THE spine-chilling wail of an air raid siren, the metallic clank of tank tracks and the rhythmic tramp of marching feet brought the fear, excitement and camaraderie of 1943 vividly to life this weekend.

Hundreds of people dressed as soldiers of different nationalities and prisoners of war and paraded in the area as the North Yorkshire Moors Railway held its seventh annual Wartime Weekend.

Steam trains loaded with passengers ran along the line between Pickering and Grosmont, each station along the way re-enacting different aspects of what life was like 60 years ago.

In one carriage, Russian soldiers chatted of their conquests in the east while, in another, German PoWs quietly mulled over life in captivity.

So as not to give too much away to an enemy, station names were removed from the platforms while, in the cafes, meals on offer included Spam fritters and rabbit pie. If they ran out, customers were simply reminded there was a war on.

The Wartime Weekend spread into Pickering, which hosted dances and other events that enhanced the authenticity of the 1940s theme.

North Yorkshire Moors Railway's general manager, Peter Pay, said: "This was easily the biggest event we have had.

"It is not about celebrating war but about commemorating the railwaymen who died in the conflict.

"Local people have adopted the parade of military vehicles as their own and it has got bigger every year.

"We have around 800 members of different re-enactment societies here this year, who all take their hobby seriously.

"But more and more local people are dressing in 1940s costume, while three dances have been arranged in town."

The North Yorkshire Moors Railway had 250 people working on the project over the weekend, many of them volunteers, and the event is thought to have attracted several thousand people over three days.