New owners for Weardale Railway

A heritage railway in northeast England has been bought by a local charity. The Weardale Railway between Stanhope and Bishop Auckland, a distance of 18 miles, was put up for sale last year after the US firm Iowa Pacific Holdings entered insolvency last year. Iowa Pacific, through its subsidiary BARS, had a controlling stake in the Weardale Railway Community Interest Company. Local regeneration charity the Auckland Project has bought the railway and wants to work with a train operator to reinstate direct trains over the line from Darlington. The Darlington to Bishop Auckland line passes two railway heritage sites, the Darlington North Road museum and the National Railway Museum’s Locomotion museum at Shildon. The Auckland Project hopes to capitalise on 2025 being the 200th anniversary of the Stockton and Darlington Railway.