With the full running season now over, the North Yorkshire Moors Railway has begun a schedule of winter work as it prepares for the 2023 season.

For the Civil Engineering team at Grosmont, one of the first tasks was replacing siding No. 7 into the shed.

Engineers will head to Kingsthorpe near Pickering to complete work started last year to relay tracks. This will start with offloading sleepers and materials during December, ready for work to start on the 1st January.

The work will see welding of track, ballasting and tamping the track during February and stress testing the rails at the beginning of March ahead of the season.

In the new year, work will begin to ballast and tamp Bridges 25 and 25, which were replaced earlier in 2022 as part of the Yorkshire’s Magnificient Journey project.

Kerry Fieldhouse and her team of Lineside Conservation Volunteers will be busy clearing the vegetation and repairing dry-stone walls as well as managing the ash dieback along the line

Moving to Grosmont’s Motive Power Department, a vast amount of work has already been completed on locomotives during November to get them ready for Santa Specials and Christmas Diners.

Elsewhere in the works:

• Steam fitters are working to make BR 9F No. 92134 ready to receive its new tyres
• 80136 will have its valves and pistons removed for their exams. The crossheads will need new white metal pouring to replace the bearing surfaces and the slidebar will need some attention.
• Class 08 08850 has had new batteries, fuel pumps and its automatic voltage regulator serviced.

Class 25 No. D7628 is having a top end engine rebuild as well as a main generator overhaul

Black 5 No. 44806’s overhau is on track with the frame rebuild on schedule and attention will soon turn to machining a new chimney as well as work on the tender.

34101 ‘Hartland’ is now in the boiler shop where all of the large sections are now welded back together. You can help restore this locomotive by donating to the appeal via the NYMR website.