The living lineside
Gareth Evans discovers how the North Yorkshire Moors Railway is effectively managing its lineside, but also enhancing it for biodiversity and wildlife as part of its National Lottery Heritage Fund-backed Yorkshire’s Magnificent Journey project.
Gareth Evans discovers how the North Yorkshire Moors Railway is managing its lineside effectively for the railway, but also enhancing it for biodiversity and wildlife as part of its National Lottery Heritage Fund-back Yorkshire's Magnificent Railway project.
The North Yorkshire Moors Railway (NYMR) is part and parcel of the North York Moors National Park, but as one would perhaps expect, the focus for many years has been on the conservation and successful operation of the railway itself. The line’s £9.7 million Yorkshire’s Magnificent Journey (YMJ) project includes several elements which aim to set the NYMR up for the future.
As previously reported, the lion’s share of £4.4 million has come from the National Lottery Heritage Fund (NLHF), with the remainder from local organisations and private donors, plus £1.75 million from the Rural Payments Agency, an executive agency of the UK Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.
“The YMJ planning team identified the need to place a focus on the railway’s primary environmental asset – its 18-mile corridor of managed and protected landscape – to be seen as an asset to the National Park within our bid to the NLHF,” explained Bryan Orange, NYMR – YMJ – lead – apprentice & lineside.
Agenda
“The objective is to raise public and customer knowledge, understand the location and habitats of the flora and fauna, raise our land management skills and perhaps, importantly, drive up species biodiversity by the education of paid and volunteer staff, as well as the public, and also by driving through specific biodiversity raising project initiatives. We want this to become a straightforward part of our conservation and heritage management agenda in its own right. Building closer liaison with conservation organisations already working in our vicinity will bring rewards for all and particularly for the longterm sustainability of the National Park.”
Since its opening in 1835, the railway has run through a corridor fenced off to exclude the public and grazing animals. The route includes more than nine miles of a nationally designated site; Newtondale Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) is designated for its geomorphology and wildlife habitats, including mires, heathland, ancient woodland and species-rich grasslands, comprising almost eight hectares of a European designated site at Fen Bog, which is a special area of conservation. Additionally, the line
runs alongside Beck Hole SSSI, an area of ancient woodland.
The lineside habitat supports nationally rare species, including populations of the Duke of Burgundy and small pearl bordered fritillary butterflies, and rare wildflowers such as globef lower (a particular feature of the lineside and otherwise little seen in North East Yorkshire), meadow thistle and meadow rue. Adders enjoy the mixed habitat of undergrowth and railway ballast.
Habitat
Bryan continued: “We’ve managed the corridor primarily against an agenda driven by the needs of railway operation and safety.
“Grazing animals are excluded by fencing and casual access for the public is discouraged for obvious safety reasons.
“While the lineside is seen by every passenger, it is protected from casual use and thus forms a very particular range of habitats.
“After 50 years, we believe we should now increase the emphasis on the lineside’s own conservation agenda.”
Historically, railways operated a regime of cutting back all trackside vegetation to help avoid lineside fires caused by sparks from steam locomotives, and to provide clear sightlines for train drivers to see signals and observe obstructions on the line.
On the NYMR, priority is given to ensuring good visibility of signals and track for train crews.
Drainage channels are kept in good order, and deterioration of the track and structures from invasive plants and tree roots is minimised.
In some areas, controlled burning of lineside vegetation takes place to minimise the risk of uncontrolled fires.
Wooden fence and dry-stone wall boundaries are maintained to minimise intrusion from sheep and cattle. One consequence of this minimalist approach has been an increasing lack of visibility of the wonderful scenic views for passengers.
Even more importantly, the NYMR now actively considers the broader environmental conservation agendas.
“While the NYMR fully understands the
“Even a small patch is a valuable stepping stone – the wildlife is desperate for it. As soon as you put it in, it will appear. Every ounce of nectar and pollen is needed. You’re helping to conserve the next generation of bees, hoverflies and butterflies. All those invertebrates and wildflowers are the foundations for other wildlife – they feed the bats, birds etc. through the animal kingdom.”
railway operating requirements of managing the lineside, until recently it did not have the specialist knowledge or the in-house capacity to manage the conservation and ecological implications of its operations,” Bryan said.
Consultation
“Therefore, during the development phase of this project, the NYMR consulted extensively with Natural England, the North York Moors National Park, the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust, the Forestry Commission, Butterfly Conservation, and several local natural history societies on aspects of the conservation agenda, and with Askham Bryan College on the
training elements. We feel that by taking this approach we have taken on board the views and proposals of these ecology partners, who have more specialist knowledge than we do, in deriving suitable work plans to address the ecological and conservation needs of the line.”
Natural England has provided in-depth advice on lineside conservation needs and opportunities, and is working with the NYMR on common aims and objectives in Newtondale and the SSSIs generally.
Natural England and the NYMR are also working with the National Park on following up the recommendations of the Fen Bog Ecohydrological Assessment to improve water level control, through a programme of joint action on watercourse management.
The Forestry Commission is a neighbour over several miles of boundary, and is supporting the NYMR on the delivery of projects of common interest within Newtondale.
Butterfly Conservation has provided advice on railway and lineside maintenance approaches to support butterfly conservation.
“We have also consulted with the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust, the owners of Fen Bog and other neighbouring landowners to ensure that our new lineside management regime meets the needs of all stakeholders,” said Bryan.
“A particular issue at Fen Bog is the need for active management of the drainage regime around the railway and the bog itself to ensure optimum water levels are maintained for the care of both bog and railway infrastructure.
“Furthermore, we have also consulted with
“Specific habitat identification work along the railway corridor has been undertaken, along with a professional ecology survey to identify flora and fauna species and locations...”
Scarborough Field Naturalists Society, Whitby Naturalists Club and Ryedale Natural History Society, whose volunteers have extensive knowledge of the area and have, from time to time, undertaken piecemeal surveys of parts of the railway corridor.
“Volunteers from these groups will work with us more closely in future, and some will receive the necessary safety training to allow trackside access.”
Role
A pivotal role in this element of the YMJ is that of lineside conservation officer, a salaried position held by Kerry Fieldhouse (see separate panel). Friendly, down to earth and easy to talk to, her passion for the work is immediately apparent.
In partnership with the NYMR’s Permanent Way team, Kerry is developing and implementing a programme of improvements and planned maintenance to support the long-term protection of the railway’s peripheral infrastructure and ecological heritage.
Apprentices have been recruited, along with the volunteers, to support the delivery of these programmes and management of six countryside worker apprentices on the lineside.
In order to facilitate this work, the National Park team manager has received NYMR training in railway site safety and access.
In addition to NVQ standard apprentice training delivered by Askham Bryan college, the countryside worker apprentices are learning all aspects of conservation and lineside management, with a range of general conservation and specialist railway skills. This work crosses over with National Park activity in the delivery of wildlife connectivity initiatives.
Specific habitat identification work along the railway corridor has been undertaken, along with a professional ecology survey to identify flora and fauna species and locations, to identify work required that is being carried out by our countryside workers and volunteer teams as a part of their training activities.
Asked whether she has a typical week, Kerry replied: “Not really. Quite a lot of my work while they’re working with us involves managing the countryside worker apprentices. They have their leaders, who deliver the practical training and oversee them on a dayto-day basis.
“I’ve delivered training involving discussions and going out on site about bats in trees and how to manage trees while considering the needs of bats, for example, what the law says about managing bats in trees, but also from an ecological and ethical perspective on how we can best manage our trees and woodlands.
“If you need to take a tree down, how you carry out a bat survey and how you take that forward.
“We have tried to enrich their practical training with more ecology-based thoughts, such as considering the repercussions of what they plan to do and whether it could be done better with greater knowledge of the wildlife around us. That’s something I’d like to roll out to all lineside volunteers. We plan to do more of that this year – including looking at wildlife in our waterways and how to manage streams, nesting bird season, watervoles, otters and butterf lies and managing habitats.
Education
“With Covid-19 limiting face-to-face contact, I’ve thought about creating a series of fiveminute videos about how to manage a species in a particular way to raise awareness, which people can watch from home.
“Also, the videos could be shared with other heritage lines and partners in future – which is another aspect of our project.
“I’ve been working with some of the NYMR volunteers who have been out and about maintaining stations and the lineside, chatting to them about how we can manage habitats and why we can do so in a particular way.”
Other aspects of Kerry’s role include writing the management plan for the lineside, which includes the involvement of stakeholders such as Natural England, the National Park, NYMR lineside volunteers and management, plus trying to embed the concepts of conservation on the lineside into the railway’s culture.
“It also involves a lot of thinking about education and interpretation, so our messaging is integrated.
“There’s plenty of variety. Most days are a bit of everything,” she added.
Explaining the need to consider the line as a corridor, Kerry said: “Before I tell you more
about our ‘living lineside’ – as I have dubbed it, let me first ask you to consider ‘boxing’ as a concept. Humans like to box things. It may be concepts, art, music, other people or even landscapes. Look out on a view and what do you see? Do you see the individual elements of fields, woodland, moorland, rivers, villages, paths, roads and railways – or do you see a living, breathing, moving landscape of potential?
“I don’t believe animals and plants see the world in boxes or even habitat types. They don’t care for drawn boundaries.
“Instead, they see the world for its potential and for its connections – how can they disperse, find their own space, find food, a new mate, a home, survive?
“Whether you are a tiny leaf miner living out most of your life in a single leaf, or a goshawk soaring and sky-dancing across miles, connectivity is what you are looking for – the landscape level pathways for movement, communication, water, food and nutrients that necessitate survival.
“It has been known for some time now that an isolated nature reserve affords little sustainable benefit to its inhabitants.
“Despite these small oases of life, however lovely they are, our species and habitats are declining at an alarming rate, and those small oases are themselves vulnerable to disease, pollution and development. Instead, it seems to me, our nature reserves are acting as a type of ‘Noah’s Ark.’
“There must be corridors for species to f low along, from and to. In nature conservation we call those corridors ‘green corridors’ or ‘living landscapes’.
Corridors
“Certain landscapes lend themselves immediately to the vision of a ‘living landscape’ and ‘green corridors’. The North Yorkshire Moors is an obvious living landscape and so are the dales and valleys among it.
“Those treasures persist along the railway lineside in part because the line has been necessarily isolated from its neighbours.
“Fenced off with only a few lucky people able to traverse its track, its management has not been that of a commercial woodland or farmland, but instead remains much as it was 50 years ago.
“Low maintenance, hand-tooled management techniques have sustained a magical green corridor forming a link between the lower valley habitats in Pickering and the upland habitats of the Moors and boasts woodland, grassland, fen, valley mire, marsh and moorland edge. Newtondale, home to the 18 miles of steam railway linking Pickering to Grosmont, is packed full of treasures.
“This lineside, together with neighbouring habitats and nature reserves, support a huge range of species, many of them scarce or even downright rare in much of Britain today.
“This is truly a living lineside, and you can explore it from the relaxing position of the train and in many places, by foot.”
While living landscapes and green corridors sound grand, and something for ecologists and land managers to get stuck into, the reality is we’re all part of the connection.
Kerry has been talking to Grosmont Station Group; she’d not got onto other stations at the time of writing due to Covid-19 constraints.
“Some volunteers at Grosmont who maintain the station have embraced the concept of ‘planting for pollinators’,” she said.
“Each pot and corner can be a valuable habitat and they are looking at how they can be a stepping stone for invertebrates – and the birds and beasts that follow them – by planting the right kind of plants and providing a muchneeded boost of food and shelter.
“I suggested other ways of enhancing the pollinators’ stepping stones, such as inviting donations from supporters of lavender, sage and rosemary – be a bit more proactive in asking what you want in your donations, and not being shy about that.
“In reality, people will have those in their gardens and will gladly donate them, especially if they think we’re being proactive.
“The team at Grosmont already had that concept of plating for pollinators, but now they know it’s not just a nice thing to do – it’s essential.
“I’ve also talked about minibeasts. Our wildlife corridors for invertebrates are so blocked. We need to open up not just the corridors, but the stepping stones too.
“Even a small patch is a valuable stepping stone. The wildlife is desperate for it. As soon as you put it in, it will appear. Every ounce of nectar and pollen is needed. You’re helping to conserve the next generation of bees, hoverflies and butterflies.
“All those invertebrates and wildf lowers are the foundations for other wildlife – they feed the bats, birds etc. through the animal kingdom.”
Not to be forgotten are the railway’s historical features, such as the huts once used to provide shelter for track workers – an aspect of railway preservation which is perhaps inevitably overlooked across the sector.
A boundary audit forms part of the project. That involves walking all 36 miles of boundaries and mapping it, including recording what it is, where it is and what it needs to be. Funding to restore each hut is not in place as yet.
Kerry said: “I’m part of the infrastructure department, which includes permanent way, signal & telegraph, the estate manager, buildings etc. I don’t pretend to know how to conserve these structures.
“Some of them are made from old wooden sleepers, while others are concrete prefabs and they perhaps don’t look as aesthetically pleasing.
“However, they are part of the line’s heritage – the living museum that we are.
“Most of them require minor roof repairs rather than a full renovation. One of them is known as a great adder hideout – its remote, where nobody accesses, so it’s undisturbed. It’s an old timber structure, so is in need of tender loving care.
“That will need careful thought, especially given where it is and the presence of the adders, a protected species.
“As part of the whole infrastructure review about what’s on the lineside, we’ve recorded where the huts are, their condition and what we may want to get out of them for the future.
Understanding
“On the back end of them, for example, where you wouldn’t see from passing trains, we plan to install boxes for birds and bats, helping to become part of the habitat.
“We’re looking at ways we can highlight them to visitors, so they understand what those apparently strange little huts are.
“When you work somewhere, it’s easy to assume everyone else understands what it is they’re looking at.
“We are working on ways to help our visitors notice and understand heritage structures like the lineside huts on their visit, but also the different habitats along the line.”
One hut which has been restored to date is that at Levisham, thanks to the efforts of the station’s group.
“It’s called ‘No Sheep’ as it had a bit of wood placed across it to stop the sheep getting in,” Kerry explained.
“Someone had painted ‘No Sheep’ on it. They have dutifully put ‘No Sheep’ back on it. There are plenty of stories to tell about the huts, but how we do that is still being thought about.”
Asked what advice she would give to other heritage lines which might be considering following in the NYMR’s footsteps and taking a fresh look at their environs, Kerry replied: “Although a lot of railways will be unable to afford an ecology survey in the first instance, you can certainty engage your local natural history groups, be it birding, reptile groups, wildlife trusts or naturalists unions.
“We want this to become a straightforward part of our conservation and heritage management agenda in its own right. Building closer liaison with conservation organisations already working in our vicinity will bring rewards for all and particularly for the long-term sustainability of the National Park.”
“Invite them to have a look and give you advice. That’s a good place to start. Some of their members are likely to have an interest in particular aspects or have the necessary contacts.
“When you know what you’ve got and you can feel how you’re connected to your landscape, you can start to manage with a bit more of a careful eye.
“For example, imagine being a bird and you’re jumping from one gorse bush to another to stay in cover – this is your last hopscotch you have to cross the line to the woodland on the other side.
“It’s a fair distance. If you remove the final stepping stone before they take that plunge…
“At the same time, you may have adders in that area, so that bush could be the only bit of shade or cover for them. There’s different things to consider.”
“In short,” she concluded, “it’s about looking at your railway’s lineside in a different way.”