Weardale Railway Reopens!

Hi, this is my first post (because I'm suprised I haven't read it anywhere else!)

On friday the Weardale Railway took it's first train off the national network, UK Railtours train from Kings Cross to Stanhope. This marks the completion of an intensive RMS Locotech/Volunteer six month project of twelve miles of trackworks, reconnection to NR at Bishop Auckland, reconstruction of a landslip (all for £1.5 million investment from British American). I travelled up and saw the train from a couple of really good vantage points, there were loads of people out there - great to see this railway join the major league!

 

They haven't joined the major league !. They will need a lot more than track & a main line connection to achieve that.

Bob.

 

What is the ownership siutation thesedays? Still good to see something moving there again.

 

Not in the major leauge yet but certainly on its way to a well known local attraction and hopefully the enthusiasts radar

 

Good point, major league is not the right term! Still a great achievement though...

 

neverless a very good achievement, well done to all up there!!

 

I read in the Railway Herald that the owners of WR have to overcome objections from local residents (about short-trip road deliveries) before they can start earning money from a coal loading depot at Wolsingham. Weardale certainly has the potential to be an attractive destination for tours if they can gear up to run a more intensive weekend timetable than no. 40 on its own can manage. I'm not familiar with their infrastructure, but perhaps they would need an extra passing loop so they could park excursion trains beyond Stanhope for the day. But unless they can earn their bread and butter from freight, there'll be no money to fund any more weekend heritage traffic than currently.

 

I was on the tour, and I have to saw that if the sheer volume of people lining the route and waving to us was anything to go by, it's a good sign. Although the WR has a long way to go before it becomes "established" it's made a good start, and I wish them well.