Tonight myself, Andrew Carmichael and Trevor Watson met with the committee of ABTRA – The Ashington Blyth & Tyne Railway Association. This new group want to run heritage services on the AB&T Butterwell branch. However they fully support SENRUG’s vision of seeing this line eventually brought back into the national rail infrastructure providing a diversionary route between Benton Junction and Butterwell Junction and local services between Ashington and Alnmouth. They agreed their constitution would include a clause saying they would abandon heritage rail operations and aspirations on the line when there is a requirement for this to happen. Overall a very productive evening and both groups came away feeling we can work well together and respecting each other’s activities.
