The North Yorkshire Moors Railway is promising a week of the most intensive steam service for more than half a century between Whitby and Pickering as part of its Diamond Jubilee Steam Festival.

As the normal rail service from Middlesbrough to Whitby cannot run because bridges are being replaced, the NYMR is taking the opportunity to run a more frequent service between June 2 and 10.

A NYMR spokesman said: “There’s no better way of starting – and finishing – your day by the sea than with a ride behind one of our historic steam locomotives. There will be a train every two hours from Pickering and Whitby. So instead of fighting for a parking space in the town, visitors can enjoy a steam train ride into the heart of North York Moors, and let our trains take the strain.”