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Recently, I was quite surprised to find intense discussion on the Driffield on line website about rebuilding a small section of the former M&D route. Although petty vague, some parties were suggesting rebuilding the section from Fimber&Sledmere station to the southern portal of Burdale tunnel. I do not know if anything will ever happen, but when I lived in Driffield, frequently I heard comments "I would to love to trains steaming up Burdale valley and into Wharram". I even suggested that a meeting should occur to gauge support on the website.
What I want to know, is there any support for a "Yorkshire wolds railway" based on the M&D? Most of trackbed now is farmland and from memory I think a connection may still be possible @ Driffield.
I feel East Yorkshire became a railway desert after beeching. Sadly, a great country with great scenic views has NO preserved line, while most countries have a few societies which seem to do well. Getting a Yorkshire wolds railway started will address this issue and help regenerate a beautiful area of the wolds and the market town of Driffield. Presently, I contacted three new societies (Helston, S&D @ Midsommer Norton South and the WRHA) to get their advice. What's the view of LNER faithful?

Hello M & D,

It would be a great project and I would love to see it happen. I used to manage the public amenity and associated picnic site at Fimber Station for Humberside County Council and knew a lot about its history from the research I did for the council and from having seen the trains running there in my youth.

Some of the trackbed has reverted to farmland and would need to be re-purchased and re-made, also the route would cross the B1251, this might be problematic if the line began at the old station. If the line began on the other side of the road then that problem would disappear though it would lack the authenticity of the original station with its historic connections to royalty visiting Sledmere House and the mill and the huge well previously located there. The JCB Nearly disappeared down it during landscaping of the picnic site.

I agree that the whole area is very scenic and rural and there is huge amount of history in the area and but I suspect the local vested interests of the Sykes's et al and local farmers would all have a view about the proposal. There is only a very sparse population in this section of the Wolds but it is not too distant from York, Scarborough, Bridlington and is about thrity miles from Hull.

The proposal as it stands would seem to offer a railway length of about three miles, with options to extend through Burdale tunnel
(if possible and safe) northwards to North Grimston and eventually Settrington and southwards to Garton and Wetwang.

I can't help but wonder if the section of the Market Weighton to Driffield line between Goodmanham and Middleton on The Wolds might not be a more attractive proposition. It has equally stunning countryside and the added incentive of re-creating Enthorpe bank, it would give an overall length of about five and a half miles without crossing a road.

I would fully support the creation of a Wolds railway though firstly I think the customer base should be identified. Would this aim to be a steam railway and what else could it offer that other preserved lines cannot?

When I spent time in Driffield and the Wolds, I thought this would be a perfect place for a society based on the Malton & Driffield Junction railway. The potential is huge, It may be possible to link two historic market towns once again. Malton and Driffield both have loads to offer visitors, it's just an attraction needed. Myself and others, thought about making this a community project, ie School trips, Quarry museum @ Burdale (possibly linked with another society), Market trains in summer.
Sadly the old Driffield-Market Weighton line goes from nowhere to nowhere. If the Yorkshire wolds railway ever got off the ground, a destination is needed.
Lately, I have contacted the local MP, who seems supportive and others have contacted groups in Malton to gauge support

Hi M&D

I also think that it would be a wonderful line.

I know the area very well, having been born & bred in the East Riding, and think the section between Fimber & North Grimston is exceptionally scenic.

The section between Wharram le Street & Wharram Percy is used for vehicular access to the medieval village at the latter location and is also a footpath, but I dare say that it would not be too difficult to fit both modes of transport in. Wharram Percy must be one of the main attractions in the vicinity of the line and there is also an interesting nature reserve in the old chalk quarry along this section. The last time I was along this section, there was still the old chalk hopper used for loading wagons in situ; a bit of a concrete monstrosity but nevertheless a piece of history.

I agree with John that a very detailed and business-like survey of the possible market would be required before such a scheme progressed too far.

Hmmm...while not wishing to be a killjoy......(I would quite like to see all or part the MDR re-open myself)

Access at Burdale would be difficult (the roads are very narrow and steep), and there is nothing else there apart from the quarry. Very scenic but I can't help thinking that wouldn't be enough.

As far as I am aware, part of Burdale Tunnel has collapsed, and the northern end approach cutting is very heavily flooded, presumably by the same springs that caused such problems during construction. So an extension through the tunnel to Wharram Percy (a possible northern terminus) is almost certainly a non starter.

The section from North Grimston to Wharram Percy is a better bet (easy access to the station at North Grimston, and no road crossings apart from the missing bridge at Wharram Station).

From a practical standpoint parts of the Market Weighton-Driffield route would be better in terms of trackbed survival, but as above, from where to where?

Going OT very slightly - The best bet of a reopened line in East Yorkshire IMHO (apart from the "Minster Rail" Beverley-York route) is probably Hull-Hornsea as much of the formation is intact and there is a logical reason for the jourmey (commuting and tourism).

The Hornsea line would be superb (being my favourite line) apart from the fact that it crosses both the A165 at what used to be Skirlaugh Station and at least four other minor roads.

For sentimental reasons I would love to see Hull to Hornsea re-opened but my head says Fimber to Burdale would be a better bet, and a little more scenic. The chalk quarry at Burdale contains a huge population of Bee orchids which when they are in season it is a sight to behold, there is no public access unfortunately.

Great to see this topic being of such great interest. I have alway felt East Yorkshire to be an unspolit country with loads od hidden treasures. A re-born M&D would be the icing on the cake. Just look at the line and attractions: delights of Sledmere house, former Quarry @ Burdale (great location of a quarry museum like Threskeld in Cumbria), Wharram , the deserved Medieval village and picture postcards villages like Wetwang, North Grimston.
I have been in railway preservation for awhile. I know this project is huge..but it could start life as many do like a Station/shop/visitors centre at Fimber/Sledmere, which is already popular with tourists. I have seen with my time at Embsay and Bolton abbey railway (sorry it's LMS) how 400 yards of track with just one ricky old station building is becoming a major force in preservation with a link soon planed into Skipton and expansion eastwards onto Addingham (Mid-Wharfedale)
When I visit home in the East ridings, I feel there is no vision/drive for such a society despite our wealthy rail past. Look at the Lincolnshire Wolds railway, they are doing the LNER proud. Ludbrough station is getting better, the steam loco is being restored and North Thoresby is within reach!! And they have had their problems in the past, but they unlike us over the water have not given up!! Yes, I know Burdale tunnel is flooded and probably collapsed, but other societies have sorted such problems. Yes, there is no station building at Fimber/Sledmere, but with bond issues/Lottery hertitage grants/EU funding one could be built. BA station was a sorry site in 1992, totally rebuilt and I bet it is better than the original.
What I'm saying is Have faith and if/when a meeting is called please support it. I live in Leeds now, but I would attend if one was called and please check out the Driffield on -line forum "Malton-Driffield Junction railway"
lastly, Hull-Hornsea. Sadly the station is a block of flats and most the bridges have got. I recall in 2004, there was some embankment removal outside of Hornsea. I think it is a none starter. However Hull-withernsea seems more intact at least the station is rescuable??

Hello there M & D, I have had a look at the Driffield on line forum and read a lot of interesting stuff there, I shall read it in depth tonight as there is so much content. I notice though that no one has mentioned the proposed re-opening of the Beverley to York line, there was some limited correspondence about this proposal on the LNER forum some time ago, here’s the link:

viewtopic.php?t=481&highlight=

There was also an article on the BBC website with some good information on it, here’s the link:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/humber/content/art ... ture.shtml

Wikipedia also has a little to say about this proposal too here’s the link:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/York_to_Beverley_Line

There’s also a link to the Minster rail campaign website, they have several important downloads including a campaign group constitution and a large report from consultants:

http://www.minstersrail.org.uk/


The new proposal on the LNER forum is a very different beast as it is proposed as a preserved line and not as a community railway as envisaged for Beverley to York. I think the above links may provide some insights but should not be swallowed whole, there are some very different criteria to apply.

The important thing here is to “Believe”. On a personal note I do “believe” and would be prepared to contribute whatever I can towards achieving the goals set for the re-establishment of the railway, even to the extent of contributing a small financial donation to a properly constituted body.

Do not be dazzled by the successes of such lines as the NYMR or the Bluebell or NNR et al, they have been working really hard at this game nearly thirty years or more, surely a major factor in their “overnight” success. Everest is climbed by planting one foot in front of the other and keeping going, determination is more important than intellect, money or physical ability.

A plan of action would be to form a nucleus of enthusiasts, hold a meeting, create an organisation that can achieve the early goals. Define the most important goals and initial steps. Publicise the goals and draw support from whichever quarter it can be found. Identify two or three reconstruction options that would be relatively easy to implement without crossing roads etc.
Approaches to trackbed or alignment landowners must be systematic and conducted professionally, and preferably later rather than earlier, to get them onboard and alerted to the likely benefits.

Everything is possible and I for one would love to get my teeth into this proposal.

OK, I apologise for sounding a little defeatist/pessimistic in my earlier post. I've now read the Driffled online forum and I must admit I'm more convinced.

I do however stand by my thoughts that as a "tourist attraction" the M&D doesn't offer enough to support a large undertaking such as the tunnel at Burdale. (But what do I know....).

The only way I see the tunnel returning to use is if the entire through route were to be reopened, with some kind of commercial passenger and goods operation providing sufficient funds to restore and maintain the line. This could be possible if local landowners were convincd of the benefits.

I'll keep an eye on the Driffield forum and see if/when a meeting is called....

P.S.

Points taken about the Hull-Hornsea line and the A165 at Brandesburton. The embankment at Hornsea Bridge has been cut back by about 80 yards to the west of the road. Possibly a new terminus at the back of Hornsea Freeport?

(The Withernsea line suffers similar issues, e.g. 2 crossings of the A1033.)

Great to see that alreay 186 people have read about this topic and there seems more interest in the Driffield on-line website! I am fully supportive of the re-opening of the Beverley-York via Market Weighton line. This is a Network rail project like those already planned in Scotland (such as the Waverley, SAK, etc). Elected officials have a duty to provide a more efficient, sustainable and convenient transport system. (ie double tracked, electrified if poss. with freight and regional/local passenger trains that should be built within 5-10 years)
What the M&D or Yorkshire Wolds railway is about is providing a way of celebrating East Yorkshire scenic countryside / history in a sustainable way. If a society was founded (crossed fingers) I would hope it would take at least 5 years to rebuild Fimber/Sledmere station into sometime Joe public and family would love to visit. It might take 10 years of work to get to Burdale tunnel southern portal....even 30 years extra to fix the tunnel. But it is a start.!!! The M&D is a long term project. But others have started with nothing like the WRHA and S&D trust @ Midsummer Norton south. Remember, Hull is the sixth largest city in England with a proud railway/industrial heritage, East Yorkshire council always harp on about a renaissance and this topic always seems popular with locals....so there must be a large support base!

Yo People,

Have just subscribed to these forums and thought I would introduce myself. I wrote an article on restoring the former M & D on the Driffield Online Forums in 2006, under the guise of 'The Village Idiot' but I now use the name Turnip Town, a name that oozes intelligence and style (lol).

In all seriousness though, whilst it may be fifty years this year that the former Malton & Driffield railway ceased operating and yes, there are plenty of small bridges missing, it nevertheless has given me the feeling that it could really work as a rebuilt line.

People can argue that it closed in 1958 because the quarry traffic packed up and passenger services had ceased prior to that anyway so why should it work now if it didn't then ?

One answer to that is that the world is a very different place to fifty years ago. If somebody had said to you back then, let's go out for the day and ride on a steam hauled train, you would have fallen off your chair laughing. Rather like saying to a high mileage sales rep nowadays, 'let's go out for a spin in the car, won't that be a refreshing change ?!!'

It can be argued that, for the first few years anyway, a rebuilt 'Yorkshire Wolds Railway' could be accused of going from nowhere to nowhere but that could be said for many new heritage lines until they get into their stride in later years.

As has been said already on these and the Driffield Online Forums, there are many potential draws for the tourist in the Driffield, Burdale and Wharram areas. There are individuals and bodies in Driffield and, let us not forget, at the other end of the former M & D in the market towns of Norton and Malton, who are actively trying to build up tourism in our towns in order to regenerate the local economies. Indeed, I read a newspaper article within the last few weeks stating that a group had rekindled plans to try and reinstate the missing rail link between Pickering and Rillington Junction on the York to Scarborough route.

Ok, possibly part of Burdale Tunnel has collapsed, who knows, but I never thought that trying to rebuild this railway would be a five minute piece of cake. Of course there is delapidation and various structures missing but it is the bigger picture that counts. What the line could be not what it is right now.

As an aside, in my previous job as an engineering technician at a further education college near York, I lost count of the number of times that people thought you were crazy because they saw you restoring some broken down old piece of machinery laden with corrosion and missing parts, or refurbishing a workshop, and they thought you were wasting your time - amazing when you persevered and the results started showing. Then people would look at whatever you had achieved and be full of positive comment and you would be thinking 'what are you so wide eyed for ? I knew it could be done.' Positive attitude!

Back to rail matters, the NYMR was criticised, as far as I am aware, perhaps I am mistaken, for being a line that, for many years, generally ran from nowhere to nowhere. Pickering, no disrespect to the residents intended, was a just a Ryedale market town and Grosmont just one of umpteen small villages in the middle of the North York Moors but that didn't prevent the NYMR becoming a success.

I think if we really develop both the vision and the best business and engineering case we can, we could, landowners permitting, really make something of a rebuilt M & D, or for marketing purposes, Yorkshire Wolds Railway.

I was doing a little filming at North Grimston the other day and had a quick look at the station and the surviving rail bridge and was quite amazed at the sheer volume of traffic rattling through the village so the area is not as quiet and devoid of potential and actual visitors as one might otherwise imagine.

As somebody else said here, I have also heard various local folk comment on how nice it would be to see the trains running through the Burdale and Wharram valleys once again. There definitely seems to be an appeal in the old M & D which I humbly think would be a real commercial strength if we got it up and running.

As I have commented on the Driffield Online Forums though, I have thought all along that in view of the world oil situation in future years amongst other factors, that the railway shouldn't be planned and rebuilt purely as a tourist and heritage concern, but should perhaps incorporate a community transport element as well which hopefully would add an extra revenue stream and possibly place us in a better position with local authorities and funding bodies with whom we would sooner or later need to work.

Anyway, enough of my waffling for now,

Turnip Town.

As a frequent visitor on the Wensleydale railway, I think the M&D should be run on their principle heritage line with a community transport edge...when completed even act as a Scarbrough avoiding line for Freight. On Burdale tunnel, remember when the SVR was washed away last year and millions needed to repair it. It was repaired by Valley aid. I am sure when Burdale tunnel is needed, it will be repaired by the wish of every rail fan in the land. Just look at Tornado, first Peppercorn loco built from scratch in this century (that must cost more than Burdale tunnels repair bill). Folks will generally help a good cause

Follow this link and it has few intresting photos of Burdale Tunnel

http://www.forgottenrelics.co.uk/tunnel ... rdale.html

The script that goes with it talks about the roof having fallen in.

Have a look

Thanks to that guy reminding us of the hurdle @ Burdale. This has been noted and is a future project. First a base has to be started probably some sort of siding/platform/ visitor centre at Fimber/sledmere. It may take years to get to the Southern portal. But I, like others believe this line could be brought back from the dead and actually be East Yorkshire's premier heritage attraction (as well as a community railway when/if Malton is reached)But the plan needs local support! please visit and leave your view on the Driffield online forum and even attend a meeting.
please have confidence in yourselves and your power. Yesterday I visited Standedge canal tunnel in the Pennines, shut in the 1920's, suffered various cave-ins and written off. Then in 2001, British waterways/National trust preserved and re-opened it for tourism. Message to M&D : Burdale tunnel is just sleeping. When the Malton dodger appears on one or two miles of track, a serious case/ appeal could be mounted to repair the tunnel, its been done before!!

Yo People,

M & D, possibly we have already spoken via e-mail, but could you e-mail me to give your views about the M & D proposed restoration ? It is just that Wildebeeste from the Driffield Online Forums has proposed a meeting this month and I am trying to mail round to get some bodies together for a first meet up just to size things up as it were.

The proposal is a meet in Driffield this month. I realise that it is perhaps not the best month to do this as many people are on holiday but we definitely need to make a positive start as soon as possible so we maintain momentum.

My e-mail address is izzzm@hotmail.com. Wildebeeste has given his e-mail address on the Driffield Online Forums also so please either mail him or myself as we need to generate some momentum and publicity.

The invite to participants also goes out to anybody else on the LNER Forums who might like just to come along and see what's what at a first meeting and anybody who you know who might be interested!

More later........Turnip Town.