Staff from National Gas Transmission have joined volunteers from Wensleydale Railway for a hands-on volunteering and development day helping to repair track in Wensleydale.
The group worked alongside the railway’s permanent way (P-Way) team near Wensley, west of Leyburn and close to Yorkshire Dales National Park.
After a site safety briefing, the volunteers loaded ten replacement sleepers onto rail trolleys before carrying out spot repairs to the track east of the Wensley level crossing.
Chris Morrill, P-Way leader at Wensleydale Railway, said the visiting volunteers quickly got involved in the work.
“Three of our volunteers hosted eight volunteers from National Gas Transmission to get a taste of working on the rails,” he said.
“After a demonstration of sleeper replacement by our volunteers, the NGT team soon got into the swing of it. Many hands do make light work and five timbers had been swapped out before we broke for lunch.”
Following a short break, the team replaced a further four sleepers and cleared vegetation from several panels of track.
Steven Porter, assistant project manager at National Gas Transmission, said the experience gave the team a greater understanding of the work involved in maintaining the railway.
“The National Gas team thoroughly enjoyed the day – it was not only great fun but also genuinely educational,” he said.
“Wensleydale Railway’s guidance, knowledge and enthusiasm made the experience hugely worthwhile, and everyone came away with a deeper appreciation of the work that goes into maintaining the railway.”
Jon Trueman, director and industry partnership manager at Wensleydale Railway, said the volunteers had contributed directly to the railway’s long-term restoration plans.
“Their work directly contributed to our project to restore passenger services over the 5.5-mile section between Leyburn and Redmire, which has been closed since 2020,” he said.
The railway hopes to reopen the scenic section to passenger services by 2027 as part of an ongoing programme of drainage improvements, vegetation clearance and track renewal.
The 22-mile heritage line currently runs services between Scruton, near Northallerton, and Leyburn, offering visitors the chance to explore the Yorkshire Dales by train.
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