North Yorkshire Moors Railway This plaque was unveiled by Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Kent on Tuesday May 1st 1973 to mark the formal re-opening by the North Yorkshire Moors Historical Railway Trust of the Grosmont-Pickering section of the former Whitby and Pickering Railway. To Grosmont, from Whitby, ran the first train on June 8th 1835, and the first railway excursion in the world on August 7th and 8th 1839. The Whitby & Pickering Railway was opened over it's whole length on 26th May 1836, all trains being horse-drawn. Steam traction came in June 1847 when the line was sold to the York and North Midland Railway. That company became part of the North Eastern Railway in 1854, which in turn became part of the London and North Eastern Railway in 1923, and British Railways in 1948. The Grosmont-Pickering section was closed under the Beeching plan on March 6th 1965. The first train operated by the North Yorkshire Moors Railway ran on April 22nd 1973. This plaque was given by Whitby Rural District Council.