As part of its plans to restore passenger services to Redmire in North Yorkshire, the Wensleydale Railway completes major track repairs to a ¾-mile section of track near the site of the former Wensley Station.

In mid-September, work started to repair the line along the foot of the cliffs below Leyburn Shawl at Wensley, which is approximately half-way between Leyburn and Redmire.

The line had suffered erosion, with material falling into adjacent fields and some sleeper ends being left exposed and unsupported.

A specialist railway contractor, Lampitt Rail Services, was hired to undertake the repair work, assisted by operations staff and infrastructure volunteers, to rebuild and widen sections of the eroded embankment and slew some of the track into a more stable position.

Services on the Wensleydale Railway currently operate from Leeming Bar to Leyburn.

The 5½-mile section of line from Leyburn to Redmire has been closed since 2020 because of the deteriorating condition of the track and infrastructure.

The railway hopes to reopen the line to Redmire by September 2025 to coincide with the 200th anniversary celebrations of the the Stockton & Darlington Railway in 1825.

To support the reopening to Redmire by repairing the track at Wensley, in July this year the Wensleydale Railway Association (Trust) launched a fundraising appeal which so far has raised approximately £37,000.

The railway would welcome further donations which can be made online at https://wensleydale-railway.co.uk/return_to_redmire-appeal-2024/

“Completing this project is a major step forwards in our plans to restore passenger services to Redmire. Our goal to return to Redmire in 2025 is an ambitious one and we face a few challenges ahead. However, we are determined to succeed and will shortly be focusing our attention on the section of track west of Wensley Station towards Redmire Station.”

Russell Lord, Director of Infrastructure at Wensleydale Railway PLC