Full Steam Ahead For NYMR's Free Train Treats

The North Yorkshire Moors Railway (NYMR) joins the celebration of England's rich history of invention, industry and innovation with Heritage Open Days.

There's a number of exciting events and activities it has announced at the award-winning heritage attraction.

A free national festival celebrating history and culture, Heritage Open Days will take place from 9th to 18th September 2022 featuring exclusive events and opportunities that aren’t usually open for the public to access and experience at the NYMR including:

• Signal Box Demonstrations (Pickering): 10th & 17th September

Get hands on with the history of communication and signalling as the NYMR education volunteers show you how the signal box works. You’ll even have a go at operating signal levers yourself during the experience on Platform 2 on Pickering Station

• History of the railway line by Ron Pickering (Pickering): 9th & 14th September

A one-hour presentation and Q&A session that explores the development of the original Whitby- Pickering line and the start of the NYMR.

• Tour of Carriage Care Facility (Pickering): 10th, 16th &18th September

An hour-long tour of the new Trout Farm Carriage Care Facility in Pickering to see how this new £4 million facility, as part of Yorkshires Magnificent Journey project supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund, enables the NYMR to care for its heritage carriages from carrying out routine maintenance, to servicing and inspections.

• Tour of the Motive Power Depot (Grosmont): 10th & 11th September

A 15 minute tour to see what happens behind the scenes of the operating hub of the railway including a tour of the restoration workshop and the boiler shop where there’ll be plenty of  opportunities to take photographs of the locomotives and work being done to restore and maintain the NYMRs historic fleet.

• Lineside Conservation Activity (Grosmont): 11th September

• Lineside Conservation Activity (Levisham): 19th September 

During these two events meet the NYMR Lineside Conservation volunteers and learn all about the living museum that is the NYMR over 36 miles of lineside (18 miles each side of the tracks) that covers approximately 170 acres. Here you’ll find out all about the important habitats in its surroundings including projects happening along the lineside.

• LNERCA Atkins Building Tour (Pickering): 11th, 12th, 14th, 15th & 18th September

A 20-30 minute tour of the NLHF Atkins Building at Pickering Station, home to the detailed carriage restoration of the London & North Eastern Railway Coach Association (LNERCA) where a team of NYMR volunteers, obtain, operate and lovingly restore a collection of ex-LNER heritage carriages which the NYMR use on the railway.

Chris Price, General Manager at NYMR, said:

“We’re particularly excited about year’s theme which is ‘Astounding Inventions’ as it couldn’t be more of a perfect fit for us at the NYMR, and what we’re trying to achieve when educating our visitors about the past and importance of heritage railways and preserving this precious legacy for future generations to come; after all, where would we be without steam trains?”

Heritage Open Days is England’s largest festival of history and culture. Running for 10 days every September, the festival offers free access to heritage events and activities across England.

Heritage Open Days is brought to you by the National Trust with support from players of People’s Postcode Lottery, and delivered locally by a large range of organisations such as the NYMR. 

The NYMR's Trust is a not-for-profit charity, which focuses on both the education of all people of all backgrounds through the operation of a living museum demonstrating the impact of the coal-powered steam railway as a catalyst for the rapid expansion of the Industrial Revolution and a foundation of modern societies and economies. 

Designed to transform the NYMR and secure its future, the £10 million Yorkshire’s Magnificent Journey project (YMJ) is funded by grants from the European Union, the National Lottery Heritage Fund, the Department of Environment Farming and Rural Affairs, the Local Enterprise Partnership and by donations from the charity’s members and supporters. Projects funded by YMJ include the new carriage stable, a new education coach at Goathland and ongoing lineside conservation projects.

For more information about the full line up of events, along with booking details can be found online at www.nymr.co.uk/heritage-open-days 

Every single Heritage Open Days event is free, including access to many sites that usually charge for admission. For further details about the festival, visit www.heritageopendays.org.uk