Redmire railway station

Redmire railway station is the current western terminus of the Wensleydale Railway, although it is not currently served by passenger services, and serves the village of Redmire in North Yorkshire, England. Before temporary closure in 2019, it was the second busiest station on the Wensleydale Railway in terms of passenger numbers owing to its status as the western terminus of the line.[1]

Redmire
Station on heritage railway
General information
LocationRedmire, Richmondshire
England
Coordinates54°19′09″N 1°55′43″W / 54.319190°N 1.928600°W / 54.319190; -1.928600
Grid referenceSE047915
Managed byWensleydale Railway
Platforms1
History
Original companyNorth Eastern Railway
Post-groupingLondon and North Eastern Railway
Key dates
1 February 1878Opened
26 April 1954Closed
August 2004Reopened
2019Services suspended

History

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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]

Notes

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  1. ^ Chapman, Hannah, ed. (8 March 2019). "Railway Shelter Installed". Darlington & Stockton Times. No. 10–2019. p. 14. ISSN 2516-5348.
  2. ^ Body, G. (1988). PSL Field Guides – Railways of the Eastern Region Volume 2. Wellingborough: Patrick Stephens Ltd. p. 136. ISBN 1-85260-072-1.
  3. ^ "The Wensleydale Railway". Railways of Britain. Retrieved 6 November 2008.
  4. ^ "Station Name: REDMIRE". disused-stations.org.uk. Retrieved 19 March 2019.
  5. ^ admind9523 (12 September 2022). "Return To Redmire Appeal". Wensleydale Railway. Retrieved 19 June 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  6. ^ "Welcome to Redmire Station House". redmirestation.house. Retrieved 1 December 2019.
  7. ^ "Wensleydale Railway Association – History & Heritage". Archived from the original on 5 January 2013. Retrieved 6 November 2008.
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Preceding station    Heritage railways Following station
Terminus   Wensleydale Railway   Leyburn
  Historical railways  
Aysgarth
Line and station closed
  North Eastern Railway
Hawes Branch
  Wensley
Line open, station closed
   Proposed Heritage railways
Aysgarth
Line and station closed
  Wensleydale Railway   Leyburn
Line and station open