THE clock will be turned back almost 70 years in Ryedale this weekend as thousands of visitors join a three-day celebration of the wartime role of the railways.

The North Yorkshire Moors Railway is staging the 20th annual Railway in Wartime weekend, which began today and commemorates the part played by Britain’s rail network during the Second World War.

Many of the visitors are expected to don 1940s-style clothing as they visit stations at Pickering, Levisham, Goathland, Grosmont and Whitby, with re-enactments and displays forming part of the weekend and other entertainment, including a Spitfire simulator, also being laid on.

Parades will be held in Pickering and vintage stalls, battles and dances will form part of the festivities at the town’s showground as Ryedale recreates life on the Home Front in 1943.

About 26,000 people are estimated to have headed to Pickering on the Saturday of the event alone last year.

A Park&Ride service will be running from Pickering Showground and there will also be other parking in the town and at stations along the route.

Coastliner buses will also be running to Pickering from York, Malton, Scarborough, Bridlington and Whitby.

The celebration comes to a close on Sunday and more details are available at nymr.co.uk