A treasure trove of railway memorabilia can be found just east of York. MATT CLARK spent a day with the volunteers who keep it on track.

PUFFS of acrid smoke drift into the sky above Murton as Vince Middlebrough starts up his beloved diesel shunter. With roar, a toot of the horn and a hiss of brakes the engine gingerly clanks along its short run.

First it goes past the station, then under the raised red and green signals, before coming to a halt just after the brick bridge.

Vince’s engine might not have the glamour of steam and its name, British Sugar York, may be less romantic, more utilitarian, than stable mates Pluto, Churchill and Jim. But this is the first time the 165-type diesel, built in 1953 by Ruston & Hornsby, been driven since a major overhaul.

And for Vince, that is cause for celebratory cuppa. Anyway, he says, diesels are far better than steam trains. “These are proper trains, modern ones aren’t. Most of my generation don’t remember steam on the mainline, but in the 1980s British Rail was awash with diesels. Nowadays they’ve all gone.”

Like most schoolboys, Vince always wanted to be a train driver, but it wasn’t to be. Then, by chance, he happened upon the Derwent Valley Light Railway. Now his childhood dream comes true each weekend.

“Railways have always been a passion. One Sunday afternoon I came down and got chatting. Thirteen years later I’m still here.”

He and his fellow volunteers at the Derwent Valley Light Railway Society maintain and operate train services on the last surviving half mile at the Yorkshire Museum of Farming in Murton.

Chairman David Wilde says the branch line is unusual in that it was never nationalised, and so spent all its life as a private railway.

“I remember as a youngster going down to the station at Layerthorpe in the 1960s,” he says. Then they gradually decreased the line and it was all closed down in 1981.”

A few years later, enthusiasts began to develop facilities and upgrade the section of track at Murton before running passenger trains again hauled by ex-industrial diesel locomotives.

The society also acquired a signal box from Muston near Filey, which now controls all the line’s rolling stock, but originally, David says, there was only one signal on the entire 16-mile line.

“It was there because of a bend the driver couldn’t see round, “says David. “A piece of wire linked it to a gate and when it opened or closed, the signal went to stop or go.”

Another pride and glory exhibit is the station which used to be at Wheldrake, one of only three surviving Derwent Valley originals.

The wooden building was painstakingly taken down, bit by bit, just after the line closed, and then rebuilt at Murton. The station and its platform took several years to complete, and the interior is almost exactly as it was.

“Most stations were knocked down of course, so this is a rare railway artefact; one that is helping to keep history alive, David says.”

The line had been built in 1912 to provide transport for the local agricultural community. Originally it served stations from Layerthorpe in York to Wheldrake before reaching Cliff Common, near Selby, by 1913.

However, passenger numbers quickly declined and by 1926 those services were withdrawn. The railway continued to transport freight and found a renewed lease of life during the war carrying fuel and armaments for local airfields, such as Elvington.

This made it vulnerable to attack.

“They allowed weeds to grow over the track in the countryside so the Germans couldn’t see it,” says David. “If you look down the line there, you can see a section we have left, so people can see what it would have been like in the war.”

Vince returns, having fixed yet another fault on his near endless ‘to do’ list. This time he fires up an ex-British Rail diesel, reverses it up the line and hitches it to a Pullman coach for the weekend passenger rides.

“One of our carriages was condemned the other year and we were in a bit of a fix because it was the busiest time of year with our Santa Specials,” says David. “But the North Yorkshire Moors Railway have always been very good to us and said we can have this one on a five-year loan.”

Keeping all the memorabilia in good condition is a never-ending task and some of the rolling stock is showing signs of age.

The biggest problem for David and his team is trying to work on the trains during the winter. He points out a parcel truck. All the wood is rotten, but trying to replace it in cold, wet weather would be a pointless task.

What the society really needs, he says, is a proper engine shed on site.

“We try to use a makeshift cover but it’s useless. The wind and rain make it too uncomfortable and you can’t do any painting either, because it doesn’t go off properly in the cold.”

He’s had a few quotes around the £20,000 mark and is trying to raise the money. One way is Driver For A Fiver, where you can drive a loco for £5; another is by selling souvenirs.

A rep arrives to suggest what sort of things the society should stock in the station shop; embossed bookmarks, key rings that sort of thing. Pens go down well, she tells David. Only if the price is right, he replies, as I leave him to a spot of hard bargaining.

And judging by the astonishing collection they have put together on a shoestring budget, that’s something he and his team are pretty good at.

By hook or by crook, they’ll get their engineering shed.

• Passenger trains operate every Sunday and bank holiday from Easter until the end of September, but there will be Santa Specials from 10am to 3pm each weekend in December.

• The Derwent Valley Light Railway is run completely by volunteers. There are working parties every Saturday and Sunday throughout the year, and if you would like to help out visit dvlr.org.uk for details.

• Archivist Jonathan Stockwell is always looking for photographs and memories. If you have anything to share, please contact him on 0113 2866800.