Wensleydale Railway Rail Link Photos

Wensleydale Railway - Photo Archive

Castle Bolton - 1996/7 (1)

Michael Metcalfe's Photos

In 1996 the Wensleydale Railway Association (WRA) got control of part of the old trackbed near Castle Bolton and started to make preparations for track laying, the intention was to lay track to run trains between Redmire and Aysgarth. At this time it was not anticipated that we would be able to run trains on the still used Northallerton to Redmire section of the line in the foreseeable future.

Thanks go to Michael Metcalfe who has provided these photographs. He has been a volunteer right from the very first WRA working party and is still an active volunteer on the railway.

The names of the people named in the photo captions are thought to be all correct, however if there are any errors or omissions please let me know.

Ref - 937

Photo - Michael Metcalfe
The first ever work party of the WRA on 17/08/96 showing drainage clearance and bush cutting on the bank near Bolton Castle.
(L-R) Michael Metcalfe, Simon Crossfield, Ian Bell, Mark Flather. (17/08/1996)
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Ref - 937

Photo - Michael Metcalfe
The first ever work party of the WRA on 17/08/96 showing drainage clearance and bush cutting on the bank near Bolton Castle.
(L-R) Michael Metcalfe, Simon Crossfield, Ian Bell, Mark Flather. (17/08/1996)
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Ref - 938

Photo - Michael Metcalfe
The second work party continues with vegetation clearance near Bolton Castle - still doing it 20 years later.
(L-R) Andy Feather, Eric Hall, Neil Gill. (31/08/1996)
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Ref - 939

Photo - Michael Metcalfe
Dinner time near Bolton Castle.
(L-R) Ken Clough, John Boothroyd, Mark Flather, Colin Brown, Simon Crossfield, Arthur Hartley (14/09/1996)
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Ref - 940

Photo - Michael Metcalfe
A Portakabin was gifted via a Manchester bus depot and WRA had to arrange transport. This shows the wagon adjusting it to it's final resting place near Bolton Castle. (12/10/1996)
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Ref - 941

Photo - Michael Metcalfe
More drainage work near Bolton Castle.
(L-R) John Harker, Clive Roberts, Angus Maude, Ken Clough. (26/10/1996)
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Ref - 942

Photo - Michael Metcalfe
A general view after some recently arrived concrete sleepers near Bolton Castle from Heckmondwick in West Yorkshire. (18/01/1997)
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Ref - 943

Photo - Michael Metcalfe
More drainage pipes added to the trackside near Bolton Castle.
(L-R) Angus Maude, Simon Crossfield, John Boothroyd on Dumper, Cliff Barrett. (15/02/1997)
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Ref - 944

Photo - Michael Metcalfe
Two more loads of sleepers arrived on site near Bolton Castle from storage at Leyburn's Bentley site. Ralph Brown of Leyburn using his AEC 6x6 vehicle cranes sleepers from a lorry on the road bridge to the pile. (15/03/1997)
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Ref - 945

Photo - Michael Metcalfe
New fence up - old one burnt near Bolton Castle.
Ken Clough finds it's too hot. (12/04/1997)
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Ref - 946

Photo - Michael Metcalfe
The only photo that was staged. 4 sleepers were spaced out on a tidy bit of track with cleaned out drains near Bolton Castle.
(L-R) Bill Hunt, John Harker, John Boothroyd, Jim Wareing, Les Garrett, Arthur Hartley, Ed Gardiner, Clive Roberts, Andy Feather. (12/04/1997)
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Ref - 947

Photo - Michael Metcalfe
Recently arrived JCB d near Bolton Castle to the generosity of Jim Wareing. This JCB served the railway well up until a few years ago when I think it was sold for scrap. It also shows the small dumper which had arrived a few months earlier.
(L-R) John Harker in JCB, Arthur Hartley, (Jim Wareing - part hidden), John Boothroyd. (10/05/1997)
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Ref - 948

Photo - Michael Metcalfe
Shows the newly arrived second dumper so now we have them queuing up for loads of top soil removed from the track bed near Bolton Castle. (07/06/1997)
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Ref - 949

Photo - Michael Metcalfe
Quite a lot of time was spent moving the concrete sleepers from the pile eastwards for storage where they still lay today near Bolton Castle. Using levers, gravity ,wood guides, Arthur Hartley levers them off the pile watched by Richard Sparne so they land up at the bottom of the bank. These weigh about 5 cwt each so not so easy to move. (05/07/1997)
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Ref - 950

Photo - Michael Metcalfe
Shows the sleepers been laid out at the eastern end of the section near Bolton Castle brought down by dumper and trailer.
(L-R) Ian Bell, Dave Jenkins, John Harker, John Boothroyd in JCB. (05/07/1997)
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Ref - 951

Photo - Michael Metcalfe
After more of the same sleeper moving throughout the day which was one year on from the first work party a BBQ was held 6.30 onwards near Bolton Castle.
(In November 1997 the railway acquired the Aysgarth Station site so we all moved there) (16/08/1997)
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