People are being urged to buy shares in one of North Yorkshire's heritage railway lines to help it restore a regular steam train service for Whitby. The North Yorkshire Moors Railway (NYMR) launched a share issue on Tuesday to raise enough money to run between Pickering and the seaside town.
It will be the first time services have run along the entire route since the line was axed by British Rail in 1963.
It is hoped the share issue will cover the full cost of the �2m expansion.
The Whitby and Pickering Railway was designed and built by George Stephenson 170 years ago.
Trial services to Whitby began last summer and NYMR general manager Philip Benham said they were a major success.
Exciting project
He said: "This is the most ambitious and exciting project we have undertaken since re-opening between Grosmont and Pickering in 1976.
"Whitby is the natural next step and offers a huge, untapped market. We are proud of what we have achieved in the last 30 years, but no business can afford to stand still.
"Whitby offers our best chance of establishing new revenue in the years ahead."
NYMR celebrated a record passenger total of 305,000 in 2005 with a turnover of �4m.
It said by operating a regular service in and out of Whitby it would take 200 cars a day off local roads.
Expensive business
Mr Benham added: "Make no mistake, extending to Whitby is an expensive business. Operating our own trains over six miles of the national network requires substantial funds.
"There are extra staffing and insurance costs, and we will be liable to penalty charges if we delay regular services.
"But we are absolutely convinced Whitby is worth it. We need to go on developing what we do best - and that is running a successful heritage railway to the very highest standards."
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