VOLUNTEER directors of a trust supporting a debt-ridden railway face a challenge for their posts for the first time in years today.

Eleven members of the Weardale Railway Trust are standing for six vacant positions on the board at what could be a stormy annual meeting being held in Stanhope, County Durham, this afternoon.

A minority of trust members are understood to be unhappy about the flow of information between directors and ordinary members since the railway went into administration at the beginning of the year, owing £900,000.

Three members who are standing have proposed and seconded a motion proposing that all trust members should be invited to all board meetings.

Steve Raine, the director liaising with administrators PricewaterhouseCoopers, is due to report on the latest delay in getting the troubled tourist line up and running.

A compensation wrangle over disrupted electricity supplies with the line's Wolsingham depot neighbour, Weardale Castings, has proved difficult to solve and could plunge the project into liquidation, leaving its 104 creditors with little prospect of payment and scant chance of reopening the line for several years.

A trust spokesman said today's meeting would be critical. He said: "There are major issues still be to be resolved and some involve the legal dispute between the railway and Weardale Castings.

"We are looking towards the administrators coming forward with a solution which we are hopeful will see the railway back up and running next year.

"It is a very frustrating time for volunteers, particularly as it means we cannot run the Santa Specials, which were very successful last year."

The trust's acting chairman Kevin Hillary said that members had been given information through its magazine.

He said: "The trust directors have had quite a lot of criticism over the last few months regarding the lack of progress and supposed secrecy.

"However, in reality we have explained all the key issues in Between the Lines and at our open meetings and only omitted some details to meet the administrator's requirements."

The trust has committed £30,000 towards a £500,000 relaunch package as well as £10,000 to help resolve the steelworks row.

Les Graham, managing director of Weardale Castings and Engineering, said last night that he had agreed to a final settlement of outstanding issues with the administrators earlier this week, but had heard nothing since.

PriceWaterhouseCoopers would not confirm this last night and declined to comment.

Mr Graham said: "I am very supportive of the Weardale Railway and fully understand how important its success is to the future regeneration of Weardale. Indeed, if all possible, I would like to take a greater role in the railway's operations."