North Yorkshire Moors Railway General Discussion

It was obviously slightly more delayed than usual but I see the 2026 time table has now been released: https://nymr.eu.prod.cw.npe.accessa...shx?IDMF=38729644-f726-42ad-827a-d0d89c782503

Most looks to be a replication of last year, though with the odd extra Friday (both I think are during school holidays).

The main things I've noted
1. The creation of the Pink Timetable for the majority of Sundays which essentially reduce Whitby to one in one out. Does anyone know if this was enforced through Northern timetable changes? Or is Sunday not a good Whitby day?
2. A 'Possible Special Event' at the back end of May.
3. Summer daily running looks to start a couple of weeks later, but also run one week later (one week net loss)
4. No plans yet for trying the the 'Whitby Excursions' again at the end of Dec. I wondered if that was an omission that might be added later, or if they just weren't booking well enough before the cancellation this time.
5. The 'Auto' looks to be a year long commitment this time around with it being a Sunday staple.

Personally I still miss the lack of the Gold timetable, especially with the Pullman still using one of the internal slots causing that extensive gap between usable services in the middle of the day. But I fear that may never return now

 

I like your optimistic take on this years timetable. It looks to me like there is no guaranteed steam service at all but plenty of guaranteed diesel services. This includes two of the three Pickering crew diagrams with only the third possibly being steam. Not very encouraging

Peter

 

Tbh I couldn't see a lot of difference in that regard except they have put a 'get out' on the timetable which arguably they should of had a long time ago with the amount of substitutions they have historically had.

 

The Northern timetable doesn't appear to alter significantly in May, so I'm guessing the NYMR don't think there'll be enough people going to Whitby on a Sunday to warrant two services for most of the year.

The almost complete lack of guaranteed steam services is off putting, as is the use of the autocar running two services on a Sunday. The three hour gaps at either end on pink days also really restricts options.

Also my colour vision isn't great, but even I can tell the "red" timetable is orange and the "blue" one is green!

 

I'm not quite sure about the new blue timetable - it looks like the little d labelling has been mixed up between the Whitby trains (unless a steam rake runs ECS to take the 13:15 from Whitby and then returns to Grosmont ECS after the 14:10 arrival - which just seems wasteful?!)

 

I agree with your Red/Orange view but disagree (as I often do with my wife) as the Blue one to me is more Blue than Green although in my view Turquoise. Hence the issue around using colours.

 

Not that I have any intention of joining the "give the NYMR a good kicking" brigade but the presentation of the annual timetable is poor given the amount of cash spent on their publicity department. It is more akin to something that a minor heritage railway would put out i.e. photo copy the brochure and stick it on the website.

On the positive side the fix-the-bridge appeal is going well with £165,000 in the pot to date.

 

It is a bit confusing but looks to me like it runs Pickering to Grosmont as Steam, then Diesel from Grosmont to Whitby. After that it becomes a 'D' and runs Diesel back all the way to Pickering and then to Grosmont where that rake terminates.

 

Will be interested to see if the 17:45 ex -Grosmont on Wednesdays runs as diesel like last year for 'operational convenience '

Anyway from this I guess the bridge propping is going ahead on time which is good.

Jon

 

That is what the D and d definitions would suggest. It then works the 15:20 from Pickering back to Grosmont as diesel.

 

Has anyone with any knowledge actually looked at this T/T? Putting aside the colours and other comments, which I pretty much agree with, lets look at some of the notes. 'P' indicates a diner and says not available on dates when it is running, indicated by a black box on the calendar. So far so good until you look at Sundays which have the black box around them. No sign of a 'P' on the Sunday T/T, though. Knowing a bit about it, I can guess that the Diner times are not shown in the blue and pink T/T but why confuse people by putting a black box round the Sundays. I'm also at a loss as to why Pullman diner days are also shown in the leaflet on days where there are no other trains operating, especially as there is no further information on the diners given. Sundays are definitely out to confuse as on blue days the 12.10 off Pickering is shown as steam all the way to Whitby but then diesel out of Whitby. It does appear as though there is one steam loco out of Pickering and the one out of Grosmont is just for the diner on these days.
It looks as though the days of an 8 train service are now consigned to history and a 6 train service is the norm for the peak. Thursday and Friday are generally non-running days outside of the peak season but I would have expected them to have a service over the Easter and Spring bank holiday weeks. To confuse things, though, Good Friday has a service, as does the Spring Bank Holiday Friday yet the historically busy Thursday of that week has no trains. Coming back to the colours, the 11-14th June are coloured blue but that is for the diesel gala and nothing to do with the blue timetable which, to me is more of a turquoise.
Definitely published to confuse.
And on the subject of confusion and lack of proof reading, I've just come to fill in an updated member information form recently sent to me. It has three questions asking you to tick the appropriate box yet there are no boxes to tick. Instead there are two columns, one giving your current choice and another for your updated choice. With one question that is blank and with the other two you have a list of alternatives which you presumably have to cross out or encircle. It then goes on about Gift Aid and has a line 'Signed (Please print name)......... The final sentence then asks you to notify them if you want to cancel or pay sufficient tax on your income or capital gains (My emphasis; it really should say insufficient).

 

11-14 June is grey on the version I downloaded from the link. Grey is the Diesel Gala according to the colour chart, and I guess Gold (or almost invisible) for the steam gala.

 

It might be grey but it looks nearer to blue than the turquiose of the timetable on my laptop. Why, oh why, did they give up using the primary colours of red, blue and yellow?

 

I think (IIRC from a work suggested design course) is an attempt to be colourblind friendly.

 

It sounds as though someone needs to design idiot-proof colours for the marketing team to use, though.......

 

Often I've found posters or presentations designed using the colourblind friendly colours to be a bit dull. Not just a NYMR problem.
I just use less colour in the presentation. Certainly no coloured backgrounds.

 

No ordinary carriage on the diner means a gap of 3hrs from midday on many days. An afternoon trip is hard to arrange except on Mondays.
If 30 people used the 1410 daily, that could generate £200,000 over the season. That would significantly change the losses. Failing to optimise revenue generating opportunities is, perhaps, one reason for the losses.

Also, is just over 2hrs in Whitby sufficient to tempt people in the shoulder season on Sundays?

 

Is this another example of what I have been going on about, here and elsewhere? - forgetting what the railway is really about, and failing to promote it for its own merits, rather than as a means of accessing Whitby?

 

I think it’s pretty well known that most people want sufficient time for a good wander round the shops and harbour and a bite to eat. Many will want to climb the 199 steps to the abbey, as well. 2 hours is insufficient for most people who have shelled out £50 or whatever this years price will be.

 

No mention has been made on here about this years fares, some of which have now been published. The £49.50 ticket appears to be consigned to history, being replaced by a most confusing fares table. (Well it is to me but I admit to being a simple lad.) The NYMR claim that you can get a day rover from £33.90 but this is an on-line advanced Gift-aided school holiday booking of £38.12 less a thank you voucher of £5.72 plus a booking fee of £1.50. At the other extreme, a regular day rover purchased on the day with no Gift Aid appears to be £48.95, a whole 55p less than in 2025. At least, a first child goes free ansd subsequent children go for £12. There's no mention of intermediate and single fares yet; these are going to be announced later.
I wonder how they are going to define school holidays, given that there are variations throughout the country, not to mention private schools?