The Yorkshire Wolds Railway is a preserved railway in the East Riding of Yorkshire, it is located on a section of the Malton and Driffield Junction Railway near the village of Fimber. The railway has a short demonstration line and an operational industrial diesel locomotive which provides cab rides to visitors. The railway has plans for expansion, work on which is underway as of April 2019.
History
The line was built to as part of a scheme supported by George Hudson to create a line of communication from Hull to Newcastle. The line opened in 1853 however during its history traffic was almost exclusively local passenger trains and freight traffic from the quarries at Burdale and Wharram, with the occasional summer Sunday services to the coast. The quarries suffered a boom and bust existence with their business having dried up by the 1950s, leading to the line's final closure on 20 October 1958.
Heritage operation
In October 2008 the Yorkshire Wolds Railway Restoration Project was formed with the aim to restore at least part of the Malton and Driffield railway line as a heritage attraction under the name Yorkshire Wolds Railway. If restored it would be the only heritage railway in the East Riding of Yorkshire. In 2012 the group gained planning permission to build a visitors centre, near to the site of the former Fimber and Sledmere station. The land required for all of the current project is owned by the Sledmere Estate who are supportive of the railway. As a tourist attraction the railway is intended to form an interesting stop off on the route to the coast, and form part of a range of tourist attractions in Yorkshire Wolds, including Sledmere House and Wharram Percy deserted medieval village. In September 2012, the project acquired its first vehicle, an ex Mark 1 coach Brake Gangwayed. In 2013 the charity obtained its first locomotive, a GECdiesel shunter GECT5576, built in 1979 at the English Electric Vulcan foundry works. It was originally operated by British Steel Corporation at Shotton, and later by Trackwork Ltd of Doncaster, as a training vehicle in the rail engineering unit at HM Prison Lindholme. the locomotive has been painted in BR green similar to that seen on Class 55 Deltics and has been named Sir Tatton Sykes. In September 2018, The railway had acquired another piece of rolling stock: BR 20T Brake Van B955043. and it arrived on site via low loader. It requires restoration in order to run on the railway. The Yorkshire Wolds Railway, first opened to the public on 24 May 2015, with the official opening by Sir Tatton Sykes on 25 May 2015. Currently it has a visitors centre and of demonstration track.
Extension
The railway has plans to extend its operational length to 2 miles; which would involve running between the Fimber Halt site opened when the project commenced and the original Wetwang railway station. The railway has also had success bidding for funding from the East Riding of Yorkshire Council'sLEADER programme and has received donations of track in particular from local industrial railways such as Drax Power Station. Planning consent was granted on 17 May 2012 for the laying of 0.9 miles of track from Fimber Halt to the edge of a field; proceeding from which would immediately involve crossing a Green Lane. Work is also underway to provide a platform at Fimber Halt which will allow for easier boarding of trains, particularly when the brake van is ready for use.
