North Yorkshire Moors Railway
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The North Yorkshire Moors Railway (NYMR) is a heritage railway in North Yorkshire, England. The 18-mile line is the second-longest heritage line in the United Kingdom and runs across the North York Moors from Pickering via Levisham, Newton Dale and Goathland to Grosmont. It is the middle section of the former Whitby, Pickering and York line which was closed in 1965 as part of the Beeching cuts. The NYMR is run by the North York Moors Historical Railway Trust but is mostly operated and staffed by volunteers.
Trains run every day from the beginning of April and the end of October, plus selected dates through the winter. Trains are mostly steam-hauled; however in some cases heritage diesel is used. At the height of the running timetable, trains depart hourly from each station. As well as the normal passenger running, there are dining services on some evenings and weekends. Recently, during summer months, steam services have extended to the seaside town of Whitby. Passenger numbers have topped 300,000 in recent years.
History
The North Yorkshire Moors Railway was first opened in 1836 as the Whitby to Pickering Railway. The railway was planned in 1831 by George Stephenson as a means of opening up trade routes inland from the coastal town of Whitby. The railway was initally designed and built to be used by horse-drawn carriages. Construction was carried out by navvies and coordinated by top engineers. Their three main achievements were blasting a 110m tunnel through rock at Grosmont, constructing a rope worked incline system at Beck Hole and traversing the deep Fen Bog using a bed of timber and sheep fleeces. The tunnel is believed to be the oldest railway tunnel in the world. In its first year of operation, the railway carried 10,000 tons of stone from Grosmont to Whitby, as well as 6,000 passengers, who paid a fare of 1 shilling to sit on the roof of a coach, or 1 shilling and 3 pence to sit inside. It took two and a half hours to travel from Whitby to Pickering.In 1845, the railway was acquired by the York and North Midland Railway who re-engineered the line to allow the use of steam locomotives. They also constructed the permanent stations and other structures along the line which still remain today. Steam locomotives could not operate on the Beck Hole incline, and so an alternate route was constructed - this is the route which is still in use today. The original route is now a pleasant walk named the Rail Trail. They also added the line south from Pickering so that the line had a connection to York and London.
In 1854 the line was taken over by the North Eastern Railway. This process was repeated in 1923, when the London and North Eastern Railway took control due to the Railways Act 1921, and again in 1948 when nationalisation meant that British Railways took control. During this time, little changed on the line. However, in his controversial report, Dr Beeching declared that the Whitby-Pickering line was uneconomic and listed it for closure, which took place in 1965.
This was not the end for the Whitby to Pickering railway. In 1967, the NYMR Preservation Society was formed, and negotiations began for the purchase of the line. The railway was able to reopen for running in 1973 as the North Yorkshire Moors Railway. Since then, the preserved line has gone from strength to strength, and is now a major tourist attraction.
Stations
- Pickering railway station is the southern terminus of the railway and serves the busy market town of Pickering. The stations has recently been restored to its 1937 condition with help from the Heritage Lottery Fund. Original fixtures and fittings have been installed in the Booking Office and Parcels Office, as well as in the Tea Room. A park-and-ride service is provided to keep traffic out of the town during busy periods. The station is home to the railway's carriage workshops, and there is also a turntable. It is possible that in the future an authentic overhead roof will be returned to the station. Originally, the line continued south of Pickering to join the Malton to Scarborough line at Rillington Junction but this track has since been lifted.
- Levisham railway station is a small countryside station set in the scenic Newton Dale valley. The location of the station is notable, as it is several miles from the village which it serves, and whose name it takes. The area is ideal for walking and a wide variety of wildlife and flowers can be found within a short distance of the station. Levisham Station has been renovated and preserved to represent a small NER country station, circa 1912.
- Newton Dale Halt is a remote walkers' request stop. There are excellent walks and beautiful scenery within easy reach.
- Goathland railway station is another typical countryside station, almost unchanged since its construction in 1865. The station is popular with tourists due to its appearances in Yorkshire TV's Heartbeat and the Harry Potter films (see below). The station has a newly refurbished Tea Room which is inside a Goods Warehouse. The station also has a traditional camping coach, which is let for holidays.
- Grosmont railway station is the northern terminus, and houses the locomotive sheds. The station itself has been restored to the British Railways style of the 1960s. The shed area has facilities to provide water and coal for the engines, as well as stabling. The sheds are also used for the maintenance and overhaul of the engines. At Grosmont, the line connects with the Network Rail operated Esk Valley Line, where passengers may change trains to travel to the coast at Whitby, or inland to Middlesbrough and the rest of the national network. Thus platform one of the station is served by Northern Rail services, whilst platforms two, three and four are used by the NYMR.
Locomotives
- Steam Locomotives
- *BR 2-6-4T Class 4MT no. 80135
- *GWR 0-8-0 2884 Class no. 3814
- *GWR 0-6-2T 5600 Class no. 6619
- *LMS 4-6-0 Class 5MT no. 44767 "George Stephenson"
- *LMS 4-6-0 Class 5MT no. 45428 "Eric Treacy"
- *LMS 4-6-0 Class 5MT no. 45212,
- *LNER 4-6-2 Class A4 no. 60007 "Sir Nigel Gresley"
- *LNER 2-6-0 Class K1 no. 62005
- *NER 0-0-0 Class T2 no. 2238
- *SR 4-6-0 Class S15 nos. 30825 and 30841
- *SR 4-4-0 Schools Class no. 30926 "Repton"
- *SR 4-6-2 West Country Class no. 34101 "Hartland"
- *SR 4-6-2 West Country Class no. 34028 "Eddystone"
- *S&DJR 2-8-0 Class 7F no. 53809 (on loan from Midland Railway Butterley)
- *WD 0-6-0ST Class J94 no. 3180 "Antwerp"
- *Lambton Collieries 0-6-2T nos. 5 and 29
- *USA 2-8-0 Class S160 no. 2253
- Diesel Locomotives
- *BR 0-6-0 Class 04 no. D2207
- *BR 0-6-0 Class 08 nos. D4018 and 08556
- *BR 0-6-0 Class 11 no. 12139
- *BR Bo-Bo Class 24 nos. D5032 "Helen Turner" and D5061 "Experiment"
- *BR Bo-Bo Class 25 nos. D7541 "The Diana" and D7628 "Sybilla"
- *BR Co-Co Class 50 no. 50027 "Lion"
- Diesel Multiple Units
- *BR Class 101 unit 101680 (formed of 51511+53204)
- *BR Class 205 unit 205205 (formed of 60110+70547+60810)
Special Events
The NYMR runs several special events through the year, usually revolving around a particular theme.- Steam and Diesel Galas are weekend events popular with heritage railway enthusiasts. On these days, a full timetabled service is run alongside extra trains, such as local shuttle services and demonstration freight trains. Trains may also be double-headed, where two engines are used in tandem to haul a train. This is particularly spectacular when two steam trains work together.
- The War-Time Weekend is a demonstration of the operation of railways in the UK during the Second World War. The stations are decorated to appear as they would in war time: sandbags are used around entrances, windows are taped up and station names are covered. Many period re-enactors attend in military or civilian costume to add to the authenticity. Periodic entertainment takes place, and there are events such as mock air-raids. Usually a period dance and a military parade will take place; also a wreath is laid in memory of those railwaymen who have died in service as a result of war.
- On a Day Out With Thomas, the engines are transformed to resemble the fictional characters from Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends. The Fat Controller provides entertainment and the naughty Diesel can be seen shunting some troublesome trucks.
- Santa Special trains are run in the Christmas period, complete with Elves, Santa's Grotto, presents and mince pies. The winter scenery of the North Yorkshire Moors adds to the charm of these events.
TV and Film Appearances
The railway has been seen both on television and in film. The station at Goathland has been used as both Hogsmeade Station in the Harry Potter films, and Aidensfield in the popular sixties drama Heartbeat. Pickering Station was used in the film Possession. Other appearances include Casualty, Brideshead Revisited, All Creatures Great and Small, Poirot and Sherlock Holmes television series. The railway has also featured in a documentary series for local television.Awards
- Visitor Attraction of the Year, 1995 (Yorkshire and Humberside Tourist Board)
- Ian Allen Publishing awards for Levisham Ladies Toilets and General Room and Goathland Goods Warehouse.
External links
References
- NYMR Guide to the Line Booklet
- [NYMR home page]
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