Next Monday, 1st May, the North Yorkshire Moors Railway (NYMR) will celebrate its 50th Anniversary as Britain’s most popular heritage railway.

The celebration will be spearheaded with a recreation of the first official passenger service with the same two locomotives that were used in 1973 and three of its original service volunteers.

Returning as footplate crew will be Chris Cubitt and Terry Newman and John Bruce will be operating the signal box on the 13.30 departure from Grosmont station, which replicates their roles on the same day 50 years later with the same locomotives.

Another long-standing volunteer is John Hunt who has written a book about the North Yorkshire Moors Railway Golden Jubilee and will be signing copies of this, his latest book, which describes a journey along the entire original route from Whitby through to Pickering. Accompanying illustrations provide a comparison of the original railway to how it is today. The book is dedicated to the 50 years of progress and the many hundreds of people who have been involved along the way.

Ron Pickering, who is a renowned historian and expert on the North Yorkshire Moors Railway, will also be presenting a captivating talk ‘Celebrating 50 Years’ of the railway line. The talk is free, but it is necessary to pre-book tickets. A link to the talk is available online at https://www.nymr.co.uk/Event/celebrating-50-years.

This year the railway has launched a new Unlimited Annual Pass that allows passengers to pay for one day and then benefit from travel for the following 12 months. Also, Kids Go Free in 2023 allows any child between 0-15 years old to travel completely free. The Headline Fare for travel along the length of the line between Pickering and Whitby is £40 and valid for 12 months, but single-use Shorter Journey tickets are available for £15.

The railway is inviting all of its loyal visitors and new guests to take part in this year’s 50th celebrations. On the train, visitors can savour the breathtaking scenery of the North York Moors National Park. Goathland railway station is known to millions as a filming location for the iconic Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone and ITV’s police drama series Heartbeat. The railway was used as a location for filming the latest films in the Mission: Impossible and Indiana Jones franchises.

Over 300,000 visitors experience the delights of the railway every year and are served by a dedicated team of full-time staff and over 900 active volunteers who run and maintain the 24 miles of heritage railway.
For further information about the railway, to purchase tickets, and to support the North Yorkshire Moors Railway through another 50 years please visit www.nymr.co.uk.

Chris Price CEO said, “Celebrating 50 years of the railway is an incredible achievement. We are so grateful to each and every member of staff and volunteers who continue to spread the joy and knowledge of steam trains to all of our visitors.

“For some of the team this anniversary is extra special because they have worked at the NYMR since the first day in 1973 when the Duchess of Kent officially opened the railway.

“John Bruce, Chris Cubitt, John Hunt, and Terry Newman are still working full steam ahead as the NYMR continues its journey. The preservation of the railway means future generations can enjoy it for years and years to come.”