Yorkshire’s Wensleydale Railway appoints first female driver

Picture of Janine Booth

Share:

Yorkshire’s Wensleydale Railway appoints first female driver

Share:

Picture of Janine Booth

Share:

sue 143 pacer
sue 143 pacer // Credit: Wensleydale Railway

Wensleydale Railway has appointed its first female train driver, long-term volunteer Sue Threadgold from in North Yorkshire.

Sue, who became the Railway’s first female guard in 2018, recently passed her driver training and is now qualified to drive the and diesel multiple unit passenger trains that run on the Railway.

Sue with her certificate
Sue with her certificate // Credit:

Wensleydale Railway, which now has three female guards, runs heritage diesel train services for twenty-two miles between Scruton in the Vale of Mowbray and on the outskirts of the Yorkshire Dales National Park.

Annual RailAdvent Plus members receive a 15% discount on ticket prices.

Sue in the driver's cab
Sue in the driver’s cab // Credit: Wensleydale Railway

Sue has been a volunteer at Wensleydale Railway for eight years, initially training as a crossing keeper. She began her driver training in 2022.

Sue said, “My goal when I joined, was to become a train driver, so I am really happy to have fulfilled my ambition and I thank everyone at the railway, who has helped me achieve this!

“I would encourage more people to get involved in their local heritage railway. There are a wide variety of volunteer roles available, to suit all interests and abilities. It’s really rewarding to be part of a great team, helping to keep our history and heritage alive for the public to enjoy!”

Sue with one of the Railway's Pcers
Sue with one of the Railway’s Pacers // Credit: Wensleydale Railway

In an ORR podcast last year, heritage volunteer Joanne Crompton said about women heritage railway volunteers, “There’s definitely progress beginning to happen. The heritage industry is behind the mainline rail industry. We can’t get away from that fact..”

Wensleydale Railway welcomes new volunteers, and asks them to get in touch with volunteer coordinator Clare Bell at [email protected].

 

Responses

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Related Articles