Heritage railway wins award for bridge rebuild

The North Yorkshire Moors Railway (NYMR) has been given the accolade after undertaking the ambitious project to rebuild the line’s 145-year-old Bridge 30, situated between Grosmont and Goathland.

The Heritage Railway Association, which represents more than 100 preserved railway lines in the UK, presented the award to the NYMR in recognition of the scheme that was completed in April last year.

The railway would have had to restrict the size and scale of trains running over the bridge if it had not been replaced.

Fears were growing that the weight restrictions would mean the railway would no longer be viable and trains would have had to stop running completely.

A major fundraising effort was launched, which attracted donations from across the world and secured a £300,000 grant from North Yorkshire County Council.

The project was overseen by Nigel Trotter, who has been the NYMR’s civil engineer since the line was taken over from British Railways in 1968.

The scheme also involved bridge engineers, specialist contractors and the railway’s own staff and volunteers.

Research has shown that the NYMR, which runs between Pickering and Whitby, is the world’s most popular heritage steam railway, bringing in more than £30m a year to the local economy.