Derwent Valley Light Railway

Derwent Valley Light Railway
The Blackberry Line
Train shunting on the DVLR
LocaleEngland
TerminusMurton
Coordinates53°57′46″N 1°00′35″W / 53.9629°N 1.0096°W / 53.9629; -1.0096
Commercial operations
NameDerwent Valley Light Railway
Built byDerwent Valley Light Railway (DVLR)
Original gauge4 ft 8+12 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Preserved operations
Operated byDerwent Valley Light Railway Society
Stations1
Length12 mile (0.80 km)
Preserved gauge4 ft 8+12 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Commercial history
Opened1912–1913
Closed27 September 1981
Preservation history
1985Light Railway Order transferred to Murton section of line
1990Great Yorkshire Preservation Society moves to Murton
1991Wheldrake station obtained
1992Railway converted to Sustrans cycle track between York and Osbaldwick
1993Railway reopens
2013DVLR marks 100 years of original full route opening

The Derwent Valley Light Railway (DVLR) (also known as The Blackberry Line) was a privately owned standard-gauge railway in North Yorkshire, England, and was unusual in that it was never nationalised, remaining as a private operation all its life. It ran between Layerthorpe on the outskirts of York to Cliffe Common near Selby. It opened in two stages, in 1912 and 1913, and closed in sections between 1965 and 1981. Between 1977 and 1979, passenger steam trains operated between Layerthorpe and Dunnington – the entire length of track at that time. In 1993 a small section was re-opened as part of the Yorkshire Museum of Farming at Murton.

The line gained its nickname of The Blackberry Line in the days when it used to transport blackberries to markets in Yorkshire and London.[1]

  1. ^ "Derwent Valley Light Railway to celebrate 100th anniversary". York Press. 30 May 2013. Retrieved 17 July 2013.