The Yorkshire Steam Railway: All Aboard

The annual steam gala is held and this year, in a bid to generate as much cash as possible, the railway decides to put on a show with a record 15 locos coming from all over the country for a weekend steam spectacular. The star-studded line-up includes the iconic Union of South Africa. This engine, a sister to the Mallard, the fastest steam loco ever built, is due to be retired, so this will be one of the last opportunities to see it. However, Piglet is optimistic for a home win with the 9F, the last remaining example of one of the most powerful class of engines ever built in Britain.

The August bank holiday coincides with a heatwave and in the old carriage kitchen, Sammie swelters with 100 meals to prepare and serve, while on the loco footplates the boiler kicks out an extra 1,000 degrees of heat. A trackside wall collapse threatens to stop the railway in its tracks, though a curious group of volunteers called the Wombles comes to the rescue, working through the night to get it fixed. Elsewhere, Piglet comes up with a money-spinner by sending one of the locos, little Engine 29, to another railway.

One of the biggest events on the NYMR timetable is the annual War Weekend. The event, which sees the whole railway transformed into a nostalgic snapshot of wartime Britain, is hugely popular with steam enthusiasts, war re-enactors and others fascinated by days gone by. Coming towards the end of the railway's season the event is vital to bring in much-needed funds to see it through the quiet winter months. For its 20th year, the railway has brought in a new attraction - a huge Second World War artillery gun. However, getting the monster gun into position proves a mission in itself.