Day 17 - July 29th. NYM Railroad or back to the moors

We had breakfast in the cottage and packed a lunch for our day on the North Yorkshire Moors railway.
We had to drive into the moors from our cottage to the village where we would board the trains for the day.
The NYM railway tries to maintain and preserve a line of mostly steam trains that just travel through the moors, hitting about six towns or villages.
Each station tries to preserve a different era, with Grosmont, where we would join the line, looking like a station out of the 1950’s. The station is right in the heart of the village and is also where most of the maintenance sheds are  for the NYMR.

Steam swirls all around the trains

and you can peek inside the windows of the cars as you walk by, some being coach class and some first class.

We were, celebrating our status, riding in coach. . .

We sat in a booth facing each other with a table between us in our first car, (really the only way to ride a train)
The interiors have all been redone to resemble the era the car had been made in. No shiny chrome or cheap plastic.
All varnished wood work, solid iron, and itchy fabric.

The whole line is only about 18miles long so you have plenty of time to get off and explore the other villages the train goes through.

Our first stop would be the village of Goathland.

The station is the one seen in the Harry Potter movies known as Hogsmeade in the films.

The town of Goathland is known in the British TV series “Heartbeat” as Aidensfield.
Matter of fact, most of the tourist stuff having to do with the town is based on the “Heartbeat” show. The show has been running about 18 years, so the town has done well by it.
The station is snug down by a stream with the village a few minutes walk up the hill.

Emelaine and I spent some time in the town playground

while Robin took a walk to a waterfall a good hike away

We picked up some lunch material in town before re-boarding the next train to come along.

We passed up the opportunity to get off at the next two stations. These two are best suited for hikers and fell walkers, more than an old man with bad knees and a three year old.
Robin would have done fine.
Our last stop on this direction of our ride was at the town of Pickering.

A much larger market town, it had a castle and many stores, bakeries, and pubs to offer.

The station area represents a station 1930’s with a tea room and gift shop near the platform.

We walked around town for a while, looking in a toy shop, and antique shop, finally buying some lamb for dinner and an ice cream for our break. At a bakery we picked up some jam tarts for a snack. Emelaine took a great nap while waiting for trains.

You then reboard the train to go back the way you came.
The next train was my favorite.


















The car that we went in on this train was separated into compartments with two benches facing each other. Although no table between, it had a sliding door that offered privacy.
This is the type of car Sherlockians would recognize from one of Paget’s illustrations.
When we got back to Grosmont and our car we (I) found we (I) had parked illegally and we had a ticket on our windshield.

We drove back to our cottage and cooked up the lamb for dinner.

Will some day return to this part of Yorkshire.