The Yorkshire Railway With Big Ambitions

In this video we will be visiting the Yorkshire Wolds Railway. The only heritage railway in the county of East Yorkshire...and it has some big ambitions.

Built on the former Malton & Driffield Junction Railway which opened in 1853 connecting the East Yorkshire town of Driffield with North Yorkshires Malton. The line closed in 1958 and 50 years later the Yorkshire Wolds Railway Restoration Project was formed in October 2008. The site was opened to the public in 2015. It sits to the north of Wetwang, east of the small village of Fimber and just close to Sledmere House.

It’s base is at Fimber Halt, which is a new wooden station platform surrounded by a growing collection of railway artefacts, coaches and shunters. It’s solitary shunter and guards van give rides up and down the short stretch of line.

At the top end of the current line is a fascinating project to rebuild the former Sprotbrough Signal box that once resided at Sprotbrough station just outside Doncaster on the now closed Hull & Barnsley Railway. The Hull and Barnsley Railway Stock Fund are heading the project and had rescued the signal box from an allotment near Barnsley.
We also look at their plans for expansion as the line plan to run track for a further distance towards Wetwang.
There is a museum on site that is inside an old 1957 British Rail Mk1 brake coach. The coach itself was lovingly restored by the railway after arriving in 2013. The coach hosts many artefacts from the former Malton and Driffield railway.
The shunter pulling us today was built in 1979 for use at Shotton Steelworks. Originally called Eddie, it has had various jobs around the UK until it arrived at the railway from Lindholm prison near Doncaster in 2013. The brake van that we are riding in is a 1961 British Rail built at Ashford Wagon Works in Kent. It arrived at the railway in 2018 and after 5 years of restoration was officially launched in last month, September 2023.

We also take a look at the local disused railway that the line is being rebuilt on. Just to the north of the Fimber Halt station is the site of the former Sledmere and Fimber station. Opened in 1853 and closed to passengers in 1950 and to goods in 1958 when the line closed fully.

‪@YWRailway‬
https://www.yorkshirewoldsrailway.org...