Train fans in line for Yorkshire festival of nostalgia

But railway enthusiasts in the Yorkshire region may find themselves captivated by a very different celebration.

That day marks the start of a 10-day festival designed to celebrate the 175th anniversary of the Whitby to Pickering line, and a string of locomotives has been lined up to enthral the crowds on the North Yorkshire Moors Railway.

The rail celebrations coincide with the completion of the Pickering station restoration project, carried out in three phases, of which the last has been the restoration of the train-shed roof designed by architect George Townsend Andrews.

First opened in 1847, the roof, removed by British Railways in 1952, has been restored to its former glory – the culmination of a project that has stretched over more than 10 years.

To celebrate the 175th anniversary, and these related milestones, the traditional spring event will, for the first time, be extended to cover the weekdays between the two weekends.

Improved services and special attractions are to run each day, and will include the running of the engines Rocket and Planet, replicas of the very earliest examples of railway transport.

Robert Stephenson’s famous Rocket won the Rainhill trials in 1829, held to find a design of a steam engine for the forthcoming Liverpool and Manchester Railway.

Robert’s father, George, often called the Father of Railways, was the engineer of the Whitby and Pickering Railway, which opened from Whitby through to Pickering 175 years ago in 1836.

As many as 11 steam engines are expected to be in operation each day throughout the festival, with a minimum of seven engines in steam. Diesel traction also played a part in the line’s history, and on May 3 and May 6, some will also accompany the steam engines, to reflect that part of the line’s history.

Fittingly for a line that was engineered by George Stephenson, the engine of his namesake will appear in the line-up, alongside icons which include the A4 Pacific, 60007 Sir Nigel Gresley – holder of the post-war record for speed by a steam engine, and engine 71000 The Duke of Gloucester, the last express passenger steam engine built for British Railways.

The general manager of the North Yorkshire Moors Railway, Philip Benham, said: “This 10-day event is a celebration of our history from the Whitby and Pickering railway days right through to the present day. For the first time in our preservation history, it will be possible to run over the whole of the distance from Whitby to Pickering at a major anniversary event.”

Also appearing during the festival will be a class of engine that ran on the line in the 1950s.

Five of the then new Standard Class 4 tank engines were allocated to Whitby shed. While number 80072 was not one of them, from time to time during the festival it will be masquerading as two of the local engines. Smaller engines running include the J72 class engine, Joem, a type produced for six decades.

The only survivor of its kind, the engine will be recreating a typical North Eastern Railway local train including a genuine NER coach. The event will include photographic charters for rail enthusiasts, running early morning and mid-evenings on April 30 and May 7.

On Sundays May 1 and May 8, some services will run on the Esk Valley line between Whitby and Battersby. An evening excursion along this picturesque line along the northern fringes of the North York Moors, will run to Battersby on the evening of May 3, hauled by the Duke of Gloucester.

At Pickering station an art exhibition is being held in the Reussner Education Centre until May 2. A festival guide will be available priced at £3.50.