THE tireless efforts of volunteers finally paid off this summer with the re-opening of a derelict railway line.

The Weardale Railway is now proving one of the region's main visitor attractions, but the celebrations may not have happened without a £990,000 grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund.

Steve Raine, the chairman of the Weardale Trust, said the funding was vital to the future of the line, which re-opened for passengers for the first time in 51 years.

Mr Raine said: "I think what we have got to say is that without the funding, we certainly would not have been up and running yet.

"In fact, we could say that the project might not have gone ahead at all without it."

Since its opening in July, about 17,000 passengers have travelled on the steam locomotive between Stanhope and Wolsingham.

It is hoped that after five years, 90,000 people will have travelled on the line.

The Heritage Lottery money has helped volunteers realise their dreams of building two platforms -one at Wolsingham and one at Frosterley, and breathing new life into Stanhope Station with a complete refurbishment.

The trust was also able to buy the railway line from Bishop Auckland to Eastgate. Eventually, it hopes to re-open the whole line.

The attraction has now closed for the winter, briefly opening again for three Santa Specials.

It will re-open again in the spring and it is hoped that by then, the line will have been extended to include Eastgate.

Mr Raine said receipts from train journeys so far were £68,188, and said he believed local businesses were reaping the benefits of the attraction.

He said: "The feedback we are getting from businesses like cafes, pubs and restaurants in Weardale is very pleasing.

"The passenger figures do not take into account the number of visitors that have come to the dale, and we think that possibly a further 20 per cent have not travelled on trains, but have simply come to visit the stations or stopped to view the steam engines from bridges.

"This augurs well for our future development plans."

Staff at Stanhope Tourist Information Centre, which is in the Durham Dales Centre, said there has been a significant rise in visitors to the dale since the railway opened.

Centre manager Judith Crow said: "We have certainly noticed a significant difference in the number of visitors. They come to the Dales Centre and ask about the railway and they also ask about what else is going on in the dale.

"The more things that are going on in the dale, the better for us, because it means they will stay here and enjoy the complete dales experience."

Elaine Burton, from the Lime Tree Gallery, in Stanhope, said the opening of the railway had had a wonderful effect.

She said: "People are getting on the train at Wolsingham and coming up and spending a few hours looking around here.

"They have been using the outdoor pool and in the summer, people are having picnics by the river. I have heard people saying they have had a fantastic day."