Yorkshire Wolds Railway
Sir Tatton Skyes on the running line at Fimber Halt
LocaleEast Riding of Yorkshire, England
TerminusFimber Halt (SE91146077)
Coordinates54°02′06″N 0°36′36″W / 54.0350°N 0.6100°W / 54.0350; -0.6100
Commercial operations
NameYorkshire Wolds Railway
Built byMalton and Driffield Junction Company
Original gauge4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Preserved operations
Operated byMalton Dodger Ltd
StationsOne, at Fimber Halt
Lengthnearly 1,000 feet (300 m)
Preserved gauge4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Commercial history
Opened1853
Closed1958
Preservation history
2008Project established
2012Start on site
24 May 2015Opens to the public
HeadquartersFimber Halt
Website
www.yorkshirewoldsrailway.org.uk

The Yorkshire Wolds Railway is a preserved railway in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It is located on a section of the Malton and Driffield Junction Railway near the village of Fimber. The railway has a short demonstration line and an operational industrial diesel locomotive that provides cab rides to visitors. The railway has plans for expansion, work on which has been underway since April 2019.

History

The line was built as part of a scheme supported by George Hudson to create a line of communication from Hull to Newcastle.[1] The line opened in 1853; its traffic was almost exclusively local passenger trains and freight traffic from the quarries at Burdale and Wharram, with the occasional summer Sunday services to the coast. The quarries, however, suffered a boom and bust existence and their business dried up by the 1950s[2][3] leading to the line's final closure on 20 October 1958.[4]

Heritage operation

Malton and
Driffield Junction Railway
York–Scarborough line
to York
 Malton
Thirsk & Malton Rly
to Gilling
York–Scarborough line
to Scarborough
 Settrington
 North Grimston
 Wharram
Burdale Tunnel
1747 yd
1597 m
 Burdale
 Sledmere and Fimber
Fimber Halt
(opened 2015)
 Wetwang
 Garton
Selby–Driffield line
to Market Weighton
Hull–Scarborough line
to Hull
 Driffield
Hull–Scarborough line
to Scarborough

In October 2008 the Yorkshire Wolds Railway Restoration Project was formed with the aim to restore at least part of the Malton and Driffield railway line as a heritage attraction.

In 2012 the group gained planning permission to build a visitors centre near to the site of the former Fimber and Sledmere station.[5][6] The land required for all of the current project is owned by the Sledmere Estate who are supportive of the railway. As a tourist attraction, the railway is intended to be an interesting stop-off on the route to the Yorkshire coast, becoming part of a range of tourist attractions in the Yorkshire Wolds including Sledmere House and Wharram Percy deserted medieval village.[7]

In September 2012 the project acquired its first vehicle, an ex Mark 1 coach Brake Gangwayed.[8] In 2013 the charity obtained its first locomotive, a GEC diesel shunter GECT5576[9][10] built in 1979 at the English Electric Vulcan foundry works. It was originally operated by British Steel Corporation at Shotton, and later by Trackwork Ltd of Doncaster as a training vehicle in the rail engineering unit at HM Prison Lindholme. The locomotive was repainted in BR green, similar to that seen on Class 55 Deltics, and was named Sir Tatton Sykes.

In 2018 the railway acquired another piece of rolling stock: BR 20T Brake Van B955043. The brake van arrived on site via low loader in September in the same year.[11] As of 20 October 2020, the brake van is being restored and has been painted BR freight grey; it is partway through being re-roofed.

The Yorkshire Wolds Railway first opened to the public on 24 May 2015, with the official opening by Sir Tatton Sykes, on 25 May 2015. Currently it has a visitors centre and nearly 1,000 feet (300 m) of demonstration track with a turnout connecting the running line with the track upon which the Mk 1 BG stands.[12]

The Yorkshire Wolds Railway is the only heritage railway in the East Riding of Yorkshire.[13]

Extension

The railway has plans to extend its operational length to 2 miles; this would involve running between the Fimber Halt site, opened when the project commenced, and the original Wetwang railway station. The railway has also had success bidding for funding from the East Riding of Yorkshire Council's LEADER programme and has received donations of track from local industrial railways including Drax Power Station.[14][15]

Planning consent was granted on 17 May 2012 for the laying of 0.9 miles (72 chains) of track from Fimber Halt to the edge of a field. Further tracklaying would immediately involve crossing a green lane.[16] A platform at Fimber Halt has been built which allows for easier boarding of trains, particularly when the brake van is ready for use.[17]

Rolling stock

See also

References

  1. ↑ Tomlinson 1915, pp. 467, 480.
  2. ↑ Hoole 1984, p. 76.
  3. ↑ Burton 1997, pp. 60–66.
  4. ↑ Cooke 1958, p. 801.
  5. ↑ "Full steam ahead for railway plans". Hull Daily Mail. 25 May 2012. Archived from the original on 14 July 2014. Retrieved 4 July 2014.
  6. ↑ "(12/00434/STPLF) Creation of a short heritage railway line and visitor facilities on part of the former Malton and Driffield Junction Railway, Fimber". East Riding of Yorkshire Council. 31 January 2012. Retrieved 4 July 2014.
  7. ↑ "Planning Design and Access Statement 12/00434/STPLF". East Riding of Yorkshire Public Access. Retrieved 7 May 2020.
  8. ↑ "Railway buys first attraction". Malton Mercury. 29 September 2012. Retrieved 4 July 2014.
  9. ↑ Yorkshire Wolds Railway's First Loco Arrives!. www.youtube.com (video). 24 April 2013. Retrieved 8 August 2014.
  10. ↑ "Yorkshire Wolds Railway gains its first locomotive". Railways Illustrated. Vol. 11. August 2013. p. 62. Archived from the original on 14 July 2014.
  11. ↑ "BR 20t brake van livery". RMweb. Retrieved 21 May 2019.
  12. ↑ "Site Plans". Yorkshire Wolds Railway. Retrieved 10 October 2022.
  13. ↑ "Yorkshire Wolds Railway". Yorkshire Wolds Railway Restoration Project. Retrieved 11 December 2009.
  14. ↑ "Getting rail line back on track". The Yorkshire Post. 30 April 2019. Retrieved 20 April 2020.
  15. ↑ "Yorkshire Wolds Railway in track gift". Unseen Steam. 21 March 2016. Retrieved 20 April 2020.
  16. ↑ "Planning Design and Access Statement 12/00434/STPLF". East Riding of Yorkshire Public Access. Retrieved 7 May 2020.
  17. ↑ "Yorkshire railway team win EU cash to help extend the line". The Yorkshire Evening Post. 5 April 2019. Retrieved 20 April 2020.

Sources

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