NORTH BAY’S EDGAR
In issue 230 of Heritage Railway in 2017, I referred to work then in progress at the workshops of North Bay Railway Engineering Services Ltd (NBES) on a 2ft gauge replica Decauville ‘Type 1’ 0-4-0T. At this time, the company’s workshops were located at two premises in Scarborough. The smaller of the buildings – located close to the town’s North Bay Railway – served as a machine shop, whilst the larger – located in an adjacent village – fulfilled the function of an erecting shop. No doubt, the history of NBES will be familiar to many readers, especially those whose main interest is the narrow gauge sphere, but for those unfamiliar with the company it will be helpful to give a brief outline here.
Origin
The decision to set up the company, a subsidiary of Scarborough’s North Bay Railway, was taken in the spring of 2014 in connection with the Heritage Skills Initiative, then running in the North East and Yorkshire. Two apprentices were initially trained and then taken on by the company during 2014/5, whilst engineer Mark Ashton joined in October 2014. During more recent times the limitations of the Scarborough area as a
