Full Steam Ahead column: Preparations pick up speed for packed year of events at North Yorkshire Moors Railway

As the year comes to an end, there is a lot of preparation to make the coming year an exciting one.

Once again, we have a packed calendar of events to look forward to. Alongside our firm favourites, there will be new events and surprises that will be announced in due course.

We’ll be ready to give a warm Yorkshire welcome when our main season opens from March 23.

Then, we kick off the North Yorkshire Moors Railway event season with the ever popular Annual Diesel Gala (June 11-14). Four days for fans and budding enthusiasts to ride behind some great visiting diesel locomotives and the trusty home fleet.

The Annual Steam Gala (September 24-27) promises four days of pure heritage steam celebration. It’s always a highlight at the railway and next year will be no different.

Across this weekend we’ll welcome people from up and down the UK to experience the buzzing atmosphere that we look forward to each year. Visitors can expect visiting locomotives, our very own home fleet, and plenty of opportunities to capture the sights, sounds and smells of steam.

After the hopeful months of sunshine and a busy season, our daily services will end on November 1. But we all know that’s not the end of the line, as we will be running special spooky services for adults in October and November, with more information coming soon. So Halloween fans should keep their eyes peeled!

The festive season is always a busy and important time and the Santa Express will once again welcome families on board for a magical journey filled with Christmas cheer. These services will run on November 28-29, and December 5, 6, 12, 13, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24.

As we look ahead to another year of steam and smiles, we’re also looking forward to the collaborative effort that brings the heritage railway to life everyday. From track maintenance and carriage restoration to planning engaging events and improving the visitor experience, a great deal of teamwork and passion goes into making each journey special.

Every event always stems from the hard work and dedication of our volunteers and staff. With every happy customer is the pride of bringing history alive for people to learn from and enjoy.

Here’s to a fantastic 2026 at the North Yorkshire Moors Railway and to hearing the chug of our heritage steam engines and the excited chatter of visitors creating a wonderful atmosphere.

To find out more visit www.nymr.co.uk/.