Two momentous events occurred during April, the first was the opening of a new line to Stoneacre Loop on the 28th and two weeks prior to that the Executive formally acknowledged the start of a fundraising campaign for covered accommodation for the rolling stock.

The warmest congratulations are due to the Permanent Way Department who have now extended the line half way to Bolton Abbey. As reported elsewhere, they have refused to rest upon their laurels and have begun on an intensive maintenance programme upon the remaining line.

Equally as welcome is the news of the Shed Fund and a committee has been formed to pilot the scheme, hopefully to a successful conclusion during 1993. Much hinges on the outcome of the Feasibility Study recently commissioned and which is duly reported by the chairman.

I am delighted to receive correspondance on "Corporate Objectives" of the Yorkshire Dales Railway Museum Trust and, as always, your constructive and objective remarks are welcomed.

Do you ever wonder just where our passengers come from?

We in the Commercial Sector often do and "Biggles" takes a positive line in attempting to find out.

Once again, John Keavey did a traffic survey on all the trains operating on Sunday 7th April.....the findings are interesting.

Holidaymakers and tourists make up a large proportion of the total passengers, about 60% - and where did they come from? Cornwall, Plymouth, Portsmouth, Newbury, Greenwich, Pinner, Reigate, Surrey, London, Birmingham, Shropshire, South of Sheffield, Burton-on-Trent, Fife, Macclesfield, Stafford, Scunthorpe, Middlesbrough and the day-outers came from Dewsbury, Bradford, Huddersfield, Bury, Clitheroe, Burnley, Colne, Barnoldswick, Horsforth, Harrogate, etc., - and Hong Kong as well.

At last, thanks to the persistence of our Marketing and Publicity Officer, we have got a grant, totalling in all about £10,000. It is for a special purpose - a sort of biblical casting the bread upon the waters, for it is to pay for a professional feasibilty study by Marketing Consultants. The money for the grant has come from the Rural Development Commission, with cash contributions to the total by Craven District Council, Ogdens and ourselves.

The remit, which we and other parties have to decide in detail, will be for the Consultants to advise what, in their opinion, is the most suitable tourist related development for the Bolton Abbey Station site, which will be profitable and tie in with the Railway. They will also consider in what way the Railway needs to strengthen its infrastructure so as to enable it to successfully operate more frequent and heavier trains over a longer distance to Bolton Abbey. The Railway's general administrative, marketing and general trading policy could also be examined. The Conultants will also look at all possible future options, i.e. running down to Skipton, Rylestone and Addingham and developments at Embsay. A final question will be to identify possible sources of finance.

An important factor in our future development, therefore, will be what the Consultants recommend and advise, and to whom their recommendations are addressed, for we can plead for grant aid until we are blue in the face, but a recommendation by a Professional will often carry more "clout" and ultimately be more effective.

With the commissioning of Stoneacre, we are now half way to Bolton Abbey in terms of milage and about a quarter of the way in terms of infrastructure. We have to continue to transform from a line with a short stretch of track run by cheerful volunteers to a rural steam railway that goes somewhere and is operated by a band of amateur professionals who have established a reputation for running a tight ship but always with a smile, and who are operating a major tourist attraction in the Yorkshire Dales.

We have to have a proprerly researched and costed plan, and then stick to it.

Common sense seems to indicate that we must do something about the electricity supply and start on a new shed, which will not only make our repair, maintenance and restoration environment for the Loco. and C. & W. Departments easier and more efficient, but encourage the loan / hire of guest locomotives which, if carefully chosen, raise the Railway's profile - and help to provide motive power for the extended tracks which we will assuredly have in the future.