Patron: The Rt. Rev. Dr Tom Wright, the Lord Bishop of Durham

The Trust came into being as a way of providing legal protection for the members of the original Weardale Railway Society. The two parallel organisations subsequently merged to produce the Weardale Railway Trust Ltd, company registration number 3226401. The A.G.M. of the Trust takes place each November where a proportion of the officers are elected on a 2-year cycle. This group meets every month to conduct the Trust's business, with sub-groups meeting more frequently. The minutes of the monthly meetings are open for public viewing and can be downloaded HERE. 
Charitable status has been granted (Reg. No. 1088897) enabling us to maximize our income and effectiveness.

The object of the Trust is to:
"Support Weardale Railways Ltd to purchase or by any other means acquire the railway land, track and infrastructure currently existing between signal S36 at Cockton Hill Bridge, Bishop Auckland and Eastgate, proposed extensions thereof and the operation of trains."

Volunteers - Working volunteers are always in demand whether helping operations as driver, guard, crossing keeper, etc, station duties in the shop, cafe, ticket office, or behind the scenes maintaining and refurbishing rolling stock and track. All volunteers need the protection of training and the Trust's insurance, therefore it is in everyone's interest that:
All working volunteers must first become members of the Trust.
Upon receipt of the completed application form and payment new members are invited to submit their skills and time available to the Volunteer Coordinator who will put them in touch with the relevant team leader.

If you are already a Trust member you can download a volunteer form here.

For more about current projects

Full, Concessionary, Life and Corporate members of the Trust receive a quarterly magazine "Between the Lines" to keep them informed of progress in the many areas of work needed to bring a railway back into operation. The magazine also carries a variety of articles relating to the history of the railway and its surroundings. Many of the Trust's members give their support solely by their subscription fees - not everyone is fortunate enough to have good health, spare time and live close enough to Weardale to be regularly involved in the work of the project. Those who are willing and able to help on a regular basis will normally also register with "The Loco Group" or one of the other support working parties currently being formed.
If you can spare the time, there is almost certainly a job within your capability!

If you want to support the project, the membership classes are:
Full - the appropriate class of membership for one person.
Concessionary - has a reduced membership fee for the benefit of those on modest incomes such as students, unemployed & retired members, and for under-16s who join independently of their parents. The fee is kept to the minimum necessary to just cover the administrative and postal costs involved.
Life - A one-off payment for continuous membership for the lifetime of the member. There are two rates depending on whether the member is under or over the age of 60.
Joint - The class for an additional adult at the same address as a Full or Concessionary member.
Junior - for a supporter under the age of 16, also at the same address as a Full or Concessionary member.

Note: Each Joint and Junior member receives their individual membership card allowing them to contribute to voluntary activities, but they do not receive separate magazine mailings.

Corporate - a membership class appropriate for businesses wishing to show their support.