Wensleydale Railway - Photo Archive
Rail Link Newsletter 238 - April 2024 (Current Edition)
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The WR monthly Newsletter - Rail Link is distributed (by email) around the 1st of each month to all volunteers, plus interested WRA(T) members and WR PLC shareholders. If you wish to be on the email distribution list please contact the editor (Timothy Edwards).
RAIL LINK
News and information from the
Wensleydale Railway Association (Trust) and Wensleydale Railway plc
Edition 238 April 2024
DATES FOR YOUR DIARY
TRAIN SERVICES - During April there will be service trains on Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays between Leeming Bar and Leyburn. On Wednesday 3rd April, there will also be a service to Scruton. Please refer to our website for more details - https://wensleydale-railway.co.uk/. The 2024 Visitors Information leaflet/Timetable can be downloaded from https://wr-rail-link.co.uk/download/2024_Visitor_Info_Leaflet.pdf
FISH & CHIPS TRAINS - All aboard the ‘Wensleydale Fryer’ - our Saturday lunchtime Fish and Chips dining trains. – They will run on 13th April, 11th May, 8th June, 13th July, 10th August, 7th September and 12th October. Note that all dates are now sold out.
THE GIN TRAIN EXPERIENCE - All aboard ‘The Gin Train Experience!’ We are pleased to announce that we will once again be hosting the Taplin & Mageean Gin Train. Enjoy a full range of their award winning Gin & Tonics from the comfort of a private carriage travelling through the spectacular Yorkshire Dales scenery on our Railway! They will run on 20th April, 25th May, 1st June, 20th July, 31st August, 14th September and 26th October. For more details see - https://wensleydale-railway.co.uk/gintrainexperience/
MODEL RAILWAY SHOW – We will be again holding our annual model railway show at Leeming Bar on the 4th to 6th May.
FATHER’S DAY LUNCH TRAIN - Sunday 16th June at 12pm - Make this Father’s Day a truly memorable one with our tasty lunchtime sharing platter served on delicate vintage china with unlimited tea & coffee. Your experience will begin with a glass of prosecco upon arrival and then all you need to do is sit back and enjoy a scenic journey through the Yorkshire Dales whilst being served delicious food at your table in one of our heritage carriages! Price £45 per head including lunch and travel. For more details see below or
https://wensleydale-railway.co.uk/fathers-day-lunch/
YORKSHIRE DAY TEA TRAIN - Sunday 28th July at 2pm - Make this Yorkshire Day a truly memorable one with our Yorkshire Ploughman’s afternoon tea served on delicate vintage china with unlimited tea & coffee! Your experience will begin with a glass of prosecco upon arrival and then all you need to do is sit back and enjoy a scenic journey through the Yorkshire Dales whilst being served delicious food at your table in one of our heritage carriages!. For more details see - https://wensleydale-railway.co.uk/yorkshire-day-lunch/
POLAR EXPRESS 2024 - Did you miss out on tickets in 2023, or perhaps you’re looking to climb back on board in 2024? Tickets are on sale now: https://yorkshiredalesthepolarexpressride.com
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WRA(T) - ONLINE FUNDRAISING
Help WRA(T) every time you shop online!
We’re registered with easyfundraising, which means you can help us for FREE. Over 7,000 brands will donate to us when you use easyfundraising to shop with them - at no extra cost to yourself! All you need to do is sign up and remember to use easyfundraising whenever you shop online. It’s easy & completely FREE! These donations really mount up, so please sign up to support us at: | Check out our eBay shop for a range items on sale, with all proceeds going to support the railway. If our shop doesn't have anything you fancy, don't forget to use easyfundraising for other eBay purchases, or choose from over 7,000 other retailers who will also donate to us!
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MARCH NEWS FROM THE BOARD
At the March meeting, there was considerable debate over the position of GM. It was agreed that it would be desirable to have a person to hold that position, but that currently the cost involved is unaffordable. The Management Team of Martin Cleaver, Terry Larder, Nigel Park and Tim Williamson would continue to jointly cover the responsibilities of a GM and they would draft an action plan to cover the next 12 months. A priority for the Management Team is to consider how best to address the infrastructure issues, including a priority of returning operations to Redmire as soon as possible.
Implementation of RM3 (the risk management system) is now a standing item on the agenda for the Board. it was agreed to employ Dan Ferguson on a part time basis to advise the Board on RM3 matters and safety generally. The Management Team would respond to the first assessment report covering the safety management system and to look at an improvement to the accident recording system which has been a recommendation.
A new consultative group has been set up to consider commercial issues, including marketing and their reports are to be a standing item on agendas for Board meetings. The group had raised the issue of safeguarding which, although primarily an issue for the Trust because of their education programme and for PNP during Polar, would also be an important issue for guards and station teams. Also, safeguarding information is to be included in future induction training for volunteers.
The facilities for hand washing and toilet provision for staff and volunteers engaged in dirty work at Leeming Bar were agreed to be inadequate and a Director is to produce an urgent report on how to address this important issue.
The alcohol licence for sales at railway premises has expired and it was agreed that it would not be renewed. There is a system for obtaining a licence for special events when required and serving of alcohol on trains is permitted under other regulations.
Carl Les is resigning from the Board due to pressures of work for North Yorkshire Council, although he confirmed continuing support for Wednesday Railway. The Board expressed appreciation for his long and faithful service as a Director and Deputy Chair
Phil Smith (Company Secretary)
GREAT BRITISH RAILWAY JOURNEY
Tune in on Friday evening to see our railway featured on BBC’s ‘Great British Railway Journeys’ tv series! The episode is due to air on Friday 5th April 2024 on BBC2 at 6.30pm.
Michael Portillo showed a keen interest in our wonderful, costumed living history interpreters and the role that they play in bringing the railway’s heritage to life for visitors.
In a previous newspaper article, Michael expressed a view that his tv series was very-much about exploring the history of railways and not just about the trains themselves. His genuine passion and enthusiasm for heritage & history was self-evident during his visit to our railway!
Nick Keegan (Fundraising and Marketing Manager)
THE GIFT OF A FUTURE - LEAVING A GIFT IN YOUR WILL
Railways bring us together and provide purpose, meaning and enjoyment to so many people. They represent community and connection. People are at the heart of Wensleydale Railway’s plans for the future, and we want more people to experience and enjoy all that the railway and beautiful Wensleydale has to offer.
Your railway has come a long way since its humble origins. It has carried out major track and infrastructure repairs and renovated & restored rolling stock and engines. It has beautifully restored, award-winning station buildings and a superb children and family-focused heritage education programme. Wensleydale Railway is now the UK’s number one venue for the hugely popular Polar Express Christmas experience.
Despite this incredible progress, your railway has yet to reach its true potential. There is still much to do and we need your support. As a charity, Wensleydale Railway Association (Trust) relies on donations and gifts in Wills to continue its work. Leaving a gift in your Will is an important part of helping secure your railway’s future and ensuring that it continues to provide connection, education and enjoyment to future generations.
If you would like more information on leaving a gift to the Wensleydale Railway Association (Trust), please contact Nick or Richard Leathley our Trust Chairman for a confidential conversation.
Our charity details are:
The Wensleydale Railway Association (Trust) Limited (Registered charity number: 1088324)
Leeming Bar Station, Leases Road, Leeming Bar, North Yorkshire, DL7 9AR
Download a copy of our legacy brochure here: https://wr-rail-link.co.uk/download/Legacy-Brochure.pdf
Nick Keegan (Fundraising and Marketing Manager)
FATHER’S DAY LUNCH TRAIN
Your Dad deserves something different this Father’s Day. Treat him to lunch on a train! Enjoy a scenic journey through the Yorkshire Dales whilst being served a glass of prosecco and then a tasty sharing platter served on delicate vintage china with unlimited tea & coffee.
The heritage diesel-hauled train departs Leeming Bar station on Sunday 16 June at 12pm and returns at 2.11pm.
** Menu **
Farmhouse Bloomer Ham and mature Cheddar Cheese & Whole Grain Mustard Mayonnaise
Wedges of Local Sweet Chilli Pork Pie
Mini Lamb & Bombay Vegetable Samosa
Homemade Corn Beef and Potato Pie Slice
Spicy Tikka Marinated Chicken & Red Pepper Skewer
Chunky Sweet Yorkshire Piccalilli
Cocktail Silver Skin Onions
Homemade Double Chocolate Brownie
Tickets: £45 for adults and £25 for children (aged 14 and under).
For more information and to book: https://wensleydale-railway.co.uk/fathers-day-lunch/
Email - admin@wensleydalerailway.com Phone - 01677 425 805
Nick Keegan (Fundraising and Marketing Manager)
GIFT AID
Did you know that you could increase the amount of your donation to the Wensleydale Railway Association (Trust) Limited by 25% at no extra cost to you? Gift Aid is literally free money for charities like ours, if you are not put off by the word tax!
What is Gift Aid?
Gift Aid is a tax relief for UK charities that allows them to reclaim 25% of the tax already paid on all eligible donations made by a UK taxpayer. For example, if you donate £10 to the Wensleydale Railway Association (Trust) Limited this becomes £12.50 with Gift Aid, £100 becomes £125 and so on.
What do you need to do?
All you need to do is tick the box on a Gift Aid declaration form (online or paper) and provide some basic personal details, and the charity can claim 25p for every £1 given. Once you have given your permission by filling in the Gift Aid declaration form, there is no need for you to do anything else.
Do you qualify to donate through Gift Aid?
In order for us to claim Gift Aid on your donations, you simply need to have paid or will pay an amount of income tax and/or capital gains tax that is at least equal to the tax that the Wensleydale Railway Association (Trust) Limited will reclaim on your donations in a tax year.
Even if you are not currently employed, you are eligible to make Gift Aid payments so long as, at some point in the tax year in which you make the donation, you pay enough tax on any of the following:
• Personal or occupational pension
• Stocks or shares
• Bank or building society savings accounts
• Rental income
• Overseas or UK investment dividends
Contact us for more information: fundraising@wensleydalerailway.com
Make a secure tax-efficient donation: https://checkout.justgiving.com/c/333226
Nick Keegan (Fundraising and Marketing Manager)
We’d love to welcome more people to join our sponsors’ scheme so please do recommend us to your friends and personal networks. For those who haven’t heard about the monthly sponsorship scheme, it starts from only £5 per month and you can enjoy a range of exclusive benefits that include a free annual afternoon tea train (worth £45) to options of free travel for you and your guests. More information here: https://wensleydale-railway.co.uk/sponsors/
Nick Keegan (Fundraising and Marketing Manager)
WRA 250 CLUB WINNERS – MARCH
1st Prize £100 349 Mr. N Vickers Thirsk
2nd Prize £70 684 Mr. P W Fowler Northallerton
3rd Prize £45 570 Mr. P Dunn-Birch Harrogate
4th Prize £30 190 Mr. DA Hart Wetherby
John Carter
WANTED / DO YOU WANT
This section is for any railway group to list items they are looking for, and also for anyone to offer items to the railway that they no longer need. If anyone has any wants/offers for this section please send them to
NEWSLETTER PHOTOS OF THE PAST MONTH
February has been another very busy month, especially for the Infrastructure, Vegetation and Direct Works Teams. Photos this month include:
1. Locos and rolling stock on the line.
2. The new catering kitchen has now been installed at Leeming Bar.
3. The Direct Works Team doing some jobs at Leeming Bar.
4. A Ballast Hopper Wagon undergoing some restoration work.
5. More work on the railway crane.
6. The Leyland Lev 1 Railbus is undergoing some cosmetic restoration before going to Locomotion Museum.
7. Further progress in restoring the Mk2 coach (needed for next Polar Express).
8. Restoration of the Wickham Trolley continues.
9. Restoration of the 0-6-0 steam tank loco is continuing.
10. The Direct Works team have installed anti-trespass timbers at Aiskew crossing.
11. The new fencing at Aiskew crossing is now complete.
12. Various other fencing repairs.
13. The Vegetation Team at Work and also repairing ones of their trolleys.
These monthly photos can be found at https://photos.wr-rail-link.co.uk/2024/2024.03.php
Please send photos for future newsletters to editor@wr-rail-link.co.uk .
Timothy Edwards (Rail Link Editor)
IAN BELL’S PHOTO COLLECTION AND OTHER OLD PHOTOS
Ian Bell was an early volunteer on the Wensleydale Railway. A lot of his collection of photos, taken by him and his father Ken, from before the WRA took over the Wensleydale have now been added to the WR Photo Archive website. In addition a lot of older photos of the various stations all along the line taken by various photographers have also been added. These can all be found under the ‘Pre WR Photos’ menu item.
Also some photos of early volunteering on the old track bed near Bolton Castle and at Aysgarth in the 1990s, taken by Ian Bell and Neil Gill (another early volunteer) have been added under the ‘Work at Station’ menu item. If anyone can identify any of the volunteers in these photos, please get in touch at editor@wr-rail-link.co.uk .
Timothy Edwards (Photo Archive Website Webmaster)
DRIVER EXPERIENCE DAYS
Our Driver Experience Days offer you an unforgettable experience on one of our heritage diesels – Class 14 loco, Class 37 loco, Class 142 Pacer Unit or the Class 121 ‘Bubblecar’.
For more details or to book, see - https://wensleydale-railway.co.uk/driver_experiences/ or contact our office at admin@wensleydalerailway.com or call 01677 425805.
Wensleydale Railway
BRANCHES IN THE NORTH - DVD VOL. 2
Wensleydale Railway has received a donation of nine copies of the DVD 'Branches in the North - Across the Pennines in the North East' Volume Two produced by Transport Video Publishing in 2023. The donation of the DVDs comes as an acknowledgment from the publishers to the contribution by Wensleydale Railway towards its section on the DVD. The DVD lasts for 90 minutes, of which 30 mins is devoted to Wensleydale Railway. A picture of the DVD and full details of its content are shown below.
The DVD retails at £19.95 and it is being offered to members at a price of £15.95 + £1.55 Postage. Orders to be made by email to pkenyon@dsl.pipex.com indicating whether payment will be made by either cheque or PayPal. Please also provide your full name and address. Our Paypal account is stu.railway@gmail.com
Paul Kenyon
VOLUNTEER MEETING
The first Volunteer Meeting, for several years, where volunteers were able to attend in person, was held on 14th March at Upfront offices in Northallerton. The meeting was relayed by Zoom to those that could not attend in person.
There were three speakers with a variety of subjects.
Neil Rowley gave a very interesting talk on the Boulby potash mine and Grinkle railway. This gave the history of a relatively small area that had a long history of mining (covering alum, ironstone, potash, salt and soon there will be polyhalite).
The second speaker was Bill Oakes who gave a very informative talk on Risk Management Maturity Model (RM3) covering what it is and why it is important to the Wensleydale Railway.
Finally, Nigel Park answered questions submitted before the meeting and then talked about the railway, how well it is doing and the way the board was planning to take the railway forward.
The meeting finished with a short talk about the meeting, what was good, what could be improved and what to do for future meetings.
The intention is to hold three meetings a year, one in March, one in June and finally one in September. The room at Upfront was considered to be a good location for the meetings, however we would like to hear any thoughts that people had for future meetings (topics for presentations, preferred location etc.) so that we can ensure that the meetings remain relevant to the volunteers. If you send your thoughts to admin@wensleydalerailway.com we will compile them and decide what to do for future meetings.
Bob Coombs & Sue Hill
RM3 (RISK MANAGEMENT MATURITY MODEL)
The RM3 Steering Group, which aims to facilitate risk assessments in accordance with the Office of Rail and Road guidelines, has been working for several months now. The work originally was centred on publicising RM3 to raise awareness of the subject. The Steering Group has now started to assess the maturity of risk management of the Wensleydale Railway as described in the Safety Management System.
The first assessment report (SP4, Written health and safety management system) has been submitted to, the board of directors for the directors to consider their response to the issues raised. A response is awaited by the RM3 Steering Group.
The second assessment (OC7, Record keeping, documentation control and knowledge management). has been completed and the report has just been submitted for the board to consider.
Both assessments assessed the maturity level as “Managed”, which is the second of five levels, indicating that there are some positive aspects of the systems in place but there is plenty of scope for improvement.
The third assessment (MRA2, Audit) has just commenced.
The Steering Group are seeking to ensure that senior management or board members are involved in the assessments.
Progress will be reported each month in Rail Link.
Rail Link Steering Group (26/03/2024)
FENCING UPDATE
March has been a very busy month for the fencing gang.
We are very pleased to have finished the major fencing project at Aiskew level crossing. All the white fencing has been replaced. Thanks to all that have helped with this project, whether with the sanding and painting of all the timber or with the installation on site.
Other than the first six posts we installed, none of the others have gone in easily. We kept hitting buried ballast, old level crossing deck components, concrete and of course having to carefully avoid buried services.
The completion of the fencing has allowed the Direct Works Team to fit anti-trespass guards onto the track.
Once we have some better weather, all the fencing will get another coat of white paint.
The next job completed was to repair a section of roadside fencing on the A684 just outside Leyburn. This is on the 'Traffic Light Bridge' just east of Harmby village. During the winter a car had smashed into the fencing damaging quite a length of it. New posts were installed together with a number of new rails where the old ones weren't salvageable.
Then on to replace a rotten gate post at Bedale at the entrance to the old oil dock site. Annoyingly the old post was well installed in concrete but we got through it in the end. New post installed and the gate now works again without catching on the ground.
The final job for this month was to replace a section of roadside fencing that we'd been using as an access point close to Aiskew level crossing. A new gate and fence was installed securing the lineside further but enabling safe access for authorised personnel.
Richard Kirk
ROAD CLOSURE IN AISKEW FOR RESURFACING
North Yorkshire Council are planning to close the Bedale Road for resurfacing works for 13 days between April 8th and April 24th. The work will be carried out between 09.30 and 15.30 on weekdays only. The Railway is planning to take advantage of this closure to renew a crossing gate at Bedale Crossing.
John Slaughter
IMPROVED BUS SERVICE TO LEEMING BAR AND BEDALE
From the 8th April the route 73 bus service from Northallerton to Leeming Bar and Bedale will revert to being roughly every half hour, for the first time since the pandemic, instead of being hourly as at present. I say roughly, as a couple of journeys each way will operate via Leeming Village as route 53, which will interrupt the half hour frequency due the longer distance covered. There may be some initial disruption due to a road closure in Aiskew: see below.
This is good news for the Railway, as it provides a more attractive link to Northallerton Railway Station and the wider world for those of us who use public transport. The improved service will operate 6 days a week, with route 856 replacing it on Sundays and bank holidays, operating three round trips from Northallerton through to Hawes, via Leyburn and Aysgarth.
Timetable leaflets are at our stations, and can also be found on the Dales & District website (https://procterscoaches.com) or search for service 73 on the North Yorkshire Council’s website (https://northyorkstravel.info ). The 856 is part of the DalesBus Network of weekend and bank holiday services (www.dalesbus.org).
John Slaughter
BUS SERVICES FROM MONDAY APRIL 8 ONWARDS
Changes of operator and/or timetable will affect some bus services in - or connecting with - Wensleydale from 8th April (with later start dates for seasonal summer bus services). Checking an operator's own information is advisable (rather than hearsay or third party websites, which may not have been updated).
Ruth Annison
INFRASTRUCTURE REPORT FOR MARCH
This month the Bedale team spent a lot of time and energy on track twists. A twist is where one rail dips and then the other rail dips which causes a rolling movement for trains and can be a derailment risk.
The driver of the Class 121 Bubble Car reported a track twist near Scroggs Farm 2 west of Constable Burton there was also supporting evidence from a dashcam on board the train which allowed the Infrastructure team to pinpoint the problem. At the site they found several dipped joints and some single joints where on the opposing rail the joint had been welded. Our trusty jacks were deployed and using the cross level the dips were removed after some excess ballast had been moved up and the Robel hand tampers had done their job.
Later in the month the team spent a whole day on a recurring problem at Rand Grange near Bedale where burrowing animal activity has undermined the track bed causing a long dip and twist in the track. Sighting boards were deployed and jacks brought the track up to the required level. Ballast was then packed into the resultant voids to maintain this level.
The team did two consecutive days during the month and tackled an area of wide gauge near Yorkshire Dales Caravan crossing. 17 sleepers were changed during the two days to sort the problem. The team also loaded a skip full of scrap rail chairs that will be weighed in to provide more funds for future projects. We also closed up some gaps in the Strail units at a user worked crossing in the area.
Further work was done on Ainderby Gates crossing that we renewed in February, as we then didn’t have the correct transition fishplates to join the bullhead rail to flat bottom rail. They had to be specially ordered and are a very expensive item to purchase.
Other work this month was the replacement of broken and cracked fishplates on various sections discovered on routine track patrols. Jacking and packing of dipped joints, cutting off and replacing seized fishplate bolts and oiling joints.
The Leyburn team have continued between Bridges 28 and 29 west of Leyburn installing reused sleepers recovered from the relay at Aiskew/A1 bridge which had been dropped off by the works train behind the newly installed retaining posts.
A start was made digging out an old abandoned pitch fibre pipe contained in a damaged U tube channel. Sections of rebar on the damaged U tubes were cut away in preparation for the removal of the old pipe and the subsequent installation of a new drainage pipe.
Further sections of the U tube between Wilkinsons User Worked Crossing and Bridge 28 were cleaned out.
Andy Waite
EDITORIAL REMARKS
Our railway could not run without our volunteers and staff who put in much work in so many different ways. If you would like to become a volunteer please email volunteercoordinator@wensleydalerailway.com
Thanks to everyone who has sent me contributions and.......
Deadline for the next newsletter is 19:00 on 30th April. Send to - editor@wr-rail-link.co.uk
Timothy Edwards (Editor)