Wensleydale Railway: Yorkshire Dales railway volunteers start civil engineering project amid plans to reopen Leyburn to Redmire line where ITV’s Vera was filmed

Wensleydale Railway has started major track repair work, as part of its plans to restore passenger services from Leyburn to Redmire.

The section of line between the Georgian market town of Leyburn to Redmire village has been closed to the public since 2020 due to the deterioration of the track and infrastructure on this section of the railway. Part of the track is life-expired and dates back to before the First World War.

The railway’s goal is to restore passenger services between Leyburn and Redmire by September 2025. Unfortunately, their progress is being hindered by a 0.75-mile section of damaged track close to Wensley Station that is in desperate need of repair. Wensley is roughly halfway between Leyburn and Redmire.

The earthworks which carried the railway along the foot of the cliffs below Leyburn Shawl have eroded and material has fallen into the adjacent fields. Some sleeper ends have been left exposed and unsupported.

This damaged section of the track is impeding progress. The railway plans to slew the track away from the embankment edge and onto what was once part of the quarry sidings. This work is now underway.

The railway has raised more than £50,000 from a fundraising appeal in 2022. The line from Leyburn to Redmire was then surveyed, made notes of all defects, and an action plan was produced to bring the line back up to passenger standards again.

Work began west of Leyburn in 2023, changing sleepers, removing trees and sorting out earthworks and drainage. This section of the line is in a deep cutting and the earth on the north side has gradually drifted down onto the track over the years.

This has all had to be dug out and shored up to prevent repeated damage. The drainage here is also in very poor condition. Roughly around 260 metres of concrete U tube drainage channel had to be dug out to remove damaged pipes containing asbestos.

Get the best Yorkshire news sent straight to your inbox

The railway launched a follow-up fundraising appeal in July 2024, as part of its ongoing plans to restore the line and the appeal is focussed on the damaged track close to Wensley Station.

The Wensley track section has been surveyed by a civil engineer and plans made to slew the track away from the embankment edge onto what was once part of the quarry sidings.

The work will require roughly 1,000 tons of ballast at a cost of around £25,000 to £30,000, the hire of machinery and qualified operators, works trains and the railway’s operating staff, permanent way engineers to approve the work, plus hiring a tamping unit (this alone will cost around £10,000) and lastly, the efforts of the railway’s volunteer infrastructure teams.

There is also a short section of track just east of Wensley crossing which needs attention and that should allow the railway to reach Wensley. The next work phase will focus on the line to the west, in particular Preston Bank as it runs downhill towards Redmire Station. This will need significant support to complete.

Fundraising and marketing manager at Wensleydale Railway, Nick Keegan, said: “We launched our latest fundraising appeal in July and have received close to £20,000 in donations towards this essential repair work.

“We are very grateful to everyone who has supported us so far. We are making progress with our goal of re-opening services to Redmire by 2025. However, the work is challenging, time-consuming and costly. We would welcome further donations to help us reach our target of £30,000.

“Our community railway runs through the heart of the spectacular Yorkshire Dales. I would urge local people and businesses to back this appeal and our on-going plans to showcase our amazing region to visitors.”