North Yorkshire Moors Railway

What’s up with some of these reviews?
We had a wonderful Easter trip on this railway. Steam trains and all. The staff were fantastic. So friendly and joking with the all the kids around. The costumes of the Station master etc were perfect and set it all off.
All I can say to the ‘gripes’ of some reviewers.‘get a life and enjoy what there is available’.
If you are in Pickering, or thereabouts, it’s worth the trip.

Having got off the the train with two kids convinced they’ve just sat in the same seat Harry Potter did during the first film how can I say anything other than amazing, sadly the seats in Goathland dont say Hogsmead on them but hey the kids loved it.
Just them seeing the train emerge from a bank of steam was a special moment for my two who are all too used to diesels.
The journey it’self is through a very nice part of Yorkshire and I saw more than one train enthusiast having a nerdgasm whilst steaming along so well worth a visit for anyone with a desire to see either great scenery or a steam train and the final category of people just wanting to get from Pickering to Whitby.
The staff are all friendly and the on board refreshments are cheaper than a normal train still inflated but not so much that you feel ripped off
if you are planning your journey get the tickets online for a 20% reduction

Steaming hot, especially for Harry Potter fans. We were dawdling through the North Yorkshire Moors, visiting a little town called Leaholm where there used to be freshwater pearls in the river mussels and we came around a corner and hit a level crossing (railroad crossing in American) at a place called Goathland. Across the road in front of us chuffed a beautifully restored steam engine with period rolling stock and it stopped to drop people off.
This is one of the last scheduled steam services in the UK and it has a whole shed full of gleaming, lovingly restored monsters. You can even pay for anything from 3 hours on the footplate, to a five day instruction on running a steam engine and get to be part of the crew for two days of regular service. That used to be every schoolboys dream job before computers although the reality is sweaty, dirty and sometimes dangerous work with long hours.
This is the home of the trains and the station used for Hogsmeade in the Potter films and even without the special effects and green screen, parts of this 18 mile journey are truly magical.

This railway runs through some of the most beautiful countryside the UK has to offer, it also boasts some picturesque stations.
However my last trip to it was very disappointing. My family and I got off the train at Pickering to go for lunch. On our return a heavy rain and hail storm struck us so we dashed for the first carriage open to us and started ti make our way with two young children and a push chair along the coaches when a very rude and arrogant railway volunteer in hi-​vis orange clothing stopped us in our tracks (excuse the pun) You’re not going in there
It turns out that you can’t take pushchairs into some of the historic coaches for fear of damage ok that’s fair enough but the manner in which he spoke to us was appalling. He then suggested to us that we disembark (in the rain) and take the pushchair to the guards van. We refused! Seconds later a man with two large wet dogs walked into the carriage followed by a photographer carrying a large tripod that clanged against the carriage walls — none of this made any difference to Jobsworth! His whole attitude was appaling and a number of other customers commented on his behaviour.
In the end he did offer to take the pushchair through the coach himself.
When I went to pick up the pushchair from the guards van later I discovered a young mother looking after her sleeping son. It turns out the same hi-​vis volunteer had made her travel in there because she refused to wake her sleep son. What was so outrageous about this was that there were carriages in which you could take pushchairs!
Sadly it doesn’t end there!
Later that day we tried to escape a second downpour by popping into the Café at Grosmont station. By this time my youngest niece was fast asleep in the pushchair. Yet the Café staff refused to let us in with the pushchair because of fire regulations… yet the Café was large, spacious and COMPLETELY EMPTY.
On the basis of this trip I really cannot recommend the railway to parents with pushchairs, not only was the cleanliness of the coaches (as others have pointed out) terrible it seems that a number of their staff/​volounteers go out of their way to be unhelpful and rude

We have been in previous years for a ride with the steam engine but were very disappointed with a Christmas/​Santa special trip last year. We found the volunteers to be extremely bossy and unfriendly. Hot drinks and mince pies were included in the expensive tickets, but not for children. A few children were sick on the train and it not cleared up — not pleasant, the carriages were dirty — it wasn’t an experience we shall repeat.

Our kids love a ride on the steam train here — it’s been a highlight (no, the highlight) of our weeks in Pickering for several years now. The staff are very friendly — they seem to delight in explaining the various aspects of their trades to visitors, particularly younger ones — and the scenery is simply stunning. How this line was rescued after Beeching and restored is a heart-​warming tale of human dedication and commitment. The only downside is the price — but if you join as a member (for a gift-​aid-​able fee) you get a 50% discount for a year which, with careful planning, makes our annual visits better value (we only join every other year!).

As traditional as you want it to be. The look of the trains and the carriages are superb, always very clean and tidy. Can seem a bit pricey but understanding the upkeep keeps it all in perspective. Beautiful and a very scenic journey, especially if you take the whole route in.

for all heartbeat fans and harry potter fans!
as the goathland station was where the harry potter films where filmed at for the station scenes in philosophers stone, when it was transformed into hogsmeade station,
and goathland itself is better known as aidensfield! for the tv series heartbeat!
the journy starts at pickering station, (has a good sized carpark) levisham, newton dale halt, goathland, grosmont, whitby.
you can get on the train and visit the stops, either going or coming back. we stopped at 2 places goathland and grosmont. depending on the trains, some have little private carriages, and some brilliant scenic views when travelling.
goathland, station looks really olde de worlde, and you can make out where the scenes where filmed for the harry potter films. the village itself is great to wonder into! after overcoming a very steep road into the village! it has a very touristy set up, with lots of tearooms, little shops and things are priced for tourists! and sheep droppings everywhere on the paths!
as for grosmont, its just a stop to extend the visit, but an interesting place to look about, but by this time the kids where truely bored and ready for home, so we didn’t see as much as we would have liked to! take care with the train times as i think the last train back from grosmont was around 5pm.
around christmas they do special santa trains from pickering, with events throughout the year, so worth it’s checking the website to see whats happening, if your thinking of taking a ride on a steam train.

Well yes this is OK if you turn up on a good day we however turned up on Bank Holiday week (silly old me expecting a steam train).
As it is promoted as being a Steam Railway you can understand our disappointment when we where told that the train heading to Grosmont would be a Diesel train however at least we were assured that the return later in the day would be a Steam train.
UNFORTUNATLEY IT WASNT It was the same Diesel train you could see leaving Doncaster or Crewe on most Saturday, Sunday, Monday, Tue, Wed, Thur, Etc Etc. So not only were we disappointed but the grand Kids were too. (Never mind in years to come they will show their grandkids the historic Intercity 125!!!)
We got off at Goathland (Heartbeat Country) and had a look there are also a couple of other stations that are quaint and pretty and certainly worth a look but I must say the lack of the steam train did spoil it. In fact we did intend to book the Pullman evening meal service but not sure what type of train we would get, I’ve decided no to bother.
Shame. (If you do go here ring first and try and check what’s due to run).

North Yorkshire Moors railway is quite romanatic especially for those of us who love steam engines. I know someone who was proposed to on one of the journeys.
The railway was planned in 1831 by George Stephenson as a means of opening up trade routes inland from the then important seaport of Whitby. The initial railway was designed and built to be used by horse-​drawn carriages.
Whitby’s original ‘station’ stood near to the end of the remaining platform, in the form of the offices, workshop and carriage shed of the Whitby and Pickering Railway
Whitby railway station is the northern terminus of the NYMR. There are regular trains to Whitby from Pickering throughout the year. Whitby’s only other surviving railway buildings are the two track engine shed, originally built by the York and North Midland Railway and extended by the NER and now in prospect of conversion into Captain Cook World (why does that make me think of Rimmer World?) and the neglected remains of one of the pair of Whitby and Pickering Railway 1835 weighbridge houses.
The Y&NM built the present Whitby station to the design of its architect George Townsend Andrews, who also designed the locomotive shed and the goods shed (demolished to make way for a supermarket, although a German bomber made a start during WW2).
Some events also take place for enthusiasts and families.
East Coast Giants Weekends: with LNER A4 No. 60 007 Sir Nigel Gresley and Class 55 ‘Deltic’ No. 55 019 Royal Highland Fusilier will be in operation on the following dates:
Aug 16−17^th, 30−31^st
Teddy Bears Picnic: Aug 16−17^th
All aboard for a trip to Levisham Station for a fabulous party
Picnic with Paddington Bear-don’t forget to bring your bear!
LNER Vintage Train with 60 007 Sir Nigel Gresley hauling the LNER set.
Running Sept 8^th, 20^th, 22−24^th & Oct 5^th, 7−9^th
LNER K4 No. 61 994 The Great Marquess will be operating regularly through the summer until 21^st Sept
Autumn Gala: 26−28^th September
At least 9 locos in steam over the weekend including 71 000 Duke of Gloucester (first visit of a BR Standard Pacific to NYMR) and hopefully one other visiting locomotive.
The 18-​mile railway is the second-​longest heritage line in the United Kingdom and runs across the North York Moors from Pickering via Levisham, Newton Dale and Goathland to Grosmont. It is the middle section of the former Whitby, Pickering and Malton line which was closed in 1965 as part
of the Beeching cuts. The NYMR is owned by the North York Moors Historical Railway Trust. It is mostly operated and staffed by volunteers.
Trains run every day from the beginning of April and the end of October, plus selected dates through the winter.
Trains are mostly steam-​hauled; however in some cases heritage diesel is used. At the height of the running timetable, trains depart hourly from each station. As well as the normal passenger running, there are dining services on some evenings and weekends.
The fairly recent extension of steam operated services to Whitby have proved extremely popular.
The romantic way to get to Whitby.