A new set of historic level crossing gates have been installed on the Wensleydale Railway at Crakehall station near Bedale in North Yorkshire.

Whenever the heritage railway is operating trains, a volunteer Crossing Keeper is needed to operate the crossing gates manually. Over the years, the previous four light-metal gates proved quite a challenge, especially during high winds, as when the gate catches were released, the gates would swing of their own free will and the lone Crossing Keeper would struggle to control them.

The swinging gates led the railway’s volunteers to affectionately call it “the Crakehall Dance”, which might have been entertaining for spectators but was very off-putting to the Crossing Keepers. Now, the Crakehall Dance is no more as the Wensleydale Railway has replaced the four old gates with two new ones.

The new gates were made from wood by the Gayle Mill Trust from Hawes in North Yorkshire, which is a local commercial wood business and registered charity, whilst the gate support posts are metal.

Crakehall railway station was opened in 1856 by the Bedale and Leyburn Railway, which later became part of the London and North Eastern Railway. The last scheduled passenger traffic ran in 1954 and it closed to goods traffic in 1992. The station building is now owned by the Wensleydale Railway.

The gates were donated to the railway by Bob Coombs, who is a long-time supporter of the railway. He said: “I have been a volunteer for 11 years and in that time I have done various jobs, including Crossing Keeper and I have experienced the Crakehall Dance.

“I decided that if I could ever afford it, I would pay for new gates. I was left a legacy that meant I could not only afford new gates but that I could take the opportunity to get some good ones that were in keeping with a heritage railway. The gates are in memory of my Uncle who made it possible.”

“We have several photos of gates on the Wensleydale Railway from years gone by and I decided that we should see if we could make gates to a similar design. I purchased the book “A History of North Eastern Railway Signalling” published by the North Eastern Railway Association, which had details of the gates they used in the 19th century.”

Replacing the Crakehall level crossing gates is just one of many on the Wensleydale Railway, including relaying track so that passenger trains can once more run to Redmire. Anyone wishing to donate to the railway can do so at: https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/returntoredmire

Further information about the railway can be obtained online at https://wensleydale-railway.co.uk/