Wensleydale Railway has announced the appointment of its youngest train driver. George Stephens, from
Darlington, has passed his driver training and is now qualified to drive the railway’s class 142 and class 143 diesel multiple unit passenger trains.
George is 21 years old and studied Travel and Tourism at Darlington College. He started working for the
railway as a Travelling Ticket Inspector (TTI) at the beginning of 2022. He progressed to become a qualified guard on first and second generation diesel multiple units, and coaching stock, in 2023. He then became a secondman on the railway’s diesel locomotives and a signaller and Responsible Officer. He started his driver training in 2024.
George said: “learning to drive a train has been an ambition of mine since I was a child. I have worked my way through various roles at Wensleydale Railway and taken on additional responsibilities since I joined the team in 2022. It’s great to finally achieve my dream of becoming a train driver and I would like to thank colleagues who have given me encouragement & support and helped to make this possible.”
Robert Cooper-Williamson, Engineering and Operations Manager at Wensleydale Railway said: “we are
always keen to support the development of our staff and volunteers, and in particular our younger people.
George’s qualification as a train driver is a great example of what can be achieved through hard work and determination. We are very proud of him and this excellent achievement.”
In 2023, long-term volunteer Sue Threadgold, from Harrogate in North Yorkshire, became the railway first female train driver. Like George, she qualified to drive diesel multiple unit passenger trains. Sue also became the railway’s first female train guard in 2018.
Image credit: Richard Thompson
