North York Moors Historical Railway Trust

Railway Conservation. Run by Volunteers. Not for profit.

Today the North York Moors Historical Railway Trust is a not-for profit charitable organisation run as part of the local community. Day to day operation is carried out by volunteers with railway operations and business experience. A core team of paid staff together with approximately 100 full time staff and 50 seasonal staff, plan and operate the train service and work steadily to improve the quality of the infrastructure, the railway vehicles and experience to our visitors travelling on the railway.

Every visitor that travels on the railway helps preserve one of the world's greatest railway experiences.

The railway operates with the support and commitment of over 550 volunteers.
The NYMR cares for, operates and develops the historic railway we own between Pickering and Grosmont.
Its trains also operate over the Network Rail line from Grosmont to Whitby.
It aims to provide a high quality, safe and authentic evocation of the steam age for the public.
The railway is owned and operated by a Charitable Trust, providing education for all ages.
The NYMR is a fully accredited museum.

Statement of Significance

The North Yorkshire Moors Railway is a preserved historic railway stretching for 18 miles through the heart of the North York Moors National Park, from Pickering via Levisham, Newton Dale and Goathland to Grosmont, with a further 6 mile extension over Network Rail’s Esk Valley line to Whitby and occasionally Battersby. It is the largest preserved heritage railway in the UK in terms of route mileage operated and passenger numbers.

The North Yorkshire Moors Railway is locally, regionally and nationally significant due to its historic, scientific, aesthetic, cultural and social values.

Scientific Value

In the process of conserving and restoring steam locomotives, heritage diesels, railways infrastructure, Permanent Way and signalling, the North Yorkshire Moors Railway preserves and passes on the specialist skills and knowledge of traditional railway practice. The coming of the railways saw amazing engineering innovation transforming the way people and goods moved around, and the North Yorkshire Moors Railway was at the heart of these new developments as one of the earliest lines in the North of England.

Aesthetic Value

The stations of the North Yorkshire Moors Railway are restored to reflect different periods of the railway’s history. Pickering station, by architect G T Andrews, is presented as it would have looked in 1937 during LNER days, Levisham as a 1912 NER country station, Goathland as a 1922 station in the final year of NER and Grosmont in the style of British Railways, North Eastern Region, in 1952. The Railway’s historical atmosphere has ensured that it has made many appearances on film and television, and is a popular subject for artists and photographers.

The Railway travels through the beautiful and varied scenery of the North Yorkshire Moors National Park, which includes a number of SSSIs, the stunning geological formation of Newtondale and the nature reserve of Fen Bog.

Cultural Value

The North Yorkshire Moors Railway is a vast repository of skills, knowledge and enthusiasm associated with the railways. A strong culture of steam and heritage diesel nostalgia pervades the Railway, and the restored stations evoke for the visitor a sense of stepping back in time and a chance to take part in a moving image of our past. The Railway both celebrates and commemorates the history of railways and its involvement in the life of the local community.

It is an outstanding representation of an historic railway, and provides an exceptional example of balancing conservation and authenticity concerns with continuing use of its sites and resources.

Social Value

The Railway runs popular themed events such as Railway in Wartime, Steam Galas and Santa Specials, and carries the largest number of passengers of the UK’s preserved railways. It is estimated that the Railway generates an estimated £30 million annually to the region’s tourist economy, and has been the recipient of many awards. Additionally, it is one of the largest employers in the area, and plays a positive role in keeping several hundred cars off the National Park roads in the height of the summer holiday season.

Steaming On

Yorkshire's Magnificent Journey Appeal

With a combination of donations and grants, the railway has raised 90% of the funds to deliver the project.

Latest

Virtual Volunteers

Use Volunteers’ Week as a catalyst to jump aboard, and become a virtual fundraising volunteer to help support the NYMR
Friday Night Quiz

Have you signed up to play our online quiz yet? It's a bit of fun, tests your general knowledge and helps raise funds for the railway.
Regular Giving

Show your support by setting up a Direct Debit and donating regularly.
Crisis Appeal

Please help by donating to give the railway a fighting chance to be able to ‘steam on’ in its current form once the pandemic is over. Donate today by making a one-off payment or setting up a Direct Debit.