Weardale Railway
Encyclopedia
The Weardale Railway is a British single-track
branch line
railway providing regular daily passenger service between Bishop Auckland (West), Wolsingham, Frosterley and Stanhope. Services began on 23 May 2010 after a lapse of almost sixty years. The railway originally ran from Bishop Auckland
to Wearhead
in County Durham
, a distance of about 25 miles (40 km). It was built in the nineteenth century to carry passenger and freight traffic. As late as 1993 the line remained in use as part of the national network, serving a large cement works at Eastgate
(latterly owned by the Lafarge
group) and providing a summer Sundays-only passenger service between Bishop Auckland and Stanhope
.
The rails were lifted in the 1960s from the extreme western section of the line between Eastgate and Wearhead (passing through Westgate and St John's Chapel, County Durham
). The trackbed itself has been removed in at least one place on this last section.
announced its intention to close the line following the loss of the line's last significant commercial customer. In March of that year, Lafarge
decided to service the Eastgate cement works by road and end its use of rail. Local authorities sought another use for the line and considered that the only immediate possibility was a steam-hauled tourist service.
The Weardale Railway preservation project was founded in 1993, when British Rail ended freight and passenger services on the line. The intention was that a private company should take ownership of the line and start a steam service for tourists on the scenic western section. The operating company was known as the Weardale Railways Ltd, a company limited by guarantee
. Its early Directors included well known railway enthusiasts such as Sir William McAlpine
, Pete Waterman
, Ian Allan and David Bellamy
, although most of these individuals withdrew from the project before it was able to start services.
The Weardale Railway Trust (WRT) is a voluntary group whose members are supporters of the project. WRT was initially just a "supporters' club" but it assumed a more prominent role as Weardale Railways Ltd got into difficulties. In 2006 WRT took a 12.5% minority stake in the ownership of Weardale Railways Ltd.
Large sums of public sector grant finance were obtained or conditionally pledged from various donors including the regional development agency
(One NorthEast
), Durham County Council
and the Wear Valley District Council
. The Manpower Services Commission
contributed to the wages of paid staff in what had become an area of high unemployment, and this allowed a 40-strong workforce to be recruited, a depot and base of operations to be established at Wolsingham
and the station at Stanhope
to be restored. Services started in July 2004, initially from Wolsingham to Stanhope but with the intention of extending them along the full length of the remaining line. There were even plans to rebuild the Eastgate to Wearhead section which had been lifted.
Eventually, a community interest company known as Ealing Community Transport
agreed to pay £100,000 for a 75% stake in Weardale Railways Ltd and provide management support to the project. Ealing Community Transport also agreed to underwrite any further operating losses incurred by Weardale Railways Ltd. This undertaking was sufficient to allow the creditors of Weardale Railways Ltd to permit the resumption of limited services on the line in August 2006.
, a wholly owned subsidiary of US private company Iowa Pacific Holdings. Ed Ellis, the spokesman for these firms, visited the Weardale Railway in October 2008, and announced an intention to reopen the line to Bishop Auckland by the end of 2008.
In October 2008, the line's paid staff and volunteers undertook the "Brush Blitz" to clear 14 years of vegetation growth from the track between Wolsingham and Bishop Auckland. After two damaged sections of track were repaired, in early 2009 a passenger-carrying Wickham trolley
(light rail vehicle) was able to negotiate the line from Wolsingham to within sight of Bishop Auckland station. Ellis also announced plans to build a rail freight terminal at Eastgate for the loading of aggregates from local quarries together with other freight, including mineral, food and agricultural commodities.
On 27 March 2009 the railway's website reported that Network Rail had undertaken to re-install missing points and crossings at Bishop Auckland to reconnect the Weardale Line with the national rail network. It was stated that this would be done before 31 July 2009. Network Rail completed the connection in early September 2009. On 29 September 2009, the development of the Eastgate Renewable Energy Village
received unanimous outline approval by the County Durham strategic planning committee, thus providing a potential boost to the line's future prospects.
In December 2009, it was announced that UK Coal
was interested in using the line to transport coal
from an opencast
(open pit) coal mine in the line's catchment area and that local quarry owners had been approached about the possibility of shipping aggregates
along the line. This is intended to ensure the future of the line as a viable business.
Regular passenger services to Bishop Auckland started on 23 May 2010.
The railway is currently negotiating contracts to transport stone and aggregates out of Weardale, and has recently received planning permission to load opencast coal, mined in the Crook area, at its depot in Wolsingham. The first loaded coal train left Wolsingham on 16 June 2011 bound for steel works in Scunthorpe. It is hoped that this will become a five-train-a-week operation.
commercial featuring a train being attacked by Indians (Native Americans
) on horseback was partly filmed on the Weardale line.
Single track (rail)
A single track railway is where trains in both directions share the same track. Single track is normally used on lesser used rail lines, often branch lines, where the traffic density is not high enough to justify the cost of building double tracks....
branch line
Branch line
A branch line is a secondary railway line which branches off a more important through route, usually a main line. A very short branch line may be called a spur line...
railway providing regular daily passenger service between Bishop Auckland (West), Wolsingham, Frosterley and Stanhope. Services began on 23 May 2010 after a lapse of almost sixty years. The railway originally ran from Bishop Auckland
Bishop Auckland
Bishop Auckland is a market town and civil parish in County Durham in north east England. It is located about northwest of Darlington and southwest of Durham at the confluence of the River Wear with its tributary the River Gaunless...
to Wearhead
Wearhead
Wearhead is a village in County Durham, in England. It is situated at the top of Weardale between Cowshill and Ireshopeburn. It is named after the nearby source of the River Wear which runs eastwards for approx 40 miles to Sunderland....
in County Durham
County Durham
County Durham is a ceremonial county and unitary district in north east England. The county town is Durham. The largest settlement in the ceremonial county is the town of Darlington...
, a distance of about 25 miles (40 km). It was built in the nineteenth century to carry passenger and freight traffic. As late as 1993 the line remained in use as part of the national network, serving a large cement works at Eastgate
Eastgate, County Durham
Eastgate is a village in County Durham, England. It is situated in Weardale, a few miles west of Stanhope.Eastgate originally marked the eastern border of the private hunting park of the Prince Bishops of Durham. This was second in extent only to the royal hunting park of the New Forest in Hampshire...
(latterly owned by the Lafarge
Lafarge
Lafarge is a French industrial company specialising in four major products: cement, construction aggregates, concrete and gypsum wallboard. In 2010 the company was the world's second-largest cement manufacturer by mass shipped behind Holcim.-History:...
group) and providing a summer Sundays-only passenger service between Bishop Auckland and Stanhope
Stanhope, County Durham
Stanhope is a small market town in County Durham, in England. It is situated on the River Wear between Eastgate and Frosterley on the north side of Weardale. The A689 trans-Pennine road meets the B6278 road from Barnard Castle to Shotley Bridge here....
.
The rails were lifted in the 1960s from the extreme western section of the line between Eastgate and Wearhead (passing through Westgate and St John's Chapel, County Durham
St John's Chapel, County Durham
St John's Chapel is a village in County Durham, in England. It is situated in Weardale, on the south side of the River Wear on the A689 road between Daddry Shield and Ireshopeburn. The 2001 census reports a population of 307, of which only 43 are children under 16...
). The trackbed itself has been removed in at least one place on this last section.
1993-2005: The Weardale Railway preservation project
In 1993 British RailBritish Rail
British Railways , which from 1965 traded as British Rail, was the operator of most of the rail transport in Great Britain between 1948 and 1997. It was formed from the nationalisation of the "Big Four" British railway companies and lasted until the gradual privatisation of British Rail, in stages...
announced its intention to close the line following the loss of the line's last significant commercial customer. In March of that year, Lafarge
Lafarge
Lafarge is a French industrial company specialising in four major products: cement, construction aggregates, concrete and gypsum wallboard. In 2010 the company was the world's second-largest cement manufacturer by mass shipped behind Holcim.-History:...
decided to service the Eastgate cement works by road and end its use of rail. Local authorities sought another use for the line and considered that the only immediate possibility was a steam-hauled tourist service.
Company limited by guarantee
In British and Irish company law, a private company limited by guarantee is an alternative type of corporation used primarily for non-profit organisations that require legal personality. A guarantee company does not usually have a share capital or shareholders, but instead has members who act as...
. Its early Directors included well known railway enthusiasts such as Sir William McAlpine
Sir William McAlpine, 6th Baronet
Sir William Hepburn McAlpine, 6th Baronet , is a British millionaire businessman, a former director of the construction company Sir Robert McAlpine.-Biography:...
, Pete Waterman
Pete Waterman
Peter Alan Waterman OBE is an English record producer, occasional songwriter, radio and club DJ, television presenter, president of Coventry Bears rugby league club and a keen railway enthusiast. As a member of the Stock Aitken Waterman songwriting team he wrote and produced many hit singles...
, Ian Allan and David Bellamy
David Bellamy
David James Bellamy OBE is a British author, broadcaster, environmental campaigner and botanist. He has lived in County Durham since 1960.-Career:...
, although most of these individuals withdrew from the project before it was able to start services.
The Weardale Railway Trust (WRT) is a voluntary group whose members are supporters of the project. WRT was initially just a "supporters' club" but it assumed a more prominent role as Weardale Railways Ltd got into difficulties. In 2006 WRT took a 12.5% minority stake in the ownership of Weardale Railways Ltd.
Large sums of public sector grant finance were obtained or conditionally pledged from various donors including the regional development agency
Regional Development Agency
In the United Kingdom, a regional development agency is a non-departmental public body established for the purpose of development, primarily economic, of one of England's Government Office regions. There is one RDA for each of the NUTS level 1 regions of England...
(One NorthEast
One NorthEast
One North East is the regional development agency for the North East England region.-History:It was established in April 1999. The North East receives a lot of government aid for regeneration....
), Durham County Council
County Durham
County Durham is a ceremonial county and unitary district in north east England. The county town is Durham. The largest settlement in the ceremonial county is the town of Darlington...
and the Wear Valley District Council
Wear Valley
Wear Valley was, from 1974 to 2009, a local government district in County Durham, England. Its council was based in Crook.The district covered much of the Weardale area. In the west it was parished and rural, whereas in the east it was more urban...
. The Manpower Services Commission
Manpower Services Commission
The Manpower Services Commission was a non-departmental public body of the Department of Employment Group in the United Kingdom created by Edward Heath's Conservative Government in 1973. The MSC had a remit to co-ordinate employment and training services in the UK through a ten-member commission...
contributed to the wages of paid staff in what had become an area of high unemployment, and this allowed a 40-strong workforce to be recruited, a depot and base of operations to be established at Wolsingham
Wolsingham
Wolsingham is a small market town in Weardale, County Durham, England. It is situated by the River Wear, between Crook and Stanhope in North West Durham.-History:Wolsingham sits at the confluence of the River Wear and Waskerley Beck...
and the station at Stanhope
Stanhope, County Durham
Stanhope is a small market town in County Durham, in England. It is situated on the River Wear between Eastgate and Frosterley on the north side of Weardale. The A689 trans-Pennine road meets the B6278 road from Barnard Castle to Shotley Bridge here....
to be restored. Services started in July 2004, initially from Wolsingham to Stanhope but with the intention of extending them along the full length of the remaining line. There were even plans to rebuild the Eastgate to Wearhead section which had been lifted.
Eventually, a community interest company known as Ealing Community Transport
Ealing Community Transport
Ealing Community Transport is an English social enterprise which provides various services, including recycling and community transport as well as being one of many operators of London Buses...
agreed to pay £100,000 for a 75% stake in Weardale Railways Ltd and provide management support to the project. Ealing Community Transport also agreed to underwrite any further operating losses incurred by Weardale Railways Ltd. This undertaking was sufficient to allow the creditors of Weardale Railways Ltd to permit the resumption of limited services on the line in August 2006.
2008-2010: Line development
In September 2008, Ealing Community Transport's 75% interest in WRC was transferred to British American Railway ServicesBritish American Railway Services
British American Railway Services is a British train operating company, specialising in locomotive and rolling stock hire and maintenance...
, a wholly owned subsidiary of US private company Iowa Pacific Holdings. Ed Ellis, the spokesman for these firms, visited the Weardale Railway in October 2008, and announced an intention to reopen the line to Bishop Auckland by the end of 2008.
In October 2008, the line's paid staff and volunteers undertook the "Brush Blitz" to clear 14 years of vegetation growth from the track between Wolsingham and Bishop Auckland. After two damaged sections of track were repaired, in early 2009 a passenger-carrying Wickham trolley
Wickham trolley
The Wickham trolley was a railway engineering personnel carrier, used on British Railways as the type No.27 Gang and Inspection trolley. It was introduced in 1948 and over 600 were built between then and 1990, of which 25 went to the Ministry of Supply / MoD between 1954 and 1960...
(light rail vehicle) was able to negotiate the line from Wolsingham to within sight of Bishop Auckland station. Ellis also announced plans to build a rail freight terminal at Eastgate for the loading of aggregates from local quarries together with other freight, including mineral, food and agricultural commodities.
On 27 March 2009 the railway's website reported that Network Rail had undertaken to re-install missing points and crossings at Bishop Auckland to reconnect the Weardale Line with the national rail network. It was stated that this would be done before 31 July 2009. Network Rail completed the connection in early September 2009. On 29 September 2009, the development of the Eastgate Renewable Energy Village
Eastgate Renewable Energy Village
The Eastgate Renewable Energy Village is a multi-million pound project planned for the village of Eastgate in Weardale, County Durham...
received unanimous outline approval by the County Durham strategic planning committee, thus providing a potential boost to the line's future prospects.
In December 2009, it was announced that UK Coal
UK Coal
UK Coal plc is the largest coal mining business in the United Kingdom. The Company is based in Harworth, in Nottinghamshire. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a former constituent of the FTSE 250 Index.-History:...
was interested in using the line to transport coal
Coal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds or coal seams. The harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure...
from an opencast
Open-pit mining
Open-pit mining or opencast mining refers to a method of extracting rock or minerals from the earth by their removal from an open pit or borrow....
(open pit) coal mine in the line's catchment area and that local quarry owners had been approached about the possibility of shipping aggregates
Construction Aggregate
Construction aggregate, or simply "aggregate", is a broad category of coarse particulate material used in construction, including sand, gravel, crushed stone, slag, recycled concrete and geosynthetic aggregates. Aggregates are the most mined material in the world...
along the line. This is intended to ensure the future of the line as a viable business.
2010 Reconnection to the national network
On 25 January 2010, Her Majesty’s Railway Inspectorate travelled on the Weardale line checking bridges, fences and crossings along the 18-mile stretch between Stanhope and Bishop Auckland. Only a few minor works were needed to get the line ready for passenger use, and these were completed in time for a to Stanhope charter train to run. In February 2010, this became the first mainline passenger service to travel the line since the 1980s. It was followed on 27 February by a railtour from Crewe to Stanhope, operated by Spitfire Railtours.Regular passenger services to Bishop Auckland started on 23 May 2010.
The railway is currently negotiating contracts to transport stone and aggregates out of Weardale, and has recently received planning permission to load opencast coal, mined in the Crook area, at its depot in Wolsingham. The first loaded coal train left Wolsingham on 16 June 2011 bound for steel works in Scunthorpe. It is hoped that this will become a five-train-a-week operation.
Stations
- Westgate-In-Weardale Station (Planned)
- Eastgate Station (Planned)
- Stanhope Station 54.743°N 2.003°W (Current Terminus)
- Frosterley Station 54.727°N 1.964°W
- Wolsingham Station 54.726°N 1.884°W
- Harperley Station (Currently Disused)
- Witton-le-Wear (Currently Disused)
- Wear Valley Junction (Currently Disused)
- Etherley (Currently Disused, the railway plans to re-open it as Witton Park)
- Bishop Auckland StationBishop Auckland railway stationBishop Auckland railway station serves the town of Bishop Auckland in County Durham, England. The station is the terminus of the Tees Valley Line north of .The station is operated by Northern Rail, which provides Network Rail passenger services...
Rolling Stock
- Steam Locomotives
- N.C.B.National Coal BoardThe National Coal Board was the statutory corporation created to run the nationalised coal mining industry in the United Kingdom. Set up under the Coal Industry Nationalisation Act 1946, it took over the mines on "vesting day", 1 January 1947...
40, Robert Stephenson & Hawthorn 0-6-0T (7765 of 1954). In Service. - NORWOOD No. 77, Robert Stephenson & Hawthorn 0-6-0ST (7412 of 1948). Undergoing Restoration at RRNE, Shildon
- N.C.B.
- Diesel Locomotives
- BR Bo-Bo Class 20British Rail Class 20The British Rail Class 20, otherwise known as an English Electric Type 1, is a class of diesel-electric locomotive. In total, 228 locomotives in the class were built by English Electric between 1957 and 1968, the large number being in part because of the failure of other early designs in the same...
no. 20107 (not operational) - BR CLASS 73 Bo_Bo
- BR Bo-Bo Class 20
- Diesel Multiple Units
- BR Class 141British Rail Class 141The British Rail Class 141 was the first production model of the Pacer diesel multiple units.-Description:In the early 1980s British Rail were looking to replace the remaining 1950s first generation Diesel Multiple Units on lightly used branchlines...
units 141103 (NOT operational) and 141110 ( operational).
- BR Class 141
- visiting engines and loco's
- BR Class 141British Rail Class 141The British Rail Class 141 was the first production model of the Pacer diesel multiple units.-Description:In the early 1980s British Rail were looking to replace the remaining 1950s first generation Diesel Multiple Units on lightly used branchlines...
UNITS 141113 (Operational) - Colas Rail Class 66 66842 (operational on freight)
- BR Class 141
Trivia
A 2006 Virgin TrainsVirgin Trains
Virgin Trains is a train operating company in the United Kingdom. It operates long-distance passenger services on the West Coast Main Line between London, the West Midlands, North West England, North Wales and Scotland...
commercial featuring a train being attacked by Indians (Native Americans
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
) on horseback was partly filmed on the Weardale line.