to Pickering, this book allows the reader to compare the railway of old and the desolation of the early closure period with today’s vibrant heritage line. With the railway celebrating its golden jubilee on 1st May 2023, this book chronicles the remarkable developments and achievements, year by year, over that 50 year period, and concludes with a glimpse of how and by whom this has been made possible. In so doing, it serves as a tribute to half a century of progress and to the many hundreds of people who made it all possible.
D
r Beeching originally proposed that all railways serving Whitby should be closed, the coast line from Loftus having succumbed in 1958. In the event, the lines from Whitby to Scarborough and Grosmont to Rillington Junction did close, on 8th March 1965, but the Esk Valley line was reprieved. The railway from Grosmont to Rillington Junction, serving a largely remote rural area of the North York Moors, closed in 1965, one of the many victims of the infamous Beeching Report, leaving the line from Middlesbrough as Whitby’s only rail link. The closure led to widespread concern in the area, and thoughts turned to the possibility of reopening the line under private ownership. A meeting in 1967 led to the setting up of the North Yorkshire Moors Railway Preservation Society (NYMRPS); the following year volunteers were allowed access to what remained of the line, and the first motive power and rolling stock arrived.
John Hunt
Silver Link Books Mortons Media Group Limited Media Centre Morton Way Horncastle LN9 6JR Tel/Fax: 01507 529535 email: sohara@mortons.co.uk Website: www.nostalgiacollection.com
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The North Yorkshire Moors Railway
In 1972, the NYMRPS evolved into the North Yorkshire Moors Historical Railway Trust, and a Light Railway Order was obtained, allowing the establishment of public services. The line was formally reopened by the Duchess of Kent on 1st May 1973, and eventually trains were running once more throughout from Grosmont to Pickering. In 2007. It at last became possible to run steam trains into Whitby, and the second platform for NYMR use was rebuilt in 2014, and this history is précised in the opening chapter of this book.
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The North Yorkshire Moors Railway
I
t is now 58 years since the line closed and the enormous achievements by the railway’s staff and volunteers, from those first small steps right up to the present day, can be clearly seen by anyone who enjoys a ride along this wonderfully scenic 24-mile route from Whitby to Pickering. Could those early preservationists back in 1967 have possibly imagined that their project would evolve into a £6 million business carrying a third of a million passengers a year? Taking a pictorial journey along the entire original route from Whitby through
Golden Jubilee 1 May 1973 - 1 May 2023
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John Hunt
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The North Yorkshire Moors Railway
Golden Jubilee 1 May 1973 - 1 May 2023
An illustrated chronicle celebrating 50 years of achievements by John Hunt
© John Hunt 2023 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior permission in writing from Silver Link Books, Mortons Media Group Ltd. First published in 2023 British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. ISBN 978 1 85794 610 9 Silver Link Books Mortons Media Group Limited Media Centre Morton Way Horncastle LN9 6JR Tel/Fax: 01507 5No 29535 email: sohara@mortons.co.uk Website: www.nostalgiacollection.com Printed and bound in the Czech Republic
Frontispiece: No 63395 heads the festive diner at Abbots House, south of Goathland, on 9 December 2022. The Q6 was the first main line steam locomotive to arrive on the railway in 1970 restored by and in the ownership of the North Eastern Locomotive Preservation Group. It is still going strong in 2023 and has been preserved longer than its time in use by the NER, LNER and BR John Hunt Front cover: On 1 April 1973 P3 0-6-0 No 2392 pilots NCB No 29 with the Royal reopening train at Eller Beck, between Moorgates and Goathland Summit Maurice Burns Back cover: Almost 50 years later, the same combination at the same place! On 3 December 2022 the pair head the NYMR’s festive diner. The tree has shed a few branches in 50 years, the P3 is now BR J27 No 65894, and the blue and grey coaches are a thing of the past John Hunt
Introduction In the beginning– 1965 to 1973 50 years ago, the real opening day Royal reopening day 1 May 1973 1973 1974 Memories of the first full time staff at Grosmont Shed 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004
CONTENTS 6 7 14 20 25 28
30 31 34 39 41 44 46 49 51 54 56 58 61 63 64 68 69 72 75 77 79 80 81 84 86 88 92 96 98 100 102
2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 Motive Power Department Carriage and Wagon Department Signal and Telegraph Department Permanent Way Department Supporting Groups North Eastern Locomotive Preservation Group LNER Coach Association Hull and Barnsley Railway Stock Fund NYMR Wagon Group Dame Vera Lynn Area Groups Station Groups More people Special Events Shops and Catering Lineside conservation and education Junior Volunteers Motive Power used on the railway 1968 - 2023 Finale Acknowledgements
104 106 107 109 112 115 120 124 128 133 136 139 144 149 150 153 158 161 167 176 179 183 192 193 196 198 199 200 201 202 208 209 215 217 218 222 223 223
T
INTRODUCTION
he line from Whitby to Malton was originally the Whitby & Pickering Railway and was opened on 26 May 1836.The line was connected to the rapidly developing national network when it was extended southwards to join the York-Scarborough line at Rillington Junction, east of Malton, opening on 1 July 1845. It had connections at Bog Hall, Whitby, with the lines to Loftus (opened 3 December 1883, closed 5 May 1958) and Scarborough (opened 16 July 1885, closed 8 March 1965); at Grosmont with the Esk Valley line to Middlesbrough (opened 2 October 1865); and at Mill Lane, Pickering, for the Forge Valley line to Seamer (opened 1 April 1882, closed 3 January 1950) and the line to Helmsley and Pilmoor (opened 1 April 1875, closed 31 January 1953). In the meantime, the original rope-worked incline at Beckhole had proved a major stumbling block, so a 3½ mile Deviation line was built between Grosmont and Moorgates, south of Goathland, opening on 1 July 1865. The section of the original route between Grosmont and
Beckhole, then Esk Valley, was retained for goods traffic until that also closed, on 18 September 1951. The line flourished, with through coaches between London King’s Cross and Whitby, and excursion traffic; there were even camping coaches for holidaymakers at Levisham, Goathland and Grosmont stations. However, following the war, the rise in car ownership and burgeoning bus services meant a gradual decline in passenger traffic, which ultimately led to closure as a consequence of Dr Beeching’s report, The Reshaping of British Railways, published in March 1963, with its recommendations of closure of all the routes to Whitby. On 8 March 1965 the lines from Whitby to Scarborough and from Grosmont to Rillington Junction were closed, with only the Whitby-Middlesbrough line reprieved. The section of line from New Bridge to Rillington Junction remained open for freight until it, too, succumbed, on 1 July 1966.
The Whitby Moors Railtour of 6 March 1965 leaves Staintondale on the Scarborough - Whitby line behind K4 2-6-0 No 3442 The Great Marquess and K1 2-6-0 No 62005. Would this be the last train over the Whitby - Pickering line? Gavin Morrison
T
IN THE BEGINNING - 1965 TO 1973
he loss of the local lines led to widespread concerns, especially in the Goathland area, and there had been a rigorous fight by the local councils to save the Whitby to Scarborough and Malton lines, but they had failed, despite everyone’s best efforts. In some ways they were thankful for the retention of the link to Middlesbrough which kept Whitby on the railway map, as it could have easily disappeared. However, there was still no preservation society though the idea was originally conceived by Tom Salmon shortly after the Beeching plan had been announced. As early as 1962, then living in Herefordshire, Tom was in contact with people such as Fred Stuart and Richard Rowntree, both of whom in later years became key figures in the preservation society. Despite the closure, thoughts soon turned to the possibility of reopening under private ownership. Matters came to a head when rumours abounded that track-lifting was imminent
and led to a meeting at Tom Salmon’s house in Ruswarp on 3 June 1967, which was a precursor to the setting up of the North Yorkshire Moors Railway Preservation Society (NYMRPS) at its inaugural meeting at Goathland on 18 November that year. Its aim was to reopen the 18-mile line from Grosmont to Pickering, both as a tourist railway and to preserve the rail link to Goathland, which was prone to being cut off by snow in winter. It was fortunate that the first meeting comprised pioneers of such high calibre with the vision to reopen George Stephenson’s 1836 (originally horse-drawn) Whitby to Pickering railway from Grosmont southwards, through the glacial gorge in Newtondale, to Pickering. The involvement of people who knew the line well, including many practical local railwaymen, was to prove vital.
The founders at a rainswept Goathland in the early 1970s. L. to r: former BR staff Tom Robertson (Whitby stationmaster), Harold Blackburn (Grosmont signalman), John Randall, Tom Salmon, Fred Stuart JP (Whitby steam driver), Michael Pitts, Joe Brown (permanent way inspector) and Charlie Hart (Ruswarp signalman) Tom Salmon Collection Because of costs it was decided to try and buy the line from Grosmont to the summit at Eller Beck and only the formation to Pickering. The society newsletter in November 1968 said: “By owning the formation from the summit
to Pickering the society will keep open the possibility of eventually relaying the line through beautiful Newtondale to once again give Pickering its rail link”.
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The North Yorkshire Moors Railway Golden Jubilee 1 May 1973 - 1 May 2023
Goathland Peter Walton
Grosmont John Hunt Following closure the line lay moribund, as these scenes of the four stations in 1967 and 1968 illustrate.
Above: Levisham Nigel Trotter
Right: Pickering Nigel Trotter
In the beginning 1965 - 1973 On 9 August 1968, the first item of rolling stock had arrived in the form of diesel railbus No. W79978, followed by a first-class sleeping car for volunteer accommodation, and
9 stock from the Hull and Barnsley Railway Stock Fund in November. They had to be stored in Grosmont tunnel as there were no sidings at that time at any point on the railway.
The first rolling stock to arrive was AC Cars railbus W79978 seen arriving at Grosmont on 9 August 1968 after its epic journey from Grangemouth in Scotland John Boyes
Maurice Burns recalls that first public meeting held at Goathland on 18 November 1967, after which progress was rapid and by 10 November 1968 the BR Estates Department in York had given authority for the society to have full access to the 18 miles of track using maintenance trolleys for fencing, clearing ditches, painting etc. even though BR still owned it. A new company – the North Yorkshire Moors Railway Ltd – was incorporated on 22 November 1968, and by December 1968, membership was up to 1,600. Track lifting of the axed Whitby to Scarborough line had already commenced, but BR temporarily postponed the lifting of the line to Rillington Junction for six months to give the society time to prepare a convincing case in terms of membership and finance. The drive to succeed was After BR contractors had removed the old up line, Nick Carter and David Birtle carry out track maintenance with one of the railmotor trolleys that proved so useful in the early days Nick Carter
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The North Yorkshire Moors Railway Golden Jubilee 1 May 1973 - 1 May 2023
swift and before the deadline was reached BR acknowledged the progress made and agreed negotiations could commence to the contract stage for a ‘limited practical scheme’. This would be Grosmont to Eller Beck, subject to access to a new halt to be built at the summit near Fylingdales early warning station to give access to the National Park. The pace of progress quickened in early 1969 when the British Railways Board approved the sale of the line from Grosmont to the summit and the track bed to Pickering High Mill for a sum
of £42,500, and a contract was being drawn up. A fund was launched to raise the 10% deposit of £4,250 and by the end of the year the Society proudly announced £1,476-9s-5d had been raised. Every penny counted. On 19 May 1969, a cheque for £4,250, representing the 10% deposit, was paid to the British Railway Board. Six miles of track had been saved. Two further locomotives arrived on 29 March 1969, in the form of Andrew Barclay 0-6-0ST Salmon owned by Phil Smith and 1898 built Borrows 0-4-0 well tank, that was
Some of the key people responsible for the railway being here at all. Above: The signing of the cheque with John Megson (Treasurer), Tom Salmon (Secretary), and County Councillor Fred Stuart (Chairman). This was the 10% deposit on the agreed £42,500 contract with British Railways in May1969 for the line from Grosmont to Goathland Summit. This covered the purchase of the line from Grosmont to the summit, and the remaining 12 mile trackbed to Pickering. The society newsletter in November 1968 said: “By owning the formation from the summit to Pickering the society will keep open the possibility of eventually relaying the line through beautiful Newtondale to give Pickering once again its rail link” NYMR Archive donated by the Wallsend Slipway and Engineering Company to the Newcastle University Railway Society. Both arrived in Pickering goods yard (now outside the NYMR), where the well tank refused to move off the low loader. Fortunately, Salmon had arrived first and, after unloading, Maurice Burns
and Peter Hutchinson, who had never seen it before, did a full visual boiler examination of Salmon, found all was good, filled up the boiler, lit the fire and steamed it up. The haulage contractor fitted a steel rope between Salmon and the well tank, and a gentle opening of the regulator by Maurice was
In the beginning 1965 - 1973 enough to give the well tank a nudge to allow unloading to be completed safely. The next day, with Fred Stuart on the regulator of Salmon and several volunteers doing the firing, the two locomotives, with BR permission, were steamed all the way to Grosmont, that was still double track from Levisham to Grosmont. These locomotives were then used for bringing permanent way materials up to Goathland, the sidings there being the temporary motive power depot. The well tank, now No 3, tended to steal the limelight, especially when it brought a Hull and Barnsley coach up to Goathland. It was oil fired but the fire went out due to low fuel level and the camber
11 of the curve at Darnholm. It then unexpectedly reignited on the level, with an explosion that blew open the smokebox door! Richard Wheeler and Chris Cubitt recall that the driver was Eric Blackburn, who had started on the main line railway at Hull, during which time he was loaned to the East African Railways. He came back to England, left the railway but became a volunteer driver on the NYMR. He stopped volunteering about 1973. While in East Africa he gained experience of oil burning EAR locomotives and was very relaxed about allowing the burner to go out, because it was common practice to allow the heat in the firebox to reignite the oil, without having to worry about the consequences.
The first steam locomotive to arrive on the embryonic NYMR was the diminutive Hudswell Clarke 0-4-0ST Mirvale, owned by Ray Dixon, which was delivered by road to Pickering goods yard, before steaming through to Grosmont on a snowy 2 February 1969. During a stop on the 1 in 49 gradient south of Newtondale signal box, NYMR pioneers Sid Midgeley (in the cab), Joe Brown and Tom Robertson engage in conversation on what was an historic occasion John Boyes However, obviously much more of a problem in a small firebox like that on No 3. No one was hurt but this was one of the early lessons learned by the Newcastle University volunteers – keep the oil tank full. When steam engines are occasionally short of steam, they ‘stop for a blow up’; in this instance No 3 ‘blew up for a stop’! The BR line from Grosmont Junction, at that time, was double track for 12 miles to Levisham and during the period
of July to November 1969, BR brought in demolition trains from York to remove one of the tracks that was not included in the contract with the NYMR. With the removal of the second track from Goathland to Levisham by 9 August 1969, it brought home that time was short if the remaining line through Newtondale was to be saved. It was a highly critical period, and the preservation society management arranged a VIP special for the North
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The North Yorkshire Moors Railway Golden Jubilee 1 May 1973 - 1 May 2023
On 30 March 1969 two more steam locomotives arrived, Borrows 0-4-0 well tank No 3, owned by the Newcastle University Railway Society, and 0-6-0ST Salmon. Like Mirvale, they were steamed through from Pickering to Grosmont. During a stop just before Goathland station, the crews pose for a picture; l. to r: Peter Hutchinson, John Hardy, Phil Smith, Maurice Burns, Richard Wheeler, Pete King, Tom Robertson, Joe Brown, Bryce Greenfield and John Richardson Maurice Burns On a rare outing, Borrows 0-40WT No 3 hauls a Hull and Barnsley Railway coach up the 1 in 49 at Green End on 27 April 1969, the first passenger train, albeit for members only, up to Goathland for four years. No 3 was oil fired from the tank on top of the cab, and was donated to the Newcastle University Railway Society, hence the university crest on the loco John Boyes)