Good news for the Weardale Railway

[class47]

From 'The Northern Echo' newspaper:

Railway’s new owner reveals plans for line
11:00am Wednesday 8th October 2008

MORE than 50 years of rail isolation could be ending for thousands of
North-East residents who are on track to get back direct passenger and
freight links with the rest of the country.

The new US owner of the Weardale Railway tourist line, in County
Durham, is showing it means business by clearing the whole 18 miles of
track between Eastgate and Bishop Auckland by the end of the year.

This will open up a direct link with main line services in Bishop
Auckland and pave the way for the eventual return of the first regular
passenger service through Weardale since 1953.

Iowa Pacific Holdings, which is investing £800,000 in the railway
through a new company, British American Services Ltd, has a five-year
plan which would eventually see freight, commuter and tourist services
operating through Bishop Auckland.

The company is negotiating with quarries in Frosterley and Eastgate to
carry aggregates to industrial centres on Tyneside and Teesside.

Freight trains would pass straight through Bishop Auckland, but
passengers would have to switch carriages through a new Weardale
platform west of the present station.

Regular passenger services cannot start until the income from freight
and tourist trains, which operate at 25mph, helps pay for track
upgrades to allow 60mph operations.

[68009]

This is great news,a friend of mine is a driver on the weardale and has recently been working on track clearance between Wolsingham and Bishop Auckland.The class 20 and 25 has now left the Weardale and a class 31 has arrived for the Santa specials.

[class47]

I have to say that I did enjoy the day at the weardale and will definately go again.
However one problem they have is their name, so many people get confused between the weardale and the wensleydale, pity they can't sort that bit out.