Weardale Railway

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Weardale Line

		Dismantled Line to Wearhead
		Eastgate and Lafarge cement works (closed)
		Stanhope
		Frosterley
		Wolsingham
		Bishop Auckland
		Tees Valley Line to Darlington and Saltburn

The Weardale Railway is a single track branch line which originally extended from Bishop Auckland to Wearhead in County Durham, a distance of about 40km. It was built in the nineteenth century to carry passenger and freight traffic. As late as 1992 the line remained in use as part of the national network, serving a large cement works at Eastgate (latterly owned by the Lafarge group) and providing a summer Sundays only passenger service between Bishop Auckland and Stanhope.

As at April 2007, the track remains in place between Bishop Auckland and Eastgate. Although that track is severed at two points and only the 8km section between Wolsingham and Stanhope is in regular use. The rails were lifted in the 1970s from the extreme western section of the line between Eastgate and Wearhead. The trackbed itself has been removed in at least one place on this last section.

1 The Weardale Railway preservation project
2 Collapse and Administration
3 Revival
4 Locomotives
5 Trivia
6 References
7 External links

[edit] The Weardale Railway preservation project

In 1993 British Rail announced its intention to close the line following the loss of the line's last significant commercial customer. In that year, Lafarge decided to service the Eastgate cement works by road and end its use of rail. Local authorities sought to find some alternative use for the line and it was considered that the only immediate possibility was a steam tourist service.

The Weardale Railway preservation project was started in 1993 at the time that British Rail ended freight and passenger services on the line. The intention was that a private company should take ownership of the line and start a steam service for tourists on the scenic western end of the line.

The operating company was known as Weardale Railways Ltd (WRL), a company limited by guarantee. Its early Directors included well known individuals such as Sir Robert McAlpine, Pete Waterman, Ian Allan and David Bellamy. Although, most of these individuals withdrew from the project before it was able to start services.

Large amounts of public sector grant finance were obtained or conditionally pledged from various donors including local regional development agency One North East. Durham County Council and the Wear Valley District Council also actively supported the project. This allowed a 40 strong workforce to be recruited, a depot and base of operations to be established at Wolsingham, the station at Stanhope to be restored and services started in July 2004.

Stanhope station, Weardale Railway, August 2004

Initially, services ran from Wolsingham to Stanhope but there were plans to start services along the full length of the remaining line. There were even plans to rebuild the Eastgate to Wearhead section which had been lifted.

[edit] Collapse and Administration

The project was characterised by a capital intensive, 'top down' approach. The project was run by a private company and relied heavily on paid staff. This could not be sustained by the available revenue base. Most railway preservation projects in the UK have been run by voluntary groups, relying on supporters to provide funding and volunteer labour. This is an entirely different approach to that adopted at Weardale.

Within a few months, debts of over £1m were accumulated and the business went into administration on 2 January 2005.^[1] The promoters of the project claimed that its financial difficulties were the result of bureaucratic issues associated with the bodies that had awarded grants to the project. These bodies would not actually pay over the money until certain matters had been attended to. The most notable of these was that WRL should acquire actual ownership of the line - something it failed to achieve. However, critics maintained that the management of the project had been reckless in entering into financial commitments without secure funding being available.^[2]

Throughout 2005, attempts were made to get the railway company out of administration and allow it to resume services. However, this proved difficult because of various structural problems within the project.

One particular area of difficulty related to the construction in 2004 of a new running shed at the Wolsingham depot site. It was intended that the cost of this shed should be largely funded by a grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund, but this grant never materialised. Further complications were that the shed had been partly built on property that did not belong to Weardale Railway Ltd and road access to the whole depot site was only available through a neighbouring factory site. This access was withdrawn after an incident when volunteer workers in the depot accidentally cut off the electricity supply to the factory. The owners of that factory, Weardale Castings Ltd, demanded substantial compensation from WRL. That compensation was estimated at around £100,000 for repairs to equipment, lost production and legal costs. Weardale Castings joined the list of WRL creditors, and was demanding payment in full.

It proved difficult to obtain the funding needed to get the company out of administration until these issues were resolved.

Class 37 hauling 3 coach train on Weardale line, 2006

In spite of this, the railway preservation community continued to support the project. For example, during 2006 the "Class 37 Group" moved a number of its diesel locomotives to the depot. However, the Group's access to these locomotives for restoration and maintenance has become restricted.

[edit] Revival

Eventually, a commmunity interest company known as Ealing Community Transport (ECT) agreed to take a majority stake in WRL and provide management support to the project.^[3] ECT also agreed to underwrite any further operating losses incurred by WRL. This undertaking was sufficient to allow the creditors of WRL to permit the resumption of services on the line in August 2006.^[4] The creditors agreed to a "company voluntary arrangement" whereby they would receive 25p for every £1 they were owed. However, WRL would remain in administration until this money was paid over.^[5] A financial package has been assembled by which WRL's backers will pay off its creditors but this is conditional upon resolution of various matters relating to the ownership of the line and the disputes concerning property boundaries and compensation.

As at 1 April 2007 WRL is still in administration and the creditors have not been paid the amounts agreed.^[6] Attempts to address the fundamental problems of the project are being made. But, major creditors have threatened to put WRL into liquidation if they do not get their money by end April. ^[7]

[edit] Locomotives

Diesel Locomotives
- BR Co-Co Class 20 no. 20107
- BR Co-Co Class 37/0 nos. 37003, 37175 and 37275
- BR Co-Co Class 37/4 no. 37414
Diesel Multiple Units
- BR Class 141 units 141103 and 141110