THOUSANDS of wartime enthusiasts will gather this month and go back in time to 1943.

The North Yorkshire Moors Railway is holding its annual wartime weekend, and people come from across the country to be involved in the three days of re-enactments.

The weekends have been turning back the clock on the railway line between Pickering and Grosmont for longer than ten years and are immensely popular.

The event, from Friday to Sunday, October 18 to 20, shows the roles played by the railway during the Second World War and educates the public by recreating the conditions on the home front in 1943.

Organiser Ivon Baker said: "There is activity all along the 18 miles of line. We try to recreate exactly how things would have been in the day at each station, with blacked out signs and sticky tape on windows.

"More than 500 re-enactors will be in character all weekend, with accurate outfits and weaponry. There will be a parade, where the Mayor of Pickering, Natalie Warriner, will take the salute and favourite wartime songs will be performed.

"Many people work very hard to make this weekend both fun and accurate. It takes a lot of money and effort to get it right."

Even the local cinema will show wartime movies and local cafes will serve typical dishes from the day, such as spam fritters and corn beef hash. There will also be a 1940s dance, when Mr Swing and his band perform the music of Glen Miller.

For information and booking, call the railway on (01751) 472508.