The Derwent Valley Light Railway ran from York towards the south, parallel to the course of the River Derwent, a tributary of the Humber. It was hardly a valley, the land being so flat, but the line headed off through Murton, Dunnington, and Wheldrake to eventually join one of the NER lines radiatining East from Selby. When I came across it, in the 1970s, it terminated at Dunnington, just before the former crossing of the A1079. Passenger excursions were run from Layerthorpe station, where the line diverged from the former NER Foss Islands Goods Branch, to Dunnington, behind NER J72 0-6-0T “Joem”, formerly the York station pilot. Joem is now on the Norht York Moors Railway The picture below is at Dunnington in September 1977.
Right, Joem in August 1977, probably at Layerthorpe.
The DVLR also for a year or two ran Christmas Specials, which terminated at Dunnington. Father Christmas gave out presents to children, and possibly, if I remember right, a glass of sherry to grown-ups. One thing I do remember was that he had a real white beard, no cotton wool. The two photos below show Joem on the way to Dunnington in December 1977, and the scene at Dunnington Station. Somewhere, I have a picture of Santa. When it turns up, I’ll add it to this page.
