RAIL bosses at the company behind the Tyne and War Metro have given a helping hand to a volunteer-run heritage railway by donating old equipment.

The set of used level crossing lights have been donated to the Wensleydale Railway by Nexus, the public body which owns and manages the metro.

The equipment was donated after the company replaced its warning lights at the end of last year as part of a £389m modernisation programme.

Wensleydale Railway will use the equipment to replace warning lights at the Yafforth level crossing.

This will help with their plans to utilise a new platform in Northallerton, which will be officially opened next May.

Director of rail and infrastructure for Nexus, Raymond Johnstone, said: “These level crossing lights are going to come in extremely useful for our colleagues at the Wensleydale Railway. I’m delighted we have found a use for them.

“This is not the first heritage railway to benefit from Metro renewal work. We have made similar donations in the past, including sections of used rail and railway sleepers, which have been used to for a whole host of things including footpath conservation work.”

Wensleydale Railway’s manager, Nigel Park, said: “The Wensleydale Railway is very grateful to Nexus for this donation which will help to maintain the level crossing at Yafforth and help the railway to reach its goal of running trains to the new platform at Northallerton West, 51 years since the last regular passenger service ran between Northallerton and Leeming Bar.”