The Yorkshire Dales Railway, 1966/67

From the archive of Ken Ellwood, a film made in 1966/67 showing part of the Yorkshire Dales Grassington Railway from Skipton to Rylstone. The film shows a British Rail steam locomotive Standard class 4 (4-6-0) filmed at different times of the year heading north along the branch line towards Swinden Quarry. The line closed to passengers in 1930 but is still in use up to the Quarry for the transportation of aggregates.
Please share with interested rail enthusiasts and social media groups and if you would like to see more Locomotive films from the archive, please subscribe to my channel. Thank You

[@alan_mythicalgnome]

This is absolutely beautiful , giving me personal memories as a child. In the countryside with my Mum and Dad. The sight and sound of mucky black steam engines and me innocently rolling in the buttercups. It's a real pity that we can't wind our memories back and live them again in the here and now. A lovely film. Thank you.

[@philclennell]

The use of Elgar's 'Nimrod" captures so well the lamentation of something wonderful long passed and an England we'll never see again.

[@simonfunwithtrains1572]

I remember this line being featured in Railway magazine's end of steam commemorative issue. It's nice to think that the track bed and the line is still in use and should it ever cease to be needed by the quarry there's a good chance that it could be taken over by the Empsay line and we could see steam on it once again.

[@owencarlstrand1945]

Brilliant and Elgar’s Nimrod (Enigma Variations) was absolutely spot on and evocative music.

[@allanwilson8161]

What a wonderful film it took me back to when I was as small as the little boy in the film.If we could only turn back the clock. As said below better times when the world did not pamper to all the rubbish of so little substance that everyone seems to follow these days. Very sad !

[@nigelduckworth406]

A beautiful and exquisite film, wonderfully juxtaposed with my favourite Elgar piece, and through the prism of those gorgeous wildflower meadows. Somehow it takes me back to what was another age and a different country more than 50 years ago. you must be immensely proud of your father's eye for blending nostalgic steam, an obsession of mine then, and glorious countryside into a work of art.

[@SussexHistory]

We used to hill walking in this area and would often take a ride on the Embsay and Bolton Abbey Steam Railway. Of course, you can only get to Grassington by car these days where we went for a cup of tea or an ice-cream. My lady companion on these walks died in 2018 and I developed an eye condition which meant I cannot drive anymore, so this upload brought back happy memories of the beautiful Yorkshire scenery! Thanks for taking the trouble to convert it from film and upload it.

[@michaelsmith8415]

Such a nostalgic film. I spent the best part of 30 years working on the Rylstone Branch as a Freight Guard at Holbeck and then a Driver at Skipton. We lost the work when Skipton became a passenger only depot.

[@marka87]

Great footage thanks for posting; lovely to see the line in the steam era. The line passes close to my house and I enjoy watching the current trains operating.

[@nigelmitchell351]

Set to Elgar's masterpiece was inspired.! Oh set the hairs on my neck up.! Absolute pleasure, many thanks Ken, and thanks for posting.

[@smhorse]

The BR Standard 4 4-6-0 in the film will have either been 75019 or 75027, both of which were rostered to work the Grassington branch in the last two years of steam. 75027 is still with us, on the Bluebell Railway. The film also shows an Ivatt 4 2-6-0 working the branch, but I haven't been able to identify which one.

[@crewelocoman5b161]

An indescribably beautiful and nostalgic piece of film set to the music of Elgar. Another testimonial to rhe end of steam and a lost England.

[@levelcrossing150]

What a beautiful video and shots here that you just don't see in the usual archive videos. I live in North Wales and many of our rural branches closed for ever during the 60's. I was 14 years of age at this time and this video brings to life what my local branches must have been like in the 50's and 60's.....thank you so much for sharing.

[@MePeterNicholls]

I love the care he took in making these films.

[@MePeterNicholls]

How did he get such clarity of the sounds

[@martinwilliamson387]

Superb! Oh the nostalgia! I grew up in Embsay, so the Grassington branch and Embsay station were part of my childhood environment. I have some distant memories of seeing steam running from about this period or perhaps a year later - I was probably about the same age as the little boy in the film. The opening shot of the train working over the Skipton to Embsay road brought back many memories and the gas lamps, too! Walking home from school in Skipton counting the gas lamps, each one slightly different, hissing away. Thank you so much for sharing this quality piece.

[@neildelaney5199]

A steam locomotive working hard, beautiful countryside and Nimrod,,pure pleasure thank you

[@mozart4meuk]

One of my favourite films. Love the fact that you and mum remain part of the story.

[@christopherwaring8285]

BRILLIANT VIDEO BRILLIANT MUSIC BY EDWARD ELGARS NIMROD

[@erniegannsmate]

I've just been reading about this branch in an old Railway Reflections - which I first read in 1982. this just fleshes it out. Great scenery, very good camera work, and some touching human interest. Thanks for posting!

[@paulroberts4863]

Another gem! Steam and Elgar just seem to fit together so well. The inclusion of the shots of you (and your Mum at 3:29?) just add to the air of nostalgia.

[@SuperArtmachine]

The filming is abolutely stunning, A real sense of awareness to motion and space. Something not seen very often in the filming of the railways in the landscape from that time and even now. It really captures something that can not be seen again, but within your capsule here Thank you

[@shaleshiftersvintagespeedw2291]

Wonderful film. The many, many different shot locations, you and your mum as human balance and excellent musical choice make this amateur production of professional standard. The direct transfer to digital is, as others have said, so worth it. A Yorkshire man in Scotland rejoices!

[@LeslieGilpinRailways]

Wow! Your father's films take me right back watching the last days of steam as a kid pass the house, though we were on the coast.

[@JohnSmith-el2nj]

Lived at Hillside Crescent, Skipton as a little kid until 1967. Can recall the earth-shaking detonations of a local quarry coming from the Embsay direction. Thanks.

[@dodgy1954]

Wonderful!

[@tonyelse]

A superb film with inspiring music,makes you feel proud to be british

[@a11csc]

some wonderful footage there thanks

[@Wettonbunker]

Brilliant. Cheers for uploading

[@TheDaf95xf]

Fabulous steam trains pulling loosely coupled wagons with a break van and chilling just playing in a field 😄 What more could you ask for 👍🏻 No playing Xbox or PlayStation then lol 😆

[@donnicoll1570]

Thank you Peter. Another lovely video. Your Mum in this one I guess ??

[@Northyorkspaul]

Lovely film.

[@PeterEllwood]

Thank You

[@samuelfarris1949]

I once thought that all archival film records by amateurs of steam was of poor quality, but it is an assumption I made purely from watching VHS compilations where the transfer process to video files were not usually of the best standard. With digital transfers the crispness of the original film comes through much clearer, and in this case, along with the others on this channel, the uploads were clearly transferred directly from the original negatives which does the best justice to how they are presented. If I had to pick one shot from this footage it would have to be the shot starting from 2:56; where the son's dad had found a great vantage point to record the panoramic scene in front of him. Great content. Samuel F.

[@PeterEllwood]

Thanks for your comment! I think it was well worth the effort of my brother who got the entire archive digitised. Having recently had a go at filming using the same 16mm Bolex, I can now fully appreciate how difficult it can be to capture such good footage with correct focus and aperture, not to mention winding up the motor every few minutes and getting your young subject to do as directed without him ever realising!

[@graceharrison1991]

Some great photography and very clear. I like the music, but please ditch the badly dubbed loco sounds.

[@MrGig2010]

Would that be you at 2:30 Peter ?

[@PeterEllwood]

Yep, sure is. One of my many 'starring' roles!

[@gm16v149]

I wonder how many of those steam trains ran out of the quarry? I was living with my grandmother in Hebden in February 1967 when she died on February 15 of that year, I saw one of those steam engines crossing a bridge at Grassington (pretty sure it was Grassington, the rail bridge crossed the road) and thinking that this was probably one of the last steam trains working in Britain. That would have been around 17 February 1967. Is the railway still there? I had a quick look on google maps and couldn’t see anything. Dad and grandad were born in Skipton.

[@PeterEllwood]

The line is still there operated by Tilcon Quarry between Skipton and Threshfield. www.google.com/maps/place/Threshfield,+Skipton/@54.0475906,-2.0341694,2148m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m5!3m4!1s0x487c0a79eae98f55:0xd268804821279123!8m2!3d54.0674599!4d-2.01584