Volunteers at Wensleydale Railway have completed essential repair work on a bridge near Leyburn in time for the start of the railway’s 2026 operating season.
The railway, which maintains several bridges along its 22-mile line, carried out the work on a stone-built structure at Stoop House Farm, close to Leyburn. The bridge carries the railway over a country road serving nearby farms and villages and is vital for the line’s operation.
Over the years, water had seeped into the masonry, meaning urgent repairs were needed to protect the structure.
The work involved clearing vegetation around the site and lifting sections of track so volunteers could remove ballast and gain access to the top of the bridge deck.
Members of the railway’s volunteer team carried out masonry repairs before a specialist contractor installed a waterproof membrane on the bridge deck. Volunteers then reinstated the track and ballast to restore the line.
The project was led by retired civil engineer Graham Boyd, who began volunteering with the railway in 2025.
He said: “This project took five weeks to complete and involved volunteers from our vegetation, direct works and permanent way teams, as well as operations and office staff.
“We had a short window of time to complete this work before our first scheduled train services of the year were due to start. The work required considerable co-ordination across our volunteer teams and much of it was carried out in very poor weather. I would like to thank everyone involved in successfully completing this work.”
Nick Keegan, marketing and fundraising manager at the railway, said the work had been completed just in time for the first trains of the season.
“The repairs were completed in time for our first trains of the 2026 season, which ran on Valentine’s Day,” he said. “The success of this project is a credit to our incredible volunteers. Their contribution to our railway is invaluable and we’re very grateful for their hard work, dedication and support.”
He added that there is always maintenance work to be done along the railway and encouraged members of the public to consider volunteering.
Anyone interested in helping can find out more by emailing volunteercoordinator@wensleydalerailway.com or visiting the railway’s website.
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