The British Railways ‘Mark One’ carriage is a design familiar to anyone travelling by train in the 1950s and 1960s. This type of vehicle was seen in operation on every part of Britain’s Railway network, replacing outdated vehicles tired from war service. There were compartment, buffet, restaurant, tourist and first class variants, among others. Many of these vehicles today provide the backbone of services on our heritage railway just outside Skipton, North Yorkshire. We welcome tens of thousands of visitors every year, transporting them back to a time when people had ‘never had it so good’ and steam ruled the tracks.

We are appealing for funds to help us to complete the restoration of one of our ‘Mark One’ carriages, affectionately known as ‘No. 13’. It was built in 1961 and has been on our railway for nearly thirty years.

We are looking to complete this vehicle because:

• One impact of COVID-19 is to substantially reduce the capacity of our existing trains. We can combat this by returning No. 13 to service, boosting our numbers of socially-distanced seats.
• It will help us to expand our very successful ‘Dales Dining’ offer to thousands more visitors every year. We now offer curries, fish and chips, afternoon tea, murder mysteries and so much more on-board. These have become so popular that we now need to increase our capacity.
• This carriage has a bar, which will be great for passengers to get a drink from that they can enjoy while our North Yorkshire scenery rolls by.

The railway has delivered a number of superb restorations in recent years in our workshops and we are keen to continue our work in preserving heritage skills by finishing the extensive work on No. 13.

We are aiming to raise £8,000 to ease the financial burden of returning this carriage to service on the railway in an difficult period.

Coronavirus has seriously impacted on the railway’s finances. While we remain viable, we have had to reduce spending on projects such as carriage renewals. Raising funds for the completion of No. 13 will avoid this and other projects being further delayed.

You can help by…

Sponsoring a Seat: [SOLD OUT]

If you would like to remember a loved one, buy a unique birthday present or simply help the railway complete No. 13, you can sponsor a seat in the carriage. You’ll be invited to an official launch in the spring of 2021, presented with a certificate showing your sponsored seat and your chosen name will be displayed in the carriage on a special display-board for five years. Anonymous sponsorship is also available. Your seat will be enjoyed by thousands, will take in the picturesque views surrounding our line on countless journeys and will help us to meet our educational aim. Each seat costs just £99. There are just 44 available.  NB All seats are now sponsored, but please buy a launch day ticket and/or make a donation!

Purchasing a Launch Day ticket:

You can purchase a ticket for the official launch day of No.13 back into traffic for £25. This ticket, valid for a to-be-determined date in Spring 2021, allows you a return trip in the relaunched carriage.

Making a one-off donation:

You can support us by making an online donation by clicking through this page.

Seat sponsorship and donations can be Gift Aided, with details taken at the next stage. Gift Aid means we can claim a further 25% on each donation, which can have a huge impact on the success of an appeal. Gift Aid applies to UK taxpayers.

Click here to donate or buy a launch day ticket: