THE Malton economy could be in line for a big boost if an ambitious plan to restore a Wolds railway becomes a reality.

The Yorkshire Wolds Railway Restoration Project already has several railway experts on board and the group is holding a key meeting at The Old Lodge Hotel, Malton, tomorrow at 7pm.

Phil Robson, one of the leaders of the organisation, said: “We would welcome any enthusiasts to our meeting because we feel this venture has real potential for Malton.”

The aim, said Mr Robson, a Driffield accountant who was a volunteer on the North Yorkshire Moors Railway, is to restore at least part of the Malton to Driffield Junction Railway which closed half a century ago.

He said: “We believe it will be a valuable heritage and tourist attraction to the Malton and Driffield areas, generating considerable additional income for the towns.”

Much of the trackbed runs through the Birdsall Estate and the Sledmere House Estate.

Mr Robson said: “We want to work with interested and associated organisations on the project which we are confident will benefit local residents. The currently unused trackbed runs through some marvellous scenery and links such gems as Sledmere and Fimber, Wharram Percy and its medieval village, Burdale, Thixendale, and North Grimston, all in the heart of the beautiful Wolds.”

The line was used by small steam tank engine, known as the Malton Dodger, which climbed the gradient to the mile-long Burdale tunnel on its way to Sledmere.

The group was formed last October and alternate its meetings between Driffield and Malton.

One unknown quantity, said Mr Robson, is the condition of the Burdale tunnel which is thought to have suffered some collapse.

However, with much of the infrastructure still in sound order, the group believes that a large stretch of the railway could be brought back into use for thousands rather than hundreds of thousands of pounds, said Mr Robson. The aim is to tackle an initial mile-and-a-half stretch, he added.

Because of the railway’s heritage potential, the group is hopeful of winning funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund and from Yorkshire Forward, for the job and income generation potential for Malton and Driffield.