A HERITAGE railway has announced the winners of its photography competition.

North Yorkshire Moors Railway (NYMR) launched the competition in celebration of the wonderful world of steam trains by sourcing 12 show-stopping images, both old and new, to fill its upcoming charity calendar.

As a charitable trust, all proceeds from the calendar will be donated to Yorkshire’s Magnificent Journey which sees the 180-year-old railway raise the necessary funds to maintain and keep old carriages, tracks and bridges in good working order.

A total of 350 images were submitted by passionate photographers from across the UK, which were then whittled down to just 48 by judges at NYMR. The final selected images were put to the public vote and received in total, a huge 10,000 votes from the railways’ fans.

The monthly winners and photographs are as follows:

  • January - Philip Dove ‘76079 at Grosmont.’
  • February - Lee Pogson ‘No. 60163 Tornado easing through the curves near Goathland Summit, with a service bound for Pickering.’
  • March - Paul Ming ‘The train has just left Goathland Station.’
  • April - Simon Abbott ‘Scotsman at Water Ark Bridge.’
  • May - Lee Trotter ‘Schools Class Repton (926) arrives at Grosmont Station.’
  • June - Keith Harris ‘Leaving Levisham.’
  • July - David Chamberlain ‘City of Wells at Newbridge.’
  • August - Keith Harris ‘Heather in bloom.’
  • September - Robert Preston ‘Steaming Ahead.’
  • October - Katie Myers ‘Shadows in the forest.’
  • November - Philip Kindred ‘926 Repton approaching the road bridge at Mill Farm Beckhole.’
  • December - Martin Cole ‘Goathland Magical Christmas.’

Photographer Keith Harris won two entries on the calendar, for June and August with his picturesque shot of Levisham station and blooming countryside heather set in the backdrop of one of NYMR’s famous steam trains in transit.

The most voted for image, with 1,238 votes, was captured by Paul Ming. The shot of two volunteers chatting away on a bench outside Goathland Station will be placed in the month of March.

As well as featuring in next year’s calendar, the winners of the competition will also receive a four-person ticket to this year’s popular Annual Steam Gala, taking place from September 27 to 29.

Laura Strangeway, Marketing Manager at NYMR, said: “A huge congratulations to all the winners.

“We have been blown away by not only the number of beautiful photographs, but also the level of engagement the competition has seen. The calendar will showcase the true beauty behind our much-loved railway, its famous history and the stunning countryside the carriages pass through each day.”

To find out more about the competition and to view the final calendar images chosen by NYMR, visit www.nymr.co.uk.