Steam Trains on the North Yorkshire Moors Railway
The North Yorkshire Moors Railway owns or cares for over 30 locomotives at any time, with around two thirds of these undergoing or scheduled for long-term repair. The railway has an active fleet of 10 – 12 engines in operational service, with five or six in action on any given day and others undergoing short term repairs and maintenance. You can find out more about the North Yorkshire Moors Railway by visiting www.NYMR.co.uk or by joining Grand Yorkshire’s day trip from York (click here for details).
As well as the fleet of steam locomotives, the North Yorkshire Moors Railway operates some diesel engines. However, if you travel on a tour with Grand Yorkshire, you’ll travel by Steam Train – guaranteed! Your guide will find out the schedule of trains for the day and adjust timings if necessary to avoid the diesels and ensure your journey is by steam train. If this isn’t possible, or if a scheduled steam train is replaced by a diesel at very short notice due to a breakdown, Grand Yorkshire will pay for your journey on the North Yorkshire Moors Railway – you’ll travel for free!
45428 Eric Treacy
The LMS Class 5 steam locomotives – known as “Black Fives” – were originally built between the mid-1930s and 1951 and served right through to the end of the steam era in 1968. Over 840 were produced and their sheer numbers and versatility made them a favourite among drivers and spotters alike. “Eric Treacy” is named after a former Bishop and eminent rail photographer.
44806
The North Yorkshire Moors Railway’s second “Black Five” has recently returned to service after an 18-month long refurbishment at our own depot in Grosmont. She was for a time named Magpie, after the 1970s kids’ TV show and moved to the NYMR from the Llangollen Railway in 2013.
76079
This Standard Class 4MT locomotive is nicknamed the “Pocket Rocket” thanks to the engine’s great power for its size., 76079 was built in 1957 and worked mostly in the Midlands on a variety of jobs. She underwent a full boiler renovation in 2014 and has proved very reliable ever since.
63395
The oldest currently serviceable locomotive on the North Yorkshire Moors Railway, this Q6 class was built in 1918 to haul coal trains in the North-East. 120 of these engines were built and gave sterling service in this role until finally retired by British Railways between 1963 and 1967. 63395 is the sole surviving Q6, and is painted in her final livery of British Railways black. She is owned and maintained by the North Eastern Locomotive Preservation Group.
6046
A visitor to the North Yorkshire Moors Railway from the Churnet Valley Railway in the Midlands, 6046 is an S160-class austerity locomotive built in the United States in 1942 and shipped to the UK. After the war, she was sold to the Hungarian railways and spent most of her life there until the type was finally retired in the early 1980s.
61264
Another wartime loco, this time built in the UK for the London & North-Eastern Railway and spent most of its life at Harwich. The “Thompson B1” class was designed to be cheap to build and used as many existing parts as possible. 61264 was built in 1947 and served until 1967. She is now one of just two surviving B1s, and is owned by the Thompson B1 Locomotive Trust. She is approaching the end of a long restoration and will be running soon.
80136
A new acquisition for the North Yorkshire Moors Railway, 80136 has just completed a full overhaul and will feature on the line in 2017. A Standard Class 4 Tank, this type was commonly seen on the Whitby-Pickering line in the 1950s, as well as many commuter services in London and the South East. A popular preserved type, with 15 in existence – almost 10% of the total locomotives of this type that were built.