The North Yorkshire Moors Railway (NYMR) will throw open its doors for Heritage Open Days 2026, giving travel professionals and heritage enthusiasts a rare look at the operational backbone of one of the UK's most visited preserved railways. Running from 11 to 20 September, the free programme spans Pickering, Goathland and Grosmont, with behind-the-scenes access to locomotive sheds, signal boxes and archive collections.
Heritage Open Days, the UK's largest festival of history and culture, is supported by the National Trust and Postcode Lottery players. For NYMR, the event doubles as a showcase for the railway's dual role as a living museum and a working transport operation, a model that continues to draw international visitors to the North York Moors National Park.
Archive exhibition and station tours
A centrepiece of this year's programme is Living Histories: A Dive into the Archive, running at Pickering Station from 14 to 16 September. The exhibition draws on materials spanning the railway's mainline years through to its current preservation era, offering context for how the line evolved from a British Rail branch to a volunteer-run heritage attraction.
Guided station tours at Pickering, Goathland and Grosmont each highlight distinct chapters of the railway's story. Goathland, famously transformed into Hogsmeade Station for the first Harry Potter film, remains a magnet for film-location tourism, while Grosmont's engine sheds and Pickering's Victorian architecture provide contrasting operational and architectural perspectives.
Behind the scenes: depots and signal boxes
On 12 and 13 September, the Motive Power Depot Walking Shed Tour will give visitors access to locomotive restoration and maintenance areas, where volunteers and staff work on steam and heritage diesel engines. The tours are a chance to see the engineering effort that keeps the railway running, a point of interest for operators and suppliers in the heritage tourism sector.
Signal Box Demonstrations at Pickering Station will explain the role of signallers, with hands-on opportunities to change a signal and operate the token machine. These interactive sessions underscore the railway's commitment to preserving operational skills that are increasingly rare in the modern rail network.
Rhiannon Hope, Learning and Interpretation Lead at NYMR, said: "Heritage Open Days is a wonderful opportunity to share the stories that make the North Yorkshire Moors Railway so special." Her team has designed the programme to appeal to both first-time visitors and repeat enthusiasts, with many activities available on a drop-in basis.
Selected tours can be reserved by registering interest via the NYMR website, a move that helps manage capacity and ensures a smooth visitor experience. The railway's approach to blending free public access with structured tours offers a template for heritage attractions looking to maximise engagement during peak festival periods.
For travel agents and tour operators, the event reinforces the North York Moors as a year-round destination, complementing the region's walking trails, coastal towns and historic villages. The railway's connection to the Harry Potter franchise also continues to drive international visitation, particularly from North American and Asian markets.
NYMR's participation in Heritage Open Days aligns with broader trends in experiential travel, where visitors increasingly seek authentic, behind-the-scenes encounters. The railway's volunteer workforce, many of whom are retired rail professionals, adds a layer of authenticity that is difficult to replicate in larger commercial attractions.
As the UK's heritage rail sector navigates rising operating costs and changing visitor expectations, events like this demonstrate how preserved railways can remain relevant by opening up their operations to the public. The free-entry model, supported by national funding, also lowers barriers for families and school groups, supporting the railway's educational mission.
For those planning itineraries around the September festival, the NYMR offers connections to the wider region, including the Esk Valley Line and the North York Moors National Park. The railway's stations at Pickering, Goathland and Grosmont serve as gateways to walks, pubs and historic sites, making it a practical anchor for multi-day tours.
Heritage Open Days 2026 runs from 11 to 20 September. Full details of the NYMR programme, including tour times and booking links, are available on the railway's official website.
