North Yorkshire Moors Railway: Bridge closure for urgent repairs means 'serious loss of income'
The charity which operates the heritage railway between Whitby and Grosmont is calling on the public to come to the aid of a vital bridge which needs urgent repairs.
North Yorkshire Moors Railway trains were unable to run over the Christmas period because of work needed to the bridge at Grosmont, which has stood over the River Murk Esk since 1846.
North Yorkshire Moors Railway Trust says it represents “a serious loss of income at the very moment restoration costs are at their highest”.
The service normally starts running daily services from late March until early November.
The Grade II listed structure which connects Goathland and Grosmont village handles all locomotives entering and leaving Grosmont depot, with around 10,000 locomotive or train movements each year.
Inspections have shown the bridge needs major repairs to its stone and brick arch masonry.
Both tracks need to be lifted before the work can start on the arch. The railways’s website said: “Without Bridge 42, trains simply cannot run to Whitby and Grosmont. The work requires careful restoration of the stone and brick arch masonry, using specialist skills and significant funding.
"Every day the bridge remains closed means cancelled services and lost revenue, making your support more important than ever.”
The trust’s latest accounts said the NYMR Group “continues to be challenged by significantly increasing costs against a background building income.
"Delivering an operating surplus from the railway operation is still proving very difficult and whilst the position has improved again from 2024, the 2025 year has as noted still produced a deficit.”
The trust’s chief executive Laura Strangeway said: “The repair of Bridge 42 is vital for the future of the NYMR, and as a complex project it is a costly one which is why we are asking for generous support to ensure that we can continue running and secure the future of our much-loved railway.”