History
The station was opened by the North Eastern Railway in 1878 as part of the Hawes extension of their route from Northallerton via Leyburn but it lost its passenger service in April 1954. [2]
The site was redeveloped in the early 1990s by the Ministry of Defence to allow movement of military equipment by rail to and from Catterick Garrison, an operation that continues periodically to this day. Previously, the site was used as a quarry loading terminal for daily limestone trains to the now closed steelworks at Redcar. This traffic kept the 22 mile (35.6 km) branch from Northallerton open after the Beeching cuts of the 1960s claimed the remainder of the line towards Hawes but its end in December 1992 [3] left the line's future in doubt until the MoD stepped in. The Wensleydale Railway subsequently leased the line from Railtrack and began operating passenger trains to Redmire in 2004. [4] Passenger services were halted in 2019 due to the track being life expired with some sections dating from before the First World War. The Wensleydale Railway is currently fundraising to replace the track and allow services to reach Redmire once again. [5]
Redmire Station House is now a Scout-owned activity centre giving children and other charities a base for a week or weekend visit to the area. Redmire Station House is owned by 2nd Acomb Scout Group, York and run on their behalf under a Declaration of Trust with four trustees. Redmire is primarily available for Scouts, youth groups and other charities. Other connected parties can also use the facilities away from peak times. Over its 50 years as a Scout Activity Centre, it has been visited by tens of thousands of children of varying abilities and backgrounds and other charitable organisations. [6]
It is the long-term aim of the Wensleydale Railway to re-lay the line from Redmire to Garsdale on the Settle-Carlisle Railway. [7]
Wensleydale is a valley in North Yorkshire, England. It is one of the Yorkshire Dales, which are part of the Pennines. The dale is named after the village of Wensley, formerly the valley's market town. The principal river of the valley is the Ure, which is the source of the alternative name Yoredale. The majority of the dale is within the Yorkshire Dales National Park; the part below East Witton is within the national landscape of Nidderdale.
The Wensleydale Railway is a heritage railway in Wensleydale and Lower Swaledale in North Yorkshire, England. It was built in stages by different railway companies and originally extended to Garsdale railway station on the Settle-Carlisle line. Since 2003, the remaining line has been run as a heritage railway. The line runs 22 miles (35 km) between Northallerton West station, about a fifteen-minute walk from Northallerton station on the East Coast Main Line, and Redmire.
Hawes is a market town and civil parish in North Yorkshire, England, at the head of Wensleydale in the Yorkshire Dales, and historically in the North Riding of Yorkshire. The River Ure north of the town is a tourist attraction in the Yorkshire Dales National Park.
Northallerton railway station is on the East Coast Main Line serving the town of Northallerton in North Yorkshire, England. It is between Thirsk to the south and Darlington to the north. Its three-letter station code is NTR.
Askrigg is a small village and civil parish in Wensleydale in the Yorkshire Dales National Park. It was formerly a part of the Richmondshire district of North Yorkshire, England. The village and its parish are located in Upper Wensleydale, 12 miles (19 km) west of Leyburn, and 5 miles (8 km) east of Hawes. It is 31.4 miles (50.5 km) west of the county town of Northallerton.
Leeming Bar railway station is a railway station in Leeming Bar, North Yorkshire, England. It is the penultimate eastern rail passenger station of the Wensleydale Railway, though the line continues towards Northallerton. Trains are timed to link in with Dales and District service buses to Northallerton to connect with the National Rail network.
Bedale railway station is on the Wensleydale Railway and serves the town of Bedale in North Yorkshire, England. The station was opened in 1855, and closed under British Railways in 1954. It was re-opened as part of the heritage Wensleydale Railway in 2004.
Leyburn railway station is on the Wensleydale Railway, a seasonal, heritage service and serves the town of Leyburn in North Yorkshire, England. During the summer months it is served by at least three trains per day; at other times of the year the service is mainly at weekends and public holidays.
Garsdale is a railway station in Cumbria, England, on the Settle and Carlisle Line, which runs between Carlisle and Leeds via Settle. The station, situated 51 miles 29 chains (82.7 km) south-east of Carlisle, serves the village of Garsdale and town of Sedbergh in Cumbria, and the market town of Hawes in North Yorkshire. It is owned by Network Rail and managed by Northern Trains.
The Eryholme–Richmond branch line was opened in 1846 by the York and Newcastle Railway Company. The original section of the line ran from between a point in between Darlington and Northallerton on what is now the East Coast Main Line and the terminus at Richmond railway station.
Hawes railway station is a disused railway station that served the town of Hawes in North Yorkshire, England. It was closed in 1959 and now forms part of the Dales Countryside Museum. Since 2015, the museum has rented the building to a business operating a bike shop and later, also a cafe.
Constable Burton railway station is a disused railway station on the Wensleydale Railway, in North Yorkshire, England. It was built to serve Constable Burton Hall, the village and the farms in this rural area.
Aysgarth railway station is a disused railway station in North Yorkshire, England, near Aysgarth Falls. It was part of the Hawes Branch of the North Eastern Railway from its opening in 1877 until closure in April 1954.
Ainderby railway station was a railway station serving the villages of Ainderby Steeple and Morton-on-Swale in North Yorkshire, England.
Askrigg railway station is a disused railway station in North Yorkshire, England, and served the village of Askrigg. It was located 660 yards (600 m) west of the village, in the neighbouring civil parish of Low Abbotside. It was part of the Wensleydale Railway until it closed. The Wensleydale Railway Association aims to rebuild the railway from Northallerton to Garsdale, with an eventual aim of reopening the intermediate stations.
Scruton railway station is a restored railway station on the Wensleydale Railway that serves the village of Scruton, in North Yorkshire, England.
Jervaulx railway station was a railway station in Newton-le-Willows, North Yorkshire, England. Originally named after this place, it was renamed after Jervaulx, about 4 mi (6 km) to the southwest and known for its former abbey, to distinguish it from Newton-le-Willows in Merseyside. Reputedly the Marquess of Aylesbury was upset by many of his guests arriving at the wrong destination.
Northallerton West is a temporary station built by the Wensleydale Railway as part of plans to link the railway with Northallerton, North Yorkshire, England.
The network of railways in Northallerton, North Yorkshire, England, was constructed by three companies whose lines through the town were built between 1841 and 1852. They were all amalgamated into the North Eastern Railway (NER) which in turn was subsumed into the London and North Eastern Railway in 1923 and British Rail in 1948. British Rail closed two lines, the Wensleydale line in 1954 and a section of the Leeds Northern Railway to Harrogate in 1969. The Wensleydale line was retained as a freight branch and resurrected as a heritage railway in 2003 but the line to Harrogate closed completely. Despite closures and rationalisation, the station still is at a major junction on the East Coast Main Line.
DalesRail is a railway passenger service operated for tourism in the summer months across Cumbria, Lancashire and North Yorkshire, England. The service routinely uses the current freight-only line between Clitheroe and Hellifield, offering the opportunity to travel on a line rarely used by passenger trains. The trains then also traverse the full length of the Settle & Carlisle line. The DalesRail brand has also been used on the Wensleydale Line in the 1970s and 1980s, before that line reopened as a heritage railway.
