Eden Valley Railway

The Eden Valley Railway was a railway in Cumbria, England. It ran between Penrith and Kirkby Stephen via Appleby, but was gradually cut back with track now only remaining for 6 miles between Appleby and Flitholme. Heritage railway services resumed in 2006 between Warcop and Sandford, where a halt is being considered.

History

The original Eden Valley branch of the North Eastern Railway was opened in 1865 and ran from Clifton near Penrith on the West Coast Main Line to Kirkby Stephen where it joined with the South Durham & Lancashire Union Railway also run by the NER. The line closed to passenger traffic in 1962 and by the 1970s all that was left was the 6 mile track between the Settle-Carlisle line at Appleby to Warcop used infrequently by the Army. The A66 trunk road now occupies sections of the old trackbed West of Appleby.

Preservation

In 1995 The Eden Valley Railway Society was formed with the aim of restoring the line and reintroducing a train service. Passenger trains resumed running from Warcop in 2006 however in May 2007 an army lorry struck the railway bridge near Warcop causing the suspension of passenger services for the foreseeable future.

The line is upgrading the track for public service towards Appleby East (Phase 1). Plans may include a new station at Sandford, between Warcop and Appleby.

Once this is achieved, the Eden Valley Railway Trust (which already owns some land near Musgrave) is looking to relaying the track towards Musgrave and eventually to a new station at Kirkby Stephen.

Rolling Stock

Below is a list of some of the rolling stock currently in use by the Eden Valley Railway:

;Diesel-Electric Multiple Units
*BR Class 205 unit 205009

;Electrical Multiple Units
*BR Class 412 4Bep units 2311 and 2315
*BR Class 419 MLV units 9003 and 9005

External links

* [http://www.evr.org.uk/ The Railway website]