Moors dig to unearth hidden railway heritage

Buried features of Yorkshire's locomotive and industrial past look set to be revealed in the North York Moors with the help of volunteer archaeologists.

People are sought by the North York Moors National Park Authority to join its team of experts and excavate three trenches at Goathland Incline. The remote mid-19th century railway station spot was once at the heart of the Industrial Revolution, fuelled by the discovery of ironstone and the coming of the railways.

Excavation work will focus on the buildings and structures that were crucial in the transportation of ironstone en-route to the ironworks across the North East.

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Surveys suggest features at the top of the Incline may be unearthed, such as the remains of the station master’s house, structures associated with the steam engine and a possible turntable or water pond.

Neither the early horse-drawn railway system nor later lightweight steam engines could cope with the Incline’s steep gradient.

To overcome this coaches were hauled up the slope by tying them to a 1,500-yard rope attached to a water-filled tank on wheels and using the gravitational force of the descending butt to propel them upwards.

Tom Mutton, programme manager for the Moors National Park Authority’s ‘This Exploited Land of Iron’ project, said: “The excavation at Goathland Incline is an exciting prospect where we’re hoping to discover some fantastic remains that have been hidden from view for generations.”

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The excavation starts next Tuesday and continues through to Saturday, before resuming again on August 1-5. Daily site tours will be given at 11.30am and 1.30pm during the dig, except for on its first two days.