Train enthusiasts should tune in to Channel 5 later this year to journey back to the 1830s and the ‘golden age of steam’ in Yorkshire.

Three-part documentary ‘All Aboard the Yorkshire Express’ takes a behind-the-scenes look at one of the world’s most popular steam railways – the North Yorkshire Moors Railway.

The historic line, covering 24 miles from Pickering in North Yorkshire to the coastal town of Whitby, celebrates its 50th anniversary this year.

The North Yorkshire Moors Railway steam engine. Photo: Sam Wright

The programme will contain interviews with some of the army of conductors, mechanics and volunteers that keep the wheels turning and the passengers happy.

Emily Dalton, co-managing director of production company DSP, said: “All Aboard the Yorkshire Express is a real celebration of the extraordinary heritage and traditions of the country’s railways and we’re delighted to be making it for Channel 5. We’re hugely grateful to the North Yorkshire Moors for the unprecedented access they’ve allowed us to their revered railway.”

It’s no mean feat to keep the old girl running either. Employees have to maintain 100,000 railway sleepers and shovel 1,900 tonnes of coal to accommodate the steam engine’s 350,000 passengers every year.