MEETINGS & NEWS
YORK AREA GROUP
OF NORTH YORK MOORS RAILWAY
Registered Charity No. 1073653
(April 2024 presentation preceded by short AGM)
Monthly Group Meetings are held at St. Lawrence's Church Hall, Lawrence Street, York, YO10 3WP, from September to April inc. Car parking is available to the rear, accessed via the driveway on the left hand side.
A buffet lunch is kindly provided by the Church, for which a voluntary donation is suggested. Also, there is a raffle, drawn in the interval, for a book generally on a railway or related subject, the cost being £1 for 5 tickets.
YORK AREA GROUP NEWS
North Yorkshire Moors Railway 50th Anniversary Steam Gala, 21st - 24th September 2023.
Four visiting locomotives joined the resident steam fleet and were 60007 'Sir Nigel Gresley from LSL Crewe, 75069 from the Severn Valley Railway, 92214 from the Great Central Railway & 55189 from the SRPS Bo'ness & Kinneil Railway, Scotland. An extensive timetable including freight trains operated over the four days, some double heading including two 9F's. The resident fleet in use were: 5428 'Eric Treacy', 80136 & also ran as 80116,92134, 926 'Repton' (BR 30926), 2392 (BR 65894), Lambton Tank 0-6-2T 29 & No. 8 Cockerill Tram 'Lucie'. Also in steam giving demonstrations of lifting, the Cowans Sheldon Crane, Carlisle built in 1926 ex MPD Doncaster. 60007 is remaining on the railway until at least November.
Photos: Robin Patrick
Friday 28th July 2023 - Derwent Valley Light Railway's 21st Annual Running Evening. Using BR Class 03 03079, BR Class 08 08528, Rowntree No.3 & 165DS 'British Sugar' (photos: 1-6 David Rice, 7&8 Robin Patrick): -
On Friday 14th July 2023 we held our latest Fund Raising Day at St. Crux Church Hall. Our Chairman, Nick Beilby, would like to thank everyone most sincerely who braved the inclement weather to help set up, assist on the stalls or with refreshments or simply support us on the day. Particular thanks should go to Margaret Jordan from the Church of St. Lawrence for travelling in from Wheldrake to help with the refreshments. We were delighted to welcome the Lord Mayor and Lady Mayoress who showed great interest in our activities and spent over an hour with us. We had a thoroughly enjoyable day which raised £150 and made some new friends.
Tuesday 13th June 2023 - Members participated in a trip organised by the Group to Sandtoft Trolley bus Museum. To view full details please click
Some old photos have come to light, taken by the late Allan Birkin, showing York Area Group members in a working party with a permanent way scrap recovery train, in the Summer of 1996. To view these please click
Group volunteers continue to assist on the NYMR, crewing trains, plus maintaining and repairing the NYMR’s permanent way, including the continual task of checking and oiling of fishplates along the whole of the line.
Group funds and volunteers’ efforts have also been expended on repairs and overhauls to the Civil Engineer’s wagon fleet and on-track machines, including Weltrol E230908, Plate Wagons B932267 & B934286, Lowmacs B904152 & B905100, Borail B946060, Plasser 12T Crane 81312, Tampers 73250 & 23309 and our Ballast Regulator; also numerous other sundry parts, materials, paint and tools. We have also financed the acquisition of Lineside Tools and Storage for the NYMR’s Lineside Conservation Officer.
At the Derwent Valley Light Railway, the extensive restoration and overhaul of our former War Department Drewry diesel shunter continues with impressive progress achieved. The old badly corroded cab has been transported away to DG Sheet Metal Services at Leeds, as a template for a new one to be fabricated.The shunter is on loan at the Derwent Valley Light Railway, Murton, undergoing restoration. Ongoing work includes overhauling its Gardner engine, replacing its radiators and de-rusting/repainting. The last two photos here show the newly fabricated cab on a visit to finalise some details of the build, before expected transport to Murton at the end of July for fitting to the loco. Photos: Tony Simons.
For yet further details and pictures please
The two photos below show the York Power Station Loco, which has now been saved from the scrapman, transported from Essex and is now on the DVLR metals at Murton; also the meccano electric loco which Tony Simons built to promote the project at the YAG Model Railway Show. He is always on the lookout for Meccano to promote engineering. If anyone has any they no longer use, please get in touch with him, email: tony_simons@icloud.com.
Our Wickham Engineer's Railmotor, also on loan at the Derwent Valley Light Railway, is currently undergoing mechanical repairs to its elderly JAP engine, carburettor and starter to get it back into running order. Photos: Paul Sheridan
