Situated in the heart of the moors, Goathland Station, on the North Yorkshire Moors Railway, has for 17 years played the part of Aidensfield Station in the ITV drama series 'Heartbeat'. As an aside, it also played the part of Hogsmeade Station for the first Harry Potter film.

Being a station on a preserved line has been of great benefit when ITV wanted to stage events on the railway, such as the famous train crash. In recent years the NYMR visitor numbers have increased significantly, with 350,000 visitors recorded in 2009 - an all-time record. It is estimated that the railway helps to generate about £30 million per year for the local and regional economy, making the NYMR one of the world’s most popular heritage steam railways. Originally the Whitby and Pickering Railway, opened in 1836, it was one of the earliest and was built by George Stephenson. Initially the trains were horse drawn, with a rope worked incline, between Goathland and Beck Hole, which had a 1 in 10 gradient. In 1865 a new route was opened to avoid the steep incline and even though the gradient was still severe, the new steam locomotives were able to tackle it without assistance.