Sir, – It was heartening reading of work starting on linking the Wensleydale Railway to the main line and Spectator's comments (D&S Times, Oct 31).

As a youngster brought up in the Upper Dale in the 1930s one thought the railway would be there for all time. Apart form serving the Dale it also connected two main lines, Northallerton to Garsdale on the Settle to Carlisle.

But with anti-railway governments, had it not been for the sheer determination of die-hard enthusiasts, the Settle and Carlisle line would have gone the same way as the Northallerton, Ripon and Harrogate line. So would the Wensleydale which had already been reduced to just 22 miles and solely used by quarry freight traffic.

When the quarry trains came to an ended, it was the Wensleydale Railway Association, of which I am a member, that came to the rescue with the aim of reinstating as much of the old track as possible.

DOUGLAS PUNCHARD

Helmsley, York.