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North Yorkshire Moors Railway General Discussion

Discussion in 'Heritage Railways & Centres in the UK' started by The Black Hat, Feb 13, 2011.

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  1. Jark91

    Jark91 Member

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    How long would works on the scale of Bridge 42 usually take? Less than 3 months (if they plan to reopen fully in time for easter) sounds quick.
     
    Jark91, Nov 6, 2026 at 2:51 PM
    #13021
  2. Sulzerman

    Sulzerman Member

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    I doubt the bridge will be tackled. I thought work would be late 2027 for completion in 2028.
    It may be work on platform 4 at Grosmont and signalling for the NR connection will be this winter.
     
    Sulzerman, Nov 6, 2026 at 3:20 PM
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  3. 5944

    5944 Resident of Nat Pres

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    I assume the line is shut now north of Goathland until Easter, so that gives them over 5 months to carry out the work. It's not going to be a quick job, especially not in the middle of potentially a very cold, snowy winter.

    Whether they can afford it is another matter...
     
    5944, Nov 6, 2026 at 3:21 PM
    #13023
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  4. 60044

    60044 Well-Known Member

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    I've been told they are waiting for the result of a grant application, and if it comes through fairly soon the work will at least be started this winter - that could save another year of having to hire the props. A lot of the pway work needed is ballasting and tamping, which ought to be reasonably inexpensive cost of ballast mostly, and not starting from scratch, and the paid pway staff are at a minimum and being paid anyway.
     
    60044, Nov 6, 2026 at 5:01 PM
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  5. jnc

    jnc Well-Known Member

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    Going from my admittedly now-dim memories of what was outlined in the planning application for the work, it would to some degree depend on how big a crew was put onto the job; i.e. how much money they wanted to spend. I don't know enough about that kind of work to have a reliable sense of how to go from what was outlined in the planning application, to 'how long it would take'. Putting the propping up took, IIRC, several weeks; going from that, my guess for the repairs would be a month or two (depending on crew size).

    Noel
     
    jnc, Nov 6, 2026 at 5:55 PM
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  6. Daddsie71b

    Daddsie71b Well-Known Member Friend

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    For one of the biggest heritage railways relying on grants to complete the works rings alarm bells. We are all maintaining ageing infrastructure and should be putting money aside.
     
    Daddsie71b, Nov 6, 2026 at 8:49 PM
    #13026
  7. Steve

    Steve Nat Pres stalwart Friend

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    With some of us the alarm bells have been ringing for a few years now.
     
    Steve, Nov 6, 2026 at 9:57 PM
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  8. 60044

    60044 Well-Known Member

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    ..... but some railways have more infrastructure than others! Actually, I think the NYMR has a pretty good record compared to many other lines Several bridges replaced with good grant support, and quite a high proportion of the track replaced - it is only in recent times that it has slipped, and I think that can really be tied to a SMT that really doesn't appreciate the need to spend as much on it as, well, admin staff .......
     
    60044, Nov 6, 2026 at 10:15 PM
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  9. Pete Thornhill

    Pete Thornhill Resident of Nat Pres Staff Member Administrator Moderator Friend

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    It’s not unusual or unique to the NYMR.

    Some examples over the last decade -

    Grants specifically for infrastructure repairs:

    1. Weardale Railway (2020–22) – £2,128,000 from Durham County Council for repairs to railway bridges.

    2. East Lancashire Railway (2024) – Over £1.3 million from the Government's Community Ownership Fund and three local councils for structural repairs to Higher Woodhill Viaduct.

    3. Keighley & Worth Valley Railway (2023) – £1 million from the Government's Community Ownership Fund towards replacement of the deteriorating Bridge 27 at Haworth.

    4. Severn Valley Railway (2019) – £853,800 from the National Lottery Heritage Fund towards restoration of Falling Sands Viaduct, including structural repairs, brickwork and waterproofing.

    5. Steeple Grange Light Railway (2021–22) – £32,636 from the Tarmac Landfill Communities Fund for rockfall stabilisation and repairs around Porter Lane Bridge.

    6. Bluebell Railway (2026) – £15,000 from the Pilgrim Trust for structural timber repairs to Kingscote signal box.
    Larger grants that specifically included infrastructure repairs:

    1. North Yorkshire Moors Railway (2017–22) – Approximately £4.6 million from the National Lottery Heritage Fund for the Yorkshire's Magnificent Journey programme, including the replacement of three deteriorating bridges around Goathland.

    2. Mid-Hants Railway / Watercress Line (2021) – Approximately £492,000 from the Government's Culture Recovery Fund, specifically including essential track repairs and repairs to several bridges.

    3. Bluebell Railway (2024) – £250,000 from the National Lottery Heritage Fund towards a wider project including refurbishment and repairs to platforms at Horsted Keynes.

    4. Bluebell Railway (2020) – £250,000 from the National Lottery Heritage Emergency Fund, including track repairs alongside other essential expenditure.
    Additional example:

    1. Aln Valley Railway (2025) – £255,000 from Northumberland County Council and Historic Railways towards structural repairs and waterproofing of Eden Hill Bridge, facilitating the railway's future extension. This involved infrastructure not yet part of the operational railway.

      As you can see it’s a common occurrence and a vital funding source in itself. I don’t share your concern, far more worrying would be an inability to sustain daily running costs in my opinion.
     
    Pete Thornhill, Nov 7, 2026 at 8:21 AM
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  10. 5944

    5944 Resident of Nat Pres

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    Which does seem to be the case, with the £250,000 operating profit last year only being made possible by a transfer of £500,000 from the trust.
     
    5944, Nov 7, 2026 at 8:36 AM
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  11. Pete Thornhill

    Pete Thornhill Resident of Nat Pres Staff Member Administrator Moderator Friend

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    Exactly. That is far more concerning and although my comment was more generally it was made with that in mind.

    At the end of the day grant funding is an established route for funding large capital projects but I think you’d be hard pushed to find external unconnected grant bodies willing to fund day to day operations.

    Looking at the NYMR specifically, the way the grant from the NYMR trust was presented as profit might be technically correct in the sense that if there was a surplus it can be considered a profit regardless of the source, but it’s also misleading at the same time as to the true performance of the business and while you might get away with it once or twice unless the trust has infinite funds isn’t sustainable in the long term.

    What it does highlight though is the urgency of needing to find a way of reversing the situation which led to its awarding in the first place, and is entirely different to the established route of grant funding capital projects which in this case the NYMR were right to pursue.
     
    Pete Thornhill, Nov 7, 2026 at 9:09 AM
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  12. brennan

    brennan Member

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    First financial rule for a business; "never use your money when you can use someone else's".
     
    brennan, Nov 7, 2026 at 9:24 AM
    #13032
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