Mr Waterman was the guest of honour at the railway in Pickering last Friday to open a £110,000 unit to restore railway carriages and see the first carriage being shunted under cover into the new building where experts will carry out its restoration.

And the railway shows no sign of running out of steam – last weekend visitors flocked to the NYMR when it hosted its Autumn Steam Gala with 10 steam engines puffing along the line including the Duke of Gloucester.

After Mr Waterman unveiled a plaque at the entrance he left Pickering on a special train hauled by a Super D engine number 5224 which he owns.

The new facility is expected to make a big difference to the speed at which the NYMR, which has also been awarded £998,000 from the Heritage Lottery Fund to construct a new visitor and education centre in Pickering, can carry out restoration on scores of carriages some of which need major work.

Currently, the carriages, some of which are made out of teak are sitting in sidings awaiting restoration.

Mr Waterman said: "Although I am known for being a railway enthusiast my real passion is for railway coaches. I am delighted by what I have seen today and would like to pay tribute to the volunteers of the NYMR, helping as they do, to bring tourism and people back to the railway.

"This is a fantastic facility and a great asset to the NYMR. At a time when the popularity of trains is at an all time high, it is great to see this kind of development taking place which is helping to fuel the rail renaissance."

Funding for the new workshop was made possible thanks to a £42,000 boost from Yorkshire Forward with the remaining contribution being made by the railway itself, made possible by a generous bequest from the late John Atkins who was a supporter of the NYMR.

It means railway staff will no longer have to work outside in all weathers and can enjoy the warmth of the Atkins Building, in honour of Mr Atkins.

Earlier this month Mr Waterman published his second book A Train is For Life which descibes his lifelong love affair with the railways and railway modelling.