A HERITAGE railway group seeking to reconnect a Dales valley with the Settle to Carlisle railway is celebrating its 25th anniversary.

Ruth Annison, who called the first meeting of the Wensleydale Railway Association on May 23,  1990, will wave the green flag to set off the first train at the birthday celebration this weekend.

Wensleydale Railway is staging a special timetable of trains and Mrs Annison will be ‘green-flagging’ the first locomotive at around 9.30am tomorrow (Saturday).

The original railway, which had closed by 1960s, ran from Northallerton through Leyburn, Aysgarth and Hawes to Garsdale junction in Upper Wensleydale where it linked to the Settle-Carlisle route. In recent years a 22-mile section of the line has been restored to the Lower Wensleydale village of Redmire.

Trains will run from the new Northallerton West platform and all other stops along the restored route for the anniversary on Saturday, Sunday and Monday.