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In 2009 we asked for your help to raise £1 million to stave off closure of the North Yorkshire Moors Railway.

The money was urgently needed to allow the railway to renew a vital bridge, between Goathland and Grosmont, and to renew one of its historic locomotives.   

Thanks to the magnificent response of the public and with help from North Yorkshire County Council, and the LEADER programme, the funds needed to replace Bridge 30 were raised and the challenging project to replace the bridge is now complete – on time and on budget.  This is a magnificent achievement and we are hugely grateful to everyone who contributed.

Attention now turns to the ‘Wheels’ part of the campaign.  For most of our passengers, the NYMR IS its steam locomotives.  They are the lifeblood of our railway.  But old locomotives need careful maintenance and regular overhauls to ensure they remain, mobile, safe and able to lift our trains over the challenging gradients of the Yorkshire Moors.

Our top priority is now locomotive 80135. She was built in the early 1950’s and is a type which regularly worked over our line from Whitby to Pickering and York. After many years service on the NYMR as one of our most popular locomotives, she needs an overhaul which is going to cost £350,000.  Already the appeal has raised £75,000 and we are hoping to raise the rest of the funds needed by the end of 2011.  If we are successful, after a year in our workshops at Grosmont, 80135 will be back in service in 2013, just in time for her 40^th anniversary.

So the Appeal is also about giving another breath of life to an historic engine and, in so doing, helping to safeguard the long term future of our wonderful railway.

We hope you will agree that this Appeal is deserving of your support. Year in year out, over 300,000 visitors enjoy their day out on the railway. On most days throughout the season, our services now run all the way down the Esk Valley to the seaside at Whitby.

This new link provides the opportunity for the visitor to experience a journey over our 175 year old route in the comfort of one of our carriages. For local people, this service now forms a vital link between the Moorland villages in the North York Moors National Park whilst  helping to sustain 100 jobs and over 300 volunteering opportunities. 

Please give generously and help to keep the NYMR steaming.