National Lottery awards £4.6 million to NYMR

The North Yorkshire Moors Railway has been awarded £4.6 million from the National Lottery.


NYMR-based ‘B1’ No. 61264 prepares to leave Grosmont with the line’s much-loved teak set in tow on September 24 2016, the day Thompson Third Corridor No. 1623 was launched into traffic. THOMAS BRIGHT/SR

The money will go towards the line’s £9.2 million Yorkshire’s Magnificent Journey sustainability project, which aims to secure the future of the Pickering-Grosmont railway by investing in the railway’s infrastructure so that it can operate successfully for the next fifty years.

Such investment includes a £4.16 million carriage shed at Pickering, capable of storing up to 40 vehicles, reducing decay and increasing security, a problem highlighted by recent vandal attacks which damaged the NYMR’s eight-coach teak set.

Other projects include spending approximately £2.67 million on repairing the worn-out iron bridges around Goathland, building a new volunteer hostel at Grosmont and initiating a railway apprenticeship programme.

John Glen, Minister for Arts, Heritage and Tourism said: "The North Yorkshire Moors Railway is part of this country's rich railway heritage and this £4.6 million investment, thanks to National Lottery players, will help preserve it for generations to come.

“The railway welcomes more passengers than any other preserved railway in the world and is a fantastic way to see Yorkshire's stunning scenery.”

To deliver the investment programme, the NYMR must raise matching funds of £4.6m. With generous member bequests and anticipation to secure more grants, the NYMR will need to raise approximately £2.5m from members, passengers and the public over the next five years.

NYMR Trust Chairman, John Bailey, said: "Fifty years ago our founders had the vision and determination to re-open the North Yorkshire Moors Railway. Today we face a challenge of similar scale. We are extremely grateful for the support from the National Lottery.

“With its backing, we can plan confidently both the implementation of essential projects and our appeal for the balance of funds required. This should ensure that fifty years hence, people will still be learning from and enjoying the experience of steam across the Moors."

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Best of luck with this. It's an enormous amount to raise for initiatives that are essential whilst not being particularly sexy. But if anyone can do it, the NYMR can.