Philip Benham’s An Illustrated History of the North Yorkshire Moors Railway ranges from the line’s creation more than 170 years ago to the present day and includes his thoughts about what lies ahead for the railway in the next 10 to 15 years.

“The last time a book was written about the history of the railway was in the late 1960s,” said Mr Benham, who is the railway’s general manager. “Sadly this excellent book is long out of print so it is time to plug that gap and bring the history up to date.”

Mr Bentham follows the line’s development from the launch in the 1880s of the horse-drawn Whitby and Pickering Railway by engineer George Stephenson and its development through the introduction of steam trains, the Edwardian era and an early example of a tourist train service between Whitby and Beck Hole, the post-Second World War decline of the railway and its closure in 1965 and its resurrection by a team of preservationists who created the modern North Yorkshire Moors Railway.

At 144 pages long, and with more than 300 pictures, the hardback book proved to be a challenge for Mr Benham, who had help from the railway’s archivist Graham Reussner, and friends and colleagues on the railway. Pickering’s Beck Isle Museum and Whitby Museum also made their archive records available.

“The biggest challenge was deciding what not to put in,” said Mr Bentham. “I ended up with far more material than I could possibly use. I had 300 photos in the end but I could have filled two times the number of pages.

“I have never written a book before but it has been an enjoyable challenge. The main thing I found was learning to check and recheck your facts, and also ensuring you represent these facts fairly. ”

Ian Allan Publishing approached the railway with the idea for the book last year and after considering the options Mr Benham decided to “have a go”.

The book took just over a year to complete, and he said of seeing the finished produce: “It’s a pleasing feeling.”

He added: “I hope it will promote the railway as well as appealing to people who know and use the railway and those who may visit and want to take a memento home with them.”

If the book sells well Mr Benham said proceeds will go towards the rebuilding of Bridge 30, between Goathland and Grosmont. One of many across the River Esk, the bridge was built in 1908 but needs to be renewed over the next 18 months at a cost of at least half a million pounds to keep the railway running.

The North York Moors Railway is open on weekends in the run-up to Christmas with a few spaces remaining for Santa Specials in December.

The book is available from Pickering station or Ian Allan Publishing.