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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.

The Heritage Railway Association, which represents over 100 preserved railway lines across the UK, has awarded the NYMR with its Large Groups Annual Award 2010 for the way it undertook a vital bridge renewal project. The award was presented at a ceremony held in Swindon earlier this month.

In presenting the award, the Heritage Railway Association said that never before had such a project been undertaken by a preserved line and the fact the renewal had been done on time and to budget in a hostile environment and made ever more challenging by the winter of 2009/10, was remarkable.

The project to renew Bridge 30, situated between Grosmont and Grosmont on the moors, seemed to capture the hearts of a world-wide audience and certainly rallied the many thousands of supporters and members of the persevered line. Without the new bridge the future of the railway would have been very bleak.

It involved removing a 145 year old structure and replacing it with an all new bridge. Many of the materials were transported by rail, and it took the use of a specialist crane to lift the new bridge into place, as it has an 80ft span and crosses over Eller Beck near Darnholme.

In addition to the engineering challenges, the railway worked very closely with the local community before, during and after construction.

It also necessitated a fundraising campaign to raise the cash for the bridge, which was successful thanks in part to a £300,000 grant from North Yorkshire County Council and a £90,000 grant of European monies from the LEADER programme.

Had the bridge not been replaced, the railway would have had to restrict the size and scale of trains running over it. Not only would this have been unviable, but before long the trains would have had to stop altogether. The project was overseen by Nigel Trotter, who has been NYMR’s Civil Engineer since the line was taken over from British Railways in 1968, but also involved many other people. These included bridge engineers, specialist contractors, other rail industry partners, and NYMR’s own staff and volunteers.

Paying tribute to their efforts, Neal Clarke, chairman of North Yorkshire Moors Railway Enterprises said, “This was a fantastic achievement by any standards with hundreds of people pulling their weight and going the extra mile, from fund raising bucket collections with a bucket on trains to those operating one of the most specialist cranes in the world. And we did it during one of the worst winters ever.”

A book commemorating the completion of Bridge 30 and written by the railway’s Civil Engineer, Nigel Trotter, is available from all NYMR retail outlets priced at £5.00. Train services for the 2011 season start on Saturday 19th February.

(Click the above image for a larger version)

Dave Ward from Thornton-le-Dale has commissioned seven ’00′ gauge models from the workshops of TMC based at Beck Hole.  The auction will be held at Cundalls of Malton, 15 Market Place, Malton on Saturday, 20th February.

The models are:

• Bridge and Wheels Appeal locomotive 80135 BR 4MT 2-6-4T
• 45428 Eric Treacy LMS 5MT 4-6-0
• 6619 GWR Class 56XX 0-6-2T
• 75029 BR 4MT 4-6-0
• D7628 Sybilla BR Class 25 Diesel
• 69023 LNER J72 0-6-0T
• D2207 BR Class 04 Diesel Shunter

A grant of £300,000 has been awarded by North Yorkshire County Council and a grant of £100,000 has been awarded from the LEADER programme, designed to help rural communities regenerate.

This substantial support, combined with the funds already raised by the Moors Railway, moves the Appeal total to £610,000.

The Railway’s efforts to raise £650,000 by the year end in order to cover the cost of replacing a vital bridge, between Goathland and Grosmont, have moved a big step forward.

County Councillor John Fort, North Yorkshire County Council’s Executive Member for Highways and Transportation, said that the authority had been pleased to lend their support to such an important transport-related scheme.

He said “When we were made aware of the condition of Bridge 30, between Goathland and Grosmont, we felt we had to do something. The council recognises the significant value of this heritage steam railway both as an important transport artery running through the National Park, linking moors and coast, and as a significant contributor to the local tourism economy.

By supporting the renewal of this vital piece of transport infrastructure, it will make all the difference and will help to safeguard the long term future of the Railway.”

Mike Horrocks, North York Moors Coast and Hills LEADER Programme Manager, said: “This is by far the largest grant that LEADER has awarded in the Moors, Coast and Hills area. It is a substantial sum for a substantial project. In agreeing to support the Moors Railway, the local communities will benefit in a number of ways. Firstly, by safeguarding the future of the Railway, we continue to support a number of communities along the line. Secondly, a small portion of the grant will be used to further develop projects that will bring even more tourists into the area. These are projects that will bring the communities together, to make even more of what they have to offer.”

Murray Brown, Chairman of the North York Moors Historical Railway Trust, said that the support was tremendous. He said “This is brilliant news. Everyone is pulling together. We are very close to our year-end goal and are hoping that those who have supported us through the year will help to give one last push to meet our £650,000 target.”

The Railway is hosting a Fundraising Ball this Saturday at the National Railway Museum in York. Amongst the guests will be the Appeal Patron, Pete Waterman.

The event, to be held on Tuesday, 17 November 2009 at the Memorial Hall, Pickering, starting at 6.30pm, will provide guests with an opportunity to discover the benefits from a range of Aloe Vera products, geared to improve skin condition, respiratory and immune systems.

Julie Christensen, a local independent distributor of Forever Living Products, will be on hand to demonstrate the products and share Christmas buying ideas.

The event will be free to attend, and Julie will donate a percentage of the profits on the night to the Railway’s “Bridge & Wheels” Appeal, that seeks to raise £1 million toward the cost of renewing a vital bridge on the Railway and the restoration of an historic steam engine.

Aloe vera is a succulent plant that conceals a pure inner gel that has been used for centuries to improve health and enhance beauty. It is marketed by Forever Living, founded in 1978 and now operating in 135 countries. Forever has become the largest grower, manufacturer and distributor of aloe vera and bee products in the world. Aloe vera is a versatile product, and can be taken as a drink or applied to the skin. It is not tested on animals but works just as well on animals as well as humans.

“I’d like as many people as possible to attend and find out more about these fantastic products” said Julie. “The products work just as well for men as they do women, so it would be wonderful to see a few of the engine drivers and firemen attending as well,” she said.