Steam Trains of Yorkshire

Visit Haworth, Pickering, Bolton Abbey, Elsecar and more

May 12, 2007

The 1960s saw the end of steam trains in Yorkshire. Preserved railways give visitors to the county a chance to relive a bygone age.

Relive the heyday of the railways, thanks to a committed band of unpaid enthusiasts. Lines closed to passenger services have been re-opened and locomotives and rolling stock lovingly restored. The county boasts a wide variety of heritage railways – each with its own unique attraction.

Derwent Valley Railway

The line, which was never nationalised, ran between York and Cliffe Common near Selby until it closed in 1981. All that now remains is a half-mile stretch of line at Murton Park near York, where the old station at Wheldrake has been rebuilt. Trains run every Sunday between Easter and the end of September. Admission to Murton Park, which includes the Yorkshire Museum of Farming and various other attractions, allows unlimited rides on the train.

Elsecar Railway

Part of the former South Yorkshire Railway that ran from Mexborough, serving collieries, ironworks and other local businesses until 1984. Currently, a one mile stretch of track runs alongside the Dearne and Dove Canal, from Rockingham Station at the Elsecar Heritage Centre. Services operate every Sunday, and some Saturdays.

Travel through the Yorkshire Dales countryside for about 2 miles on part of the old British Rail line between Ilkley and Skipton. Trains run every Sunday, with summer services up to 7 days a week from the Victorian station at Embsay to Bolton Abbey. The ruins of the 12th century Priory and the banks of the River Wharfe are a gentle one and a half mile stroll. Car parking is available at both ends of the line.

The location for scenes in “Railway Children” and many other films and TV programmes, with connections to Network Rail services at Keighley. Serving the Worth Valley, the line provides a vital link for locals and tourists. About lunchtime, steam hauled services replace early morning diesels. The Oxenhope terminus has a buffet, shop and picnic facilities, but the main attraction is Haworth. Here the railway has a locomotive works and visitors can make the steep climb to the Bronte Parsonage and Haworth village. Many services have a buffet with a rail ale bar and special events occur throughout the year.

A 15” narrow gauge line runs between Clayton West and Shelley hourly at weekends. The eight mile round trip through rural West Yorkshire takes about 50 minutes. Hourly and daily driver experience courses to help realise unfulfilled ambitions. Clayton West is in easy reach of Leeds, Huddersfield Wakefield and Barnsley.

The world’s oldest railway and the first standard gauge service in Britain to be run by a Preservation Society. A regular weekend service operates between May and December. The main station is just 2 miles south of Leeds city centre and the two mile round trip takes about 25 minutes

By far the longest preserved railway in Yorkshire. The line runs across rugged moorland and though wooded valleys for 18 miles between Pickering and Grosmont; passing through Goathland where the TV series “Heartbeat” was filmed. The line connects with the picturesque Esk Valley line between Whitby and Middlesbrough at Grosmont. From 2007, some trains are running through to Whitby, providing the first direct rail link between Pickering and the coast in over 40 years.

Travelling By Train?

Other Preserved Railways

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