Wensleydale Railway has unveiled a colourful new look for one of its passenger trains following a refurbishment by volunteers and staff.
The heritage railway’s Class 142 diesel multiple unit, number 142060, has been repainted in the distinctive turquoise and lime green Northern Spirit livery.
The train, which has operated services between Leeming Bar and Leyburn since arriving at the railway in 2020, will carry its first passengers in the new colours on Saturday, October 17.
The Northern Spirit livery was introduced in 1998 for the Regional Railways North East franchise, which was operated by Merseyside Transport Limited.
The company was bought by Arriva in 2000, with the franchise subsequently rebranded as Arriva Trains Northern in 2001.
The train was moved into the engineering shed at Leeming Bar in May, where a small team of volunteers and staff carried out cosmetic bodywork repairs before repainting it.
George Stephens, operations assistant at Wensleydale Railway, said he had particularly enjoyed being involved in the restoration.
He said: “I qualified to drive this unit in 2025 and thoroughly enjoyed being part of this project.
“It’s great to be able to give the unit a new lease of life and as far as I know, this is the only preserved train in Northern Spirit livery on a heritage railway.”
The project is the latest in a series of refurbishment schemes completed by the railway’s engineering team.
In recent years, volunteers and staff have refurbished and repainted passenger coaches, as well as carrying out bodywork repairs and repainting three diesel locomotives.
Nick Keegan, marketing and fundraising manager at Wensleydale Railway, praised those involved.
He said: “We’d like to thank everyone who supported this project. It’s another example of the excellent work that our small team of volunteers and staff do and we’re very grateful to them.
“In the last couple of years, our engineering team have completed various projects including the refurbishment and repainting of passenger coaches and the bodywork repairs and repainting of three diesel locomotives.
“As a result, they have developed quite a reputation within the railway enthusiasts’ community for their high-quality work.”
The railway is also hoping the latest project will encourage more people to volunteer.
Mr Keegan added: “There’s no shortage of ongoing maintenance work required to keep our locomotives and rolling stock in top condition.
“If you fancy working on interesting projects like this, please come and volunteer with us!”
Further information about volunteering is available on the Wensleydale Railway website.
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