Pete Waterman, music producer and railway lover, has today (Friday, 26 Sept) unveiled a new £110,000 carriage restoration facility at Pickering Station.
The new facility will enable the North Yorkshire Moors Railway to continue to give pleasure to thousands of visitors, by enabling the Railway to increase the rate at which historic carriages are restored. The new facility provides a purpose-built, modern environment under cover.
Funding for the new facility has come from Yorkshire Forward (£42,000) with the remaining contribution being made by the Railway, made possible by a generous bequest from the late John Atkins, a supporter of the NYMR. Because of that, the new facility has been named the Atkins Building.
Whilst unveiling a plaque and watching the first historic coach to undergo restoration manoeuvred into the facility, Mr Waterman said:
“Although I am known for being a railway enthusiast, my real passion is for railway coaches. I am delighted by what I have seen today and would like to pay tribute to the volunteers of the NYMR, helping as they do, to bring tourism and people back to the Railway.”
He added: “This is a fantastic facility and a great asset to the NYMR. At a time when the popularity of trains is now at an all-time high, it is great to see this kind of development taking place, which is helping to fuel the rail renaissance.”
Other guests sharing in the success included the Chairman of North Yorkshire County Council, Cllr Peter Sowray, Chairman of Ryedale District Council, Cllr John Raper, and Mayor of Pickering, Cllr Mal Danks.
The opening is a second piece of good news for the NYMR, having just been told it has been successful in securing £998,000 from the Heritage Lottery Fund to help fund a new visitor and education centre at Pickering and the reinstatement of the station roof.