A very awesome story from England. I was lucky enough to ride this service last fall and was able to behind two Black 5 4-6-0's and see various other locomotives in steam and either out on the line or shunting about. People have told me for year how awesome preserved steam is in the UK but it can't be fully understood until you experience it.

http://www.whitbygazette.co.uk/lifestyl ... -1-4548909

Interesting and awesome; service levels, in terms of total number of trains or trains per hour, is comparable to Strasburg, but length--18 miles--is considerably greater, as is the locomotive roster. (Strasburg essentially has four active engines, and runs with just two engines at a time, sometimes with only one).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_York ... rs_Railway

A really big difference is that this is a true service, with main line connections and a destination, rather than the train ride being a destination in itself. How nice it would be to have that combination here--including the intensive main line service!

I'm not sure anything quite like this exists here at all; the closest comparison might be the Grand Canyon Railway, but even that isn't the steam show it once was.

This is so cool! If you have never been "across the pond", this is one of the railroads that you REALLY want to visit when you go. This railroad and the RHDR are close to (if not the top) of the list.

In the case of the RHDR (Romney, Hythe, and Dymchurch Light Railway)...it is the only way to get between the towns that it surves. 13.5 miles.....15" gauge.....at speed....AWSOME!!!!!

http://www.rhdr.org.uk/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Romney,_Hy ... ch_Railway

Absolutely! But it is only one of many -- narrow and standard gauge. And there are big events coming up at the York railway museum this summer too.

I tell of my visits to a few of the Welch narrow gauges on my web pages at RailroadGloryDays.com

Glen Brewer

I rode the North Yorkshire Moors last September. I found they had 4 locomotives in steam and three steam trains 7 cars each out on the line, and this was on a weekday. We rode the line down to Whitby which was an awesome destination. On the return trip we rode the "school train" which was a set of diesel cars that took kids from rural areas to/from school in Whitby. That was pretty amazing as well.

English RR museums often seem to focus on the overall "look" of where you board as well. I can think of plenty of operations in the UK that have stations which could instantly be used as movie sets (just remove everyone in modern clothes is some cases). How many can you think of in the colonies that have really put a lot of time into period-correct structures and a station area?

Got to go over last Christmas to visit family. The NYMR is really neat. Got to spend the day in Levisham Signal Box. Ive got a family connection as my Dad works the signal box at Newbridge.

Good times.

I visited the NYMR some years ago, and I just happened to arrive on an "open day." During the course of the day, no less than seven steam engines, as well as two diesels, powered trains between Grosmont and Pickering. Included was an 0-6-0T that banked every train departing Gromont through the nearby tunnel. Each train had one engine outbound and a different engine returning the train from Pickering! Signal boxes at the two passing siding locations were manned, as were diners on each train. Astonishing!!

I had a chance to visit a couple of years ago, did the secret handshake, got a tour of the shops and a cab ride. The place is magnificent! Bluebell Railway is no slouch either.

The museum at York is a must see. While I was there, the overhaul of the Flying Scotsman was going full bore, and she was so throughly dissassembled, the only way you knew what it was was by the nameplate lying on the soon to be reassembled parts. Somewhere I have a pic of that....

It's truly amazing what they do in the UK on a regular basis. Multiple engines, multiple trains, "real" service where you can ride from one station to another. They do stuff over there on a regular basis that only happens once in a blue moon on this side of the pond.

Mt Rainier Scenic RR currently has four engines that can be steamed, and in fact we steamed up all four of them two weeks ago for a special event. However, this happens at best a few times a year, if even that often, certainly not on a weekly basis.

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http://www.bluebell-railway.co.uk/

Another great place to spend some time. 8 locomotives in steam, and extending their trackage this year. Most of these places are very nice to fellow steam guys. If you give them the secret hand shake, you will usually get the gold treatment.