Roof restoration at heritage rail station hit by problems

A BID to restore the roof on the main station of the world’s most popular heritage railway has been hit by delays after the wrong paint was used.

Managers at the North Yorkshire Moors Railway have confirmed that the £500,000 scheme to restore Pickering Station’s roof to how it looked in the mid-19th century has been delayed by five weeks. Steel girders have had to be taken down and re-painted after a poor quality paint was used.

Marketing manager Phil Bustard stressed the delays would not affect the start of daily train services on March 26 but he admitted tiling and some final work at the station is now due to be finished by Easter.

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He said: “Unfortunately the wrong type of paint was used, and this has pushed the work back. Every effort is being made now to make the time up.”

The roof is being built to the original design of architect G T Andrews, although the original structure was removed by British Rail in 1951 and replaced by canopies. The project is the final phase of a £1.7m re-development which has also seen a two-storey visitor centre built.

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