915, pp. 522, 555.
  8. ^ Butt 1995, pp. 30, 142.
  9. ^ Tomlinson 1915, pp. 525–526.
  10. ^ Tomlinson 1915, p. 778.
  11. ^ Tomlinson 1915, p. 468.
  12. London Gazette
    . 12 May 1846.
  13. ^ Tomlinson 1915, p. 480.
  14. ^ Hallas 1986, pp. 8–9.
  15. ^ Tomlinson 1915, p. 616.
  16. ^ Tomlinson 1915, p. 618.
  17. ^ Jenkins 1993, pp. 29–30.
  18. ^ Jenkins 1993, p. 31.
  19. ^ "Opening of the Wensleydale extension railway". The Leeds Mercury. No. 12, 111. Column E. 2 February 1877. p. 4.
  20. ^ Butt 1995, p. 116.
  21. ^ Tomlinson 1915, pp. 682–683.
  22. ^ Jenkins 1993, pp. 35–36.
  23. ^ "Opening of the Hawes Railway". The York Herald. No. 6, 649. Column E. 3 June 1878. p. 6.
  24. ^ a b Suggitt 2007, p. 55.
  25. ^ a b Blakemore 2005, p. 59.
  26. ^ Hoole 1974, pp. 110–111.
  27. ^ Jenkins 1993, p. 171.
  28. ^ a b Shannon 2019, p. 152.
  29. ^ a b Jenkins 1993, p. 174.
  30. ^ Blakemore 2005, p. 61.
  31. ^ Hallas 2002, p. 83.
  32. ^ Jenkins 1993, p. 179.
  33. ^ Shannon 2019, p. 86.
  34. ^ Jenkins 1993, pp. 177–179.
  35. ^ Redhead 1978, pp. 527–529.
  36. ^ Suggitt 2007, p. 54.
  37. ^ Bairstow 1994, p. 47.
  38. ^ Young 2015, p. 84.
  39. ^ Goode 1980, p. 30.
  40. ^ 1939 LNER (timetables) at the Internet Archive
  41. ^ Goode 1980, p. 31–32.
  42. ^ Bairstow 1994, p. 38.
  43. ^ "Wensleydale Railway Association celebrates milestone anniversary". The Westmorland Gazette. 21 May 2015. Retrieved 17 June 2017.
  44. ^ Hallas 2002, p. 89.
  45. ^ Pickering 2019, p. 40.
  46. ISBN 978-1-909128-63-7
    .
  47. ^ Pickering 2019, p. 37.
  48. ISBN 0-9549866-2-8
    .
  49. ^ a b "Wensleydale Railway » About us". Wensleydalerail.com. Retrieved 20 January 2014.
  50. ^ Minting, Stuart. "Investigation launched after woman seriously hurt after car hit by train near Northallerton". The Northern Echo. Newsquest (North East) Ltd. Retrieved 3 April 2018.
  51. ^ "Current Projects". Wensleydale Railway. Retrieved 3 April 2018.
  52. ISSN 2040-3933
    .
  53. ^ Flanagan, Emily. "Optimism over extending railway line into Yorkshire Dales". Darlington & Stockton Times. Retrieved 18 April 2021.
  54. ^ "Station sale plans spark fears for the future of Wensleydale Railway". The Northern Echo. 25 August 2017.
  55. ISSN 2516-5348
    .
  56. ^ Willis, Joe (19 October 2015). "Wensleydale Railway buy bridge to allow Aysgarth link". The Northern Echo. Retrieved 31 January 2020.
  57. ^ "The case for expanding the rail network" (PDF). Campaign for Better Transport. p. 42. Retrieved 22 April 2019.
  58. ^ "Return to Redmire Appeal". 12 September 2022. Retrieved 1 June 2023.
  59. ^ "Upper Wensleydale Railway". Retrieved 18 April 2021.
  60. ISSN 2516-5348
    .
  61. ^ Newton, Grace (30 June 2020). "Government announce Yorkshire rail schemes that could receive 'reverse Beeching' funding". The Yorkshire Post. Retrieved 1 July 2020.
  62. ISSN 0033-8923
    .
  63. ^ "WENSLEYDALE RAILWAY ASSOCIATION (TRUST) LIMITED, registered charity no. 1088324". Charity Commission for England and Wales.
  64. ^ "Rhapsody in green". The Northern Echo. 7 August 2012. Retrieved 18 February 2021.
  65. ^ "Our J72 is set to Steam Again – An Appeal, can you help?". nelpg.org.uk. Retrieved 12 February 2021.
  66. ISSN 0143-7232
    .
  67. ISSN 2516-5348
    .
  68. ISSN 1362-234X
    .
  69. ISSN 0033-8923
    .
  70. ISSN 1479-2230
    .
  71. ISSN 0953-4563
    .
  72. ^
    ISSN 1362-234X
    .
  73. ISSN 1362-234X
    .
  74. ^ admind9523 (30 June 2022). "Bedale Bubble". Wensleydale Railway. Retrieved 20 June 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  75. ^
    ISSN 1362-234X
    .
  76. ^
    ISSN 0033-8923
    .
  77. ^
    ISSN 0953-4563
    .
  78. ISSN 1479-2230
    .
  79. ISBN 978-1-9996271-3-3
    .
  80. ^ Herbert, R. G. W. (April 1867). "North Eastern Railway (report 15 February 1867)" (PDF). railwaysarchive.co.uk. Railway Department. p. 23. Retrieved 18 February 2021.
  81. ^ "Railway collision at Bedale". The York Herald. No. 13, 594. Column G. 29 December 1894. p. 11.
  82. ^ "The Bedale railway accident". The Northern Echo. No. 9, 597. Column G. 10 December 1900. p. 3.
  83. ISBN 0-85361-587-X
    .
  84. ISBN 0953633136
    .
  85. ^ "Passenger train collision with car on user worked crossing, Wensleydale Railway, 1 August 2011" (PDF). railwaysarchive.co.uk. Rail Accident Investigation Branch. October 2011. Retrieved 18 February 2021.
  86. ^ Flanagan, Emily (22 October 2012). "Tragedy narrowly avoided in North Yorks railway crossing crash". The Northern Echo. Retrieved 18 February 2021.
  87. ^ Barnard, Ashley (31 January 2013). "Train hits car on Wensleydale Railway at level crossing on A684 at Aiskew". The Northern Echo. Retrieved 18 February 2021.
  88. ^ "Collision at Yafforth level crossing, 3 August 2016" (PDF). railwaysarchive.co.uk. Rail Accident Investigation Branch. November 2016. p. 1. Retrieved 18 February 2021.

Sources

External links

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54°20′25″N 1°26′50″W / 54.3404°N 1.4473°W / 54.3404; -1.4473

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