A series of unique money-can’t-buy experiences are being auctioned this September by the North Yorkshire Moors Railway (NYMR) to raise vital funds to restore locomotive No. 75029, The Green Knight.
The special auction launches on 5th September and will include one-of-a-kind experiences including the chance to have breakfast or lunch with TV star and Director of Mechanical Engineering Paul ‘Piglet’ Middleton, enjoy a week-long stay for 20 people at the Outstation in Stape, or the opportunity to try cloud-bathing, the relaxing practice of lying back and observing the clouds in nature.
The NYMR last ran an auction back in 2020 during the Covid-19 Pandemic when its entire future was at risk. This auction is different but just as crucial with the NYMR highlighting that unless vital funds can be raised to restore The Green Knight locomotive, there is a real risk to the NYMR being able to run services to Whitby beyond 2028.
The Green Knight is one of only a few NYMR engines able to run on the mainline to Whitby and two other locomotives with this ability are due for their 10-year overhauls at the end of the decade. This means they legally can’t run until the extensive overhauls are complete and, without The Green Knight, there are few options to haul services to Whitby. A day trip travelling the full route of the line from Pickering to Whitby and back is the most popular of all the NYMR’s journey options.
Completion of the restoration is likely to cost around £400,000 after initial work to try and repair its boiler identified that repairs would be unlikely to last any significant period of time due to challenges joining old and new material. A brand new copper firebox is now required, which is both time consuming and highly expensive but will ensure that the boiler lasts for decades of future operation. This work will be completed by a specialist external contractor whilst the NYMR and its team of specialist heritage engineers, apprentices and volunteers will focus on the other extensive work required to rebuild the frames and work on the tender.
The railway set a target of raising £200,000 towards the restoration in the Railway 200 celebratory year and has already raised £21,105 towards that target in a climate that is very tough for charities’ fundraising. The NYMR is both a registered charity (number 501388) and accredited as a museum by the Arts Council. The target of £200,000 would enable the boiler to be sent away for work to begin, with the full restoration expected to take approximately 4 years from that point.
Kerry Carruthers, Head of Engagement at the NYMR, said,
“All bids in the auction will make a huge difference to the future of steam and will mean that future generations will be able to enjoy the magic of a journey to Whitby on the NYMR.
Thank you to everyone who has supported The Green Knight fundraiser so far, and those who will support the auction - your support keeps us steaming into the future.”
There is more information about the auction at https://www.32auctions.com/NYMR-THEGREENKNIGHT
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