North Yorkshire Moors Railway

Visited : Easter '99
       October '00

Their Website :- North Yorkshire Moors Railway

Summary

A superb line with spectacular scenery, but our second visit was spoilt by chronic overcrowding - see Daddy's 2nd Rant

Letting off steam at Pickering

Site

We walked around two of the four stations.

Pickering was a single platform, but with nice facilities. It has a foot bridge to the car park which daddy says gave good photo opportunities.

Grosmont is the main site. It sits in a village in the middle of the moors which was an interesting journey by car ! It has with 2 platforms. The engine shed is a short walk through Britain's first railway tunnel ! It's next door to the British Rail station

Ride

Across the tops of the moors

2nd longest steam line in Britain, but easily the most spectacular, especially as you go over the top of the moors and go down into Grosmont and criss-cross a stream over high bridges, or cling around the edge of the hill. Contains the steepest incline (1:49) in Britain. Also goes through woods and a bog ! Alas daddy didn't take any pictures of the best bits to show you, as he got a piece of soot in his eye just at the wrong moment.

Mummy, me & Repton

Engines

Large collection of large trains. Only large trains could pull all those carriages over the steep gradient. Their web site lists 22 engines in various states of repair. On the day we went in Easter, Repton pulled us, and also Eric Treacy was running.

Rolling Stock

Mixture of modern and older stock, but at least in Easter it was all properly painted in 'old' style livery.

Engine Shed

Couldn't see much of it as the path to the shunting area was closed due to a landslide ! Could see a few engines in the shed next to the shop, and you could stand on a few steps in the shop to look down on the repair shed which was nice.

Museum

None

Shop

Quite good at both Pickering and Grosmont platforms.

A bit more tatty shop at Grosmont engine sheds but had interesting stuff in.

Catering

Nice station cafe at Grosmont, but they had stopped cooking hot food when we asked for it, even though the board advertising it was still on display. Didn't use the one at Pickering.

Toilets

Clean and nicely old-fashioned at Pickering.

Functional at Grosmont.

Other Facilities

Small coin operated Thomas track in shop at Grosmont engine shed.

Superb booklet written by a man who Granddad Wormald knows. Impressive web site.

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This page was last updated on December 23, 2002