North Yorkshire Moors Railway - Is it worth the money?

it is only worth it if you will enjoy your stay, perhaps enjoy nostalgia and even more if riding behind steam in an authentic period carriage excite you.

If not, go climb and go ziplining, same as you can anywhere. You don't specify the "kids" so hard to tell on age appropriateness, but the activities at Go Ape will be age graded. The train is suitable for cradle to grave.

If those things in the first sentence do excite you and/or the "kids", you should know that the NYMR is one of the premier preserved steam railways in the world - second only, perhaps, to my old stomping grounds of the Severn Valley Railway, but don't tell them that - and is many miles long. Wondering about the price, coal is expensive now that it all has to be imported, lots of water, all that track maintenance and building maintenance, and none of that comes cheap even if most of the workers are unpaid volunteers.

There is also the fact that NYMR, in common with other preserved railways, lost shedloads of money during the pandemic and went to the wall when they had no trade at all for so many months, so they need to rebuild the coffers to continue providing a world-class experience.

Only you and your family can decide if a day behind steam is worth it.

I'll freely admit I'm a steam buff, so for me and the family, the answer would be a resounding YES! There is something special about travelling behind a steam engine.

The North York Moors Railway runs for 18 miles across some of the best scenery in the North York Moors. There are quite steep gradients in places so the locos do have to work hard. Stations have been carefully restored to present travel in a by gone age.

However only you know if your kids would enjoy it - how old are they? Are they fans of the Thomas the Steam engine stories?

The Rover ticket may seem expensive but you can break journey along the route and if you are in the area it can be used more than once (it gives 12 months’ FREE return travel on our standard services from the date of your first visit). If however, you only want to do a short ride, you can buy a return ticket between two neighbouring stations for £13.50.

I enjoyed taking the train into Whitby from Pickering. My special needs adult daughter loves trains, and this was a true highlight for her. Unfortunately, the steam trains break down often, so sometimes the train needs to be replaced with a diesel engine. This is what happened to us, but we were fortunate to see the steam train in one of the picturesque stations along the way. It is a slow ride into Whitby, but very enjoyable. Well worth it in my opinion. With funding issues, who knows how long this line will be operating? go while you can and support this wonderful nostalgic railway.

Unfortunately, the steam trains break down often,

Don't forget, the steam locomotives used on the NYMR and all other preserved railways are all at least 60 years old. Although they are well maintained and restored regularly, they do occasionally break down. This is not a regular occurence, and the workshops make every effort to minimise this happening.

In a prolonged hot spell with no rain, there can be a significant fire risk from sparks from a steam engine firebox. (This was a major problem in 2022 , not so much after this year’s weather!) Trains may then run with a steam loco at the front, but with a diesel at the rear to provide extra power and minimise the risk of sparks and line side fires.

Whether the NYMR is worth the money is mostly a matter of opinion. I thought it was a unique experience to ride on a steam train and I thoroughly enjoyed the experience. It provided a wonderful glimpse of history. I can't remember what the cost was, but I really wanted to ride on the railway so wasn't concerned about it.

I didn't go as far as Whitby as I wanted to spend some time in Goathland. I'm a big fan of Heartbeat (I still watch the reruns every week) and I had a very interesting day there. I believe the station in Goathland was also used in the filming of one of the Harry Potter movies.

I believe the station in Goathland was also used in the filming of one of the Harry Potter movies.

Yes, it was.

There is also a lovely and easy walk from Goathland to Grosmont along the line of the original railway which had a cable hauled section as the gradient was too steep for the steam locos.

My 8 ur old enjoyed it very much. Admittedly he is a big train fan. He did not enjoy the walk to the next station but I did. Lol. We only did that section we returned to Pickerig from the stop after Harry Potter. He also loved the national railway museum in york if york is in your plans

My 8 ur old enjoyed it very much

I have memories of a 2 year old getting off the train at Goathland and complaining plaintively 'train... more train..."

Andrew Ditton is an International Train Manager with Eurostar (the original Eurostar) who has two very cute small dogs, an electric car and a caravan. Stay with me here. A very nice guy, who holidays in his caravan with Dougal and Ted, the dogs.

He does occasional Youtubes and just published a series of 3 twenty minute videos (no spoken word) of his holiday at the North York Moors Railway (staying at Pickering) with the two woofers and the caravan and the car. Very relaxing, and they really give a look at what the NYMR is really like, and the stations and Whitby, from a caravan park next to the station. Great train sounds and a really candid view.

Although he didn't speak, the sound track is great with lots of train sounds. He was in very early spring so the crowds were not there, giving a great view.

Number one is at https://youtu.be/PfWAb6gWYUM?si=IiNcuy4Q5QU0WFxh

This link is to the middle video, you can easily get to 1 and 3 from there. https://youtu.be/cBWHf8uC1GY?si=uya-s5zBg_VkMqoe

Number 3 is https://youtu.be/_ut5JWeY7i8?si=hoasZsDn35CKGskj

So Gricers have shown themselves in RS……

Watching/riding steam trains is subjective. Kids, adults, non-gricer types may be entertained or bored. Show the kids a video and see if they like it. Gricers (rail enthusiasts) are the wrong folks to ask.

Three of us, adult women, enjoyed it so very much, a year ago. We took a taxi from York to Pickering, where we had a lovely wait, talking with the women who run the gift shop, having tea, and buying Bobbles, since we were told that Whitby could be quite chilly. It was. The stop in Goathland was long enough to have a nice outdoor meal and to look around and take photos of the station , which was Hogsmeade, in the Harry Potter movie. The train ride was fun, and we thoroughly enjoyed Whitby. The abbey, the church, the fish and chips, the sea. It was wonderful.

The NYMR are only running on Network Rail metals because of agreements reached with Network Rail. They can't just show up and take over.

Being "thrown off" may or may not be factually accurate.

As far as blocking up the line, they can only operate on agreed paths and all the time that they are not on the line, the line is unblocked.

I presume that the same arguments are used to attack the Severn Valley Railway or other preserved railway charters?

and now to return to your regularly scheduled programme - and answers for phillandrewjames as to whether their money is better spent on NYMR or Go Ape this summer.