Its been well documented about Aysgarth station in a thread in about 2018, when it was sold. You should read it.
It brought out a lot of emotion from WR members and the like, probably as far as I can make out / understand because of how the sale was conducted. I believe the WR lost a lot of members over it?
The background behind the sale was cited as money issues and that by selling it, a financial burden would be released, not to mention somehow being tied into accessing a Lottery Grant for Leeming Bar.
Whether this indeed was the truth, only knows, but again from what was said at the time, given Aysgarth's location, its very complete site with platforms, Goods shed, signal box, waiting rooms, station house in an approx 2.5 acre site in the National Park, it was somewhat undersold at circa £400k?
So when the main factor detailed was money issues for the WR, why would you not maximise the sale to boost the finances?
The more I have read about it, via this and the RELAY (WR House Mag) at the time in the letters pages, (Relay Mag 76 or 77?) it appears to be quite a Pandora's box!!
Still its gone now and as people have expressed here, to get to Aysgarth was probably well beyond the WR and many organisations finances.
A case of a nice to have dream, but way too hard to achieve, not to mention pay back.
I think the same argument can be made against the Garsdale - Hawes connection. What justification is there financially?
Its been well documented about Aysgarth station in a thread in about 2018, when it was sold. You should read it.
It brought out a lot of emotion from WR members and the like, probably as far as I can make out / understand because of how the sale was conducted. I believe the WR lost a lot of members over it?
The background behind the sale was cited as money issues and that by selling it, a financial burden would be released, not to mention somehow being tied into accessing a Lottery Grant for Leeming Bar.
Whether this indeed was the truth, only knows, but again from what was said at the time, given Aysgarth's location, its very complete site with platforms, Goods shed, signal box, waiting rooms, station house in an approx 2.5 acre site in the National Park, it was somewhat undersold at circa £400k?
So when the main factor detailed was money issues for the WR, why would you not maximise the sale to boost the finances?
The more I have read about it, via this and the RELAY (WR House Mag) at the time in the letters pages, (Relay Mag 76 or 77?) it appears to be quite a Pandora's box!!
Still its gone now and as people have expressed here, to get to Aysgarth was probably well beyond the WR and many organisations finances.
A case of a nice to have dream, but way too hard to achieve, not to mention pay back.
I think the same argument can be made against the Garsdale - Hawes connection. What justification is there financially?
The house certainly needed renovation, however given some of the houses for sale in the nearby villages, which also need renovating, for what you were getting and the potential, it seems it was certainly at the cheaper end of the market. I recall going up there a few times on open days and walking the site / taking pictures etc and it was an excellent secluded site.Bit in bold - but was it "undersold" at £ 400k ?
It would have needed renovation, to change its use will require planning approval, which isn't always forthcoming in the National Parks, so given those restrictions it may actually be a good price.
Equally by selling it to somebody who is possibly sympathetic with the aims and objectives of the railway, may in the longer term be helpful if the railway ever gets beyond Redmire.
I agree, my friend at the WR from some years ago embellished me with tales of ill thought costly schemes, fantasy at best. I think you need in any business a certain level of business acumen to offset the dreamers. I think things are changing and going in the right direction having visited a number of times over last 12 months and pre-Covid. Leeming Bar and Scruton look wonderful and theres a positive feel when you speak to the volunteers, so hopefully behind the scenes, Im sure its challenging on many fronts like a lot of HR's, its going forward.The railway specific parts of the station would have marginal value to someone who simply wanted it as a house and similarly the 2,5 acre site would be constrained by being in the National Park as to what you could do with it.
As regards the financial competence of the WR I volunteered there for 2 years 2002 - 2004 and I saw them waste huge amounts of money on ill thought out schemes. Hopefully things have changed since then.
The house certainly needed renovation, however given some of the houses for sale in the nearby villages, which also need renovating, for what you were getting and the potential, it seems it was certainly at the cheaper end of the market. I recall going up there a few times on open days and walking the site / taking pictures etc and it was an excellent secluded site.
As for selling to someone sympathetic, yes the owner may be an avid rail enthusiast, but I am reliably informed that there was no commitment, signed or otherwise in the sale, so I guess there's no obligation on the owner IF the WR ever got to Aysgarth.
As for the WR getting to Aysgarth, I think there's very little realistic chance of that ever happening, certainly too many steps too far I think?
I agree, my friend at the WR from some years ago embellished me with tales of ill thought costly schemes, fantasy at best. I think you need in any business a certain level of business acumen to offset the dreamers. I think things are changing and going in the right direction having visited a number of times over last 12 months and pre-Covid. Leeming Bar and Scruton look wonderful and theres a positive feel when you speak to the volunteers, so hopefully behind the scenes, Im sure its challenging on many fronts like a lot of HR's, its going forward.
It's unlikely to be HS2. It could (but probably won't) reopen as a country branch line or (more likely) cycleway, and I'm not sure either of those would devalue it that much.