The North Yorkshire Moors Railway is a preserved historic railway stretching for 18 miles through the heart of the North York Moors National Park, from Pickering to Grosmont, with a further six miles extension over Network Rail’s Esk Valley line to Whitby.  It is the largest preserved heritage railway in the UK in terms of route mileage operated and passenger numbers.  The North Yorkshire Moors Railway is locally, regionally and nationally significant due to its historic, scientific, aesthetic, cultural and social values.