North Yorkshire Moors Railway may close !

THE North Yorkshire Moors Railway has warned it could face a dire future if it cannot find £1m soon.
Chiefs at the railway say unless they can repair a vital bridge, they would only be able to run a skeleton service next summer – with closure on the cards after that, dealing a £30m blow to the local economy.

Because the 18 miles of track follow the lines of the Esk Valley and Pickering Beck, the route depends on the 35 bridges between Pickering Station and Goathland and Grosmont, and more recently Whitby.

Most of the bridges are of stone arch design which have not been a problem to maintain.

But Bridge 30 at Water Arc, below Beck Hole, could be the Achilles heel.

There is no danger to trains at the moment. But unless Bridge 30, which carries the line over the River Murk Esk near Thomason Foss waterfall is repaired before next spring, the railway's days are numbered.

It is in a remote gorge which makes access difficult and its 80ft span rests on a girder. It dates back to 1908, and being a solid lump of metal has to be replaced in one go.

Otherwise a weight restriction will have to be placed on rolling stock using the track next summer, which would mean mothballing the bigger locomotives, and using tank engines.

General manager Philip Benham, said: "The railway would be a shadow of what it is now and we would not have a viable future."

The railway has now launched its £1m Bridge and Wheels Appeal to pay for the work.

For more information on the appeal visit www.bridgeandwheels.co.uk