As is my wont I was yammering to a bunch of visitors to our layout here in Fort Bragg last Saturday. One visitor cornered me and in a German accent asked me if I had ridden the North Yorkshire Moors Railway. I politely told him, “No.” He explained that his wife was from Whitby (in Yorkshire) and that they had recently visited said railway and had had a great time. He explained that once he’d had a couple of beers he had no trouble with the (broad) Yorkshire accent!!! He gave me a card and scribbled the words, “North Yorkshire Moors Railway” on the back. My conclusion having poked around the net a bit is that I have missed out on a great heritage railway.

The North Yorkshire Moors Railway (NYMR) is a heritage railway in North Yorkshire, England running through the North York Moors National Park. First opened in 1836 as the Whitby and Pickering Railway, the railway was planned in 1831 by George Stephenson as a means of opening up trade routes inland from the then important seaport of Whitby. The line closed in 1965 and was reopened in 1973 by the North York Moors Historical Railway Trust Ltd. The preserved line is now a significant tourist attraction and has been awarded many industry accolades.

The NYMR carries more passengers than any other heritage railway in the UK and may be the busiest steam heritage line in the world, carrying 355,000 passengers in 2010. The 18-mile railway is the third-longest standard gauge heritage line in the United Kingdom, after the West Somerset Railway (22.75 miles) and the Wensleydale Railway (22 miles), and runs across the North York Moors from Pickering via Levisham, Newton Dale, Goathland and terminates at Grosmont.

The NYMR is owned by the North York Moors Historical Railway Trust Ltd and is operated by its wholly owned subsidiary North Yorkshire Moors Railway Enterprises Plc. It is operated and staffed by some 500 volunteers. Trains are mostly steam-hauled. At the height of the running timetable, trains depart hourly from each station. As well as the normal passenger trains running, there are dining services on some evenings and weekends. The extension of steam operated services to the seaside town of Whitby has proved extremely popular.

There are lots of vids of the railway. This one (I think) was the one recommended by the gentleman to whom I was talking:

Please get the impression that the moors are a place you go to sunbathe. Look at the trees and grass ……… bright green huh? Wonder why.