The Lost Railways of Yorkshire: The Little Railway that Couldn't - The Malton and Driffield Railway

I volunteer at the Yorkshire Wolds Railway, thank you for making this and featuring us

Another enjoyable video. I read up on this railway after coming across a photo of a level crossing in Driffield whilst stationed at RAF Driffield in the early 90’s. Easier to trace the line via Google Earth these days. Notable users of the line were Queen Victoria and George VI alighting at Sledmere and Fimber when visiting the Sykes Estate. Apparently they shunted the Royal trains into a siding and removed a section of line to prevent other trains from crashing into it. Things had moved on when the late Queen visited the Sykes estate, choosing to fly into RAF Driffield. Incidentally whilst reading’Strong Foundations’ a history of RAF Driffield , it mentions a narrow gauge railway constructed from Driffield to move materials to the aerodrome whilst under construction.

Another great video. If people can read a copy of Warwick Burton's book they can probably see how optimistic the plan was. But what a fabulous ride it would have been from Malton to Driffield in that rolling countryside!

Hello and greetings from Kingston upon Hull in the East Riding of Yorkshire. Just watched your excellent video showing the Fimber railway line, and I must say is a delight to visit and travel on. It will be great to see the line connect with Wet Wang again. I am 68 now and left school in 1970, age 15. I got a job with British Rail as a Junior railman ( lad porter) in the railway goods yard next to Kingston street in Hull. My job was to put on / take off wagon labels. I was already a railway enthusiast and when the shunters found out I liked trains the engine driver said to me, would I like to drive the yard pilot which was a class 08 shunter. I said yes please and the driver showed me what to do and I drove the locomotive up to Albert Drapers scrap yard and we parked the locomotive near by and went to look in the yard as Albert Draper had a Black five locomotive in there, 5305.( BR 453O5) Anyway we had a look at the locomotive and then we went back to the yard. Happy days indeed. Love your videos I shall be watching again, 👍

Thank you for this excellent video. My late friend, Warwick, wrote the book on the Malton and Driffield Railway. We enjoyed many cycle rides visiting places on the line. His book is very good, and I'm glad it was published before he passed away. I'm sure he would enjoy your video.

Jim these films are the best things to come out of Hull since the Housemartins split up . Real quality productions, such a pleasure to watch thank you .

Whenever I happen across a channel with 'history nerd' in the title I know I'm amongst friends! Great film thank you.

New subscriber. Lovely nostalgic bit of mind food. I'm a bit homesick for my East Yorkshire, and given all the doom and gloom going on in the world, this was a wonderfully 'British', romantic tonic. I've walked several sections of that line. I've been to Wharram Percy many times. I once went as a young teen with my folks and we found Burdale, I've been back since with my Mrs, and we started at the Single line entrance and trudged through the woods, stopping to peer into the foreboding black abyss of the Smoke vents dotted along the top. Till we came out at the other end. What a thrill that was. I've been interested in the Old disused railways around Driffield and East Yorkshire all my life. I find it strangely haunting and forlorn. It's quite a tangible feeling, in the True definition of the Word 'Nostalgia', it fills me with equal parts a warm, romanticised glow, and a melancholic sense of loss. Despite how those that try and destroy our beautiful little isle, they can never take away my memories, and videos like yours, which I couldn't have discovered at a better time, serve to add to the richness of my memories. So as a proud East Yorkshireman, with a profound love of our history. Incidentally, my Grandad was a Steam Traction engine driver, who once told me of him nearly losing it on the hill into Sledmere. 😬. My Stepdad was a Hull man, and also into the history of the railways. So your channel is a great find, I can't thank you enough for your time, energy and passion. I'm in the process of moving back to Hull in the next couple of Months. I'd love to hit you up, and have a really good chin wag with you, about some fascinating tidbits, over a couple of beers. 🙏🏻👍🏻😊

Just the gift of Wetwang station is a fantastic reason for this line to be remembered! Superb and genuinely interesting video.

Now this is the one I been waiting for knowing a few member off the group they making fast progest at the wright there going they be at driffield running train to the station in notime 😅

That was one of your best videos so far. The Wolds are indeed a special place, with a beauty all their own, but it has to be admitted that putting a line through such a sparsely populated area was never likely to be a money-spinner. As for Burdale Tunnel I don't think that can ever be re-opened, but it would be good to see the Yorkshire Wolds Railway push on eastwards and get to Wetwang. Good luck to them.

Very interesting. Why were we never told this at school... I. E. Malet lambert school... Great video. Thanks again. Glen.... 👍👍👍👍🏆🏆🏆

Thanks indeed for an 'accidental' trip down memory lane. As a kid I used to live in Malton (Norton). I loved watching the steam trains on that particular line (also placing pennies on the line to flatten them). The line was at the back of our house on Parliament Ave. We then moved to a cottage on Scarborough Rd, next to the railway bridge. Thanks for the memories.

Fantastic video again HHN. I love seeing the revival. Those volunteers at the Yorkshire Wolds Railway are amazing people. One day that project will be as big as the north Yorkshire Moors railway!

Every day's a school day with the great videos this man presents.

Great presentation and history,thank you.

Just found your channel and watched a couple of videos. Very good. I subscribe to Martin Zero's channel, so I'm going there to watch the tunnel video now. I love the village name "Wetwang". So close to "Wet Wank". I would love to live there to have that on my letterhead! I guess you don't need people like me subscribing to your channel, but I gave you a like anyway.

Superb eyebrow work at the end there, as well.

Great stuff. A really interesting story. As part of a book I'm writing on a notorious 19th century agitator, John De Morgan, I have written a chapter about his early childhood on the Burdale Tunnel navvy encampment in the 1850s. So it was good to see the area and the tunnel brought to life so vividly. De Morgan's father, James Morgan, was an on-site engineer and the family lived next door to the 'missionary' Ishmael Fish. It was a lot less violent than the bigger 'colonies' and there were more children than single navvies, with almost all the accommodation family-based with lodgers. [Rob Allen]

The last part was heartwarming HN, to see the revival of an unloved and undernourished railway. Well done....