Steam and classic railway journeys in Yorkshire
The Yorkshire region has a splendid selection of preserved and steam railways. These are not only great for those delighted by a bit of nostalgia, but can be quite useful transport for days out in some of the most scenic parts of Yorkshire and allow some of the picturesque countryside to be enjoyed from the seat of a train.Here is a selection of heritage railway lines in Yorkshire:
North Yorkshire Moors Railway
A heritage railway running for 18 miles through the beautiful scenery of the
For details see the
North Yorkshire Moors Railway Embsay and Bolton Abbey Steam Railway
Operates from Embsay, about 1.5 miles from Skipton, to Bolton Abbey station about a mile away from the attractive priory ruins and beauty spot beside the River Wharfe at Bolton Abbey. The railway runs trains on most days during the summer and at weekends at other times of year, except January. It also has a range of special weekend events, dining trains and footplate and signal box experience courses. Tank engines are the mainstay of steam operations on the line, but the railway also has a collection of historic diesel locomotives. Also running on the line some days is a restored hybrid electric railcar, which was way ahead of its time when built in York in 1903.
More information at the
Embsay and Bolton Abbey Steam RailwayFind on map:
Embsay Station Keighley and Worth Valley Railway
Keighley Station and stations along the Worth ValleyThe earliest of Yorkshire's
Find out more at the
Keighley and Worth Valley Railway The Wensleydale Railway
A heritage railway service into Wensleydale running from Scruton and Leeming Bar, near the
Further information at the Wensleydale Railway website.
Wensleydale Railway Middleton Railway
Moor Road, Hunslet, LeedsThe world's oldest working railway is now operated by volunteers who run trains mostly at weekends. The railway was first opened as a horse-drawn colliery railway in 1758 and was the first to successfully use steam locomotives commercially in 1812. The line was not built as a passenger railway, but solely for carrying coal. Passengers can now make the journey between Moor Road station and Park Halt at the edge of the attractive woodland of Middleton Park, where there are displays about the past coal mining in the area. The line has a timetable of diesel and steam operating days and special events and the engine shed is a celebration of the numerous manufacturers, among them Hudson, Hudswell Clarke and Manning Wardle, which once made Leeds the biggest producer of railway locomotives in the country. The railway is about 2 miles south of Leeds city centre close to Junctions 5 & 6 of the M621.
More information at the
Middleton Railway Derwent Valley Light Railway
Services resumed on the Derwent Valley Light Railway on Yorkshire Day in 2021 after the railway was out of action for around 20 months. The railway is next to the Yorkshire Museum of Farming and usually has services running along its mile of track on Sundays and Bank Holiday Mondays from Easter to the end of September. It also has a range of other events from Santa Specials and cab rides to pump trolley experience days and signal box experience sessions. The railway is a surviving part of a 16-mile line built in 1911 which was mostly used for the transport of agricultural and other goods, although it did have small passenger trains for 13 years in its early days. Today the line is powered by a collection of diesel shunting locomotives, including examples which worked in the chocolate and sugar factories of York.
More information at the
Derwent Valley Light Railway Elsecar Heritage Railway
The Elsecar Heritage Railway, also known as The Coalfield Line, was located beside Elsecar Heritage Centre and ran along a mile of restored branch line which served collieries and iron works. The railway planned to extend the line by a further mile to Cortonwood. The neighbouring heritage centre is in a former ironworks and colliery workshops and houses an antique centre, craft workshops and exhibitions of the past history of the conservation village of Elsecar. Other attractions are the 1795 Newcomen Beam Engine, the only one of its kind to have been preserved in its original location. The railway was closed and mothballed in 2020 when the trustees surrended the lease of the line back to Barnsley Council.
More information at the
Elsecar Heritage Centre Whistlestop Valley formerly Kirklees Light Railway
Whistelstop Valley is a rebranding of the Kirklees Light Railway, a 15-inch-gauge light railway on the trackbed of the former Clayton West branch line from the Huddersfield-Penistone-Sheffield line. The branch had survived the Beeching axe of the 1960s but eventually closed to coal traffic in 1979 and passengers from the large commuter villages of
More information at the
Whistlestop Valley North Bay Railway
The historic seaside minature railway in
More information at the
North Bay Railway Yorkshire Wolds Railway
Fimber Halt, Beverley Road, Fimber, near WetwangThe only heritage railway in the East Riding of Yorkshire, the Yorkshire Wolds Railway has ambitions to restore at least part of the former Malton and Driffield Junction Railway. In 2019 it offers cab rides and driver experiences in its diesel locomotive Sir Tatton Sykes along 100 metres of track at Fimber Halt. There is also a history exhibition in its railway carriage visitor centre and a shop. The railway is currently hoping to extend the line by laying a mile of track in the direction of Wetwang. The railway opens on Sundays from the start of April to the end of October and also has occasional running days on other days.
More information at the
Yorkshire Wolds Railway Find the National Railway Museum in 
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