Weardale, Dartmoor and RMS for sale

Quarry closed since 2012. All plant scrapped. Now a scene of dereliction.


https://www.28dayslater.co.uk/threads/meldon-quarry-and-railway-devon-february-2020.121970/

 

I've just been viewing the the weardale railway trusts website to see if D.M.U. services will be running this year and unfortunately no trains running up to Stanhope from Bishop Aukland until Xmas 2021 and aiming for services to recommence in 2022 cos the O.R.R. need to certify 4 bridges along the line and the A.G.M. can not take place on 2 October. Anyone know on nat pres knows what's happening with the new weardale heritage railway line?
Davo 56F

 

Sounds like what's happening is they're repairing bridges ready for ORR certification and probably other tidying up and sorting things out to enable them to operate a satisfactory service that meets ORR guidelines. Having been involved in a railway that has been through a period of shutdown while improvements have been made there's probably a lot of behind the scenes stuff happening, both in terms of ensuring the line is in satisfactory condition and ensuring things like paperwork and training regimes are appropriately set up and in order.

 

I would treat any start date with a note of realism.

The long ruling labour party, were dislodged at County Council level, and a new coalition is in power.

It would not surprise me in the slightest if this became another victim of politics, at the moment, the new party are incredibly petty.

 

Has the millionaire's trust, who brought the Weardale Railway, and the council fallen out. Will be a shame as the area needs a boost.
From the RMS website looks like most of the Dartmoor CIC stock has been sold or scrapped.
Just a couple of MK1 EMU CEP coaches and an oil wagon left for sale.

Photo from the Dartmoor railway supporters association website.
Hope the CEP EMU coaches don't get scrapped as with a bit of work and TLC could be operational, maybe the supporters association might use them for a Meldon shuttle again?.
I see one buffet coach has been brought by the Swanage 4TC group.
The RMS website now has more maintenance kit on sale from Weardale.

 

What's the Council's involvement?

 

Heritage railway transformation offers economic benefits - Durham County Council

 

Thanks. That was about a Council Cabinet meeting in September last year. A bit of googling tells me that meeting agreed £2m funding for the Weardale Railway. What has happened now?

 

Like i said, the council is now lead by a coalition, and they have a different agenda, no idea if it has been confirmed as continuing

 

With a Google search found
https://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/news/18725924.investment-weardale-railway-branded-white-elephant/
"Durham County Councillor for Weardale, John Shuttleworth said: “This council has bailed out the railway for over 20 years and local people feel its a ‘white elephant’ that has created little than a few part-time low-paid jobs. Many of the residents of Bondisle Way feel railroaded by the railway. “We cannot continue you to bail out a failing railway for the benefit of what I would call choo-choo enthusiasts, and it should be done with their own money.”"

As an independent councillor he will probably push to cease the grant.
But from the Weardale Railway trust website they are making repairs to bridges and stations, plus overhauling the DMU for a Christmas return and the steam loco for 2022.

 

Which steam loco? I didn't think they had a resident operational steam loco.

 

They don't, but they do have RSH No. 40 under overhaul.

 

No longer heritage, but railadvent reports test trains will run on the Dartmoor line from tomorrow. Network rail are asking people not to use the unmanned crossing for safety during tests.

 

Ah, John Shuttleworth. If you read his page regarding "interests" in office you will see his views on railways quite clearly: supporting buses, roads, car parking.

https://democracy.durham.gov.uk/mgDeclarationSubmission.aspx?UID=171&HID=971&FID=0&HPID=22312768

Afraid his experience and knowledge of how local transport systems work hand in hand is rather poor (for example he seems to have ignored that the link to the ECML the Weardale Railway can have suggests they may get a further influx of visitors, happily travelling by train and not by car - which if you live locally, is what you want as you don't want a large influx of cars from outside the area).

 

Hopefully his views will not sway the council into stopping the Weardale railway grant?

For Dartmoor some Wickham trollies have gone to Ongar and a Buffet coach to Swanage, still some rolling stock left.
A class 150 dmu was testing on the line, photo from the supporters association
https://www.dartmoor-railway-association.org/comingsgoings

 

The Oil Tanker has also moved to the Great Central, as documented in the wagon group blog.

 

Weardale: Slightly bemused by this article, as it seems unclear whether reopening as a heritage line, or part of the 'big railway' is proposed:
https://consettmagazine.com/2021/09/29/increased-support-for-weardale-railway-restoration-63770/

 

That sounds to me that he's looking for a proper reopening a la Okehampton. The "link to Crook" looks like a bit of a stretch.

 

Consolidation of the tory vote in Co Durham could be good news for the line but not for the heritage operation which seems to have always struggled.

 

Yes, it could be a good move for the valley, road access is poor up the valley and an opening to travel easier to Darlington etc could be a real benefit. Easier access to Crook, mmm, not sure if that is a good move, would have thought they would be looking towards Durham City and there could be difficulty with re-instatement of track bed. Good luck to all of them anyway.
It is a bit off-putting seeing the Anglia marked rolling stock on that photo, tho' I bet the local travellers would enjoy that level of comfort instead of the rattling DMU's or Pacers the rest of us have endured over the years.