The Yorkshire Wolds Railway celebrates the restoration of the brake van

None of the Yorkshire Wolds Railway (YWR) members had any experience of bringing a 60-year-old brake van back to service and they had minimal technical facilities.

But with the advice of other historic railroad experts, they learned what to do and did it.

On Saturday the railway, which operates trains on a quarter-mile stretch at Fimber Halt near Driffield, will hold a special ceremony to mark the completion of the project, which began with the delivery of the brake van on August 1, 2018.

The 1961 British Rail brake van before restoration at the Yorkshire Wolds Railway (Image: Yorkshire Wolds Railway)

John Lidster, the railway’s Director of Charities, said: “Everyone at YWR should be proud of what has been achieved with the work that has been done and our thanks go to the volunteers, suppliers and donors who have made this possible.”

“The brake van is a wonderful addition to the YWR fleet and being able to stand out on the porch and enjoy what is now almost a ¼ mile ride is a must see.”

Andy Barwick of the restoration team said: “When the brake car arrived the railway did not have a wagon shed so the restoration had to take place outdoors under a makeshift shelter made from old truck tarps.

“None of the existing members of the YWR had previous experience of restoring a railroad car, so advice was sought from other heritage railroad experts to overhaul the safety-critical components and obtain engineering drawings.

“The restoration team grew and a plan was put in place to ensure things happened in the right order.

“The team, made up of skilled and unskilled volunteers, was entirely self-managed and work usually took place on a Wednesday.

“The team worked very well together and we are very proud of what we have achieved on such a small railway that started with very few technical facilities.”

British Rail’s 1961 brake van after restoration by the Yorkshire Wolds Railway (Image: Yorkshire Wolds Railway)

Katy Bowser, Business Development Director, said: “We are so pleased with the result of five years of hard work that we decided to hold a launch event to celebrate.

“On 17 September we will be open as usual from 10am to 4pm, however with a ribbon cutting ceremony at 11.30am after which the brake van rides will officially begin. This is going to be a very exciting day!”

The Bremswagen was built at the Ashford Wagon works in Kent in 1961 to the design of the 507 diagram.

The rolling stock of the railway today consists of a wagon, the brake van and two shunting locomotives.