Embsay & Bolton Abbey Steam Railway

The Yorkshire Dales Railway Society was formed in 1968 with the aim of preserving the closed Midland Railway branch from Skipton to Grassington (which had run via Embsay and Threshfield). The Society subsequently became the Yorkshire Dales Railway Trust and acquired the Embsay station and yard. The first preserved passenger trains ran from Embsay in 1979.

The major project of the 1990s was the westward extension to Bolton Abbey, which had not been part of the original Grassington branch but was reinstated using a parallel formation. Bolton Abbey opened in 1998 with a substantially rebuilt Midland-style station.

The Skipton–Grassington branch was opened by the Midland Railway in 1902, primarily to serve the limestone quarries and lead mines of the upper Wharfedale. It was always a marginally viable line; passenger services ended in 1930, among the earliest passenger withdrawals in Britain, but freight continued to Swinden Quarry until 1969. Stone traffic from Swinden continues today on the Network Rail end of the line, the heritage operation being on a different alignment.

Embsay is the headquarters with the original Midland Railway station building, locomotive shed, and works. Bolton Abbey is the western terminus, beautifully restored in Midland Railway style and a popular destination for visitors heading to the priory ruin and country park.

The line operates regular weekend services with steam, plus diesel galas, real-ale trains, 1940s weekends, and Santa Specials in December.

Embsay is signposted from the A59 north of Skipton; Bolton Abbey is reached from the B6160 in upper Wharfedale. The line operates weekends most of the year and daily in peak summer.