A CARRIAGE stable and volunteer hub has been officially opened by the North Yorkshire Moors Railway (NYMR).

The £4million carriage stable project in Pickering and the volunteer development hub in Stape are both key to its £10 million Yorkshire’s Magnificent Journey (YMJ) Appeal.

Guests of the official opening had a tour of the state of the art carriage care facility and the volunteer hub, as well as the chance to see two iconic steam locomotives, Tornado and Lady of Legend, which will both feature at this weekend's steam gala.

The five-track, single-storey carriage stable, featuring a cantilevered roof, will accommodate up to 40 of the railway’s heritage carriages, and for the first time enable vital servicing and cleaning tasks to be completed undercover.

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It will enter full service in 2022.

The volunteer development hub and outreach centre provides a 20-berth, fully-equipped facility enabling the NYMR to offer new levels of engagement and experiences to its audiences.

It is intended to give a more diverse range of people and wider community the opportunity to volunteer on a heritage railway.

John Bailey, NYMR trust chairman, said: “The carriage stable and new volunteer hub are prime examples of the principal aims of Yorkshire’s Magnificent Journey – that, 50 years from now, people will still be learning from and enjoying the NYMR and the experience of steam travel across the moors.”

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