My Life Is Devoted to This Miniature Railway

Steve Johnson has dedicated his life to working on the Scarborough North Bay Railway since childhood.

Since taking his first train ride by his father when just weeks old, Steve Johnson said he felt destined for a career in railways. At 11 years old, he began volunteering at the Yorkshire tourist attraction and became an apprentice at 17. Today, at 35, he is the railway’s operations manager.

Steve has been recognized for his dedication to both the railway and Scarborough’s tourism industry by being named a finalist for the 2025 Visit England Tourism Super Star Award.

“Its just lovely that someone would acknowledge the effort you’re putting into it,” Steve told BBC Radio York. “Its humbling really.”

The award celebrates passion and dedication within England’s tourism industry, with voting open to the public for its winner.

With around 100,000 visitors annually, Steve is proud that the railway has become an integral part of Scarboroughs traditional day out, alongside fish and chips. “We see a lot of generational visits,” he said. “Grandma who brings grandchildren who used to bring their parents.”

The railway also represents multigenerational work within his family. His father, who introduced him to the railways as an infant, now works there too.

Steves journey began with helping guards check tickets and wiping down trains seats in his teenage years. As a 17-year-old apprentice, he overhauled the railway’s oldest locomotive, Neptune, built in 1931.

“For that to be my first job when I started,” he said. “It just felt like it was all fate.”

Another career highlight for Steve occurred in 2019, when pop icon Kylie Minogue performed her hit song Locomotion on one of the trains while in town for a show at Scarborough’s Open Air Theatre. She called to specifically be part of this experience.

“She was brilliant, what a lovely lady she is,” Steve said about his encounter with the star.

Over almost two decades in the business, Steve feels more satisfied than ever. “The way things are, Im happier than I ever have been here,” he said.

“What were actually achieving as a team is phenomenal I think.”