Monday 7 March 2022

First Train Movement Since The 1950's on Yorkshire Wolds Railway


Now that 
Yorkshire Wolds Railway locomotive Sir Tatton Sykes is fully operational, the loco was used on the first train movement since the 1950s following seven years of hard work and fundraising by the volunteers of the railway.

Their diesel locomotive, Sir Tatton Sykes, named after the local baronet of Sledmere House, shunted a Mk3 coach across the short stretch of line remaining on the Driffield to Malton line route, which closed completely in 1958, eight years after passenger services were withdrawn.


The Yorkshire Wolds Railway opened Fimber Halt, close to the site of the original Sledmere estate station, in 2015 and now operate 1000ft of demonstration track, with plans to expand another two miles to Wetwang. They own two shunter engines, a carriage and a brake van.

The volunteers are preparing for re-opening at Easter, so work is continuing on the painting of the coach roof. They managed to complete one side working from the platform, but were unable to reach the other due to the height.


The solution was to move the coach from its former location on one side of the platform to the other, resulting in the need to utilise the diesel loco. The coach had been moved slightly before, but the line on which it stood wasn't connected to the mainline so a tractor had to be used. Now the track is now all connected locomotive Sir Tatton Sykes was able to handle the movement.


Yorkshire Wolds website here