Essential parts have arrived to help in the painstaking process of restoring a historic locomotive to working order.

Volunteers have been working hard on the project to restore the 1903 NER Autocar – the world’s first non-steam-powered railcar – at the Embsay and Bolton Abbey Steam Railway.

Members of the 1903 NER Autocar Trust have now taken delivery of a motor bogie, one of the major components needed to get the autocar running again.

The trust is seeking a Lottery grant to help its restoration project, and the underframe will be the next major component needed for the Autocar. After this, the trust will need to lay its hands on an engine and generator.

The locomotive was built by the North Eastern Railway in 1903, at a time when steam ruled the railways, seas and factories. It was powered by electricity generated by a petrol engine.

It was withdrawn from service in 1931 and ended up becoming a novel holiday home near Kirkbymoorside.